About this product

Product Identifiers

PublisherRandom House, Incorporated

ISBN-101400065607

ISBN-139781400065608

eBay Product ID (ePID)61797872

Product Key Features

Book TitlePolk : the Man Who Transformed the Presidency and America

Number of Pages448 Pages

LanguageEnglish

Publication Year2008

TopicUnited States / 19th Century, Presidents & Heads of State, United States / General

IllustratorYes

GenreBiography & Autobiography, History

AuthorWalter R. Borneman

FormatHardcover

Dimensions

Item Height1.3 in

Item Weight27.7 Oz

Item Length9.5 in

Item Width6 in

Additional Product Features

Intended AudienceTrade

LCCN2007-014040

Dewey Edition22

Reviews"A terrific portrait of a man and his times." Jon Meacham, author ofAmerican LionandFranklin and Winston "For quite a while we've needed a new biography of James K. PolkAmerica's great underrated president. Now, at last, Walter R. Borneman has delivered the goods. This book is both well written and diligently researched. Highly recommended!" Douglas Brinkley, professor of history at Rice University, author ofThe Great Deluge "Borneman gives us a book that is full of interest and insight and is a pleasure to read." Robert Middlekauff, Bancroft Prize-winning author ofThe Glorious Cause "[An] informed and readable biography." The Wall Street Journal "Borneman is a trailblazer in the mold of his subject [and has produced] a volume that can stand with all but the very best presidential biographies." Louisville Courier-Journal "With impressive exuberance . . . Borneman rightly describes his subject as America's greatest expansionist president." Austin American Statesman "Borneman manages to pull [many] threads together into a comprehensible and entertaining narrative. . . . [His] biography gives Polk his due." Rocky Mountain News

Dewey Decimal973.6/1092 B

SynopsisInPolk, Walter R. Borneman gives us the first complete and authoritative biography of a president often overshadowed in image but seldom outdone in accomplishment. James K. Polk occupied the White House for only four years, from 1845 to 1849, but he plotted and attained a formidable agenda: He fought for and won tariff reductions, reestablished an independent Treasury, and, most notably, brought Texas into the Union, bluffed Great Britain out of the lion's share of Oregon, and wrested California and much of the Southwest from Mexico. On reflection, these successes seem even more impressive, given the contentious political environment of the time. In this unprecedented, long-overdue warts-and-all look at Polk's life and career, we have a portrait of an expansionist president and decisive statesman who redefined the country he led, and we are reminded anew of the true meaning of presidential accomplishment and resolve.

LC Classification NumberE417.B67 2008