Entertaining at the White House with Nancy Reagan

Why is entertaining at the White House important to a presidency? How are guest lists and seating charts for state dinners determined? Is it difficult to throw a surprise party for the commander-in-chief? What role do children play during holidays at the White House? Former first lady Nancy Reagan answers these questions and more as she provides a personal look at life as a White House hostess in this stunning, richly illustrated book.

Carrying on a tradition that dates back to 1801, Mrs. Reagan embraced this role with a unique energy and joie de vivre rare among her predecessors. During the course of President Reagan's two terms in office, the Reagans hosted fifty-five state dinners and hundreds of other events, both intimate and grand. "It was a vital part of our roles as president and first lady," recalls Mrs. Reagan. "And it was a duty that we enjoyed immensely."

From her first private event as a White House hostess (President Reagan's surprise seventieth birthday party, which was mistakenly announced by Tom Brokaw on the Today show that very morning), to the state dinner with Mikhail Gorbachev that marked the unofficial end of the Cold War, to John Travolta's surprise dance with Diana, Princess of Wales, Mrs. Reagan has seen it all.

What do you serve the Sultan of Oman and his enormous entourage for dinner? Who should sit next to a foreign dignitary who doesn't speak a word of English? Why is it that there is always less silverware at the end of a state dinner than you had when the night began?

Former First Lady Nancy Reagan answers these questions and more as she provides a rare and intimately personal look at life as a White House hostess. Mrs. Reagan embraced this role with a unique energy and joie de vivre rare among her predecessors, and she has been waiting for the right moment in history to share her stories. From tales of her first event as a White House hostess (the President's surprise 70th birthday party, which was mistakenly announced by Tom Brokaw on Today that very morning), to the state dinner at which Mikhail Gorbachev refused to wear a tuxedo, to John Travolta's infamous dance with Princess Diana, Mrs. Reagan has seen it all. She will write the book's foreword, and world-renowned interior designers Peter Schifando and Jonathan Joseph have worked closely with her to create the ultimate insider's guide to these fantastic soirees.

Chock full of personal anecdotes and glorious photographs from the former First Lady's private collection, the Ronald Reagan Library, and the White House Historical Society, as well as historical tidbits, Entertaining at the White House with Nancy Reagan is the definitive source on classic formal entertaining.

BookPage.com

“An alluring glimpse into the elegant and even risky world that combines dimplomacy with dining.”

Peter Schifando and J. Jonathan Joseph are internationally known interior designers and have been friends of Mrs. Reagan's for more than twenty years. Schifando worked with designer Ted Graber, who restored the living quarters of the White House. When Graber retired, Mrs. Reagan retained Schifando as her designer. Joseph is a member of the American Society of Interior Designers and former president of the organization's New England chapter. He assisted Schifando in the interior design of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley and is a partner in the Peter Schifando Company. The authors live in Los Angeles, California.