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Informative and engaging to a wide range of readers, this is a staple reference work for high school, undergraduate, and public library collections. This new edition includes updated information on the President, First Lady, and Vice President; information on the Secret Service Agency's move from the Department of Treasury to the Department of Homeland Security; and updates on former officeholders, including information on Ronald Reagan's death, Jimmy Carter's Nobel Prize, and the post-presidential careers of Bill and Hillary Clinton. ... Read more

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TITLE : First Ladies of Arkansas- Women of Their Times AUTHOR : Anne McMath FORMAT : Hardback Book with Dust Jacket PUBLISHER : August House DATE : 1989 SIZE: About 8 3/4" x 11 1/4" PAGES: 264 ... Read more

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The defining characteristic of Hillary Rodham Clinton's tenure as First Lady is the rhetorical merging of the traditional wife's role with that of a savvy politician, skilled in the discursive management of crisis situations. Kelley explores the singular and successful rhetorical persona of the last First Lady of the 20th century. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

An excellent examination of current rhetorical strategy
Kelley has presented her readers with a thorough academic examination of Hillary Rodham Clinton's rhetorical strategies in various situations. While this isn't the book for someone looking for light reading, it is a wonderful research tool. I particularly recommend the book to those interested in truly delving into the depths of the manner in which current political figures use discourse to shape the public's image.

The book provides a consideration of the communicative role of the American First Lady throughout the nation's history. Kelley then continues by backing up her assertions with specific examples of Clinton's rhetorical acts regarding various scandals including Whitewater, Travelgate, as well as her husband's impeachment and sexual scandals.

Kelley's look into Hillary Rodham Clinton's use of rhetorical strategies is a useful and interesting frame through which to view current political figures. Her findings and depth of research will provide her reader with an insightful understanding of how political figures manipulate their environments, the media, and the nation. ... Read more

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Today women dream of being president, yet in earlier generations women dreamed of being the president's wife. First Ladies tells the story of those women and of the evolution of their role from ceremonial backdrop to substantive world figure.
Covering all thirty-six women from Martha Washington to Nancy Reagan and including the daughters, daughters-in-law, and sisters of presidents who sometimes served as First Ladies, Betty Boyd Caroli explores the background, marriage, and accomplishments and failures in office of each woman. This remarkably diverse lot included Abigail Adams, whose "remember the ladies" became a twentieth-century feminist refrain; Edith Wilson, who alone controlled access to the President when he suffered a stroke; Jane Pierce, who prayed her husband would lose the election; Helen Taft, who insisted on living in the White House, although her husband would have preferred a judgeship; and Pat Nixon, who perfected what some have called "the robot image."They ranged in age from early 20's to late 60's; some received superb educations for their time, while others had little or no schooling. Including the courageous and adventurous, the emotionally unstable, the ambitious, and the reserved, these women often did not fit the traditional expectations of a presidential helpmate.
Depicting how these women used the "magic wand" given to them, Caroli reveals not only how each First Lady changed the role, but also how the role changed in response to American culture.Because of their position, these women left remarkably complete records, and their stories offer us an insider's view not only of their lives as holders of what sociologists now call "derivative power," but also of the history of American women in general. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Nice book
My wife wanted this book, and is enjoying it but she wish it would have been a Hardback, maybe I was not listening very well that day.

A concise cultural history of our First Ladies
Betty Boyd Caroli has written a concise cultural history of our First Ladies.But her observations on how each era shaped the next was only mildly insigthful if not predictable hindsight.

I was disappointedthere was less information about our early first ladies than there was onour more recent ones. Either some of our first ladies did not leavecomplete records or Coroli simply felt the more recent ones deserved moreattention.

Overall, First Ladies is 80% hard research and 20% gossip ofthe day which will keep you turning the pages. And if you like, chapterscan be read as separate essays. I found this a good book to leave out inguestroom or bathroom! ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (14)

Excellent Biography
Kathleen Winters' biography of Anne Morow Lindbergth is an extremely well written and fascinating book that presents this complex woman's life with well-researched detail. Most importantly, it offers insights into Anne's life in a way that presents her not only as an iconic aviation pioneer, but also as a human being. Although I knew the main facts of her life, this book helped me to see her as a woman developing the confidence and self-assurance that helped her survive personal tragedy and form a successful marriage with a difficult partner. This biography really makes Anne Morrow Lindbergh come alive.

