Nixon, Volume I

March 31, 1987
This auspicious opener in a projected two-volume life of Richard Nixon carries the California grocer's son from his school days to the vice-presidency and his subsequent failure to win the governorship of his home state. Ambrose, a professor of history at the University of New Orleans and biographer (Eisenhower, etc.) has written a readable, balanced biography of an unusually complex figure. From early on, he shows, the man who became "the most successful vice-president'' of this century was an ambitious go-getter, also a cynical and nearly humorless loner whose inability to trust others (and heed their advice) cost him the 1960 presidential election. With emphasis, Ambrose attributes Nixon's unusual private reserve and public confidence to his Quaker heritage. The author is especially interesting whenhe charts how, as a young lawyer, Nixon created a national political base out of the Hiss case and the Korean War, then became for nearly three decades the most distrusted, even hated, politician in the U.S. because he ``seemed utterly insincere.'' Photos not seen by PW. BOMC and QPBC alternates.

October 1, 1989
This second volume of Ambrose's biography begins with Nixon's drive to the presidency, which began, in the author's view, on November 7, 1962, with the ``You won't have Nixon to kick around anymore'' press conference following his failure to be elected governor of California. Ambrose describes the successful 1968 presidential campaign against Hubert Humphrey, Nixon's first term in the White House and the 1972 campaign against George McGovern, which concluded with his stunning reelection margin. ``I confess,'' the author writes disarmingly, ``that I do not understand this complex man.'' It is unduly modest of Ambrose, for he offers a more rounded and detailed view of Richard M. Nixon--his instinctive reactions, patterns of thought, prejudices, convictions and accomplishments--than has yet been published. His account of Nixon's first term in office includes a thorough analysis of the president's efforts to end the war in Vietnam, his reestablishment of Sino-American relations, his authorship of detente with the Soviet Union and the start of arms control. Nixon's less successful domestic battles are covered in depth, with emphasis on his inability to work with Congress. Ambrose has turned up fresh material about the origins of the Watergate scandal, and describes how Nixon contrived to delay the crisis until after his reelection. Photos.

November 4, 1991
Ambrose pulls no punches in his startlingly frank look at Nixon (``He was heroic, admirable, and inspiring while simultaneously being dishonorable, despicable, and a horrible example'') but notes that while working on his three-volume project begun with Nixon: The Education of a Politician, 1913-1962 , he developed a deep admiration for many of Nixon's policies and--``to my astonishment''--a genuine liking for the man. This final volume reviews the Watergate drama, bringing into sharp focus how painful an ordeal it was for the nation and for Nixon himself. Ambrose pronounces President Ford's pardon of his predecessor wise and courageous. Down but not out following his resignation on August 9, 1974, Nixon emerged from his self-imposed California exile to launch a new campaign as senior statesman. Ambrose traces this path in detail, showing that by the summer of 1990 Nixon was ``respectable, even honored, certainly admired.'' Highly recommended for those seeking to fathom the Nixon enigma.

September 28, 1992
Ambrose continues to pull no punches in his third volume on the former president; highly recommended for those seeking to fathom the Nixon enigma. Photos.

October 1, 1990
This is the second volume of Ambrose's biography, chronicling Nixon's drive to the presidency and his term of office. PW praised the author, saying ``he offers a more rounded and detailed view of Richard M. Nixon . . . than has yet been published'' and that he ``has turned up fresh material about the origins of the Watergate scandal.'' Photos.