
Published in association with the Bibliographical Society of America and the National First Ladies' Library Although many early U.S. presidents were avid readers and book collectors--George Washington, John Adams, and Thomas Jefferson, to name a few--they usually brought their...

Examines the founding in 1850 of the first library in the White House purchased with public funds, which was intended to remain there as a permanent collection. Documents the contents of the library and considers it within the political, social, and intellectual milieu of...