History of American Presidential Elections, 1789–2008

Gr 10 Up—Updating the 2002 work with coverage of the 2004 and 2008 elections, this title also features a format change: the primary-source documents that were included in earlier editions have been replaced with "Election Overview" sections that list important facts and statistical data about each election. They include, for example, candidates' names, campaign issues and events, and the trajectory and legacy of each race. Illustrations include black-and-white reproductions of period art, photos, and political cartoons as well as maps and charts that show popular and electoral votes. Most of the lengthy essays that describe and analyze the elections and that form the core of the books have been reprinted with only superficial stylistic changes and are almost identical to the versions first published in the 1971 edition and the 1986 supplemental volume. Authored by then-eminent historians and journalists, the essays were authoritative when they were first published, but most are now in their fourth decade and thus lack recent historical scholarship and contemporary historical thought, analysis, and writing style. Although these books have a new look and a new publisher imprint, most of their content is not new, making them less than useful choices.—Mary Mueller, formerly at Rolla Junior High School, MO