Oval Office Oddities: An Irreverent Collection of Presidential Facts, Follies, and Foibles »

Bill Fawcett is the author and editor of more than a dozen books, including It Seemed Like a Good Idea, How to Lose a Battle, You Said What?, three historical mystery series, and two oral histories of the U.S. Navy SEALs. He lives in Illinois.

Every four years Americans go to the polls to elect a leader—a personage of unimpeachable sobriety and moral standing who will serve as a paragon for the rest of us. But truth be told, presidents and their families are people too—with quirks and character flaws like everyone else . . . and plenty of skeletons rattling around in their closets. Oval Office Oddities is a grand compendium of fascinating, sometimes embarrassing presidential facts, gaffes, and oddball behaviors—available in plenty of time for Election Day!

White House Whoopee: We've all heard about the dalliances of Clinton and Kennedy—but what were Washington, Jefferson, FDR, and Ike doing behind closed doors?

America's Imelda: Mary Todd Lincoln had an endearing little clothing fetish . . . and once purchased 300 pairs of gloves in a single month!

Go West, Young Prez: "California Dreamin'" was not a top presidential priority . . . since no Commander in Chief bothered to visit the neglected coast until Rutherford B. Hayes did in 1880.

Crazy Jack: Many prominent leaders were absolutely convinced that John Adams was stark raving bonkers!

School Library Journal

Adult/High School- This amusing collection of factoids entertains, but it's also an accessible look at the 43 men who have held our nation's highest office. The book presents offbeat information in digestible portions ranging from one sentence to a quarter page and frequently portrays our presidents as folks much like the rest of us. The history of America's early days is made relevant for modern readers through comparison with more recent events (e.g., parallels between controversial 19th-century elections and Bush vs. Gore). The comical black-and-white illustrations and caricatures, a table of each president's vital statistics (age at inauguration, dates served), and an appendix presenting tongue-in-cheek ratings of the best and worst presidents all give readers a chance to glean numerous nuggets worthy of trivia quizzes, including First Lady foibles, top scandals, assassinations and assassination attempts, and the story of Martin Van Buren's tiger cubs. Several key crises and presidential responses to them are given chapter-length coverage, as are particularly noteworthy presidents such as Thomas Jefferson and Theodore Roosevelt. This enjoyable book would be useful as a supplement to a history or civics curriculum, or for independent study by confirmed political junkies or those who have only become interested in presidential politics with the historic 2008 campaign.-Ed VanderPloeg, New London, NH

Introduction     vii
A Field Guide to Past American Presidents, 1789 to 1933     1
Campaign Promises     11
Presidential Firsts     31
Presidential Peculiarities     46
George Washington     65
Before and After     72
Thomas the Think Engine     83
Presidents as People     92
Grant me This     107
Dignity, Always Dignity     115
Body Politic     130
Presidential Politics     148
Left and Right ...     155
When, Who, and How Much?     164
On the Record: Presidential Libraries     177
The Unsinkable Teddy Roosevelt     182
Commander in Chief     198
First Lady Follies     242
Family can be First Family     263
Stripes in the Stars     271
Presidential Pets     276
Presidential Pastimes     294
Presidential Yachts     299
Assassinations and Attempted Assassinations     309
And the Other was Elected Vice President ...     315
They said that?     323
White House Wonders     327
Rating the Presidents     339