ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZAAABAC
1
NoNameBookBook AuthorBook Link
Recommend?
Book mini-reviewTweets
2
1
George Washington
Washington: A Life
Ron Chernow
https://www.audible.com/pd/Washington-Audiobook/B0044EMDEO?pf_rd_p=6a5ce8e4-798e-4a64-8bc5-71dcf66d673f&pf_rd_r=6QP19ZRQ1TQHSC48CXWQ&ref=a_lib_c4_libItem_B0044EMDEO
YFantastic. Deeply researched, engaging, readable, well paced.
https://twitter.com/seldo/status/1099464459091816449
https://twitter.com/seldo/status/692410495412736000
3
2John AdamsJohn Adams
David McCullough
https://www.audible.com/pd/John-Adams-Audiobook/B002VACOB0?pf_rd_p=6a5ce8e4-798e-4a64-8bc5-71dcf66d673f&pf_rd_r=V5NFVE9Q7SMME1FGNZMM&ref=a_lib_c4_libItem_B002VACOB0
Y
Does its very best with a dull as dishwater subject. Detailed and well-written but a slog.
https://twitter.com/seldo/status/952765757447856128
https://twitter.com/seldo/status/965645934498430977
4
3
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power
Jon Meacham
https://www.audible.com/pd/Thomas-Jefferson-The-Art-of-Power-Audiobook/B009R9KT74?pf_rd_p=6a5ce8e4-798e-4a64-8bc5-71dcf66d673f&pf_rd_r=0KS11QE52Q72X8B0F1Z2&ref=a_lib_c4_libItem_B009R9KT74
Y
Brilliantly written, full of great detail, pulls its punches on some of his darker aspects but doesn't ignore them.
https://twitter.com/seldo/status/1044015388588048384
5
4James Madison
The Three Lives of James Madison: Genius, Partisan, President
Noah Feldman
https://www.audible.com/pd/The-Three-Lives-of-James-Madison-Audiobook/B0772TP1ZD?pf_rd_p=6a5ce8e4-798e-4a64-8bc5-71dcf66d673f&pf_rd_r=JM1GSGQY307EC4R0P1X9&ref=a_lib_c4_libItem_B0772TP1ZD
YDetailed and engaging, a little longer than its subject deserves.
https://twitter.com/seldo/status/1052928363613093888
6
5James Monroe
The Last Founding Father: James Monroe and a Nation's Call to Greatness
Harlow Giles Unger
https://www.audible.com/pd/The-Last-Founding-Father-Audiobook/B0030E6HQY?pf_rd_p=6a5ce8e4-798e-4a64-8bc5-71dcf66d673f&pf_rd_r=28H5AWV74AE9NPKQEJMS&ref=a_lib_c4_libItem_B0030E6HQY
YConcise, about as long as this shitty dude deserved, but too nice to him.
https://twitter.com/seldo/status/970713783663411201
7
6
John Quincy Adams
John Quincy Adams: Militant Spirit
James Traub
https://www.audible.com/pd/John-Quincy-Adams-Audiobook/B01NCAPZKM?pf_rd_p=6a5ce8e4-798e-4a64-8bc5-71dcf66d673f&pf_rd_r=V5NFVE9Q7SMME1FGNZMM&ref=a_lib_c4_libItem_B01NCAPZKM
Y
JQA was even duller than his dad. The bio is workmanlike with much less of the color of other bios.
https://twitter.com/seldo/status/1024754889472102400
8
7Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson: His Life and Times
H W Brands
https://www.audible.com/pd/Andrew-Jackson-Audiobook/B002V8KJ0K?pf_rd_p=6a5ce8e4-798e-4a64-8bc5-71dcf66d673f&pf_rd_r=8KEZAD8YDSX2VACY4MJC&ref=a_lib_c4_libItem_B002V8KJ0K
Y
Military-focused, containing less personal detail than is probably warranted, but very readable.
https://twitter.com/seldo/status/1072182246616948736
9
8Martin Van Buren
Martin Van Buren: A Captivating Guide to the Man Who Served as the Eighth President of the United States
Captivating History
https://www.audible.com/pd/Martin-Van-Buren-Audiobook/B07DFSZPXN?pf_rd_p=6a5ce8e4-798e-4a64-8bc5-71dcf66d673f&pf_rd_r=AWGWQJZ0BRQSH790NCJB&ref=a_lib_c4_libItem_B07DFSZPXN
N
Short and cliff notes-y but with some fun details, and very engaging. Best of the cliff-notes bios.
