What Karl's reading

After three years preparing The Triumph of William McKinley by reading very little but books, letters, articles and newspapers from the Gilded Age, I’m trying to get back into my regular routine, which I’ll chronicle here with an occasional review of what I’ve read.

Washington's Monument: And the Fascinating History of the Obelisk

By John Steele Gordon

One of America’s great popular historians, Gordon has written a compact and enjoyable history of the Washington Monument which ranges from Egypt’s Middle Kingdom to the Revolutionary War to the worst recorded earthquake to hit the Nation’s Capital, with appearances by the Masons, the Know-Nothings, Napoleon, assorted European aristocrats and ancient inventors.

Playing to the Edge: American Intelligence in the Age of Terror

By Michael V. Hayden

If you are concerned about the threat to America of Islamic terrorism, read this book. If you want to truly and accurately understand what your government has done to protect the American people from attacks, order this book today. If you want an honest and revealing look inside some of the most difficult decisions of the Bush administration on the War on Terror, get ahold of this book. And if you want a candid appraisal of how the United States is faring in this global struggle – its successes and its shortcomings – hope that whoever the next president is reads this volume and takes it to heart. For decades, General Michael Hayden has played a critical role in fashioning America’s intelligence capabilities, from his leadership as director of the National Security Agency to his service as CIA Director. This memoir of a quiet, yet intense man who was calm in the midst of chaos and danger is a fine read. I strongly recommend it to you.

The Grand Turk: Sultan Mehmet II-Conqueror of Constantinople and Master of an Empire

By John Freely

I’d like to visit Istanbul and see the Golden Horn, the Haghia Sophia and the Topkapi Palace so I’m preparing by reading up on the Ottoman Empire, starting with the Terror of Europe, the Sultan Mehmet II, who ended the Byzantine Empire and Christian domination of the city by taking Constantinople in 1453, sparking three crusades aimed at restoring Christian rule of the city.

Let the People Rule: Theodore Roosevelt and the Birth of the Presidential Primary

By Geoffrey Cowan

A veteran of the tumultuous 1968 Democratic Convention in Chicago and now a USC Professor and President of The Annenberg Foundation Trust at Sunnylands, Cowan has written a lively account of Theodore Roosevelt’s effort to have the Republican Party oust his one-time friend, President William Howard Taft, and install Theodore Roosevelt as its nominee for the White House in 1912.