Reagan A Life In Letters

Ronald Reagan may have been the most prolific correspondent of any American president since Theodore Roosevelt, having likely written more than 10,000 letters in his lifetime to a wide array of friends and family, politicians, private citizens, and children. As vivid a communicator in words as he was in person, Reagan reveals his character and thinking in his writings as nowhere else. In his correspondence, Reagan made candid, considerate, and tough statements that he rarely made in public, and often gave advice and encouragement to family and friends. The letters are also a political and historical treasure trove, revealing Reagan's thoughts on American government and policy from early in his career to his time in the White House and his return to civilian life.Honest, open, and heartfelt, Ronald Reagan's letters reveal a man who felt most comfortable and natural with pen in hand, and a man who reached out to friend and foe alike throughout his life.Reagan: A Life in Lettersis as important as it is astonishing and moving.

Kiron K. Skinner is an assistant professor of political science at Carnegie Mellon University, and a Hoover Institution research fellow. Her articles have appeared in The Wall Street Journal and National Interest. She earned her Ph.D. from Harvard University.