Wonderful Biography and Aviation History
Anne Morrow Lindbergh: First Lady of the Air by Kathleen C. Winters is a beautifully written biography of the wife of Charles Lindbergh, the world famous pilot.She also was a pilot, one of the early female pilots, and was co-pilot and navigator for her husband, who could have chosen any other for important job.Anne has been revered as an author for years for her well-loved books, the most famous being the timeless Gift From The Sea, still a best seller after over half a century.But her life as a pilot and a pioneer in aviation history had not been explored, and Winters does a fine job with this part of Anne's early life, which she left behind when she became a mother.The new biography is excellent and sure to become a mainstay of aviation history.

Easy to read inspirational and historical account
I am not a typical non-fiction reader, but after reading the book, First Lady of the Air, I could see myself reading more non-fiction. Kathleen Winters creates an easy to read non-fiction account of the life of Anne Morrow Lindbergh. Throughout the book, I could really identify with Anne as a woman and fellow aviator. Winters portrays many sides of Anne, from her days as a young woman, to a woman aviator, and finally to a wife and mother. She makes it easy for any reader to identify with the struggles that Anne faced in each of those times in her life.

Winters describes the historical significance of what Anne and Charles were accomplishing with their many long distance flights in uncharted areas; setting up air routes and paving the way for what future commercial jet liners would utilize on a daily basis.Anne was an active participant in an adventurous situation, which was not typical for women of her time. Very inspirational story showing that women can do the same things that men can do. A good read for anyone interested in aviation history.

The life and flights of Anne Morrow Lindbergh
There was a time when Charles Lindbergh was the most famous man on Earth.His 1927 solo flight across the Atlantic caught the world's imagination and the public couldn't get enough of him.When he decided to get married he made looking for a wife into a project.Anne Morrow was the daughter of a wealthy and prestigious family and while Anne didn't quite take to Charles at first, it wasn't long until she was caught up in his charisma and the thrill of flying, and they were soon married.

Kathleen Winters has given us a very interesting biography of Anne that necessarily includes material on Charles, but usually from Anne's perspective.The subtitle of the book is "first lady of the air" and most of the book is about Anne's achievements as a pioneering woman in powered flight and gliding.The majority of the book focuses on two major expeditions Charles and Anne made to Asia in 1931 and all around the North and South Atlantic in 1933.Anne was not just along for the ride on these long and dangerous trips to open flying routes around the globe.As Charles noted when asked about taking his wife along on these hazardous flights, "she is crew".Anne operated the radio, used Morse code, and much more.The radio in those days was much more art than the standard technology it has become.

Winters provides great maps of these great journeys along with some terrific photographs.The revolutionary nature of these flights is made clear by the medal Anne was given by the National Geographic Society for her part in opening air routes around the globe.

While the book does cover the major biographical details including the kidnapping and murder of their firstborn with the subsequent trial of Hauptmann, everything but the flying is covered in short form, but all the major points are touched on.

I found Winters' treatment of Charles being given Service Cross of the German Eagle by Goering most interesting.It has become usual to bash Lindbergh for accepting this award, but the accusers rarely put the event in context.It happened only a few weeks after the "peace in our time" four-way pact signing between Britain, France, Germany, and Italy and weeks before Kristallnacht.The Lindbergh's had stopped in Germany for eighteen days after a trip to Russia.The presentation was made without warning or announcement at a men's only dinner at the American Embassy and at the time neither Charles nor the other men at the dinner thought much about it.Afterwards, Anne expressed her concern that the white cross would become an albatross around his neck.After Kristallnacht occurred, Charles wrote in his journal, "My admiration for the Germans is constantly being dashed against some rock such as this."

Winters also provides very interesting information about Anne's efforts and success as an author.I have not yet read any of Anne's writings, but this book has piqued my interest in seeking them out.

