An intimate and in-depth biography of the first president of the 20th century delves into the life of and the myths behind this great leader, from his early involvement in the politics of New York City to his presidency, revealing a man of astonishing discipline who had a profound impact on our nation. 40,000 first printing. Theodore Roosevelt was a man of contradictions: a warrior who won the Nobel Peace prize, a wealthy man who battled corporate greed, a thinker who prized action more than words (but who wrote fine books himself). He was also, writes Louis Auchincloss in this lucid biography, an extraordinary leader, "a political idealist who had the wisdom to know that only by astute and well-considered compromise in our legislative process could he hope to see enacted even a fraction of the social and military programs that he deemed ... essential to the welfare of his nation." Compromise he did, of course, though in the end the war hero and trustbuster could not bring the right wing of the Republican Party to see the wisdom of his reformist ways. The result, Auchincloss chronicles, was a terrible split, bringing about the defection of liberals from that once-liberal institution and the birth of a political war that still rages. With a keen eye for political nuance and a clear appreciation for Teddy Roosevelt as a one-of-a-kind, self-made man, Auchincloss offers an engaging view of a great American president. --Gregory McNamee "The American Presidents," a new series with Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr. as its general editor, is one of several recent series of little books on big topics. The series leads off, at under 150 pages, with novelist Auchincloss's biography of Theodore Roosevelt. Despite the brevity, Auchincloss offers frequent blocks of quotation from Edmund Morris and other full-length biographers, as well as from the prolific Roosevelt himself, and readers may suspect that the brief format did not call forth the author's best effort. The book offers none of the virtues of its parts, since either a full-scale biography or an Auchincloss novel would give more pleasure, and a good encyclopedia article would say as much about TR while taking up even less of the reader's time. Auchincloss is the author of another brief presidential life, Woodrow Wilson (LJ 4/15/00), in the "Penguin Lives" series. Not recommended. Robert F. Nardini, Chichester, NH Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc. "It was the great and deciding moment of TR's life." Surely, Auchincloss means the death of Roosevelt's mother and wife on the same day? Or the charge up San Juan Hill? No, the superlative moment goes to Roosevelt's decision not to bolt the Republican Party in 1884, which would have ruined his political future. Auchincloss supports such propositions so fluidly as to make yet another book on TR well worth reading. For those who aren't familiar with Roosevelt's career, this precis is a perfect alternative to the long biographies by Edmund Morris or David McCullough, particularly in arguing for TR's place among the presidential "greats." With Roosevelt's advocacy of masculine and martial virtues and his reputation as an imperialist, ranking him among the elite chief magistrates might not be an obvious choice for contemporary critics, a fact Auchincloss acknowledges. For the author, it was TR's vigorous leadership as a progressive president, rather than what he particularly achieved as such, that earns him the plaudit. A sparkling biographical summary. Gilbert Taylor Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved "A publishing milestone . . . Schlesinger, a master craftsman, is imposing his high standards on these books. Hail to the chief. It's a wonderful series." Louis Auchincloss was a highly renowned novelist, literary critic, and historian. The author of more than fifty books, including The Rector of Justin , The House of Five Talents , and The Atonement , he was a former president of the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr., was arguably the preeminent political historian of our time. For more than half a century, he has been a cornerstone figure in the intellectual life of the nation and a fixture on the political scene. He served as special assistant to John F. Kennedy; won two Pulitzer Prizes for The Age of Jackson (1946) and A Thousand Days (1966); and in 1998 received the National Humanities Medal. He published the first volume of his autobiography, A Life in the Twentieth Century , in 2000.