A treasury of the wit and wisdom of Calvin Coolidge, America's surprisingly eloquent 30th President. You may ask "Why Coolidge?" Everyone asks "Why Coolidge?" We are quite used it. Here is my sound-bite answer (or, at least, one of them): Every politician that comes down the pike, promises you four or five of the same things. He or she will cut taxes, reduce unemployment, spur growth, balance the budget, and suppress inflation. They all promise such things. They never do them--and we fall for it every time. Calvin Coolidge accomplished all of the above--and the historians say he was in office for five years and never did a damn thing. It's time to set the record straight. "Silent Cal's Almanack" includes: The ultimate distillation of Calvin Coolidge political wisdom. - A selection of Silent Cal's key speeches. - A thought-provoking original biographical essay. - A fascinating and unique 50-page portfolio of Coolidge photos, editorial cartoons and campaign memorabilia. - A Coolidge timeline.* A Coolidge bibliography. "He wrote simply, innocently, artlessly," H. L. Mencken once noted regarding Coolidge's prose, "He forgot all the literary affectations and set down his ideas exactly as they came into his head. The result was a bald, but strangely appealing piece of writing-a composition of almost Lincolnian austerity and beauty. The true Vermonter was in every line of it." Supreme Court Justice David Souter recently wrote of Calvin Coolidge: "The simple beauty of his English prose exceeds anything I could say in praise of it." Featured on the Glenn Beck Show and C-SPAN's BookTV. "Coolidge has a friend in David Pietrusza, a Coolidge scholar and author/editor of Silent Cal's Almanack ." -- Amity Shlaes "an absorbing compendium of eloquent, pithy, insightful, and intelligent quotes from Calvin Coolidge ... enthusiasticaly recommended ... " -- The Midwest Book Review "Calvin Coolidge was one of the greatest presidents of the 20th century and is certainly the most underrated. This book, compiled by one of my favorite historians, will give readers a full appreciation of why Silent Cal's wisdom shines like a beacon through the fog of historical amnesia." --Jonah Goldberg "David Pietrusza reminds us that decades before the age of the sound bite, Calvin Coolidge mastered the art. But unlike most politicians today, he used few words to say a wisdom-packed mouthful." --David Stokes "useful and valuable. [Pietrusza] has made many contributions to our understanding and appreciation of Calvin Coolidge. " --Coolidge Interpreter Jim Cooke "excellent" --Kai's Coolidge Blog Ronald Reagan: "Now you hear a lot of jokes about Silent Cal Coolidge, but I think the joke is on the people that make jokes because if you look at his record, he cut taxes four times. We had probably the greatest growth and prosperity that we've ever known." Sarah Palin: "one of our most underrated presidents . . . Americans are awakening again to the wisdom of President Coolidge . . ." Grover Norquist: "We're looking for another Coolidge." "He wrote simply, innocently, artlessly," H. L. Mencken once noted regarding Coolidge's prose, "He forgot all the literary affectations and set down his ideas exactly as they came into his head. The result was a bald, but strangely appealing piece of writing--a composition of almost Lincolnian austerity and beauty. The true Vermonter was in every line of it." Author Amity Shlaes : "Reagan himself admired Coolidge. It's time the rest of us did too." Mark Steyn : "If you're like me and your idea of a conservative president is Calvin Coolidge . . ." George Will: "Calvin Coolidge, the last president with whom I fully agreed . . ." Will Cain : "Calvin Coolidge is my favorite president." Tim Naftali, Director of the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum: "If you want to balance: it's Coolidge versus [Franklin D.] Roosevelt in dealing with the economy." Says author Tucker S. Garland III : "The two most successful Republican presidents in the last century were Calvin Coolidge and Ronald Reagan." From Silent Cal: "No person was ever honored for what he received. Honor has been the reward for what he gave." - "I am for economy. After that I am for more economy." - "Collecting more taxes than is absolutely necessary is legalized robbery." - "There is no right to strike against the public safety by anybody, any time, anywhere." - "It is only when men begin to worship that they begin to grow." - "The business of America is business and the chief ideal of the American people is idealism. I cannot repeat too often that America is a nation of idealists. That is the only motive to which they ever give any strong and lasting reaction." - "I favor the policy of economy, not because I wish to save money, but because I wish to save people. The men and women of this country who toil are the ones who bear the cost of the Government. Every dollar that we carelessly waste means that their l