This is a most interesting book about a talented an intrepid women who held her own in a marriage to one of the great historic characters of the 20th Century.Her life is instructive, inspiring, and very much worth knowing.Winters' has written an honest and interesting look at her life and accomplishments.I recommend that you get a copy and enjoy it.

Reviewed by Craig Matteson, Ann Arbor, MI

Anne Morrow Lindbergh, the Pilot, Shines Through
This book is a gem. Well written. Informative. It is Anne's story -- the woman who loved to fly and who often was the first to explore some new phase. Because she is such an ethereal writer -- and because she was Charles' wife -- we tend to lose track of her actual aviation accomplishments. Author Kathleen C. Winters has nicely remedied that. Originally in hardback, the book is due out in paperback spring 2008.

Sarah Byrn Rickman, author of the newly released Nancy Love and the WASP Ferry Pilots of World War II (University of North Texas Press). ... Read more

Product Description
In a mere one thousand days, Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy created an entrancing public persona that has remained intact for nearly forty years. Even now, a decade after her death, she remains a figure of enduring-and endearing-interest. Yet, while innumerable books have focused on the legends and gossip surrounding this charismatic figure, Barbara Perry's is the first to focus largely on Kennedy's White House years, portraying a First Lady far more complex and enigmatic than previously perceived.

Noting how Jackie's celebrity and devotion to privacy have for years precluded a more serious treatment, Perry's engaging and well-crafted story illuminates Kennedy's immeasurable impact on the institution of the First Lady. Perry vividly illustrates the complexities of Jacqueline Bouvier's marriage to John F. Kennedy, and shows how she transformed herself from a reluctant political wife to an effective, confident presidential partner. Perry is especially illuminating in tracing the First Lady's mastery of political symbolism and imagery, along with her use of television and state entertainment to disseminate her work to a global audience.

By offering the White House as a stage for the arts, Jackie also bolstered the president's Cold War efforts to portray the United States as the epitome of a free society. From redecorating the White House to championing Lafayette Square's preservation to lending her name to fund-raising for the National Cultural Center, she had a profound impact on the nation's psyche and cultural life. Meanwhile, her fashionable clothes and glamorous hairdos stood in stark contrast to the dowdiness of her predecessors and the drab appearances of Communist leaders' spouses.

Never before or since has a First Lady (and her husband) sparkled with so much hope and vigor on the stage of American public life. Perry's deft narrative captures all of that and more, even as it also insightfully depicts Jackie's struggles to preserve her own identity amid the pressures of an institution she changed forever.

Grounded on the author's painstaking research into previously overlooked or unavailable archives, at the Kennedy Library and elsewhere, as well as interviews with Jacqueline Kennedy's close associates, Perry's work expands and enriches our understanding of a remarkable American woman.

This book is part of the Modern First Ladies series. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

A fascinating account of a fascinating woman
Unlike more gosspiy biographies, political scientist Barbara Perry approaches the life of Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy as a scholar. She writes about the early influences in her life, her role as first lady and the passions and causes that she undertook in her official life. Perry touches on such issues as JFK's infidelity and deftlly handles the criticism leveled at Mrs. Kennedy for, among other things, her spending on her wardrobe and her "francophile" attachments. So while the book doesn't get bogged down in the tawdry details of their personal lives, neither does it ignore them. It's a well-written, well-documented account of a White House that was so different than any other in modern times -- much due, in part, to the youth and flair of Jacqueline Kennedy. For those who want an objective account, this is an excellent read.

Jacqueline Kennedy Through a Different Prism
As one of the most charismatic and intriguing women in modern American history, Jacqueline Kennedy has been the subject of numerous books, articles, and even made-for-television movies.Those attempts, however, focused almost exclusively on Mrs. Kennedy's aura of celebrity---until now.Enter Dr. Barbara Perry, the Carter Glass Professor of Government at Sweet Briar College in Virginia.In "Jacqueline Kennedy:First Lady of the New Frontier," Perry does an outstanding job of telling a familiar story from a scholar's perspective.She provides a highly readable, yet serious examination of Jacqueline Kennedy in the White House.

