A compact, lively account of each of our Presidents and his administration, from George Washington to James E. Carter, followed by a useful Biographical Digest. The latter presents certain basic facts about each President, such as the date and place of his birth, lists of all of the Vice-Presidents and cabinet members, and gives the result of each presidential election. From the 1977 edition of the book

My father, Dr. Charles A. Beard, wrote The Presidents in American History primarily for young people still in school. It first appeared in 1935 and was revised by him early in Truman's initial administration. Following father's death in 1948, I undertook to keep the volume abreast of new developments by periodic revisions, in close co-operation with my sister, Mrs. Miriam B. Vagts. This, my eighth updating, carries the story forward into the early days of Carter's administration.

William Beard, Ph. D.
Formerly Assistant Professor of Political Science
University of Wisconsin
Scottsdale, Arizona
January 25, 1977

Preface of 1977 edition, The Presidents in American History: George Washington to Jimmy Carter

This book represents the combined thinking of three generations of an American Family who often discussed public affairs together and whose lives, in the aggregate, have spanned more than a century of the country's history. First, my grandfather, Dr. Charles A. Beard (1874-1948), wrote the original edition of The Presidents in American History in 1935, and last revised it during Truman's administration. Following his death, his son, William Beard, and daughter, Miriam Vagts, wrote periodic revisions, the last of which was published in 1981, early in Reagan's first term. As Charles Beard's grandson, I now again have the pleasure of updating the book and carrying on its tradition with the advice of William Beard and his daughter Arlene Beard.

Detlev F. Vagts
Professor of Law
Harvard University
Cambridge, Mass.
March 1989 Preface of 1989 edition, The Presidents in American History: George Washington to George Bush