In contrast to the volumes written about presidential greats like George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, only a handful of books focus on James K. Polk, leaving many history readers to think his 1845–1849 presidency was ineffective. Yet in “Polk: The Man Who Transformed the Presidency and America,” historian and author Walter R. Borneman shows us just how tenacious and accomplished the leader was.
Borneman taps two main primary sources for his research: Polk’s personal diary, which he began keeping during the first year of his presidency, and his extensive published correspondence.
