Finding Information on US Presidents
The books listed below offer brief biographical accounts of most or all of the presidents. They are good sources of basic information, and many include lists of additional sources. All of these items can be found in the Joyner Reference Stacks, located on the 1st floor of the Library.
American National Biography (Ref E176 A6 1999).
-17,000 signed biographies of deceased notable Americans, in 24 volumes. Each entry includes sources about that person. Designed to replace the Dictionary of American Biography .
Also available electronically
Complete Book of US Presidents (Ref E176.1 D43 1993).
-Brief factual biographies, including lists of cabinet members, quotes, and books by and about each president.
Dictionary of American Biography (Ref E176 D56).
-Older version of American National Biography .
Encyclopedia of American Biography (Ref CT213 E53 1996).
-One volume work containing brief signed entries.
Presidential Fact Book (Ref E 176.1 K3 1998).
- Basic factual information on every president, including important dates, election results, family information, and further readings.
The Presidents: A Reference History (Ref E176.1 P918 1996).
-Features lengthy biographical essays, with bibliographies. Includes an essay on the role of the First Lady.
The Presidents, First Ladies, and Vice Presidents: White House Biographies, 1789-1997 (Ref E 176.1 D548 1997).
-Brief biographical sketches. Each article includes a portrait or photograph of the person in question. Offers an essay on the "Daily Life of the President".
To locate additional books about presidents here in Joyner Library, you will need to search our online catalog, Horizon. Horizon contains records of all the books and periodicals located in Joyner Library, and tells you where in the Library they can be found.
There are several ways you can search Horizon. If you are looking for a specific book, you can search for it using the Title Alphabetical option. If you want a book or books by a specific author, you can search by his or her name, last name first, using Author Alphabetical . Finally, if you want to find books about a specific president, simply search for that president's name, last name first, under Subject Alphabetical .
For example, here are three ways to search for the book First in his class : a biography of Bill Clinton by David Maraniss:
- Author: type in Maraniss, David
- Title Alphabetical: type in First in his Class
- Subject Alphabetical: type in Clinton, Bill
Here is a link to the Web-based version of Horizon:
Joyner Library Catalog : (http://abbott.lib.ecu.edu/uhtbin/cgisirsi/x/0/0/57/49/?user_id=JWEBCAT).
Books about US Presidents are likely to have a call number beginning with the letter E . Books in this call number range whose location is listed as Joyner Stacks are part of the circulating collection, and can be found on the 2nd floor of the Library.
The American Presidency
-Articles on the Presidency from Encyclopedia Americana . Includes biographies of Presidents, First Ladies, and Vice Presidents, and articles on topics related to the Presidency. All articles are signed and include a list of sources.
American Presidents: Life Portraits
-Companion site to C-SPAN television series of the same name. Use the pull-down menu at the top of the page to find brief biographical information on the President you're interested in, Also searchable.
Presidents in American Memory: Inaugurations
-Guide to finding material on presidents in the Library of Congress' extensive American Memory collections.
Presidents of the United States (POTUS)
-"In this resource you will find background information, election results, cabinet members, notable events, and some points of interest on each of the presidents. Links to biographies, historical documents, audio and video files, and other presidential sites are also included to enrich this site."
Presidents of the United States of America
-Brief biographical sketches, courtesy of the White House Web site.
Joyner Library Reference
Last Updated: June 2008
