Complete American presidents sourcebook

VOYA

This extremely useful set chronicles United States presidents from George Washington through George W. Bush. Each volume begins with a reader's guide, a time line of the presidents, a glossary, and research/activity ideas. Presidential entries begin with a table of contents listing all insets containing ancillary information for that entry. An overview of the term in office of each president and a brief biography of his life before his presidency precede detailed events of his term. Numerous insets, black-and-white photographs, and illustrations highlight important people and events during the president's term. Difficult words and concepts are printed in bold typeface and defined in sidenotes. A bibliography and Webliography follow each article. After the main entry is a biographical sketch of each president's first lady. Illuminating the woman behind the man and her influence upon him helps shed light on the president and his times. The inclusion of significant primary source documents from each president's term in office allows researchers to read historic documents without having to refer to other material. Each article concludes with a "What Happened Next" and "Did You Know?" section. This set is incredibly thorough and complete. It includes controversial issues such as Thomas Jefferson's liaison with Sally Hemings and Bill Clinton's indiscretions in a wonderful one-stop reference tool. Sections on the first ladies and use of insets to add detail are very helpful. The inclusion of primary source documents is a time-saver for the researcher. The set will be of great value to middle school students and both public and school libraries. Index. Illus. Photos. Glossary. Charts. Biblio.Source Notes. Further Reading. Chronology. 2001, UXL, 1,400p. in 5 vols. PLB $199/set. Ages 11 to Adult. Reviewer: Mike Brown SOURCE: VOYA, February 2002 (Vol. 24, No.6)