https://twitter.com/seldo/status/1094677333217226752
10
9
William Henry Harrison
William Henry Harrison: The Life and Legacy of the First American President to Die in Office
Charles River Editors
https://www.audible.com/pd/William-Henry-Harrison-Audiobook/B0725J9ZP6?pf_rd_p=6a5ce8e4-798e-4a64-8bc5-71dcf66d673f&pf_rd_r=YY95T7RFVVNFK376XMES&ref=a_lib_c4_libItem_B0725J9ZP6
NJust under 2 hours long, a cliff-notes bio. Not great.
https://twitter.com/seldo/status/1094677333217226752
11
10John TylerJohn TylerRobert J Spitzer
https://www.audible.com/pd/John-Tyler-Audiobook/B01M2YXQ92?pf_rd_p=6a5ce8e4-798e-4a64-8bc5-71dcf66d673f&pf_rd_r=FSWBXZPP56XEP08NNMCH&ref=a_lib_c4_libItem_B01M2YXQ92
N28 minutes long, a shitty all-the-presidents entry.
https://twitter.com/seldo/status/970714988703768576
12
11James K Polk
Polk: The Man Who Transformed the Presidency and America
Walter R Borneman
https://www.audible.com/pd/Polk-Audiobook/B002V1OXVS?pf_rd_p=6a5ce8e4-798e-4a64-8bc5-71dcf66d673f&pf_rd_r=D9HDYDBJ4AZGHF6VGPS4&ref=a_lib_c4_libItem_B002V1OXVS
Y
Author wanted to write about Jackson and sort of accidentally wrote about Polk. Not good.
https://twitter.com/seldo/status/979088796896514048
13
12Zachary TaylorZachary TaylorPaul Finkelman
https://www.audible.com/pd/Zachary-Taylor-Audiobook/B01M7RD5ST?pf_rd_p=6a5ce8e4-798e-4a64-8bc5-71dcf66d673f&pf_rd_r=2CKDK3RFSMVAY81984QM&ref=a_lib_c4_libItem_B01M7RD5ST
NA 24-minute all-the-presidents entry. Taylor sucked but so does this bio.
https://twitter.com/seldo/status/978670722200477696
14
13Millard FillmoreMillard FillmoreJoseph F Rishel
https://www.audible.com/pd/Millard-Fillmore-Audiobook/B01M7RD23B?pf_rd_p=6a5ce8e4-798e-4a64-8bc5-71dcf66d673f&pf_rd_r=28GBJGNHSJ9Y3H6GRJPK&ref=a_lib_c4_libItem_B01M7RD23B
N17 minutes long! The shortest bio yet, a worthless all-the-presidents entry.
https://twitter.com/seldo/status/1094678484293578757
15
14Franklin PierceFranklin PiercePaul Finkelman
https://www.audible.com/pd/Franklin-Pierce-Audiobook/B01M65R7K7?pf_rd_p=6a5ce8e4-798e-4a64-8bc5-71dcf66d673f&pf_rd_r=R9911GPKR0VYDWZFQ23X&ref=a_lib_c4_libItem_B01M65R7K7
NAnother all-the-presidents entry. A few fun tidbits.
https://twitter.com/seldo/status/1153803741771907078
16
15James Buchanan
Worst. President. Ever. James Buchanan, the POTUS Rating Game, and the Legacy of the Least of the Lesser Presidents
Robert Strauss
https://www.audible.com/pd/Worst-President-Ever-Audiobook/B01N2S2MZM?pf_rd_p=6a5ce8e4-798e-4a64-8bc5-71dcf66d673f&pf_rd_r=3PBX55B6CXXD2RSJAW3V&ref=a_lib_c4_libItem_B01N2S2MZM
Y
A delightful treatment of a shitty subject, light-hearted but well researched, very engaging.
https://twitter.com/seldo/status/1166391114976223233
17
16Abraham Lincoln
Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln
Doris Kearns Goodwin
https://www.audible.com/pd/Team-of-Rivals-Audiobook/B00518NLX4?pf_rd_p=6a5ce8e4-798e-4a64-8bc5-71dcf66d673f&pf_rd_r=WHMPF53032P697BJ1HD2&ref=a_lib_c4_libItem_B00518NLX4
Y
DKG has a well-earned reputation as an excellent biographer and Lincoln is an amazing subject. 42 hours of material fly by.