In researching the glamorous and sometimes enigmatic First Lady, Dr. Perry states that her mission "was to write the first scholarly treatment of her [Kennedy's] work as first lady and filter out the extremes of previous books that range from hagiographic tributes to mean-spirited or sensationalized accounts."That mission was a particularly daunting one in that Jacqueline Kennedy's personal papers and oral history, located in the John F. Kennedy Library in Boston, remain closed.Not to be dissuaded, Dr. Perry apparently did exhaustive research into virtually every available primary source.The result is a fascinating, insightful look at a first lady who emerges as a surprisingly assertive, independent, and even bold actor on the White House stage.Jackie, of course, is best known as the driving force in the restoration of the White House, but she was equally influential in the creation of the White House Historical Society, the preservation of Lafayette Square, and support of the arts.Her personl correspondence on these projects is quite revealing, suggesting that she had a clear vision of how the White House, the presidency, and the first family should be presented to the public---and how she attempted to preserve and present her own identity.Professor Perry is especially effective in exploring this area, having previously authored a compelling analysis of the symbolism and imagery of the U.S. Supreme Court and how the court presents itself to the public (see "The Priestly Tribe:The Supreme Court's Image in the American Mind").

Barbara Perry's work is a much-appreciated scholarly addition to the body of literature on Jacqueline Kennedy.Until the Kennedy papers are opened to the public (in about 40 years), it will stand unchallenged as the definitive account for viewing and understanding an American icon inside the White House. ... Read more

Product Description
Florence Kling Harding has come down through history as one of our most scorned first ladies. Victimized by caricatures and branded a shrew, she stands at the bottom of historians' polls, her reputation tarnished by her husband's scandals despite their joint popularity while in office. These depictions, argues Katherine Sibley, have prevented us today from seeing how innovative a first lady Florence Harding really was.

This new look at Mrs. Harding restores humanity to an oft-maligned figure by examining her progressive causes, her celebrity, and her role in her husband's work. For if Eleanor Roosevelt is credited with shattering the first lady's ceremonial mold, it was Florence Harding who made the first cracks.

Sibley's is the first book to offer a full treatment of Florence as first lady rather than as mere supporting actress in the Harding administration. Never shying from publicity, she made herself more available to the press than did her predecessors and opened the White House up to the public. And she took such a pioneering role in Warren Harding's campaign and presidency that many thought she outdid her husband as a politician.

Turning to primary sources that others have overlooked, Sibley challenges the clichés about Florence's time in the national spotlight. She describes how Mrs. Harding supported racial equality, lobbied for better treatment for veterans and female prisoners, and maintained a lifelong interest in preventing animal cruelty. As adviser to her husband, she assisted with his speechwriting and consulted with the cabinet; she was also the first first lady to deliver spontaneous speeches while traveling with the president.

At a personal level, Sibley examines in detail how Mrs. Harding responded to her husband's death, assessing why this tragedy struck Americans with such force even as national empathy proved so fleeting. She also offers a more nuanced description of the president's philandering, viewing Nan Britton's claims with skepticism while noting the effects on Florence of his dalliance with Carrie Phillips.

Florence Harding bequeathed an activist legacy, and it is due to her example that aspiring presidential wives are expected to campaign with their husbands and be accessible to public and press. Florence Harding truly set the stage for those to follow; this book delivers the full and fair portrait that has long been her due.

This book is part of the Modern First Ladies series. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Getting to know Florence
Professor Sibley has courageously taken a controversial stand on a controversial figure. In her skillful hands, Florence Harding emerges as a multi-dimensional woman, a person whom the reader can begin to know. And by treating the scandals surrounding the Harding administration in a balanced way, the author has escaped the trap of sensationalism.

Florence and Warren Harding appear as the consummate extroverts, charming and charismatic as well as gregarious. Florence opened the White House to tourists, admitting thousands on the grounds on some days. The author details numerous occasions where Florence shook thousands of hands. The Hardings reveled in their own celebrity, sporting a voluminous wardrobe of Hollywood-priced pieces, but it was part of their social environment, like costumes for a play. The hand-shaking was physically strenuous, demanding that they be on their feet for many hours, causing sore hands, wrists, neck, and feet and requiring glove changes, yet Florence enjoyed it. Florence was, if nothing else, a people person.

