An Illustrated Glossary Of Early Southern Architecture And Landscape Book

This is a fascinating study of presidential libraries and how their designers attempt to influence the legacy of the men they represent. It uses a few libraries and memorials (the Lincoln Memorial is explained as a predecessor of current presidential libraries) as examples, but does not attempt to evaluate, or even list, all of them.

The main issue to understand about presidential libraries is that the library/archive material is overseen by the more objective National Archives, but the museum elements are designed by organizations favorable to the president, so they typically glorify his legacy and minimize or even omit any information that might be considered derogatory. (I noticed this when I visited the Reagan Library and there was no mention of his first wife, with whom he had two children.) But rather than just bemoan the lack of objectivity, the author gives examples of how one presidential library, the Truman Museum, updated their displays to be more open-ended, inviting dialog and even criticism.

Another theme is that each presidential library is imbued with the personality of that POTUS, as they all get to have some hand in the planning. Now that each POTUS has his (or maybe someday her) own library built, these buildings will proliferate and become part of more people's lives. Overall, this is a very well-articulated and thought-provoking exploration of such monuments and how they represent history. The book is from 2006, so recent examples aren't included. I would have liked a list of all the libraries and their locations up to the publishing date as a supplement.