https://twitter.com/seldo/status/1150837731003490304
18
17Andrew Johnson
After Lincoln: How the North Won the Civil War and Lost the Peace
A J Langguth
https://www.audible.com/pd/After-Lincoln-Audiobook/B00NGXIG9A?pf_rd_p=6a5ce8e4-798e-4a64-8bc5-71dcf66d673f&pf_rd_r=SMDW2XF1J7QQ4WV07MJT&ref=a_lib_c4_libItem_B00NGXIG9A
N
Not really a bio of Johnson, but covers the aftermath of Lincoln so mostly about Johnson. Good but little personal detail about Johnson for that reason.
https://twitter.com/seldo/status/1103530783673745408
19
18Ulysses S Grant
American Ulysses: A Life of Ulysses S. Grant
Ronald C White
https://www.audible.com/pd/American-Ulysses-Audiobook/B01KBMP8R6?pf_rd_p=6a5ce8e4-798e-4a64-8bc5-71dcf66d673f&pf_rd_r=Q39D37JQ0G227DQ46KHS&ref=a_lib_c4_libItem_B01KBMP8R6
YFantastic book of a truly great and under-rated president. Great details.
https://twitter.com/seldo/status/1097952362323267584
20
19
Rutherford B Hayes
Rutherford B Hayes
Hans L Trefousse
https://www.audible.com/pd/Rutherford-B-Hayes-Audiobook/B002V0ABC4?pf_rd_p=6a5ce8e4-798e-4a64-8bc5-71dcf66d673f&pf_rd_r=B5JG3KSCG1GGRACS3RK0&ref=a_lib_c4_libItem_B002V0ABC4
N5 hours long which is 4 hours more than its subject deserved. Yawnfest.
https://twitter.com/seldo/status/1104851590865801216
21
20
James A Garfield
James A Garfield: The 20th President's 200 Days in Office
in60Learning
https://www.audible.com/pd/James-A-Garfield-Audiobook/B07H52PY32?pf_rd_p=6a5ce8e4-798e-4a64-8bc5-71dcf66d673f&pf_rd_r=RJE269DTEWGA5H6YZ5D2&ref=a_lib_c4_libItem_B07H52PY32
YAn hour long but left me wanting much more.
https://twitter.com/seldo/status/1106028136511135744
22
21Chester A Arthur
The Unexpected President: The Life and Times of Chester A. Arthur
Scott S Greenberger
https://www.audible.com/pd/The-Unexpected-President-Audiobook/B079YXNV56?pf_rd_p=6a5ce8e4-798e-4a64-8bc5-71dcf66d673f&pf_rd_r=M6QNZKV414VQ1MTG133C&ref=a_lib_c4_libItem_B079YXNV56
YRecommended only for the excellent details of Julia Sand's letters.
https://twitter.com/seldo/status/1106380765091127296
23
22Grover Cleveland
An Honest President: The Life and Presidencies of Grover Cleveland
H Paul Jeffers
https://www.audible.com/pd/An-Honest-President-Audiobook/B002UZNC6C?qid=1569622708&sr=1-1&pf_rd_p=e81b7c27-6880-467a-b5a7-13cef5d729fe&pf_rd_r=VW64C9B73EK4ZYJVC0J2&ref=a_search_c3_lProduct_1_1
NA mediocre bio of a mediocre guy.
https://twitter.com/seldo/status/1108891374336696320
24
23
Benjamin Harrison
Benjamin Harrison
Allan B Spetter
https://www.audible.com/pd/Benjamin-Harrison-Audiobook/B01M4KT2U7?pf_rd_p=6a5ce8e4-798e-4a64-8bc5-71dcf66d673f&pf_rd_r=KP6E424Q82N2NMZ67YPK&ref=a_lib_c4_libItem_B01M4KT2U7
NAn all-the-presidents series entry, just 22 minutes long, barely worth it.
https://twitter.com/seldo/status/1109893027273695232
25
24[Cleveland again]
26
25William McKinleyWilliam McKinley
Kevin Phillips, Arthur M Schlesinger
https://www.audible.com/pd/William-McKinley-Audiobook/B006R8OIE8?pf_rd_p=6a5ce8e4-798e-4a64-8bc5-71dcf66d673f&pf_rd_r=5355AQQ2Y5ME4Q13CTRN&ref=a_lib_c4_libItem_B006R8OIE8
NAn all-the-presidents entry much longer than it needed to be.
