Theodore Roosevelt: A Literary Life

by Thomas C. Bailey, Katherine Joslin

Overview

Of all the many biographies of Theodore Roosevelt, none has presented the twenty-sixth president as he saw himself: as a man of letters. This fascinating account traces Roosevelt's lifelong engagement with books and discusses his writing from childhood journals to his final editorial, finished just hours before his death. His most famous book, The RoughRiders--part memoir, part war adventure--barely begins to suggest the dynamism of his literary output. Roosevelt read widely and deeply, and worked tirelessly on his writing. Along with speeches, essays, reviews, and letters, he wrote history, autobiography, and tales of exploration and discovery. In this thoroughly original biography, Roosevelt is revealed at his most vulnerable--and his most human.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781493066728
Publisher:	Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Publication date:	06/01/2022
Pages:	384
Sales rank:	1,103,443
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Thomas Bailey is professor emeritus of English and Environmental Studies at Western Michigan University. Katherine Joslin, Professor Emerita of English at WMU, is the author of Jane Addams, A Writer's Life and Edith Wharton and the Making of Fashion, winner of a Choice Outstanding Academic Title Award.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments ix

Introduction to the Paperback Edition xi

Introduction An American-American Writer 1

Chapter 1 "Not Unmusical Clangor" 9

Chapter 2 "Chateau-en-Espagne" 24

Chapter 3 "Plenty of Work to Do Writing" 40

Chapter 4 Chasing Desperadoes 60

Chapter 5 "My Mistress Perforce" 78

Chapter 6 Words into Blows 98

Chapter 7 "Running in a Groove" 128

Chapter 8 A Literary President 143

Chapter 9 "No Single, Simple Note" 169

Chapter 10 "Paying for His Fun" 194

Chapter 11 Out of Africa 218

Chapter 12 Writing from Armageddon 244

Chapter 13 "The Land of Unknown Possibilities" 267

Chapter 14 "The Last Great Fight" 295

Notes 315

Bibliography 331

Index 341

Illustrations follow page 148