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The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt (Modern Library Paperbacks) (平装)
by Edmund Morris
| Category:
Biography, American history, American presidency |
| Market price: ¥ 198.00
MSL price:
¥ 158.00
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MSL rating:
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| MSL Pointer Review:
An epic biography of one of the greatest men and presidents in American history, this awe-inspiring book is a must own for anyone. |
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AllReviews |
1 Total 1 pages 10 items |
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W. A. Swanberg (The New York Times Book Review) (MSL quote), USA
<2007-01-31 00:00>
Magnificent... a sweeping narrative of the outward man and a shrewd examination of his character... It is one of those rare works that is both definitive for the period it covers and fascinating to read for sheer entertainment. There should be a queue awaiting the next volume.
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Robert Kirsch (Los Angeles Times Book Review) (MSL quote), USA
<2007-01-31 00:00>
Theodore Roosevelt, in this meticulously researched and beautifully written biography, has a claim on being the most interesting man ever to be President of this country.
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The Atlantic Monthly (MSL quote), USA
<2007-01-31 00:00>
Spectacles glittering, teeth and temper flashing, high-pitched voice rasping and crackling, Roosevelt surges out of these pages with the force of a physical presence.
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Bill Slocum (MSL quote), USA
<2007-01-31 00:00>
It's hard to imagine a figure like the Theodore Roosevelt as presented by Edmund Morris popping up in a work of fiction. "Too farfetched," some editor would say, and with reason. Here you have wrapped in one skin a bona fide war hero, a writer of popular histories, a legislator, a cowboy, a police commissioner, a governor, and a navy assistant secretary who goes on to become the nation's youngest president.
TR, as he is called (never "Teddy" to his face unless you were related), straddled the centuries, characterizing both the refined ideal of the 19th century and the galvanic purpose of the 20th without being dated by too close an identification to either.
Morris marks his man at the outset, in a colorful preface set during his presidency (a period which Morris doesn't include in this, his first of three projected volumes on TR) where we see Roosevelt mostly through the eyes of those around him, throwing out his characteristic phrase "dee-lighted" as he breaks the all-time record for most handshakes at a single event without sign of strain.
Notes one witness: "You go to the White House, you shake hands with Roosevelt and hear him talk - and then you go home to wring the personality out of your clothes."
I felt the same way putting down this book, which by the way is hard to do. Morris writes extraordinarily well, not only about Roosevelt but the times that created him and the people who surrounded him. Even the footnotes are enjoyably readable.
You get a lot of Roosevelt's boisterousness, expressing his philosophy that "Life is strife" and that a nation must be willing "to stake everything on the supreme arbitrament of war, and to pour out its blood, its treasure, and its tears like water, rather than submit to the loss of honor and renown."
At the same time, there's a warmth and sensitivity to Morris' portrait. Roosevelt was a man who allowed for no doubts, but some surprising nuances. He was able to laugh along with those who poked fun at his spectacles, for example, because he understood the ungainly glasses were a way of sticking out that set him further apart from the crowd. He valued his manly bearing but could pray and cry with surprising abandon.
Morris establishes himself as a writer with the skills and persistence to attach himself, remora-like, to this human cyclone, not to mention the eloquence for capturing his many twists and turns. (One gets the feeling he was absolutely the wrong choice to biography Ronald Reagan, as he did in the misbegotten "Dutch", because Reagan was nearly as passive a figure as Roosevelt was active.)
While some carp Morris is too positive in his presentation here, I beg to differ. Morris captures Roosevelt's double-dealings with two political parties en route to the New York governorship, and his shunting aside of Navy ambassador John Long, for a time Roosevelt's immediate superior. It's just that Morris writes with agreeable sympathy, and duly notes Roosevelt's many achievements large and small, such as championing reform in the era of the bosses and ensuring the first-time election of a black delegate to head a political convention. Roosevelt was the grandest figure in the Republic between the Civil War and World War I, not faultless but capable of incredible feats.
