Paul F. Boller Jr.'s Books

They Never Said It

A Book of Fake Quotes, Misquotes, and Misleading Attributions

By: Paul F. Boller Jr.,John George

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They Never Said It

A Book of Fake Quotes, Misquotes, and Misleading Attributions

By: Paul F. Boller Jr.,John George

Abraham Lincoln never said, "You cannot fool all the people all the time." Thomas Jefferson never said, "That government is best which governs least." And Horace Greeley never said, "Go west, young man." In They Never Said It, Paul F. Boller, Jr. and John George examine hundreds of misquotations, incorrect attributions, and blatant fabrications, outlining the origins of the quotes and revealing why we should consign them to the historical trashcan. Many of the misquotes are quite harmless. Some are inadvertent misquotes that have become popular (Shakespeare actually said, "The best part of valor is discretion"), others, the inventions of reporters embellishing a story (Franklin Roosevelt never opened a speech to a DAR group with the salutation, "My fellow immigrants"). But some of the quotes, such as Charles Darwin's supposed deathbed recantation of evolution, falsify the historical record with their blatant dishonesty. And other chillingly vicious ones, filled with virulent racial and religious prejudices, completely distort the views of the person supposedly quoted and spread distrust and hatred among the gullible. These include the forged remarks attributed to Benjamin Franklin that Jews should be excluded from America and the fabricated condemnation of Catholics attributed to Lincoln. An entertaining and thought-provoking book, They Never Said It covers a great deal of history and sets it right. Going beyond a mere catalog of popular misconceptions, Boller and George reveal how rightists and leftists, and atheists and evangelists all have at times twisted and even invented the words of eminent figures to promote their own ends. The ultimate debunking reference, it perfectly complements handbooks of quotations.

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Page Count

186

Publisher

Oxford University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0199879168

ISBN 13

9780199879168

Presidential Diversions

Presidents at Play from George Washington to George W. Bush

By: Paul F. Boller

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Presidential Diversions

Presidents at Play from George Washington to George W. Bush

By: Paul F. Boller

Paul F. Boller, Jr.'s widely admired and bestselling anecdotal histories have uncovered new aspects and hidden dimensions in the lives of our presidents. Now he turns to an uncharted--but unexpectedly revealing--element of our leaders' personalities as he brings us stories of what the presidents did for fun.In thumbnail portraits of every president through George W. Bush, Boller chronicles their taste in games, sports, and cultural activities. George Washington had a passion for dancing and John Quincy Adams skinny-dipped in the Potomac; Grover Cleveland loved beer gardens and Woodrow Wilson made a failed effort to write fiction; Calvin Coolidge cherished his afternoon naps, as did Lyndon Johnson his four-pack-a-day cigarette habit; Jimmy Carter was a surprisingly skilled high diver and Bush Senior loved to parachute. The sketches revitalize even the most familiar of our leaders, showing us a new side of our presidents--and their presidencies.

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Page Count

444

Publisher

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Published Date

ISBN 10

0151006121

ISBN 13

9780151006120

Presidential Anecdotes

By: Paul F. Boller

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Presidential Anecdotes

By: Paul F. Boller

Dramatic, poignant, hilarious, and sentimental, anecdotes about our presidents are as varied as the presidents themselves. This new and revised edition of Presidential Anecdotes recounts some of the most striking stories about America's 42 chief executives, from Washington to Clinton, shedding light on the presidents as human beings and on the culture that produced them.

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Page Count

476

Publisher

Oxford Paperbacks

Published Date

ISBN 10

0195097319

ISBN 13

9780195097313

Memoirs of an Obscure Professor

By: Paul F. Boller

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Memoirs of an Obscure Professor

By: Paul F. Boller

During the heyday of McCarthyism, the Chicago Tribune, offended by something he had written, contemptuously dismissed Paul Boller as "an obscure professor" - he was then teaching at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. Some forty-five years later, reflecting on the incident, Boller wrote an essay on what it was like to be an obscure professor at one of America's less publicized campuses in a conservative community during the late 1950s and early 1960s. That essay became the foundation for this collection of autobiographical selections reflecting the interests and pursuits of a man who gained national recognition, both inside the academic community and beyond, but still values his obscurity. Whether it is a study of the much-maligned Calvin Coolidge or an account of his Navy service as a translator of Japanese during World War II, Boller brings to his writing a fresh approach and a lively and wry wit.

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294

Publisher

Texas A&M University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0875655572

ISBN 13

9780875655574

Not So!

Popular Myths about America from Columbus to Clinton

By: Paul F. Boller

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Not So!

Popular Myths about America from Columbus to Clinton

By: Paul F. Boller

This study explores a number of myths and misconceptions about the American past. The book covers events throughout American history, from whether Columbus knew the world was round when he went off to discover America, to contemporary media attacks of the presidency.

