In choosing the McKinley era for her concentrated study, Margaret Leech challenges the general assumption that a neglected period is an unimportant period. Actually the years spanned by McKinley's presidency —1896 to 1901, when his assassination brought the ebullient Theodore Roosevelt to the White House— marked a turning point in our national history and character. More about this book >

• NONFICTION FINALIST National Book Awards 1960 >