Ronald Reagan: A Life in Photographs

With 2011 marking the centennial of Reagan's birth, this timely book captures his life with six of his speeches and 132 photographs of the man from childhood until he left office in 1989. The photos capture Reagan in all his famous charisma, deeply in love with his wife Nancy, and physically vigorous (a fine photo of the president at his ranch notes that, on that day, he was engaged in "clearing brush, pruning a tree, digging potholes"). The speeches and tributes reflect other classic Reagan qualities: a hardy optimism, patriotism, and anticommunism. Robinson, a former Reagan speechwriter, contributes excellent captions and footnotes to the speeches—even if a few generalizations and simplifications beg for added commentary, such as Margaret Thatcher's crediting Reagan with "having won the cold war without firing a shot." This attractive coffee-table book, while particularly welcome to conservatives and other Reagan fans, will provide all readers with a nice introduction to the most popular president since Eisenhower. (Feb.)