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292

Publisher

Oxford University Press, USA

Published Date

ISBN 10

0195109724

ISBN 13

9780195109726

Essays on the Presidents

Principles and Politics

By: Paul F. Boller

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Essays on the Presidents

Principles and Politics

By: Paul F. Boller

Since he first began writing in the 1950s, Dr. Paul F. Boller Jr. has had a passion for sharing the humorous, intriguing, and little-known or widely misunderstood aspects of the American presidency. Boller has authored many beloved books on American presidents, the first ladies, presidential anecdotes, quotes, campaign strategies, and common myths. This wide variety of topics has been collected for the first time in Essays on the Presidents, along with new essays and forewords. Boller's prose, distinct and inviting, causes the reader to see what is often overlooked in the history of American presidents: their humanity. Boller has searched for those patriotic narratives we have all heard at some point in our lives—whether from our schoolteachers, coworkers, or various trivia books—and corrects the misconceptions many Americans deem as truth in a lighthearted and truly characteristic voice. From Washington's relationship with the Jews to the electioneering and stump-speaking associated with American presidential campaigns, readers will not only see the significant changes in the presidential office since its conception, but also Boller’s lifetime of research and his expertise in the field of American history. Personality—of the most interesting presidents and of Boller himself—is an important theme throughout this collection. The in-depth retelling of treasured American stories will captivate readers and keep them exploring for more nuggets of truth. Boller tracks the relationship between Americans and the presidents, uncovering the intricate nature of presidential responsibilities and the remarkable men whose leadership shaped the office into what it is today. Celebrating the commanders-in-chief and the career of the nationally-recognized American historian and TCU Emeritus Professor of political science, Essays on the Presidents serves as a unique perspective on American history that fans of both Boller and the presidents will enjoy.

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Page Count

388

Publisher

Texas A&M University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0875654983

ISBN 13

9780875654980

Presidential Wives

By: Paul F. Boller

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Presidential Wives

By: Paul F. Boller

At once funny and poignant, dramatic and illuminating, this anecdotal history covers every First Lady from Martha Washington to Hillary Rodham Clinton. "A marvelously entertaining work".--"Newsday".

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Page Count

568

Publisher

Oxford University Press, USA

Published Date

ISBN 10

0195121422

ISBN 13

9780195121421

Presidential Campaigns

From George Washington to George W. Bush

By: Paul F. Boller Jr.

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Presidential Campaigns

From George Washington to George W. Bush

By: Paul F. Boller Jr.

Were presidential campaigns always as bitter as they have been in recent years? Or is the current style of campaigning a new political development? In this revised and updated edition of Presidential Campaigns the answers to these questions are clear: the race for the presidency, although at times mean and nasty, has always been an endlessly entertaining and highly-charged spectacle for the American public. This book unveils the whole history of American presidential elections, from the seamless ascent of General George Washington to the bitterly contested election of George W. Bush, bringing these boisterous contests to life in all their richness and complexity. In the old days, Boller shows, campaigns were much rowdier than they are today. Back in the nineteenth century, the invective at election time was exuberant and the mudslinging unrestrained; a candidate might be called everything from a carbuncle-faced old drunkard to a howling atheist. But there was plenty of fun and games, too, with songs and slogans, speeches and parades, all livening up the scene in order to get people to the polls.Presidential Campaigns takes note of the serious side of elections even as it documents the frenzy, frolic and the sleaze. Each chapter contains a brief essay describing an election and presenting "campaign highlights" that bring to life the quadrennial confrontation in all its shame and glory. With a postscript analyzing the major changes in the ways Americans have chosen their Presidents from Washington's time to the present, Presidential Campaigns gives the reader a full picture of this somewhat flawed procedure. For all of its shortcomings, though, this "great American shindig" is an essential part of the American democratic system and, for better or for worse, tells us much about ourselves.

