What do you think?
Rate this book
Gimson's Presidents: Brief Lives From Washington to Trump
A spirited and entertaining aide-memoire offering 44 short, fascinating accounts of each president, from George Washington and Abraham Lincoln to Barack Obama and Donald Trump, bringing the United States' political history to life as never before.
Who can name the eight presidents before Lincoln, or the eight presidents after him? Historians tend to shed light on just a handful of leaders: Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, and perhaps half a dozen others within living memory, leaving at least 30 holders of office if not in total darkness, then at least in deep shadow.
Helping to bring these forgotten figures into the light, Andrew Gimson's illuminating accounts are accompanied by sketches from Guardian sartirical cartoonist, Martin Rowson, making this the perfect gift for all lovers of history and politics.
Who can name the eight presidents before Lincoln, or the eight presidents after him? Historians tend to shed light on just a handful of leaders: Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, and perhaps half a dozen others within living memory, leaving at least 30 holders of office if not in total darkness, then at least in deep shadow.
Helping to bring these forgotten figures into the light, Andrew Gimson's illuminating accounts are accompanied by sketches from Guardian sartirical cartoonist, Martin Rowson, making this the perfect gift for all lovers of history and politics.
294 pages, ebook
First published March 5, 2020
31 people are currently reading
91 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
March 19, 2020
I did like this book, hence the 3 star rating, and I absolutely loved Rowson's drawings (5 stars for those!) but I had to downgrade it from 4 stars overall because of all the factual errors. Did no one proofread this book before publication? I'm quite keen on presidential history, so many of these were obvious at first glance, for example: Garfield's home, Lawnfield, was said to be located in Mobile, Ohio. I don't even think there is such a place; Lawnfield is in Mentor, Ohio. Jimmy Carter "married Rosalynn Smith...with whom he had three sons." Well, yes, but they also had a daughter, Amy. Was she not worth mentioning? Most galling of all was that Lincoln was apparently assassinated by a "Robert Booth." Really? Pretty sure any school child could have picked up on that one. The problem with these minor, but glaring errors is that it makes me doubt that fact-checking has been done on the rest of the book, which devalues the worth of the book as historical non-fiction (I get that it's popular history, but I still want it to be accurate!). If another edition is released, I hope a good fact-checker gives it a thorough going-over first!
July 18, 2020
The book devotes more attention to the presidents’ biographical details than to policy, which makes it unable to tell a compelling story of American political history.
Civil rights issues are mentioned briefly as sentence-long asides in JFK and JBJ’s chapters, whilst George H.W. Bush’s dad gets full paragraphs.
Civil rights issues are mentioned briefly as sentence-long asides in JFK and JBJ’s chapters, whilst George H.W. Bush’s dad gets full paragraphs.
Read
December 18, 2021can't seem to find the physical book of this on goodreads - a shame as it has a great cover. what is between the covers proves equally enjoyable; a tale of America told through the people who have governed it, with a particular focus on who they were as men. also features a brilliantly executed and wholly surprising switch to first person near the end.
edit - I found the right edition!
edit - I found the right edition!
August 27, 2020
Perfect if you want a brief biography of each president, with a brilliant caricature by Martin Rowson.
Good balance of humour and information, and very easy to read. I’ll return to this book again I’m sure.
I would have liked some further reading recommendations at least however, as there is no bibliography.
Small criticism as I enjoyed it a lot!
Good balance of humour and information, and very easy to read. I’ll return to this book again I’m sure.
I would have liked some further reading recommendations at least however, as there is no bibliography.
Small criticism as I enjoyed it a lot!
May 25, 2020
Really engaging! Flew threw this book in a few sittings, captivated by its succinctness. Definitely one for the shelf that I’ll be referring back to for random presidential facts in future.
January 2, 2022
An entertaining romp through the 45 presidents up to Trump, Brief Lives shows that US presidents are rarely the outstanding, morally virtuous, politically astute figures they are sometimes assumed to be. Instead, they are a mixture of the incompetent (Buchanan, Fillmore, George W Bush, Ford), devious (Nixon), and sexually avaricious (most of them from Jefferson to Trump).
