By Joseph Nathan Kane and Janet Podell

The authoritative source for information about the lives, backgrounds, and terms of office of every American president, from George Washington onward, Wilson’s acclaimed Facts About the Presidents series continues with its much-anticipated Eighth Edition.

Written for both general readers and researchers, this volume will be one of the most widely consulted works in your reference collection. The new Eighth Edition of Facts About the Presidents delivers comprehensive data about every American president, from George Washington to Barack Obama, plus facts about the Executive Office itself.

What’s New in the Eighth Edition

In addition to the intensive coverage of past presidents, this volume contains:

• Extensive and authoritative facts about both terms of President George W. Bush.

• The inauguration and early White House tenure of President Barack Obama.

• The most up-to-date knowledge available, relying on the latest scholarship.

• A complete and compelling portrait of the nation’s highest office and the men and women who have held or sought it over the years.

A Separate Chapter on Each of the 44 U.S. Presidents

Part I presents a chapter for each president in chronological sequence, featuring data on the president’s background, life, and administration. Here you’ll find uniformly arranged data on birth, family, education, nomination and election, congressional sessions, cabinet and Supreme Court appointments, vice presidents, first ladies, and more—plus highlights of both the personal and political. Bibliographies guide readers to additional information on each president.

Comparative Data and Facts About the Presidency

Part II presents over 160 pages of fascinating statistics in a collective arrangement so that a reader can compare presidents on the basis of such matters as early occupation, previous political career, type of education, military experience, family background, religious affiliation, age at death, literary output, and other factors.

Part II also delivers important facts about the office of the presidency, including salaries and pensions, cabinet officers, party alignments of the Congresses, presidential vetoes, electoral and popular votes in every election since 1789, third-party electoral votes, presidential succession, and the many other facets of the job. The volume also features a handy name/subject index to make it easy to pinpoint exactly the information you need.

◘ 816 pp.
◘ Illustrated with portraits of each President
◘ 2009
◘ ISBN 978-0-8242-1087-8
◘ $150
◘ $170 (outside U.S. and Canada)

• Contents

• Preface

• Sample Chapter