https://twitter.com/seldo/status/1113127708521713665
27
26
Theodore Roosevelt
The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt
Edmund Morris
https://www.audible.com/pd/The-Rise-of-Theodore-Roosevelt-Audiobook/B003O9I8BW?pf_rd_p=6a5ce8e4-798e-4a64-8bc5-71dcf66d673f&pf_rd_r=H1H7M8AF9S5J7189JZYV&ref=a_lib_c4_libItem_B003O9I8BW
Y
The first of an epic 3-book series on TR of which I read 2. Definitive and captivating.
https://twitter.com/seldo/status/1129041159421083649
28
27
William Howard Taft
William Howard Taft: The American Presidents Series: The 27th President, 1909-1913
Jeffrey Rosen, Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr., Sean Wilentz
https://www.audible.com/pd/William-Howard-Taft-Audiobook/B07CTT1974?pf_rd_p=6a5ce8e4-798e-4a64-8bc5-71dcf66d673f&pf_rd_r=E4K1AK3HMGKR93ZK4DYP&ref=a_lib_c4_libItem_B07CTT1974
N
Lacks compelling personal details that could have fit in 5 hours. Not compelling.
https://twitter.com/seldo/status/1129463900175339520
29
28
Woodrow Wilson
Woodrow Wilson: A Biography
John Milton Cooper
https://www.audible.com/pd/Woodrow-Wilson-Audiobook/B003KQH66M?pf_rd_p=6a5ce8e4-798e-4a64-8bc5-71dcf66d673f&pf_rd_r=JT8N0ABZ3EM00P3QY4H0&ref=a_lib_c4_libItem_B003KQH66M
YWay too long given how dull Wilson is but well-written.
https://twitter.com/seldo/status/1147672350000701440
30
29
Warren G Harding
Warren G Harding
James D Robenalt
https://www.audible.com/pd/Warren-G-Harding-Audiobook/B01MF9DPXS?pf_rd_p=6a5ce8e4-798e-4a64-8bc5-71dcf66d673f&pf_rd_r=X4PFCEXMP6G5JDK6AHRD&ref=a_lib_c4_libItem_B01MF9DPXS
N
Short and dull but still not as bad as The Bloviator, which is awful and nobody should read.
https://twitter.com/seldo/status/915249417749274624
31
30Calvin CoolidgeCoolidgeAmity Shlaes
https://www.audible.com/pd/Coolidge-Audiobook/B00B28T0SW?pf_rd_p=6a5ce8e4-798e-4a64-8bc5-71dcf66d673f&pf_rd_r=2ZG426NWF2QQ9NETCBAC&ref=a_lib_c4_libItem_B00B28T0SW
YA concise and insightful look at an important transitional president.
https://twitter.com/seldo/status/1153370751178825728
32
31Herbert Hoover
Hoover: An Extraordinary Life in Extraordinary Times
Kenneth Whyte
https://www.audible.com/pd/Hoover-Audiobook/B0764G23MD?pf_rd_p=6a5ce8e4-798e-4a64-8bc5-71dcf66d673f&pf_rd_r=PGGRN0SRSWBDWX84MGB4&ref=a_lib_c4_libItem_B0764G23MD
YI could have read another 50% of this 27-hour book. Fascinating.
https://twitter.com/seldo/status/1158151290876133378
33
32
Franklin D Roosevelt
FDR
Jean Edward Smith
https://www.audible.com/pd/FDR-Audiobook/B002V57T9M?pf_rd_p=6a5ce8e4-798e-4a64-8bc5-71dcf66d673f&pf_rd_r=5FAJ5D73324XXD420YBC&ref=a_lib_c4_libItem_B002V57T9M
YA gem of a book, full of amazing details, and a wonderful subject.
https://twitter.com/seldo/status/1162141207796994048
34
33Harry S Truman
Harry S Truman: A Life
Robert H Ferrell
https://www.audible.com/pd/Harry-S-Truman-Audiobook/B0783RHZHW?pf_rd_p=6a5ce8e4-798e-4a64-8bc5-71dcf66d673f&pf_rd_r=RPCMW4XS3Q50H7JM77J6&ref=a_lib_c4_libItem_B0783RHZHW
Y
Well-written and detailed but insufficiently critical of its surprisingly crooked subject.
https://twitter.com/seldo/status/1165456606252847106
35
34
Dwight D Eisenhower
Eisenhower in War and Peace
Jean Edward Smith
https://www.audible.com/pd/Eisenhower-in-War-and-Peace-Audiobook/B00728A6RU?pf_rd_p=6a5ce8e4-798e-4a64-8bc5-71dcf66d673f&pf_rd_r=SRS2C0JRGVW59E0DM0ZE&ref=a_lib_c4_libItem_B00728A6RU
YSort of a side-effect of the FDR bio but well-written and workable.
