CALVIN COOLIDGE

A meticulous and thorough biography of the president whose name has come to stand for prosperity in the memories of many. The book is the result of scholarly research, careful weighing and appraisal of all available material, letters, records contemporary authorities, personal knowledge and contact with those who knew Calvin Coolidge, in the field of politics as well as in his personal relationships. And yet, out of it all, there comes a rather dry, undramatic and colorless picture of the man. William Allen White, with less to draw upon, and a more casual personal relationship, has made him more vital as a personality, perhaps because his picture is less consistently laudatory. Fuess, while trying to show his shortcomings, seems unable to impute anything but praiseworthy motives to his every move, though he acknowledges him a skilled politician. From the point of view of a factual record, this seems definitive.