A Student Cartoonist's View of Great Figures in American History

by Mark Wahlgren Summers

Here is a book that makes history come alive. Seen through the eyes of a witty student, America's heroes and heroines are revealed as human beings, with the strengths and weaknesses we all possess. Along with the original caricatures, brief biographical sketches highlight the lives of famous Americans from Christopher Columbus to Richard Nixon. A Student Cartoonist's View of Great Figures in American History is a refreshing departure from traditional history textbooks.

300 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 1972

About the author

Mark Wahlgren Summers is Thomas D. Clark Professor of History at the University of Kentucky, Lexington.

Reviews

[Sean Chick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Summers' first book is a collection of cartoons of various political figures and a short piece about their personality, often with anecdotes and personal observations, the later of which align well with Summers' own preference for rational reforms, a wariness of imperialism, and the equality of all people. That kind of liberalism was on its deathbed when I was born in 1982 and now seems like some pleasant and haunting memory. Today we bomb at will, speak of equity, and the rich have never been more powerful.

At any rate, being that this book came out before Nixon crushed McGovern is is an interesting historical artifact as surely as a collection of cartoons and fun tidbits. This is light historical reading at its best. I just hope the page 97 entry does not get him into any trouble.