https://twitter.com/seldo/status/1168277976942706688
36
35John F Kennedy
An Unfinished Life: John F Kennedy, 1917-1963
Robert Dallek
https://www.audible.com/pd/An-Unfinished-Life-Audiobook/B002UZJF3G?pf_rd_p=6a5ce8e4-798e-4a64-8bc5-71dcf66d673f&pf_rd_r=RHC0C3F1KFV9RTVP2FHX&ref=a_lib_c4_libItem_B002UZJF3G
YA good book but cruelly, pointlessly abridged, please release the full thing.
https://twitter.com/seldo/status/1169716318628528128
37
36
Lyndon B Johnson
Lyndon Johnson and the American Dream: The Most Revealing Portrait of a President and Presidential Power Ever Written
Doris Kearns Goodwin
https://www.audible.com/pd/Lyndon-Johnson-and-the-American-Dream-Audiobook/B01M0XEO1Y?pf_rd_p=6a5ce8e4-798e-4a64-8bc5-71dcf66d673f&pf_rd_r=RS18EKFQ8VZQ13SV5CX5&ref=a_lib_c4_libItem_B01M0XEO1Y
Y
A mind-blowing book of amazing depth and quality of writing from an author incredibly close to her subject. Unmissable.
https://twitter.com/seldo/status/1171993003948273665
38
37Richard Nixon
Richard Nixon: The Life
John A Farrell
https://www.audible.com/pd/Richard-Nixon-Audiobook/B06X925HMH?pf_rd_p=6a5ce8e4-798e-4a64-8bc5-71dcf66d673f&pf_rd_r=NJJEXXV91GCEHET8K3V1&ref=a_lib_c4_libItem_B06X925HMH
YDetailed and pulls few punches, full of great personal details.
https://twitter.com/seldo/status/1178428850532798464
39
38Gerald Ford
Ambition, Pragmatism, and Party: A Political Biography of Gerald R. Ford
Scott Kaufman
https://www.audible.com/pd/Ambition-Pragmatism-and-Party-Audiobook/B077GDG67G?pf_rd_p=6a5ce8e4-798e-4a64-8bc5-71dcf66d673f&pf_rd_r=5J11ZQFEWTRPXPYWDS1T&ref=a_lib_c4_libItem_B077GDG67G
Y
Ford truly sucked, and this comprehensive but mercifully concise book covers it well.
https://twitter.com/seldo/status/1181009572544122880
40
39Jimmy Carter
President Carter: The White House Years
Stuart E. Eizenstat
https://www.audible.com/pd/President-Carter-Audiobook/B07CMBNJ6Z?pf_rd_p=6a5ce8e4-798e-4a64-8bc5-71dcf66d673f&pf_rd_r=HNY3DC9DWBR3H1T8KA75&ref=a_lib_c4_libItem_B07CMBNJ6Z
Y
This bio is WAY TOO LONG for the amount of interest; a book half the length would be fine.
https://twitter.com/seldo/status/1183862258327154688
41
40Ronald Reagan
Reagan: The Life
H W Brands
https://www.audible.com/pd/Reagan-Audiobook/B00UKG1XMI?pf_rd_p=6a5ce8e4-798e-4a64-8bc5-71dcf66d673f&pf_rd_r=YN58PQX0MJHJWQ0BQJ4T&ref=a_lib_c4_libItem_B00UKG1XMI
Y
Solid and comprehensive; a better book will be written when more stuff is declassified.
https://twitter.com/seldo/status/1186115970399535104
42
41
George H W Bush
Destiny and Power: The American Odyssey of George Herbert Walker Bush
Jon Meacham
https://www.audible.com/pd/Destiny-and-Power-Audiobook/B0143R2YKE?pf_rd_p=6a5ce8e4-798e-4a64-8bc5-71dcf66d673f&pf_rd_r=G0Z9ENV97SSB0036ATV5&ref=a_lib_c4_libItem_B0143R2YKE
YComprehensive, hagiographic, far too long.
https://twitter.com/seldo/status/1190065287581667328
43
42Bill Clinton[will not do]
44
43George W Bush[will not do]
45
44Barack Obama[will not do]
46
45Fuck that guy[will not do]
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100