Robert B. Luce

BIBLIOGRAPHIC DETAILS
Print: 1975, 1979, 1981; White House Historical Association; 89 pages; 0912308141.
(Audio: No).
(Feature Film: No).

SUMMARY/EVALUATION:
I spotted this at the Newport Beach Friends of the Library Friends book sale shortly after here a television ad for a program about first ladies, and thought I’d get a jump on the program. Of course, this book only goes from Martha Washington to Nancy Reagan (the description of this book here in Goodreads says it goes through Barbara Bush—not my copy, (and in fact, I don’t see how it could with the last copyright date being 1981. Mrs. Bush didn’t arrive at the white house until he was Vice President that year, in 1981, and wouldn’t have qualified until he was President in 1989.) so there’s several first ladies I still know little to nothing about. But this book also includes other ladies who served as White House Hostesses. Two pages are dedicated to each person, one of which is an illustration—a portrait—the traditional portrait that hangs in the White House.
I liked that the book was pithy-fitting a biography of each lady into a single page (and sometimes more than one if someone besides a First Lady served as Hostess), but I felt at times that there was some sacrifice in the writing (or at least in my ability to follow it) to accomplish this.
Then, I’m sure I’m rare in this complaint, but I was disappointed to only get a year of birth instead of the actual date. Only one of the ladies, Elenore Roosevelt, got her full date mentioned, October 11, 1884—so she’s the only one whose sun sign I readily knew without having to look the name up on Google.
AUTHOR & NARRATOR: Margaret Brown Klapthor (1/16/1922). According to Wikipedia, Klapthor “was a curator of the Smithsonian's First Ladies collection[1] and an expert on the history of the White House.[2] She served as chairman of the National Museum of American History's Division of Political History.[3]
Klapthor developed collections and exhibitions including the First Ladies' Gowns Collection. Her published books include The First Ladies cook book (1965), First Ladies (1975), and Official White House china (1975), all of which have been republished, some in multiple editions.[2]”

GENRE:
Biography, First Ladies, History

SAMPLE QUOTATION:
From “Dolley Payne Todd Madison”
"Discarding the somber Quaker dress after her second marriage, Dolley chose the finest fashions. Margaret Bayard Smith, chronicler of early Washington social life, wrote: ‘She looked a Queen . . . . It would be absolutely impossible for any one to behave with more perfect propriety than she did.’
Blessed with a desire to please and a willingness to be pleased, Dolley made her home the center of society when Madison began, in 1801, his eight years as Jefferson’s Secretary of State. She assisted at the White House when the President asked her help in receiving ladies, and presided at the first inaugural ball in Washington when her husband became Chief Executive in 1809.
Dolley’s social graces made her famous. Her political acumen, prized by her husband, is less renowned, though her gracious tact smoothed many a quarrel. Hostile statesmen, difficult envoys from Spain or Tunisia, warrior chiefs from the west, flustered youngsters—she always welcomed everyone. Forced to flee from the White House by a British Army during the War of 1812, she returned to find the mansion in ruins. Undaunted by temporary quarters, she entertained skillfully as ever."

RATING:
I give this 3 stars. I enjoyed learning a little about each of these ladies.
… (meer)