Many presidents, particularly prior to the Civil War, were selected as a lowest common denominator that could keep parties united rather than as a figure of intellectual integrity. Lincoln, Washington, and the Roosevelts are the exception, not the rule. When Gimson states that William McKinley had "the imposing gaze and genial mediocrity required for a run at the presidency" he could have used the same description for many others.
Each chapter is a useful, if not always completely accurate, summary of each President, focusing on their basic achievements and character. There are various familiar and less-familiar stories. Zach Taylor not knowing he has been selected as Whig candidate because neither the Whigs nor Taylor wanted to pay postage on the letter telling him he was chosen, the Coolidge family cheese factory still running, McKinley's ill wife spending much of her time crocheting 4,000 pairs of light blue bedroom slippers.
Regular one-liners keep the pace quick throughout. Ulysses S Grant declares that "Venice would be a fine city if only it were drained" and H L Mencken caustically states that FDR "had every quality that morons esteem in their heroes". Gimson himself has a good eye for quick summaries of the major players. He notes that contemporaries regarded William Henry Harrison "as a mediocrity, and he had no time to prove them wrong" before he died. Obama's presidency "was clouded by a faint but unmistakable sense of anti-climax". George W Bush was "a poor advertisement for the hereditary principle".
Brief Lives raises many unstated questions about the presidency. How much were the failings of the presidents immediately before Lincoln due to the inherent difficulty of keeping the USA together? Was the general success of the early presidents due to the different context of the time? Most importantly, what is the role of the presidency and is a strong president necessarily always positive? Gimson's book is better for leaving these questions in the background, letting the reader do their own further research and avoiding the more murky and dull depths of historical interpretation.
Gimson notes his wife stopped certain anecdotes being included, and everyone will have their favourite US facts that are missing. The chapter on Andrew Jackson doesn't mention the Jackson cheese, van Buren being the only president not to have English as his first language isn't noted, vice-president Dan Quayle is briefly mentioned as a 'dimwit' but not his struggle to spell 'potato'.
Readers will also have their own partisan view of many of the presidents (apart from Millard Fillmore. No-one has a view on Millard Fillmore). There will doubtless be quibbles that certain facts are wrong (most egregiously getting the name of Lincoln's assassin wrong) and that the best and worst accomplishments of loved or hated presidents are missing. Brief Lives entertains and reminds that the American system allows the best presidents to make their mark, and stops the worst from doing too much damage. Long may it continue.
Many presidents, particularly prior to the Civil War, were selected as a lowest common denominator that could keep parties united rather than as a figure of intellectual integrity. Lincoln, Washington, and the Roosevelts are the exception, not the rule. When Gimson states that William McKinley had "the imposing gaze and genial mediocrity required for a run at the presidency" he could have used the same description for many others.
Each chapter is a useful, if not always completely accurate, summary of each President, focusing on their basic achievements and character. There are various familiar and less-familiar stories. Zach Taylor not knowing he has been selected as Whig candidate because neither the Whigs nor Taylor wanted to pay postage on the letter telling him he was chosen, the Coolidge family cheese factory still running, McKinley's ill wife spending much of her time crocheting 4,000 pairs of light blue bedroom slippers.
Regular one-liners keep the pace quick throughout. Ulysses S Grant declares that "Venice would be a fine city if only it were drained" and H L Mencken caustically states that FDR "had every quality that morons esteem in their heroes". Gimson himself has a good eye for quick summaries of the major players. He notes that contemporaries regarded William Henry Harrison "as a mediocrity, and he had no time to prove them wrong" before he died. Obama's presidency "was clouded by a faint but unmistakable sense of anti-climax". George W Bush was "a poor advertisement for the hereditary principle".
Brief Lives raises many unstated questions about the presidency. How much were the failings of the presidents immediately before Lincoln due to the inherent difficulty of keeping the USA together? Was the general success of the early presidents due to the different context of the time? Most importantly, what is the role of the presidency and is a strong president necessarily always positive? Gimson's book is better for leaving these questions in the background, letting the reader do their own further research and avoiding the more murky and dull depths of historical interpretation.