To judge by the accounts of the Hardings' popularity while in office, the public responded to their outgoing congeniality. Despite their celebrity status, the Hardings were socially inclusive, and the masses responded by thronging to the Hardings' front porch in Marion, and to White House events. On p. 177, Sibley notes the 20,000 people touring the White House on June 7, 1923, a one-day record. Florence's Easter Egg rolls were enormously popular. Public concern over Florence's illness and public mourning over Warren's death were heartfelt.

Even their inner circle was extensive, yet they seem to have had a warm intimacy with each member. The Hardings have been castigated for serving booze to this inner circle during Prohibition, but there is no way to know whether the booze was illegal. Buying it was illegal, but private consumption of pre-existing stores was fine. Certainly, alcohol was only one small part of their entertaining. Based on letters and memoirs, the author presents a rich and varied social life, with affection returned by most. Most reports describe Florence as vivacious and charismatic. The few accounts of her as dour or grim may be attributable to her lifelong battle with kidney disease, or to exhaustion from the strenuous social life she led. Florence especially enjoyed close friendships with many women, both from her role in her husband's political life, and from beforehand. If she can be said to have a best friend, it might have been Evalyn McLean, with whom she traveled, visited, and corresponded. How, then, are we to reconcile the friendship between them, evidenced by letters and observations of mutual friends, with McLean's later negative accounts? Professor Sibley addresses this inconsistency so deftly, I won't spoil it for you here.

The Hardings had professional relationships with most of their friends, sometimes as a result of the friendship, sometimes as the basis for it. The Harding administration was besmirched by the misdoings of several of these friends. The book examines each one in turn, Albert Fall and the Teapot Dome scandal, Charles Forbes and the Veterans Bureau scandal, and reports of Attorney General Harry Daugherty's corruption. While the author acknowledges the crimes of these administration members, what is still up for debate is Warren and Florence's knowledge and involvement. While the evidence for the latter is scanty, the celebrity culture of the day supported much sensationalism. Indeed, there is evidence against Warren's awareness of Albert Fall's dealings. It is just as easy to see Warren as a victim of his own affability as a culprit in the corruption of some members of his administration, coming up blind to the misdeeds of those he counted as friends.Their amiable, gracious personalities suggest giving the Hardings the benefit of the doubt.

First Lady Florence Harding is an interesting account, elaborating events with such visual details as the material of Florence's dress and the floral arrangements Florence famously ordered. Between the descriptive prose and the anecdotes from Florence's diary and personal correspondence, the reader gets the feeling of being there, of getting to know Florence personally. It is easy to sympathize with Florence's stiff neck and swollen hands after thousands of handshakes. The Bibliographic Essay at the end is also good reading, motivating the reader to investigate further, unlike the typical dry list that would be tempting to ignore. This biography is a must-read for skeptics who cannot take the negative portrayals of Florence and her husband at face value, and seek a more balanced view.

Trying to Rehabilitate Hardings' Reputation....Again
Professor Sibley claims that "this book is the first to offer a full treatment of Florence as first lady, rather than as a supporting actress in a drama of scandalous dealings, womanizing, and illicit booze." (page 2), but is incorrect on two counts. First, historian Carl Anthony has already done a masterful job detailing the life of Florence Harding ("Florence Harding: First Lady the Jazz Age and the Death of America's Most Scandalous President"). Second, her book unsuccessfully tries to divorce the life of Florence from her adulterous husband Warren. You cannot write in a vacuum. This is unfortunate, for in order to understand Florence, you have to deal with her husband. And when she does touch on Warren's sordid lifestyle, she does it in a way that always gives him the benefit of the doubt.

The cover-up of Harding's scandalous lifestyle began with the Harding Memorial Association, formed shortly after his death. Family members then, and even now, have managed, through lawsuit, and intimidation, to keep pertinent factual information from competent historians. The author finally tells us on page 240, what all the rest of us have known all along, that because of this continual cover-up, no competent biography can be written, including hers. I quote: "Shrouded in mystery, the Harding years reminded subject to rumor and speculation of the worst kind, chiefly on the basis of the scandals that surfaced after Harding's death. Florence contributed to this poisoned picture in other ways; she refused to endorse any biography or collection of her husband's speeches that she did not direct or edit herself." (Emphasis mine).

