The House Tells the Story: Homes of the American Presidents

by Adam Van Doren (Illustrator), David McCullough (Introduction)

An incredible collaboration featuring a stunning collection of Presidential homes painted by artist Adam Van Doren and introduced by David McCullough.

Pre-eminent historian David McCullough and noted artist Adam Van Doren unite for an excursion to the celebrated homes of fifteen American presidents, past and present. The text is personal and unaffected; Van Doren visited theses homes to ensure he recorded every detail accurately, often becoming acquainted with the former presidents themselves, always trying to portray them in the human environment they created for themselves. McCullough puts the history of the homes in perspective in his lucid and perceptive prose.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Art, Presidents, Biography

196 pages, Hardcover

First published July 4, 2015

Reviews

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Illustrated letters sent from Adam Van Doren to David McCullough of his visits to presidential homes. The setup may be a tad artifical and geared toward publishing this book, but who cares when the product is this good? Interesting historical tidbits and wonderful illustrations. I liked it so much I am getting a copy for my dad for his birthday.

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This beautiful book with watercolor illustrations of U.S. presidential homes is a delight to read and look at. Adam Van Doren uses his illustrated letters to historian David McCullough as a springboard for learning more about presidential homes. He visits them, writes about them to McCullough, and in the writing offers wonderful watercolor sketches to help us see what he is seeing and to focus on the bits that caught his eye (in a way that photographs would not have managed). While he doesn't cover all of the presidential homes, and some of those--like the Bush ranch in Crawford, Texas--he only paints exteriors, the homes he does visit offer a trove of both presidential trivia and "objet de president."

If you have someone in your life who likes watercolors, American history, or US presidents, they will likely be as pleased to spend time with this book as I was.

[Angie · Rating 3 out of 5]

My only real complaint about this book: There were only 10 or so presidents covered. I would have liked to have seen the others.

[Dakota Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

At first, I was unsure about The House Tells the Story. Author and artist Adam Van Doren visited a handful of homes of the American presidents, painted them, and sent letters about his experiences to famed historian David McCullough. The book is very experiential - tidbits of historical fact are mixed with childhood remembrances and the banalities of a acquiring access to some homes.

But as the book progressed, I found myself thoroughly charmed. The letters to David are warm and friendly, a reminder of long-past days when correspondence by letter was the only option. The artwork is charming, the details plentiful. The presidents and homes are well described, if incomplete. By and large, the book serves as a handsome jumping-off point for further exploration. I guarantee you'll want to hop in the car and visit a few of these homes yourself. You'll likely also want to snatch up all the presidential biographies you can gather.

[Michelle "Champ" · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a lovely book. I read this one slowly because it was a look into not only the Presidential homes but also the homes were painted on letters written to David McCullough by the author, Adam Van Doren. His paintings tell the story of the book, even though there is text to accompany each one, but I am telling you, the paintings are fantastic. You will see the whole home painted, but also things like a gas pump, an attic space, a letter, or even an umbrella stand. I will be purchasing this one for my Presidential library as soon as possible.

[Kathryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I heartily recommend this book to those who enjoy A) American history, B) American architecture, C) gorgeously illustrated art books, or D) all of the above. Painter Adam Van Doren visited fifteen homes of U.S. presidents, where he was granted special access and spent extended time–then rendered each place in watercolor illustrations for a series of letters he wrote to his friend, noted historian David McCullough. Thanks to McCullough’s encouragement, the artist turned his personal project into a book.

Van Doren paints the exterior and interiors of each home with the eye of a trained architect (which he is) and a wonderful attention to detail that illuminates the sense of place and character of each president who lived there. In his letters, Van Doren talks about his process and experiences getting to know each site and through the work of each president.

As I’ve been to more than a few of the homes featured in this book, it was extra fun to revisit recent road trip highlights. I would encourage anyone with an interest in cleverly presented U.S. history to spend time with this lovely book.

[Olga Vannucci · Rating 4 out of 5]

When my son was around 12 years old, he was fascinated by the U.S. Presidents, so we traveled around to visit many of their houses. I saw this book, which is beautiful, as a mother/son travelogue of our trips: "We were here, we saw that," and so on. I'm grateful that I was able to do that, both the trips themselves and reliving them through the book.

[Chuck · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eh. Underwhelming art and writing. He did include some lesser known presidents and their homes (Van Buren's and Buchanan's) but of course JFK gets by far the biggest spread. Perhaps it's refreshingly old-fashioned, meaning that it documents a sincere interest in American history (i.e., it doesn't rehash the tired litany of -isms leveled against people of former times ).

[Karla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Van Doren visited 14 previous president's homes. He then sent illustrated (watercolor) letters to David McCullough. The paintings were very good, and there was a lot of interesting information about the homes. The homes ranged the gamut from the fairly humble to very grand.

[Pam · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this beautiful book which told history with lovely water color pictures, personal diary-style prose, and letters. What a treat for eyes and mind!

[Amy Allgeier · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wish there were more houses featured!

[Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book - combined art and history together with watercolors . Lovely illustrations and interesting tidbits about featured presidents and their homes.