AUSTIN, Texas—American presidents will have a better historical reputation if they serve only one term, University of Texas Austin Professor Lewis L. Gould says in a newly released book, “The Modern American Presidency.”
Gould, the Eugene C. Barker Centennial Professor Emeritus in American History, makes this case and others about the modern presidency in the book, published this past month by the University Press of Kansas.
Chosen as a Main Selection for the Book of the Month Club and the History Book Club, “The Modern American Presidency” looks at the presidency from William McKinley through Bill Clinton to trace the evolution of the institution.
Praised in Publisher’s Weekly as “a concise, intelligent survey of the transformation of the White House over the past century,” the book examines the role of the mass media, continuous campaigning, and the culture of celebrity in shaping the way the presidency operates in the modern world. The book is based on the research that Gould did during 31 years of teaching at The University of Texas at Austin where he won several awards for distinguished undergraduate and graduate teaching before his retirement in 1998.
Now a fellow of the university’s Center for American History, Gould recently shared his ideas about the presidency in a talk at the center that was recorded for showing by C-Span 2. The talk is available at Booktv.org. In his remarks Gould advocated the repeal of the 22nd Amendment, an idea recently advanced by former President Bill Clinton, presidents limiting themselves to one term, and a dramatic reduction in the amount of continuous campaigning that presidents do to win reelection.
Gould’s book is available from the University Press of Kansas at a price of $29.95 and at local bookstores. He will have another book “Grand Old Party: A History of the Republicans” coming out with Random House this fall. Steve Neal of the Chicago Sun-Times says “The Modern American Presidency” is “essential reading” and “destined to be a classic.”
For more information contact: Dr. Lewis Gould, 512-453-2602.
