The Complete Idiot's Guide® to the American Presidency takes readers from the first president to the most recent - George W. Bush - exploring the legacies of the greatest leaders to the black marks against others, showing the ways in which many of the men left their stamp on both the nation and the presidency itself.

After the Revolution, the new citizens of the United States of America had some thinking to do - they'd gotten rid of evil King George, but they weren't quite sure who they should put in his place as their ruler. Pulling together the thirteen states was of paramount importance, and their experience with royal governors and other colonial executives had been testy at best. Ultimately, they decided on something new for a new country - a president - and they haven't looked back (well, not much) since.

Topics Covered-

• The prototypes - Washington and Adams - and the legacy of Jefferson, including his protégés, Madison, Monroe, and John Quincy Adams.
• The age of Jackson and the uncommon common men who followed him in the office.
• Presidential politics in the shadow of slavery.
• Presidential greatness - Abraham Lincoln - and the impeachment and disappointments that followed it.
• The progressive presidency, from TR to Wilson.
• The personal presidency - FDR, Eisenhower, and Kennedy.
• The Imperial presidency and its aftermath - Nixon, Ford, and Carter.
• The CEO presidency - Ronald Reagan and beyond.
• Appendixes list the presidents and their vice presidents, the presidential elections, and further reading.

Alan Axelrod, Ph.D.,brings nearly 20 years of experience as an author of history books. His numerous works include The Complete Idiot's Guide® to American History, Fifth Edition, Art of the Golden West(Abbeville Press, 1990), which was named BooklistEditors' Choice for 1990; A Chronicle of the Indian Wars- From Colonial Times to Wounded Knee(Prentice-Hall Press, 1992); The War Between the Spies- A History of Espionage During the American Civil War(Atlantic Monthly Press, 1992); What Every American Should Know About American History- 200 Events That Shaped the Nation(with Charles Phillips; Adams, 1992); The Complete Idiot's Guide® to the Civil War, Second Edition(2003); The Complete Idiot's Guide® to the American Revolution(1999); The Complete Idiot's Guide® to World War I(2000); America's Wars(Wiley, 2002); and Minority Rights in America(CQ Press, 2002).