Gimson notes his wife stopped certain anecdotes being included, and everyone will have their favourite US facts that are missing. The chapter on Andrew Jackson doesn't mention the Jackson cheese, van Buren being the only president not to have English as his first language isn't noted, vice-president Dan Quayle is briefly mentioned as a 'dimwit' but not his struggle to spell 'potato'.
Readers will also have their own partisan view of many of the presidents (apart from Millard Fillmore. No-one has a view on Millard Fillmore). There will doubtless be quibbles that certain facts are wrong (most egregiously getting the name of Lincoln's assassin wrong) and that the best and worst accomplishments of loved or hated presidents are missing. Brief Lives entertains and reminds that the American system allows the best presidents to make their mark, and stops the worst from doing too much damage. Long may it continue.
March 28, 2025
I enjoyed the character portraits of every President … you tend not to hear about the absolute duffers there were in amongst the historically significant ones. This book is a fine , amusing , interesting but brief introduction to the gallery of Presidents … but as such , it wasn’t really the right book for me. I didn’t need my appetite for information to be whetted , it was my appetite for detail that needed satisfied and the book failed to deliver. The rating is therefore a reflection on my choice of reading rather than on the book.
I was also predisposed to be disappointed due to reviews that mention inaccuracies. At one point the book refers to General Alan Brooke , who I had always known as Alanbrooke. Aha ! Another inaccuracy … but no , Alan Brooke was otherwise titled Viscount Alanbrooke. I am humbly corrected , but my rating stands.
I was also predisposed to be disappointed due to reviews that mention inaccuracies. At one point the book refers to General Alan Brooke , who I had always known as Alanbrooke. Aha ! Another inaccuracy … but no , Alan Brooke was otherwise titled Viscount Alanbrooke. I am humbly corrected , but my rating stands.
March 12, 2021
So there's a few things I can say about the book. Others have mentioned that there some inaccuracies in the book and I don't know enough to pick them out, but the book clearly wasn't edited very well as I saw a few spelling mistakes or just parts where it looked like no one had checked it before it went out the door.
Another thing is that the chapters are devoid of nuance. This is of course to be expected when distilling 49 historical figures into a few pages each, but with focus on biographical writing it misses out on a lot of policy.
Either way, I thought the vignettes of the presidents were vivid and interesting despite its flaws.
Another thing is that the chapters are devoid of nuance. This is of course to be expected when distilling 49 historical figures into a few pages each, but with focus on biographical writing it misses out on a lot of policy.
Either way, I thought the vignettes of the presidents were vivid and interesting despite its flaws.
October 10, 2021
This script made for interesting and absorbing reading.
Found it refreshing and in places, light relief, against the somewhat heavy bulky and serious reading of the more conventional, involved and deeper searching historical revelations.
We, and I say ‘we’, to mean most of the book-reading general public, learn about the aims and decision-making of presidents, through the media of TV, daily newspapers and individual biographies, so from whatever prospective the reporter or TV-presenter is coming from, is the political motivation sided with. Doesn’t necessarily represent a complete, comprehensive, honest and trustworthy picture of listed selective true character -is there ever a book which can be said to be truly candid? However, to be fair, the media access and reportage is based on what that president deems to disclose -or, more correctly- his media advisors and press corps wish to release?
John F. Kennedy -gleaned from written text, had his father to thank as his initial support prime mover in his ascendancy to the presidential office. Particularly saddening was, reportedly, his continual womanising: before, during and after his marriage to Jacqueline, in addition to, allegedly, ’sleeping with young women on the White House Staff‘.
LBJ, also a reported unrelenting womaniser, who boasted he’d had more women by accident than Kennedy had on purpose’. Sad for his poor wife, Lady Bird, who must’ve gotten wind of his sexual appetite, one way or another?
Jimmy Carter, and the failed US Embassy Staff Teheran rescue, after they’d been taken hostage, reminded one of the rabbit caught at night on an empty road, frozen from flight, in the glare of an oncoming car’s headlights.
Enjoyed Ronnie Reagan chapter, the most. Coincidentally, recalled his movie career days, when this writer was a youngster and seated in a local cinema watching the harrowing scene quoted in the script from the film KINGS ROW. At the time, made my blood run cold, when he yelled out from his hospital bed, after Claude Rains had amputated both his legs “Where’s the rest of me?”