Thus, this book is not the final full treatment that the author pretends. It is a rehash of old information. Little is learned from Florence's diary, which the author reports to have seen, but does not correctly cite, nor does she disclose where these papers are at present. Her treatment of Florence as First Lady, which was to main course of this book, has been relegated to an appetizer inserted in chapter four. And it consists of very thinly researched material concerning her life in the White House, her close friends, her kidney illness, and her experiences on the presidential trip out West. Most of this was fluff: tidbits revealed by news articles, but never really getting at the "real" Florence Harding.

Instead of a proper Bibliography, the author follows another Harding rehabilitation entrepreneur, Phillip Payne (who wrote his own version of Harding: "Dead Last"), under the rubric of "Biographical Essay," a final section of the book in which she cavalierly dismisses author upon author, only because they told the truth about the Harding scandals. She needs to heed her own advice given on page 324, note 27: "(There are) dangers of writing biographies and the ways in which perceived partisanship can poison a book's reception." Sibley is guilty herself of "corrosive bias, assiduous mudslinging" against other academic authors, without any proof provided in her refutation of them. Even Professor Sibley's Introduction follows the same pattern as Phillip Payne's book on Harding: a diatribe against previous biographers of Harding...without offering any proof whatsoever. This is pure balderdash. It's almost as if Phillip Payne was the ghost writer for this book. The parallels between the Payne book and this one are striking. In fact, as I read page after page, I wondered who really was writing this book.

Other problems with the book include:
On page 23, the author inaccurately states that Francis Russell kept the Harding love letters to Carrie out of his book, ("The Shadow of Blooming Grove,") "by agreement with the Harding Memorial Association." The truth is that the Memorial Association and Ohio Historical Society, in concert with still-living Harding relatives, brought a lawsuit against Russell's publisher, which publisher had to pay thousands in a settlement to the relatives, and agree to sequester the documents until 2014 in the Library of Congress.

Sibley doubts the veracity of Evelyn McLean, Chief Usher Ike Hoover, Alice Roosevelt Longworth, and Head Housekeeper Elizabeth Jaffray, and their eye-witness, first-person descriptions of Florence Harding's volatile interaction with husband Warren, because it is "completely out of character with mellow Warren." (page 166). Mellow Warren? It's ludicrous that the author denies that Harding had any booze in the White House at all; even though Florence was present serving the mixed drinks herself on many occasions. Grammatically speaking, the author over uses the exclamation (!) point. She has also ignored the issue of Warren Harding's Black heritage: he was an Octoroon. Sibley pleads ignorance on just how Florence discovered Warren's affair with neighbor Carrie Phillips; yet admits that he had purchased her a new Buick car. The author also omits telling about the thousands of dollars of hush money paid by the Republican Campaign Committee to Carrie and her husband, sending them on a round the world tour with a monthly income, keeping them from the prying eyes and ears of reporters. The author's dismissal of the Nan Britton papers opened in 2000 is unfortunate, for she left other sources untapped. She ignores the known facts of Harding's illicit child by Nan, and the other women Warren had affairs with, including his US Senate secretary. Sibley states that Harding didn't father any children because he had had the mumps! (Emphasis mine). While stating that Gaston Means' book on Harding as a fake, she doesn't tell you that Florence had actually hired Means as a private eye to investigate Warren's illicit behavior. No new pictures are included in the book; and several have no caption to identify the subjects. Sibley skips over the Teapot Dome Scandal entirely, by flatly denying that the Harding's knew anything about the scandals early on. Mistakes are everywhere in this book, ad nauseum. Dr. Joel Boone was not a homeopath physician, as stated on page 158. Nothing is said about how "Dr." Sawyer, the homeopathic physician got his job at the White House and his lack of medical training, not to mention the lack thereof of Harding's father.Harding's special train was continuously misspelled as "The Superbe" (p. 182, 215, et.al.)Harding's private Pullman "The Superb" was built in 1911, and is now housed at the Southeastern Railway Museum. This book needs a careful editorial audit and re-write. I also have to wonder about this author's credentials, when she stated that one of her best sources of information was what she gathered from Ebay!

