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James K. Polk, Vol 1. Jacksonian 1795-1843
- Princeton Legacy Library
- Narrated by: Tim Welch
- Length: 20 hrs and 8 mins
- Categories: Biographies & Memoirs, Politics & Activism
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This definitive biography of James K. Polk covers the most important years of Polk's political career - from a twice-defeated gubernatorial candidate in Tennessee to dark-horse candidate for the presidency and one of the most successful first 18 months of any American president. The months of Polk’s administration covered here contain the bulk of his expansionist program - the annexation of Texas, the settlement of the Oregon boundary with Great Britain, and the war with Mexico that led to the acquisition of California and New Mexico.
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A powerful and robust account
- By Anonymous User on 20-07-20
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Overall
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Performance
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This definitive biography of James K. Polk covers the most important years of Polk's political career - from a twice-defeated gubernatorial candidate in Tennessee to dark-horse candidate for the presidency and one of the most successful first 18 months of any American president. The months of Polk’s administration covered here contain the bulk of his expansionist program - the annexation of Texas, the settlement of the Oregon boundary with Great Britain, and the war with Mexico that led to the acquisition of California and New Mexico.
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
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-
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Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power
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Overall
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In this magnificent biography, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of American Lion and Franklin and Winston brings vividly to life an extraordinary man and his remarkable times. Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power gives us Jefferson the politician and president, a great and complex human being forever engaged in the wars of his era. Philosophers think; politicians maneuver. Jefferson’s genius was that he was both and could do both, often simultaneously. Such is the art of power.
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A powerful and robust account
- By Anonymous User on 20-07-20
Summary
This full account is of Polk's important pre-presidential career. Since Polk was immersed in so many of the major political developments of his day - the rise of popular democracy, the conflicts over the national bank, and other crucial issues of Jackson’s administrations, and after 1835 the fateful emergence of sectional animosities-his biography is also a history of his generation’s political experience. Professor Sellers has combined the elements with a sure hand, bringing out Polk’s character-his ambition, his determination, his faith in the electorate-and the nature of his friends, his enemies, and the times in which he moved. One feature of the work is the light it throws on the relation between national politics and those in Tennessee.
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What listeners say about James K. Polk, Vol 1. Jacksonian 1795-1843
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- Robert
- 03-03-20
Good book, poor narration.
Very detailed book, if you can tolerate the horrible narration. It sounds if the narrator was in a hurry, and reads with no interest and runs sentence after sentence together.
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- isabella
- 13-12-19
Extra Credit for Com227
I liked the actual information of the book I don’t think I would ever listen to or read the book on my own, but I did enjoy listening to it for about half an hour. I also enjoyed the way the book was read and the changed in the readers voice. I’m not a history buff that’s why I gave it 4 out of 5 stars. But I did enjoy listening to on the way to the supermarket. If you’re a history buff you’ll definitely like it!
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- Utilisateur anonyme
- 05-12-19
Excellent Narration with good insight on Polk
The James K. Polk audio book provides excellent narration with accurate data on James K. Polk and his Jacksonian views. Polk, as we know it, was a member in his time of the Democratic party; and was a protege to Andrew Jackson himself. This book is a good listen for anyone trying to understand more about Polk and his time in the political realm. Polk was a goal setter and arguably can be put in the category of meeting all his goals with regards to foreign policy, and domestic goals. Highly recommend this book.
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- RHS
- 30-10-19
A potentially great book let down by bad narration
This could be a great book, however I couldn't make my way through it. The production is not very good, the audio levels are all over the place and some chapters contain so much background noise that I felt like I was listening to AM radio. And then there's the narrator. I understand that this type of audiobook can be a challenge to narrate and they can be very dry. This narrator tries to make everything sound like he broadcasting the 9th inning of game 7 of the world series when they're down by one and the bases are loaded with a full count! Everything is over the top dramatic, even the most mundane passages seem to have a false sense of excitement. This for me made the book unlistenable and I gave up after just a few hours.
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- Mike Sacci
- 13-10-19
More about Tennessee Elections than Polk
One of my least favorite American History books I have listened to. When you compare this to a book like American Lion, this is just boring facts about politics in Tennessee. I would not be listening to Vol 2.