Presidential Fact Book

by Joseph Nathan Kane

A storehouse of presidential facts, data, and statistics, The Presidential Fact Book is a comprehensive and authoritative tour through the administrations of every United States president from Washington to Clinton. Here are thousands of facts and entertaining trivia about the men who have occupied our nation's highest office, now available in an affordable paperback for the first time. Facts, data, and statistics about presidents from Washington to Clinton are presented in two

Part One profiles each president individually, with data on birth, family, education, election, and highlights of personal life and political administration.

Part Two presents data by subject, so you can compare presidents using a wide range of criteria, including early occupations, religion, education, and more.

448 pages, Paperback

First published April 20, 1998

Reviews

[Anthony Bergen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Joseph Nathan Kane's Presidential Fact Book is probably the most well-worn book in my collection because I use it so frequently. It is a priceless tool for a Presidential Historian who needs to look up a quick fact or find numbers or stats from an obscure election. I use this book constantly and Joseph Nathan Kane has collected all of the pertinent facts and stats in one handy reference book. Every historian should have books like this nearby; every Presidential Historian should have this book specifically.

[Martin Denton · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I was a kid, my absolute favorite book about American history was Joseph Nathan Kane's Facts about the Presidents: A Compilation of Biographical and Historical Data. This book is an update to that book, and while the formatting isn't quite as friendly as the earlier paperback, all the facts seem to still be here. I enjoyed rereading it!

This is not presidential biography. It's a compendium of detailed data about each of the presidents, along with a few choice anecdotes/incidents recorded in pleasant, terse paragraphs. It's definitely more of a reference than anything else, but I have read it more than once cover-to-cover and have always been continuously engaged.

There is some info here that is not easily found elsewhere. For example, if you're looking for a summary of the presidential nominating conventions of a particular election year, you will not find anything more concise and precise that what's on offer in this book. Very valuable stuff!

The second section of the book is filled with comparative data and statistics. Which presidents lived the longest? Which were youngest when inaugurated? How many sons and daughters did they have? All that and much more can be found in this part of the book, which is a lot of fun.

I admit, I'm a bit of a geek about this stuff; this book is probably not for everyone. But it's a great reference book, and if you're into American history, it's a great ride, as well.