Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2323908 in Books
• Published on: 2001-07
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 272 pages

Customer Reviews

Brilliant tribute with wonderful pictures and inspiring text
This magnificent tribute to Ronald Reagan is introduced by William Buckley Jnr and contains a foreword by Nancy Reagan. It recounts the story of this beloved leader's trials and triumphs in over 500 splendid black and white and full-color photographs of people, places, events and memorabilia.

The section An Emerging Voice deals with the years 1911 to 1932: From Dixon to the Gridiron. There are pics of Reagan as a baby, the Reagans' first home in Dixon and Reagan as a handsome youth and attractive young man.

An Aspiring Voice 1932 to 1954: Always The Performer covers the Hollywood years, his time as a broadcaster and as an actor. It includes a double page spread of movie posters from 1937 to 1964.

His years as governor of California are covered in A Voice For California 1954 to 1980: The Citizen-Politician and includes reproductions of fascinating political billboards, posters and buttons.

A Voice For America 1981 to 1984: Casting A New Vision deals with the presidential years and contains reproductions of amusing cartoons and magazine and newspaper covers. My favorite photograph here is the one of Reagan dancing with Princess Diana.

A Voice For The World 1985 to 1988: Triumph Over Evil contains many pics of world leaders, including a poignant one of Ronnie kissing Maggie. This section also contains covers of magazines like Time, Newsweek, Life, National Review and many others.

An Enduring Voice 1989 to present: A Legacy For Tomorrow deals with the twilight years and his legacy, including the presidential library. It also includes a reproduction of Reagan's handwritten note to the nation announcing his illness.

The impressive visual history chronicled in these photographs is elucidated by the captivating text and about 200 quotes from world leaders, actors, journalists, family and friends.

The book is a stunning work of devotional art that may be opened at any page to find inspiration from the life of this great leader who revived America and whose vision led to the liberation of millions of people.

I also recommend the 5-CD set Speaking My Mind: Selected Speeches With Personal Reflections, and the books When Character Was King by Peggy Noonan and Ronald Reagan: How An Ordinary Man Became An Extraordinary Leader by Dinesh D'Souza.

The Best Photo Album for President Reagan
Summary: This book is a pictoral biography of President Reagan accompanied by brief essays. The photographs present the former president in his most appealing images and give the impression of a larger-than-life personality and set of accomplishments. Fans of the former president and his wife, Mrs. Nancy Reagan, will treasure this book as a keepsake.

Review: Gorgeous, glamorous photographs (usually in color) sprawl across oversize pages and portray character, emotion, and rugged handsomeness in unforgettable ways. The most magnificent ones explode across two-page spreads. The book's design is almost as fine as the photographs are, and creates the kind of fairy tale feeling that great heroes evoke in their followers. The details of the images are lovingly reproduced so that nuances of expressions and thought are obvious to the viewer. In this form, you will capture new meaning from photographs that you have seen many times before in black-and-white versions produced in smaller sizes. The photographs come with very well selected quotes that encapsulate their messages. You will enjoy reading these quotes very much.

The book is divided into the following sections: Emerging Voice; Aspiring Voice; Voice for California; Voice for America; Voice for the World; and An Enduring Voice. Each section has its own brief essays. The ones about President Reagan's youth will add details that you may be unfamiliar with. For example, there was a dangerous undertow in the swimming beach where he was a lifeguard. As a result, he had the opportunity to rescue more than 70 people over the years he worked there. Before him, no one had wanted the responsibility of guarding the beach. The personal asides are typically modest. He tells about being delighted when a pretty young woman who had drawn his interest waved at him one day. Only after her head went under water did he realize that she was calling for aid, rather than being friendly. He rescued her.

Looking at this book helped me to appreciate more about the process whereby our presidents go from being ordinary mortals to larger-than-life heroes striding across history's stage as time passes. With the victory in the Cold War, the Reagan years and President Reagan's legacy are intact for all time. This book symbolizes his ascension into the gallery of our most memorable presidents.

After you have had a chance to enjoy this remarkable volume, you should think about what the founding fathers were really like, if you had known them as a contemporary. How much glitter has been attracted because their noble experiment with representative government has been so successful? How much of that glitter is needed to help keep the ship of state moving forward? Great institutions need great heroes . . . and vice versa.

Step forward to meet the challenges you see around you!