“A trove of entertaining stories about the drama, pratfalls, and sheer weirdness of presidents.” —Kirkus Reviews, starred review

A colorful US history book for adults that reveals little-known accounts, outlandish stories, and 70+ all-too-human fun facts about presidents.

"A dazzling and beguiling study of the nooks and crannies of the American Presidency. Read this book. Enjoy. And plan on winning your trivia bouts and bar bets."

—John A. Farrell, Pulitzer Prize finalist for Richard Nixon: The Life and author of Ted Kennedy: A Life

Go beyond chopping down cherry trees and Marilyn Monroe serenading happy birthday.

In this collection of interesting facts about presidents—some pivotal, others less so—learn about the real-life idiosyncrasies of the people who held the highest office in the United States.

Gerald S. Henig is professor emeritus of history who has been collecting facts to startle his students for over four decades—and has the Outstanding Professor Award and four Pi Kappa Delta Best Lecturer Awards to prove it.

His fully-documented revelations provide insights into the character and conduct of America's presidents—and how they were influenced by the same flaws and foibles as every Tom, Dick, and Harry.

Ranging from the startling to the scandalous, discover which president:

• built a tennis court—and then refused to be photographed in his tennis whites,
• privately admitted on more than one occasion that he was not fit for the job,
• ordered three bells to be rung when he walked the halls of the White House so the staff would stay out of sight,
• called his penis Jumbo (and was not shy about exhibiting it to justify its name),
• had to be restrained from beating his would-be assassin,
• claimed that he needed sex every day to avoid a severe headache.

A great book for history buffs, Hamilton fans, and anyone looking for fodder for their next dinner party, America's Presidents is full of unknown facts that are easy-to-digest, rarely spoken of, and as entertaining as they are educational.

Even "leaders of the free world" have their embarrassing, entertaining, and altogether shocking moments—and this book flings the doors of the White House wide open.

"America's Presidents is filled with fun stories and insightful anecdotes. We learn that presidents have peculiarities. More importantly, we are reminded that their peculiarities can shape the world."

—Graham A. Peck, Wepner Distinguished Professor of Lincoln Studies, University of Illinois at Springfield

Gerald S. Henig is professor emeritus of history who has been collecting facts to startle his students for over four decades. He taught at California State University, East Bay, where he received the Outstanding Professor Award and won the Pi Kappa Delta Best Lecturer Award an unprecedented four times.

As the host of the television series Era of the Civil War and Reconstruction and author of two books on America's Civil War, he is known for bringing entertainment to education.

His previous titles include Henry Winter Davis: Antebellum and Civil War Congressman from Maryland and Civil War Firsts: The Legacies of America's Bloodiest Conflict, which was an alternate selection of the History Book Club. He has also published dozens of articles on American political, social, and military history.

Henig is an avid jogger, reader, and traveler, but what he loves most is spending time with his grandchildren. He lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.

"Gerald S. Henig's dazzling and beguiling study of the nooks and crannies of the American Presidency is, to borrow Ralph Waldo Emerson's phrase about the study of history, a resounding blast of triumph. Do you think you know all there is to know about the White House and its occupants? Think again. Read this book. Enjoy. And plan on winning your trivia bouts and bar bets."  —John A. Farrell, Pulitzer Prize finalist for Richard Nixon: The Life and author of Ted Kennedy: A Life

"Gerald S. Henig has accumulated an extraordinary amount of information about American presidents from George Washington to Joe Biden, which he shares with readers in this fast-paced, eye-opening, and eminently readable book. He shows how the qualities of character and personality, the foibles and idiosyncrasies of many presidents have influenced their policies and achievements, or lack thereof, and thus helped shape the world we live in today." -—James M. McPherson, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era and general editor of “To The Best of My Ability:” The American Presidents

"Gerald S. Henig is a historian who understands what makes history so endlessly fascinating. In this book he collects a career's worth of funny, curious, and scandalous stories about America's chief executives, all of which provide serious insight into the character traits voters should be looking for in the next US president." -—David Rubel, author of Mr. President: The Human Side of America’s Chief Executives and Scholastic Encyclopedia of the Presidents and Their Times

"Gerald S. Henig has written a book that will appeal to the history buff in all of us. America's Presidents is filled with fun stories and insightful anecdotes. We learn that presidents have peculiarities. More importantly, we are reminded that their peculiarities can shape the world." -—Graham A. Peck, Wepner Distinguished Professor of Lincoln Studies, University of Illinois at Springfield