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The Bibliophile

Learn more about the White House, also known as the Executive Mansion, in these three books. Although John Adams was the first president to live in the White House, it was George Washington who selected the site and was instrumental in planning and building the home of all his successors.

The White House: An Historic Guide, by the White House Historical Association, 250 pages, White House Historical Association softcover, 2022

Take a tour of the White House from the comfort of home. It’s an office and a residence, a nerve-center and a museum, a place of beauty and serenity that encompasses a hub of intrigue that is politics. The White House is a treasure trove for art lovers and political junkies, history buffs and sightseers alike.

Many of us recall the efforts of First Lady Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy to restore the furnishings and décor of the Executive Mansion. When she had toured the White House as a teenager, Bouvier had been disappointed that there was no guidebook to purchase as a souvenir. As First Lady, she rectified that omission.

The White House Historical Association has published the 26^th edition of this popular guidebook. A dozen First Ladies have overseen its publication, beginning with Kennedy.

Turning the pages will open a window into the realms of American history, architecture, art, design, gardening and, of course, the presidency.

See the state rooms and the private, off-limits spaces. Most of the more than 200 photographs are in color. There are 40 hand-drawn illustrations. The guide may be purchased online at bit.ly/whguide2023.

The West Wing and Beyond: What I Saw Inside the Presidency, by Pete Souza, 256 pages, Voracious hardcover, 2022

Pete Souza served as a White House photographer during the Reagan administration and was chief photographer during both Obama terms.

He is intimately familiar with the mansion, its grounds, its historic rooms as well as the cramped offices and obscure hideaways, one of which served as his workspace.

The West Wing and Beyond transforms the house into a home. Souza takes readers behind the scenes.

Learn esoteric acronyms other than POTUS and FLOTUS. Get inside the bubble with the press pool and the secret service detail as you ride along in the Beast, the armored presidential limo. See the iconic views of the National Mall from Marine One, and fly on Air Force One with the staff. Join the advance team planning foreign trips.

More than 200 color photographs feature unique visual perspectives from a consummate photographer. Souza, who is in his late 60s, was married in 2013 at a White House ceremony.

James Hoban: Designer and Builder of the White House, by Stewart D. McLaurin, 200 pages, White House Historical Association hardcover, 2021

When considering the design of the President’s House yet to be built in the Federal City of Washington, President George Washington inquired about a young Irish builder he had heard of during a visit to Charleston, South Carolina.

In 1792, James Hoban’s architectural rendering was selected in a competition for the design of the President’s House. Washington also put him in charge of its construction. Hoban also supervised rebuilding the President’s House after it was set aflame by the British during the War of 1812.

James Hoban was born in 1755 in County Kilkenny, the son of a tenant farmer. He studied design, construction and architecture at the Dublin Society Drawing School on a scholarship for underprivileged youngsters.

Hoban emigrated to Philadelphia in 1785 and moved to Charleston, South Carolina, before settling in Washington, D.C. He was devoted to the Catholic Church.

Hoban is the subject of a lavish large-format book assembled by Stewart D. McLaurin, president of the White House Historical Association. This is a work of serious history encased in a beautiful suede cover.

Essays by eight historians delve into the man and his times, the architect’s inspirations and designs. However, the content is not hagiographic: Hoban’s exploitation of enslaved laborers is revealed. More than 100 illustrations accompany the text.

James Hoban may be purchased online at whitehousehistory.org. Proceeds from James Hoban, the White House guidebook and all publications of the Historical Association are used to acquire furnishings and memorabilia for the White House.