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Page Count

492

Publisher

Oxford University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0190290463

ISBN 13

9780190290467

Under This Roof

The White House and the Presidency--21 Presidents, 21 Rooms, 21 Inside Stories

By: Paul Brandus

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Under This Roof

The White House and the Presidency--21 Presidents, 21 Rooms, 21 Inside Stories

By: Paul Brandus

“Like taking a tour of the White House with a gifted storyteller at your side!” Why, in the minutes before John F. Kennedy was murdered, was a blood-red carpet installed in the Oval Office? If Abraham Lincoln never slept in the Lincoln Bedroom, where did he sleep? Why was one president nearly killed in the White House on inauguration day—and another secretly sworn in? What really happened in the Situation Room on September 11, 2001? History leaps off the page in this “riveting,” “fast-moving” and “highly entertaining” book on the presidency and White House in Under This Roof, from award-winning White House-based journalist Paul Brandus. Reporting from the West Wing briefing room since 2008, Brandus—the most followed White House journalist on Twitter (@WestWingReport)—weaves together stories of the presidents, their families, the events of their time—and an oft-ignored major character, the White House itself. From George Washington—who selected the winning design for the White House—to the current occupant, Barack Obama—the story of the White House is the story of America itself, Brandus writes. You’ll: Walk with John Adams through the still-unfinished mansion, and watch Thomas Jefferson plot to buy the Louisiana Territory Feel the fear and panic as British invaders approach the mansion in 1814—and Dolley Madison frantically saves a painting of Washington Gaze out the window with Abraham Lincoln as Confederate flags flutter in the breeze on the other side of the Potomac Be in the room as one president is secretly sworn in, and another gambles away the White House china in a card game Stand by the presidential bed as one First Lady—covering up her husband’s illness from the nation—secretly makes decisions on his behalf Learn how telephones, movies, radio, TV changed the presidency—and the nation itself Through triumph and tragedy, boom and bust, secrets and scandals, Brandus takes you to the presidential bedroom, movie theater, Situation Room, Oval Office and more. Under This Roof is a “sensuous account of the history of both the home of the President, and the men and women who designed, inhabited, and decorated it. Paul Brandus captivates with surprising, gloriously raw observations.”

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Page Count

297

Publisher

Rowman & Littlefield

Published Date

ISBN 10

1493019317

ISBN 13

9781493019311

The Neglected Voter

White Men and the Democratic Dilemma

By: David Paul Kuhn

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The Neglected Voter

White Men and the Democratic Dilemma

By: David Paul Kuhn

Forget Soccer Moms and the key demographic du jour. Winning elections means going back to basics

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Page Count

300

Publisher

Macmillan

Published Date

ISBN 10

1403982740

ISBN 13

9781403982742

By the Bomb's Early Light

American Thought and Culture At the Dawn of the Atomic Age

By: Paul Boyer

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By the Bomb's Early Light

American Thought and Culture At the Dawn of the Atomic Age

By: Paul Boyer

Originally published in 1985, By the Bomb's Early Light is the first book to explore the cultural 'fallout' in America during the early years of the atomic age. Paul Boyer argues that the major aspects of the long-running debates about nuclear armament and disarmament developed and took shape soon after the bombing of Hiroshima. The book is based on a wide range of sources, including cartoons, opinion polls, radio programs, movies, literature, song lyrics, slang, and interviews with leading opinion-makers of the time. Through these materials, Boyer shows the surprising and profoundly disturbing ways in which the bomb quickly and totally penetrated the fabric of American life, from the chillingly prophetic forecasts of observers like Lewis Mumford to the Hollywood starlet who launched her career as the 'anatomic bomb.' In a new preface, Boyer discusses recent changes in nuclear politics and attitudes toward the nuclear age.

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Page Count

465

Publisher

Univ of North Carolina Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0807875708

ISBN 13

9780807875704

Congressional Anecdotes

By: Paul F. Boller, Jr.

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Congressional Anecdotes

By: Paul F. Boller, Jr.

Here professional historian Paul Boller again shows his gift for lively and revealing stories. From great oratory to low malapropisms (like the Senator who spoke about "Indigo China"), from high wit (the first congressmen dryly called the pompous and weighty John Adams, "Your Rotundity") to segregation in the congressional dining room, this informative and entertaining look at the history of Congress reveals much about our nation and government.

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Page Count

370

Publisher

OUP USA

Published Date

ISBN 10

0195077067

ISBN 13

9780195077063

A More Perfect Union: Since 1865

By: Paul F. Boller,Ronald Story

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A More Perfect Union: Since 1865

By: Paul F. Boller,Ronald Story

This reader provides a wealth of political and diplomatic primary source documents, including many selections illustrated with photographs. Each document is preceded by a headnote that places the document within a historical context. Headnotes conclude with Questions to Consider, which stimulate comprehension of the document and comparative analysis of related selections.

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Page Count

316

Published Date

ISBN 10

0395959594

ISBN 13

9780395959596

A More Perfect Union: To 1877

By: Paul F. Boller,Ronald Story

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A More Perfect Union: To 1877

By: Paul F. Boller,Ronald Story

This reader provides a wealth of political and diplomatic primary source documents, including many selections illustrated with photographs. Each document is preceded by a headnote that places the document within a historical context. Headnotes conclude with "Questions to Consider, which stimulate comprehension of the document and comparative analysis of related selections.

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Page Count

260

Published Date

ISBN 10

0395959586

ISBN 13

9780395959589

Essays on the Presidents

Principles and Politics

By: Paul F. Boller

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Essays on the Presidents

Principles and Politics

By: Paul F. Boller

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Page Count

388

Publisher

Texas A&M University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0875654983

ISBN 13

9780875654980

A More Perfect Union

Documents in U.S. History

By: Paul F. Boller,Ronald Story

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A More Perfect Union

Documents in U.S. History

By: Paul F. Boller,Ronald Story

This reader "presents students with the original words of speeches and testimony, political and legal writings, and literature that have reflected, precipitated, and implemented pivotal events of the past four centuries"--Preface.

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