I liked President Ronnie Reagan, from what I saw and read about him, as an approachable human being. Undoubtedly, a good speaker. Had a homely way about him. I think he was basically honest, and his political expertise garnered from his time when he was president of the Screen Actors Guild in Hollywood, stood him in good stead, during his later years in the White House. It was sad to read of his suffering at the hands of Old Father Thyme, and the resultant destructive effects of Alzheimer’s.
Gimson was more critical than he was approving, and that attitude soured the writing, for me, somewhat.
However, on the whole, worth a read!
Doesn’t seem right to end this short review without commenting on the addition of illustrations (by Martin Rowson) which enhanced and added relief to the text, a step up from the usual painted portrait/photograph inclusion.
Found it refreshing and in places, light relief, against the somewhat heavy bulky and serious reading of the more conventional, involved and deeper searching historical revelations.
We, and I say ‘we’, to mean most of the book-reading general public, learn about the aims and decision-making of presidents, through the media of TV, daily newspapers and individual biographies, so from whatever prospective the reporter or TV-presenter is coming from, is the political motivation sided with. Doesn’t necessarily represent a complete, comprehensive, honest and trustworthy picture of listed selective true character -is there ever a book which can be said to be truly candid? However, to be fair, the media access and reportage is based on what that president deems to disclose -or, more correctly- his media advisors and press corps wish to release?
John F. Kennedy -gleaned from written text, had his father to thank as his initial support prime mover in his ascendancy to the presidential office. Particularly saddening was, reportedly, his continual womanising: before, during and after his marriage to Jacqueline, in addition to, allegedly, ’sleeping with young women on the White House Staff‘.
LBJ, also a reported unrelenting womaniser, who boasted he’d had more women by accident than Kennedy had on purpose’. Sad for his poor wife, Lady Bird, who must’ve gotten wind of his sexual appetite, one way or another?
Jimmy Carter, and the failed US Embassy Staff Teheran rescue, after they’d been taken hostage, reminded one of the rabbit caught at night on an empty road, frozen from flight, in the glare of an oncoming car’s headlights.
Enjoyed Ronnie Reagan chapter, the most. Coincidentally, recalled his movie career days, when this writer was a youngster and seated in a local cinema watching the harrowing scene quoted in the script from the film KINGS ROW. At the time, made my blood run cold, when he yelled out from his hospital bed, after Claude Rains had amputated both his legs “Where’s the rest of me?”
I liked President Ronnie Reagan, from what I saw and read about him, as an approachable human being. Undoubtedly, a good speaker. Had a homely way about him. I think he was basically honest, and his political expertise garnered from his time when he was president of the Screen Actors Guild in Hollywood, stood him in good stead, during his later years in the White House. It was sad to read of his suffering at the hands of Old Father Thyme, and the resultant destructive effects of Alzheimer’s.
Gimson was more critical than he was approving, and that attitude soured the writing, for me, somewhat.
However, on the whole, worth a read!
Doesn’t seem right to end this short review without commenting on the addition of illustrations (by Martin Rowson) which enhanced and added relief to the text, a step up from the usual painted portrait/photograph inclusion.
January 2, 2021
Gimson is the master of the brief (and sometimes very brief) anecdotal biographical sketch. After his kings and queens of England/GB/UK and his prime ministers, this one fills a gap for those who might want to be informed on the US presidents. It is surprising and perhaps even upsetting that as an outsider, an intellectual lightweight and a cultural philistine Donald Trump fits comfortably in a long line of occupiers of the oval room and as such is the rule rather than the exception.
December 2, 2021
An excellent waltz through the lives of each American president, ending at Trump. Pacey, never dry, and complimented by amusing caricatures of each president. Very enjoyable for any reader wanting a whistlestop tour rather than detail. You won't get a history of American politics, but you will get to know the haracters.
Fascinating to read how nearly all can be rated somewhere between mediocre and awful!
Fascinating to read how nearly all can be rated somewhere between mediocre and awful!
July 21, 2020
As a brit I don't know too much about American presidents and thought this a useful primer. I must say though that if Gimson is right there have been an awful lot of poor Presidents. Whether Trump is the worst is for you to decide.