Professor Sibley is an academic "reputational entrepreneur," who has attempted to rehabilitate the reputation of Florence Harding and her husband Warren. It simply cannot be done. Warren Harding remains the worst U.S. President, and Florence knew what was going on in his private life. I wished for more space given Florence Harding as an activist First Lady.
... Read more

Product Description
Letitia Baldrige is well known for her bestselling books on etiquette and is a much sought-after commentator on American style. Now, she writes of her life as a tenacious and successful woman who worked behind the scenes in some of the most exciting places after World War II and at the height of America's international glory.

The romance of Baldrige's first job in Paris with American Ambassador David Bruce's wife, Evangeline, is only the beginning of her lively tale. From working with Clare Booth Luce in Rome in the early 1950s to becoming the first woman executive for Tiffany & Co. to being the social secretary in the Kennedy White House, Baldrige has led a glamorous, high-spirited life, and A Lady, First shares a wonderful vicarious experience of her adventures.

Letitia Baldrige is a joy to read—she is stylish, chic, and always polite, and she manages to be a feminist and a lady at the same time. Like Katharine Graham and Liz Smith, she has lived her life among celebrities and history makers and has the stories to prove it. She continues to be an inspiration as the founder of Letitia Baldrige Enterprises, one of the first companies in the world to be founded and run by a female CEO. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (17)

A Pleasure, and a Surprise
I've always enjoyed Ms. Baldridge's books, and this was no exception.I was expecting, knowing nothing about it beforehand, that it would be yet more nostalgia about the Kennedy White House.Thankfully, it wasn't.That period of her life occupied part of the book, but not even the major part.Actually, I enjoyed most the part about her time working for Tiffany & Co.It's great bedside reading.

Terrific!
I had this on my shelf for several years before finally reading it--and now I regret waiting so long! This is a captivating story told by someone uniquely placed in several high-level positions: aid to David & Evangeline Bruce in France; aid to Clare Booth Luce and Henry Luce in Italy; and chief of staff to Jackie Kennedy.In addition to this, Ms. Baldrige was the first woman executive at Tiffany's, and held a high level position at the Merchandise Mart in Chicago.But what really endears her to the reader is Ms. Baldrige's way of telling hilarious stories on herself--the things that go askew during a dinner party, for example.She took her work very seriously, but is modest enough to tell stories on herself that can make one dissolve in laughter.I came away from this book with a higher appreciation of all that she has done.She is very likeable!

Product Review


The product arrived in excellent condition, within the specified time period, and I am very happy with it.

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Class from the past!
Oh! how I wish I had a life like Tish Baldridge's! She is a gutsy and classy lady and I admire her for that. I loved to read that book because it goes to show that dreams come true when we put the energy and efforts for them to materialize.

An Interesting and Amazing Woman
Tish Baldridge has led an interesting and amazing life. She wasn't blessed with great wealth or beauty yet she managed to live and work on the upper echelons of American political and social society in the 50's, 60's, 70's, 80's, and onward.
Baldridge takes you through her beginnings in the midwest, her education at Miss Porter's and Vassar as one of the less financially advantaged students, her life in Paris and Rome working for such trend setters as Clare Booth Luce, her days at Tiffany, her years in the White House with Jackie Kennedy, and her life after.

Here's what is great about this book and her story: her life didn't begin and it didn't end with her association with Jackie Kennedy. Camelot fans will get great glimpses into those years from her vantage point. But there is a lot more to this book...

I would highly recommend this book to women who love biographies on the Jackie Kennedy, Grace Kelly, Audrey Hepburn set. I also would recommend this book to women who enjoy the story of a self-made woman and a survivor and anyone interested in the social history of this era. I would not recommend this book to most men and I would caution all readers to note that this is a book filled with details of food, flowers, gowns, and jewels and not policy making or congressional bills. You learn about the parties that Jackie Kennedy went to in the year of the Cuban Missile Crisis not about the policy nuances behind the crisis.

I gave this book as a present to several female friends and they loved it. ... Read more