Best books...chosen by Amity Shlaes
Amity Shlaes is a Bloomberg columnist and a senior fellow at the George W. Bush Institute.
Amity Shlaes is a Bloomberg columnist, the author of The Forgotten Man, and a senior fellow at the George W. Bush Institute. Below, she names six books she drew inspiration from while writing her new best-selling Calvin Coolidge biography.
Coolidge: An American Enigma by Robert Sobel (Regnery, $20). Every biographer confronts a book that makes him question whether a new bio is necessary. Written only 15 years ago, Sobel’s book is a pretty good, indeed more than good, biography of Coolidge. It covers an area that matters: Coolidge’s fiscal policy.
Mellon by David Cannadine (Vintage, $23). It was said that President Coolidge and Treasury Secretary Andrew Mellon “conversed in pauses.” Cannadine provides insight into their relationship as well as the reasons that U.S. leaders—Mellon and authorities at the Fed—wanted to keep interest rates low: They were trying to prevent war in Europe.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Your Son, Calvin Coolidge edited by Edward Lathem (out of print). A meticulously edited collection of Coolidge’s letters to his father, who served in Vermont’s state legislature after Calvin had begun his own political rise. “It is much more important to kill bad bills than to pass good ones,” the younger Coolidge advised.
Government Project by Edward C. Banfield (out of print). The Casa Grande settlement was a failed New Deal–era collective farm, a sort of Animal Farm or kibbutz of the Roosevelt period. This book reminded me why more needs to be known about Coolidge.
Crowded Years by William Gibbs McAdoo (out of print). McAdoo was a brilliant Treasury secretary whose eloquence obscured the arrogance of his method. Here’s a typical McAdoo-ism, on the subject of how much to borrow to fund America’s entry into the Great War: “I had formed a tentative conclusion as to the amount of the first loan. It ought to be, I thought, $3 billion. I can hardly tell you how I arrived at the sum…. I am sure that the deciding influence in my mind was not a mass of statistics, but what is commonly called a ‘hunch.’”
The Autobiography of Calvin Coolidge (Univ. Press of the Pacific, $27.50). Our subjects are their own best biographers. Only Coolidge can properly tell of some of Coolidge’s burdens, including the tragic death of his 16-year-old son, Calvin Jr.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
-
'Make legal immigration a more plausible option'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
LA-to-Las Vegas high-speed rail line breaks ground
Speed Read The railway will be ready as soon as 2028
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Israel's military intelligence chief resigns
Speed Read Maj. Gen. Aharon Haliva is the first leader to quit for failing to prevent the Hamas attack in October
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Sarah Langan recommends 6 women-centric horror books
Feature The horror novelist recommends works by Stephen King, Gillian Flynn, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Amanda Montell's 6 favorite books that will expand your knowledge
Feature The linguist recommends works by Mary Roach, Alice Carrière, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Rowan Beaird recommends 6 compelling books from the 1950s
Feature The author recommends works by Patricia Highsmith, Shirley Jackson, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Stephen Graham Jones' 6 scary books with deeper meanings
Feature The best-selling author recommends works by Stephen King, Sara Gran, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Keith O'Brien's 6 must-read books about significant moments in sports history
Feature The best-selling author recommends works by Laura Hillenbrand, Jonathan Eig and more
By The Week US Published
-
Lauren Oyler's favorite collection of essays that will leave you deep in thought
Feature The author recommends works by Elif Batuman, Mark Greif, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Rebecca Serle's 6 favorite books about interpersonal relationships
Feature The best-selling author recommends works by J.D. Salinger, Dolly Alderton, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Cristina Henríquez's 6 popular books with historical themes
Feature The novelist recommends works by Min Jin Lee, Kurt Vonnegut, and more
By The Week US Published