Poems By Presidents: The First Ever Anthology

This first-ever anthology features poems by eleven presidents who, through good times and bad, turned to poetry to express themselves. This compelling collection brings presidents’ literary pursuits to light, unveiling their deepest thoughts and emotions. Highlights include George Washington’s teenage romantic yearnings, Thomas Jefferson’s death-bed adieu, John Quincy Adams’s sonnet memorializing his father, Abraham Lincoln’s mockery of the Confederacy, Woodrow Wilson’s humorous limericks, Warren G. Harding’s steamy love poems to his mistress, and Ronald Wilson Reagan’s existential reflections. Appendixes explore additional presidents, including Jimmy Carter, who wrote poetry, misattributions, prose formatted as verse, and fondness for poetry. Poems by Presidents is a rewarding resource for poetry lovers and readers interested in presidential biographies and American history.  Paperback, 176 pages.  Edited by Michael Croland.