"I have only a second-rate brain, but I think I have a capacity for action," Roosevelt once said of himself. In fact, Roosevelt was that rare blend of smarts and guts. With this bio, you feel like you have gained an exclusive audience with this extraordinary man. |
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Jeffrey Thomson (MSL quote), USA
<2007-01-31 00:00>
The story of Theodore Roosevelt must have been irresistible to Morris. He was a fascinating man. According to this account, Roosevel was pure energy. He read "Anna Karenina" while chasing crooks in the Dakotan wilderness during the middle of winter. He wrote a 64,000 word biography on Cromwell in less than a month. During that month he met with the President and various political officials. He could dictate both the book and his memos at the same time, while being shaved. He was amazing man. He exemplified the United States at the start of the 20th century: dynamic, destiny-filled, and stubborn. He had a near photographic memory. He was very good at losing money. The books recorded in detail his many strengths and weaknesses.
The book is well researched and footnoted. The writing is extremely easy to read. Morris very wisely sticks to the subject: Teddy. There are no long side trips to the political/cultural milieu of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Morris spares a paragraph here or there to describe the situation, but he uses Roosevelt's own words or the words of his witnesses to explain the story. The writing is extremely well done. It is crisp. The run on sentences are kept to a minimum. It is the best biography I have read. The book is 740 pages long, but I remember being reluctant to put it down every time I had to go to work, church or eat. The book is amazing experience.
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A reader (MSL quote), USA
<2007-01-31 00:00>
Edmund Morris' biographies of Theodore Roosevelt are rightly prized and held in high esteem. There are no better biographies of Roosevelt, and, upon the completion of the planned third volume, it is unlikely that there will be ever be a more complete biography; if there is ever to be a definitive biography of Roosevelt, Morris' work will constitute it.
There are some criticisms of the book and author, the most promient and oft-cited one being that Morris writes an almost worshipful biography. This, while a valid consideration to keep in mind while reading, hardly diminishes the effectiveness of the work. Though the biography does hold Roosevelt in an almost reverential light, it also makes no attempt to avoid the shortfalls of Roosevelt's character; it may not linger on them as it does some of the positive aspects, but neither does it pretend they do not exist.
The documentation, notes, and bibliography provided are excellent and indicative of the careful research that went into the writing. But the simple facts alone are not what elevates this biography above the myriad other TR biographies that are available. TR's life is full enough of vim and vitality to make any biography of him entertaining, but Morris' writing here is Literature, and not merely biographical text. I do not mean to suggest that Morris is more concerned with writing in a literary style than recording facts, as all that is written is immaculately researched; Morris' prose instead approaches poetry while still ably and aptly fulfilling the requirements of biography.
This first volume covers Roosevelt's life up through the beginning of his presidency, and is well worth reading.
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J. Minde (MSL quote), USA
<2007-01-31 00:00>
By way of introduction I should say that I am a biased reviewer. Having been born in New York City and having lived in Oyster Bay for the first three decades of my life, I am a member of the Theodore Roosevelt Association and The Friends of Sagamore Hill. Therefore, Edmund Morris's biography of TR is a wonderful trip back in time over familiar ground.
To a denizen of Oyster Bay, "The Colonel" is not just an historical figure, but a living, breathing presence who walks our streets to this day. There are still Roosevelts living in town (so many have lived there over time that in fact the towels at Roosevelt's home are embroidered "R of S" for "Roosevelt of Sagamore") and almost all the local watering holes boast some association with "Teddy" (he hated that nickname, by the way). Nobman's Hardware, recently burned down, was TR's hardware store, c. 1910.
Morris does a phenomenal job of capturing Roosevelt's life from its beginnings in antebellum Knickerbocker New York, and splendidly paints us a portrait in words not only of this amazing man, but of his incredible family (Theodore Roosevelt Sr. founded Chemical Bank and the American Museum of Natural History among his many accomplishments; TR's mother Mittie Bulloch Roosevelt was the inspiration for Scarlett O'Hara; his Bulloch uncles built the Confederate raider CSS Alabama; his brother Elliott was Eleanor Roosevelt's father AND FDR's godfather; his sisters were both doyennes of official Wahington's social circles).
Most impressive of all is TR himself, who in six overwhelming decades of life was born a morbidly ill youngster who by sheer drive turned himself into a naturalist, an ornithologist, an historian, a biographer, a New York State Assemblyman, Governor of New York State, Police Commissioner of New York City, a Federal Civil Service Commissioner, Assistant Secretary of the Navy, a Ranchman, a big-game hunter, a Colonel commanding a regiment in the Spanish-American War, an Amazon explorer, Vice President of the United States, the first American to win the Nobel Prize in any category, the inspiration for the Teddy Bear, the man who named the White House the White House, father of the Panama Canal, the first President to fly in an airplane, the first President to travel in a submarine, an aspirant for the Mayoralty of New York City, the only third-party Presidential candidate to come in second, and our nation's 26th Chief Executive...
