The Roosevelts; An Intimate History

New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2014. First Edition [stated], presumed first printing. Hardcover. Very good/Very good. xii, [10], 503, [1] pages. Format is approximately 9.5 inches by 11.25 inches. Illustrated endpapers. Preface by Ken Burns. Illustrations. A Word About Sources. Index. Illustration Credits. Film Credits. Correction slip laid in regarding film credits. DJ has slight wear and soiling. Picture research by Susanna Steisel. Geoffrey Champion Ward (born 1940) is an American editor, author, historian and writer for American history documentaries for public television. He is the author or co-author of 18 books, including five companion books to the documentaries he has written. He is the winner of five Emmy Awards. In 2006, the Organization of American Historians gave Ward their Friend of History Award for his outstanding contributions to American history. He worked with Ken Burns on The Roosevelts: An Intimate History, a seven-part documentary miniseries depicting the lives of Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Eleanor Roosevelt, (broadcast on PBS in September 2014). Derived from a Kirkus review: The very definition of "lavishly illustrated"-containing nearly 800 photographs documenting the lives of Theodore and Franklin Roosevelt and their wives and families. Ward opens with the assertion that "the similarities and not the differences" between Teddy and FDR are the more interesting avenue of study. Those similarities are very real. Both bucked the reins of their parties, though the one remained a Republican for most of his political career, and the other redefined Democratic Party politics; both were children of privilege whose sense of noblesse oblige included a fundamental sense of fairness. Ward chronicles the modest ironies that propelled both to the heights of political power. Both Teddy and Franklin, as Ward ably demonstrates in a lucid text, surpassed all that was expected of them and transcended class. Ward's text is top-flight, enhanced by the superbly curated photographs that accompany it.