The coffee-table book Historic Photos of Theodore Roosevelt, with text and captions by Stacy A. Cordery, comprises 200 or so images of our 26th president’s 60 exuberant, exhilarating years. TR made significant contributions to a dozen fields of human endeavor, including natural science, exploration, organized sports and police work. Somehow, he also managed to find time to lead the famous charge up San Juan Heights, create the modern U.S. Navy, become a devoted husband and father, and write 35 books.
The photos show young Theodore peering out the window of his grandfather’s house as Lincoln’s funeral cortege moves past; the new president taking command after William McKinley’s assassination, speaking to crowds with distinctive gestures. Another photo shows the president brokering the peace that ended the Russo-Japanese War and won him the Nobel Prize for Peace.
The time for this volume is opportune. As the centennial of the Roosevelt presidency draws to a close, these pictures remind us of the capacity for life of this amazing man. The book is fittingly dedicated to Wallace Finley Dailey, curator of the Theodore Roosevelt Collection at Harvard Library.