After lunch he...
...Edmund Morris is clearly dazzled by the man, and The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt reads almost like a novel, so effortless is the writing and so compelling the subject. Traveling through the years with TR is FUN. Morris never becomes cloying and never loses sight of the fact that TR in his heart was always "about six."
As The Colonel said about his favorite coffee... "It's good to the last drop!"
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James Gallen (MSL quote), USA
<2007-01-31 00:00>
The Rise Of Theodore Roosevelt tells the outstanding story of the pre-presidential years of this remarkable individual. In an attention-holding style, Morris relates the anecdotes known to all TR fans. In addition to the well known facts, Morris reveals lesser known facts which help us to understand TR and his career.
Beginning with he President's New Year's Day Reception of 1907, the book quickly jumps back to a very youthful TR. In the following pages we read of the close relationship between TR and his father. We read of the father who, by example and word, taught TR his greatest virtues of honesty, social responsibility and concern for others. It was this father who drove him through the streets of New York to get him over his asthma attacks as well as the one who told him that he "had the mind, but not the body" and that he must build his body. When TR was contemplating a scientific career, it was this father who told him that he could pursue such a career, "if I intended to do the very best that was in me; but that I must not dream of taking it up as a dilettante", but that he would have to learn to live within his means. Theodore Roosevelt, Sr.'s payment of a substitute during the Civil War left his son with a sense of guilt which could only be assuaged by his own military service. We learn of the shattering effect that this father's death had on the Harvard student. As president, TR would remark that he never took any serious step without contemplating what his father would have done.
Much attention is given to the "Roosevelt Museum of Natural History" assembled by the young taxidermist. This was the first of three career paths considered by TR, scientific, which he abandoned, literary, which supported him for much of his life, and political, which became his life work.
We learn of TR's loves, both of Edith and Alice. We learn of how TR pursued love with the same vigor and intensity that he pursued everything else which he desired. The death of his mother and Alice on Valentine's Day, 1884, which drove him into ranching in Dakota, would be almost as shattering as the death of his father.
There are details of TR's young life of which I had been unaware, prominent among them are his extensive travels in Europe and the Middle East.
In the course of this book we see the step by step maturation of TR from the snobbish Harvard freshman to the inclusive leader which he later became. College, romance, politics, ranching and war all played their parts in the development of the character of TR.
During his political career, TR's outlooks on issues developed, but his core values never wavered. From his first caucus meeting, uncompromising honesty was a trademark of TR's character and his demand from others.
TR always walked a tight rope between independence and party loyalty, earning both the support an enmity of reformers and the organization alike.
After having established himself as an unrelenting foe of corruption during his service on the U. S. Civil Service Commission and the New York Board of Police Commissioners, his appointment as Assistant Secretary of the Navy enabled TR to act on the world stage. Taking advantage of Secretary Long's frequent and extended absences, TR prepared the Navy for its spectacular successes in the Spanish-American War., a war which TR had worked so hard to bring about.
The war gave TR the opportunity to pay his inherited debt by service in the Rough Riders. Organizing a volunteer cavalry of westerners, Indians and Ivy League athletes, TR had to work to get his men equipped and to the front. Their heroic charge up San Juan Hill is the stuff of which legends are mad and TR made his legend as a Rough Rider.
Exploiting his martial glory, TR road into the Governor's mansion where he continued to walk the fine line between independence and party loyalty. His successes he won and the enemies he made lead him to the vice-presidency.
I have mentioned just a few of the highlights of TR's young life, but this book covers many more. Morris employs a talent to tell the details without becoming bogged down. Read The Rise Of Theodore Roosevelt to learn of TR's early life and character and then bring on Theodore Rex.
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M. Sweeney (MSL quote), USA
<2007-01-31 00:00>
Like the great big bulk of a man that Theodore Roosevelt was, it took awhile to digest this hulk of a book. Which maybe a good thing to say about a 96 ounce steak, is not always a redeemable trait for literature. We want our casual readings to come easy, to whisk-fully be enjoyed, to turn the last page and say... why I had no idea this book was 780 pages. Such was not the case with Edmund Morris' "The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt,"... with this reader at least.
