List of memoirs by first ladies of the United States
Thirteen
In the early 1800s, Abigail Adams had her correspondence published as Letters of Mrs. Adams, the Wife of John Adams, and Louisa Adams "made several attempts at an autobiography", though she never sought to publish them.[1] The Memoirs and Letters of Dolley Madison, Wife of James Madison, President of the United States were published in 1886 but were actually edited by Lucia Cutts and written by Dolley Madison's niece Mary Cutts.[note 1][4]
Early published memoirs focused on relatively trivial matters, often largely focusing on the first lady's personal life. Helen Taft's memoirs were described by
Memoirs written by Betty Ford, Rosalynn Carter and Barbara Bush also outsold the memoirs of their husbands.[1] My Turn by Nancy Reagan, published in 1989, was nicknamed My Burn for its "vengeful" coverage of Reagan's life, particularly in the White House. The book sold very well, remaining on The New York Times Best Seller list for more than three months.[6][8] Michelle Obama's memoir Becoming was published in 2018. She received over $60 million in advance of publication, and the book had sold over 11.5 million copies as of November 2019[update].[9][10] There has been speculation that Melania Trump is writing a memoir or in talks to do so.[11][12]
Memoirs
See also
Notes and references
Notes
- ^ According to Stuart Leibiger, "Many historians (including myself) have cited the Memoirs and Letters of Dolly Madison: Wife of James Madison, President of the United States [...] without realizing that the volume was actually written by Dolley's niece, Mary Estelle Elizabeth Cutts, and published without attribution."[3]
- ^ Grant tried but was unable to secure a publisher for her memoirs during her lifetime.[5]
- ^ Compiled material from her first three autobiographies with additional chapters[13]
- ^ a b Written with Chris Chase[14][15]
- ^ Written with husband Jimmy Carter[16]
- ^ Written with Bill Libby[17]
- ^ Written with William Novak[18]
- ^ Published before becoming the first lady[19]
References
- ^ a b c d Fehrman, Craig (May 21, 2010). "First Lady Lit". The New York Times. Archived from the original on April 3, 2015. Retrieved March 30, 2015..
- ^ Smithsonian Magazine. Archivedfrom the original on November 29, 2020. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
- .
- ^ The National First Ladies' Library. Archivedfrom the original on November 29, 2020. Retrieved November 21, 2020.
- ^ a b "The Personal Memoirs of Julia Dent Grant". National Park Service. Archived from the original on November 27, 2020. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
- ^ from the original on November 22, 2020. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
- ^ "The Memoirs of Mrs. Wilson". The New York Times. March 12, 1939. Retrieved August 19, 2021.
- JSTOR 23249745. Retrieved May 20, 2021.
- ^ "Michelle Obama's book is set to become the best-selling memoir in history". Reuters. March 27, 2019. Archived from the original on November 25, 2020. Retrieved November 20, 2020 – via NBC News.
- ^ Superville, Darlene (November 19, 2019). "Michelle Obama signs 'Becoming' copies on book's anniversary". Associated Press. Archived from the original on May 18, 2021. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
- ^ Mahdawi, Arwa (December 1, 2020). "Operation Rebrand Melania: What can we expect from the first lady's rumoured memoir?". The Guardian. Archived from the original on May 17, 2021. Retrieved May 17, 2021.
- ^ Zoellner, Danielle (November 28, 2020). "Melania Trump 'in discussions about writing her own memoir'". The Independent. Archived from the original on May 17, 2021. Retrieved May 17, 2021.
- ^ Laski, Marghanita (August 3, 1962). "Eleanor Roosevelt's autobiography – archive, 1962". The Guardian. Archived from the original on November 28, 2020. Retrieved November 21, 2020.
- from the original on November 8, 2020. Retrieved November 21, 2020.
- ^ "Betty — A Glad Awakening". Kirkus Reviews. Archived from the original on October 26, 2020. Retrieved November 21, 2020.
- JSTOR j.ctt22h6q6h. Archivedfrom the original on May 19, 2019. Retrieved November 21, 2020.
- from the original on August 28, 2017. Retrieved November 21, 2020.
- ^ "My Turn". Publishers Weekly. Archived from the original on May 18, 2021. Retrieved November 21, 2020.
- ^ Jensen, Erin (May 7, 2019). "Jill Biden writes of marriage with Joe, 'totally shattering' death of son Beau in new book". USA Today. Archived from the original on June 30, 2019. Retrieved May 18, 2021.
Further reading
- Wertheimer, Molly Meijer, ed. (2004). Inventing a Voice: The Rhetoric of American First Ladies of the Twentieth Century. ISBN 978-0-7425-2971-7.