The Complete Book of Presidential Trivia

By J. Stephen Lang

Book Overview

The former presidents of the United States were characters in their own right. Whatever their politics may have been, their personalities are often what make them memorable. These American leaders were the sons of politicians, farmers, and gas station attendants. Some were educated at the most prestigious schools in the country while others were mostly self-taught. A fun question-and-answer format provides you with a glimpse of their types and temperaments. Their famous firsts, hidden vices, family relationships, bad habits, strange pets, last words, and quotes both memorable and forgettable have been recorded for posterity.

Far from a dull history lesson, these quick quizzes reveal which commander in chief was drunk during his inauguration and which one claimed that any form of music made him ill. Other oddities include a president who was once part of a vigilante group and one who almost went to prison for tax fraud. One furtive leader managed to dodge the draft and undergo a secret surgery on a yacht. Another got stuck in the White House bathtub and habitually fell asleep in public places. One fun-loving president played practical jokes on his staff while another lost the White House china in a poker game.

This second edition has been updated to include information on Barack Obama and the later years of George W. Bush. Did either of these men have a previous DUI conviction or serve as director of the CIA? There's only one way to find out.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1589809025
• ISBN13: 9781589809024
• Release Date: March 2011
• Publisher: Pelican Publishing Company
• Length: 464 Pages
• Weight: 1.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.4" x 5.6" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

A Fun Read

This was my President's Day gift to myself. I heard the author interviewed on a local radio station, found the book at a local store, and have thoroughly enjoyed it all. The section with questions on the First Ladies is especially interesting. Was also interested in the material about the pre-presidential careers of these guys. I would recommend this to political junkies, or to anyone even remotely interested in US history.

Nice way to learn history

We have had some lousy presidents, but this is not a lousy book. Even the bad presidents were interesting to read about. I knew a lot of the answers to the questions, but some of this material was totally new to me. I like the sort of book that entertains you and educates too. I think the best part was that all the most recent presidents were included, George W. too.

Lots of Juicy Tidbits

I have been reading this aloud with my kids, so I'm happy to say it is a CLEAN book, but it does have some really neat questions about the presidents' personal lives, such as their hobbies, family life, sports they played, school, military service, and so forth. I was really impressed with so much information about some of the lesser known presidents like Franklin Pierce and Millard Fillmore and others. Obviously the author likes collecting the really quirky bits of info that make history interesting. I gather the book must have been in print before the events of September 11 2001.

All the Juicy Tidbits Your Teacher Forgot to Tell You

I thought I knew a lot about US history, but I kept stumbling across questions that had answers that really surprised me. This quiz book is a barrel of fun, lots of juicy tidbits (yeah, Monica is here), all the gossipy details you wish your history teacher had told you. My favorite part was the end, which has 20 questions about each o the presidents, including George W.