Morris does much to deify Teddy. And granted TR was a remarkable man with no equal in energy, drive, tenacity, and a touch of the silver spoon. However, Morris kneels down at the altar with bowed head so frequently that I'm afraid he missed a critical look at some of TR's faults. Leading up to the Spanish-American War over Cuban independence, Teddy was absolutely itching for a fight. Hell-bent on Jingoism, little is said critical of this war at all cost lust. Instead TR is credited for bringing the nation to war with scant a nod at diplomacy, and is made a demagogue in the American bellicose heart prevailing at that time. A great man would have pursued peace going unwantingly into war if necessary.
In Morris' deification of TR, some of Teddy's slightly racist views are inattentively glossed over. It can be written off with the statement that those viewpoints were prevalent at the time, but then the Earth being the center of the universe was prevalent during Galileo's time. Not that Teddy was one to go against the grain when needed, but in his earlier days, Teddy got the race issue wrong and little is made of it from Morris.
It's not all bad. I did give this one 4-stars after all. The reading is engaging along the way. It holds interest, but 780 pages worth is difficult to persistently sustain enthralled engagement. Morris loves Teddy and it shows. As in Cameron's "Almost Famous," the young Rolling Stone writer gets the advice, "You can't be a fan and write on a band at the same time," so do we miss out I fear on the critical fisheye lens look at Teddy Roosevelt in this book. Like Teddy's endless prattle of conversation dominant in send mode, I fear Morris is in need of conciseness as well. Good book overall, but I expected more of a Pulitzer Prize winner.
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Patrick Randall (MSL quote), USA
<2007-01-31 00:00>
Certainly Theodore Roosevelt is one of the best known Presidents and best known men in history of the United States. His exploits as a frontiersman, his courage in leading the Rough Riders up San Juan Hill in the Spanish-American War, and his storied achievements as a career politician (from state assemblyman all the way up to President) are all well known. However, most of what people know about 'T.R.' is limited to sound bite quality historical facts. It's not a common occurrence for people to invest the time in reading any number of lengthy and ponderous biographies about Roosevelt. It is important to do so, though, to understand the man and the best way to accomplish that is to read Edmund Morris' sweeping epic The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt.
These days, Morris may be better known for his the controversy created by his pseudo-biography of Ronald Reagan, "Dutch". Questionable though his literary choice may have been in that instance, lest anyone forget that Morris is a gifted, respected, and accomplished writer. The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt is the first in planned trilogy about the life of the famous 'Bull Moose' ("Theodore Rex" deals with his years as President and the third book has yet to be published). "The Rise..." gives the reader an intimate look into life of T.R. Culled from public records and private diaries and correspondences, this book focuses as much of the 'why' of Roosevelt's actions as the 'what'.
In The Rise, one learns that it was the horrible experience of his father's attempt to be confirmed for New York collections commissioner (a strenuous experience that may have led to the elder's death) that formed the basis of Theodore's hatred of 'machine' politics and his lifelong dedication to Civil Service and political reform. His famed political battles throughout his life can be traced back to the trauma of that experience and Morris does well to capture the emotion and impact that had on T.R. Teddy's relationship with his father is explored deeply in the earlier chapters and reveals a lot of what made him the man he became. As he was burdened with ill-health as a youngster, his father frequently took him into the wilderness and open country to improve his health. It was there that Teddy's health improved and a fierce love of the outdoors began. It was a love that manifested itself in years of annual trips out west to hunt, farm, and cultivate the outdoors. Much of what he learned from this led Roosevelt to become the staunch conservationist who was responsible for much of the legislation protecting national wildlife. In addition the exposure to the wild, Roosevelt's father also impressed upon him the importance of a classical education and, as a result, T.R. became a voracious reader with an appetite for any and all knowledge.
Those are just a few examples from the early of life of Roosevelt that Morris recreates so vividly. Other areas filled with greater depth than in other books included Roosevelt's first marriage to Alice Lee and the traumatic effect her sudden death had on him. It also highlights the various highs and lows Roosevelt encountered throughout his storied, pre-Presidential political career. Registering at just under 800 pages, "The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt" is an amazing biography and well worth the time invested to read. Few books can transcend the typical fact-based monotony of most biographies of long-dead historical figures. Yet, "The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt", dealing strictly with his years before becoming President, is just such a transcendent book.
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1 Total 1 pages 10 items |
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