March 29, 2024
Great book on American presidents. Forgotten most of them (some are utterly forgettable tell me one fact about Rutherford B. Hayes … I think he was involved to create an impartial civil service?)
But very enjoyable.
But very enjoyable.
September 11, 2024
Have very much enjoyed reading this on the tube for the past year and a half! The biographies of each president may be brief (and they may suffer from some factual errors), but the anecdotes are engaging, and they paint a fascinating picture of America's messy yet compelling political system.
August 23, 2025
A decent and fun series of short commentaries about the US Presidents. By no means extensive or balanced, Gimson's Presidents nonetheless provides a good introduction, or brief reminder after extensive reading, of the highlights for each of the leaders of the free world.
April 11, 2020
Good history of each president of America. Gibson as ever does it with humour and highlights both the good sides and the bad sides of each president.
November 2, 2020
A perfectly punchy and pleasing passage through profiles of presidents past and present; some profound, some provincial, some provocative.
August 28, 2021
One of the most engaging and entertaining glimpses into the history of America’s leaders.
I didn’t always agree with Gimson’s assessments, but I absolutely enjoyed them.
I didn’t always agree with Gimson’s assessments, but I absolutely enjoyed them.
July 11, 2022
Definitely more well equipped to go on Pointless now 😏
May 3, 2023
Brilliant
August 16, 2023
Provides a decent overview of each man to hold the highest office in the US, with Gimson able to posit the question of how on earth we went from Washington to Trump with humour and incredulity
April 6, 2025
A great read , like Gimsons book on British Prime Ministers a great way to understand the pros and cons of each president. A quick guide to American political history
dnf
April 23, 2022DNF @ 32%
Read: George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, Grover Cleveland, Theodore Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy, Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, Donald Trump
Read: George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, Grover Cleveland, Theodore Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy, Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, Donald Trump
January 8, 2022
A simple, small, and enjoyable book which provides a breif account of the lives of all the US President's- up to Donald J. Trump.
In his conclusion, Gimson provides four ways one is most likely to become the President of the United States:
1. Have a good war. Washington, Jackson, Grant and Eisenhower are among those who attained, thanks to their military exploits, an almost impregnable popularity.
2. Produce sublime words. Jefferson and Lincoln are the outstanding examples.
3. Promise change. Nothing in America is as old as the idea of change, understood as the return to a primal state of innocence.
4. Promise mediocrity. That way you will annoy fewer people. (291)
In his conclusion, Gimson provides four ways one is most likely to become the President of the United States:
1. Have a good war. Washington, Jackson, Grant and Eisenhower are among those who attained, thanks to their military exploits, an almost impregnable popularity.
2. Produce sublime words. Jefferson and Lincoln are the outstanding examples.
3. Promise change. Nothing in America is as old as the idea of change, understood as the return to a primal state of innocence.
4. Promise mediocrity. That way you will annoy fewer people. (291)
February 1, 2022
Yes, very good. Wonderful series of informative short chapters of the numerous Presidents of the USA.
A great introduction or overview of the Presidents which has helped me get to grips with the good and the not so good that have risen to lead and help make a superpower.
I now have a clearer vision on which of the Presidents are worthy of further reading.
A great introduction or overview of the Presidents which has helped me get to grips with the good and the not so good that have risen to lead and help make a superpower.
I now have a clearer vision on which of the Presidents are worthy of further reading.
![Profile Image for The Humpo Show [ Richard ].](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.gr-assets.com%2Fimages%2FS%2Fcompressed.photo.goodreads.com%2Fusers%2F1642969624i%2F23204231._UY200_CR8%2C0%2C200%2C200_.jpg&w=128&q=75)
July 18, 2021
3.5 / 5
Does exactly what it sets out to do: cover all the presidents (except for Biden as it was released in 2020) briefly.
A very good book to understand what happened under each president, how they got there and what went right/wrong.
Some parts could have been cut - passages of other books, for example - but on the whole, it was well organised and entertaining.
Does exactly what it sets out to do: cover all the presidents (except for Biden as it was released in 2020) briefly.
A very good book to understand what happened under each president, how they got there and what went right/wrong.
Some parts could have been cut - passages of other books, for example - but on the whole, it was well organised and entertaining.
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews