Historian Craig Fehrman on the U.S. Presidents as Authors

The office of the President of the United States gets a lot of attention for various reasons, but have you ever looked at our Presidents through the lens of the books they wrote?

If you’ve never considered this, you’re in for a treat today because my guest is Craig Fehrman, author of the excellent book Author in Chief: The Untold Story of Our Presidents and the Books They Wrote. The Wall Street Journal called it “one of the best books on the American presidency to appear in recent years.”

Craig is a writer and historian who lives in Bloomington, Indiana, with his wife and kids. We had a blast in this conversation, and I got to ask Craig all my questions on this topic. He shares the background of the book, how he conducted research, the value of books in presidential campaigns, the two types of presidential books, the place of ghostwriters in presidential books, and his detailed process for getting endorsements for the book.

If you love books, U.S. History, or learning about Presidents, you’ll love this conversation.

Learn more about Craig’s books and connect with him through the links below:

Author in Chief: The Untold Story of Our Presidents and the Books They Wrote by Craig Fehrman

The Best Presidential Writing: From 1789 to the Present by Craig Fehrman

Follow Craig on Twitter