Theodore Rex, Edmund Morris
Theodore Rex, Edmund Morris
8 Rating(s)
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Theodore Rex

Author: Edmund Morris

Narrator: Harry Chase

Abridged: 8 hr 59 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 11/20/2001


Synopsis

The most eagerly awaited presidential biography in years, Theodore Rex is a sequel to Edmund Morris’s classic bestseller The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt. It begins by following the new President (still the youngest in American history) as he comes down from Mount Marcy, New York, to take his emergency oath of office in Buffalo, one hundred years ago.

Theodore Rex, full of cinematic detail, moves with the exhilarating pace of a novel, yet it rides on a granite base of scholarship. TR’s own voice is constantly heard, as the President was a gifted letter writer and raconteur. Also heard are the many witticisms, sometimes mocking, yet always affectionate, of such Roosevelt intimates as Henry Adams, John Hay, and Elihu Root. (“Theodore is never sober,” said Adams, “only he is drunk with himself and not with rum.”)

Interspersed with many stories of Rooseveltian triumphs are some bitter episodes-notably a devastating lynching-that remind us of America’s deep prejudices and fears. Theodore Rex does not attempt to justify TR’s notorious action following the Brownsville Incident of 1906-his worst mistake as President-but neither does this resolutely honest biography indulge in the easy wisdom of hindsight. It is written throughout in real time, reflecting the world as TR saw it. By the final chapter, as the great “Teddy” prepares to quit the White House in 1909, it will be a hard-hearted reader who does not share the sentiment of Henry Adams: “The old house will seem dull and sad when my Theodore has gone.”

Reviews

AudiobooksNow review by Teresa on 2011-02-15 02:42:04

I enjoyed this less than the first installment, probably because there were more details about boring stuff so I was glad this one was abridged. Also, I've realized that old Teddy gets on my nerves a little. Still, I'm totally glad I listened and I liked the book. I'm waiting for Colonel Roosevelt to arrive now.

Goodreads review by Anthony on February 19, 2025

Restless Energy. Second in Edmund Morris’ trilogy of that most iconic of presidents Theodore Roosevelt, ‘Theodore Rex’ is a solid follow up to ‘The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt.’ This book captures the presidency of Roosevelt from 1901 to 1909 and focuses on Roosevelt’s dramatic rise to power to his ye......more

Goodreads review by carl on February 03, 2023

Bully ! Of a Goodread ! Theodore Roosevelt, a man of the 19th century, brings in the 20th, unexpectedly as President of the United States, with the vigor of new ways, new ideas, and a rambunctious personality, both physically and politically. This volume begins audaciously as he is beckoned from a r......more

Goodreads review by Laura on July 12, 2020

The second book in Morris' trilogy—looking forward to the final chapter! “To live, for him, has no meaning other than to drive oneself, to act with all one’s strength. An existence without stress, without struggle, without growth has always struck him as mindless. Those who remain on the sidelines he......more

Goodreads review by Arminius on April 30, 2015

The book is an excellent account of the presidency of Theodore Roosevelt. Based on this book I can see why he is often rated a top rate president. The book starts at the assassination of President McKinley where Theodore, as McKinley’s vice president, was unexpectedly thrust into the country’s most......more

Goodreads review by Steven on November 26, 2021

New York City recently removed a statue of Thomas Jefferson from their city hall. Now a statue of Theodore Roosevelt will be removed from the Museum of Natural History and moved to North Dakota. Erasing American history from public view.......more


Quotes

Praise for The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt

“Magnificent . . . a sweeping narrative of the outward man and a shrewd examination of his character. . . . It is one of those rare works that is both definitive for the period it covers and fascinating to read for sheer entertainment. There should be a queue awaiting the next volume.”
-W. A. Swanberg, The New York Times Book Review

“Theodore Roosevelt, in this meticulously researched and beautifully written biography, has a claim on being the most interesting man ever to be President of this country.”
-Robert Kirsch, Los Angeles Times Book Review

“Spectacles glittering, teeth and temper flashing, high-pitched voice rasping and crackling, Roosevelt surges out of these pages with the force of a physical presence.”
-The Atlantic Monthly

“Morris’s book is beautifully written as well as thoroughly scholarly-clearly a masterpiece of American biography. . . . Hundreds of thousands will soon be reading this book . . . and will look forward, as I do, to Morris’s second volume.”
-Kenneth S. Davis, Worcester Sunday Telegram