Silent Cal's
Almanack:
The Homespun
Wit and Wisdom
of Vermont's
Calvin Coolidge

By David Pietrusza

A treasury of the wit and
wisdom of Calvin
Coolidge, America's
surprisingly eloquent 30th
President.

Silent Cal's Almanack
includes:

  • The ultimate
    distillation of Calvin
    Coolidge political
    wisdom.
  • A selection of
    Silent Cal's key
    speeches.
  • A thought-
    provoking original
    biographical essay.
  • A fascinating and
    unique 52-page
    portfolio of
    Coolidge photos,
    editorial cartoons
    and campaign
    memorabilia.
  • A Coolidge timeline.
  • A Coolidge
    bibliography.

Supreme Court Justice
David Souter wrote of
Calvin Coolidge: "The
simple beauty of his
English prose exceeds
anything I could say in
praise of it."

Glenn Beck says that
Calvin Coolidge "might be
my favorite President so
far. I like the guy."
A Selection of the:


David Pietrusza is the award-winning author of:

* 1920: The Year of the Six Presidents
(included among Kirkus Reviews Books of the
Year 2007; a Selection of the History Book Club)

* 1960: LBJ vs. JFK vs. Nixon: The Epic
Campaign That Forged Three Presidencies
(Booklist: "an outstanding re-examination";
Kirkus: "colorful . . . lively")

* Rothstein: The Life, Times, and Murder of
the Criminal Genius who Fixed the 1919
World Series (an Edgar Award Finalist; its audio
version captured the AUDIOFILE Earphones
Award)

* Judge and Jury: The Life and Times of
Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis (a CASEY
Award Winner; Seymour Medal Finalist; and
NASSH Award Nominee).

Pietrusza's powerful historical story-telling has
been compared to that of Doris Kearns Goodwin,
Theodore H. White, and Gene Fowler.

An expert on the 1920s, Pietrusza has served on
the Board of the Directors of the Calvin Coolidge
Memorial Foundation. He has contributed to the
Lincoln Library of American History: Presidential
Elections.

He is also the author of The Roaring Twenties,
an examination of the era for younger readers.

A respected commentator, Pietrusza has
appeared on C-SPAN BookTV, The History
Channel, NPR, ESPN, ESPN Classic,
Bloomberg Radio News, The Fox News Channel,
the Fox Sports Channel, and EBRU-TV.
List Price: $14.95

ISBN:
1438245408

EAN13:
9781438245409

Page Count: 214

Binding Type:
US Trade Paper

Trim Size: 6" x 9"

Language: English

Color: Black and White

Related Categories:
History/Americas
Silent Cal's Almanack: The Homespun Wit and Wisdom of Vermont's Calvin Coolidge
"He wrote simply,
innocently, artlessly,"
H. L. Mencken once
noted regarding
Coolidge's prose, "He
forgot all the literary
affectations and set
down his ideas
exactly as they came
into his head. The
result was a bald, but
strangely appealing
piece of writing--a
composition of
almost Lincolnian
austerity and beauty.
The true Vermonter
was in every line of
it."
"Calvin Coolidge was one of the greatest presidents of the 20th century and is certainly the most underrated. This
book, compiled by one of my favorite historians, will give readers a full appreciation of why Silent Cal's wisdom shines
like a beacon through the fog of historical amnesia."
--Jonah Goldberg

"Great work!"
--George F. Will

--"delightful"
--Burton Folsom

"Silent Cal's Almanack is a gem of a book, a collection of the remarkable sayings of our least talkative President. If
the ever-leftier media leaves you half-convinced that the freedom-loving, God-fearing, free-market America that
conservatives champion is figment of our unrealistic nostalgia—or a world view invented by Bill Buckley or Ronald
Reagan—Calvin Coolidge's words will clear up the misunderstanding. In fact, there really was a time when the
President of the United States was a lover of liberty and responsibility. If Obamaspeak is giving you a headache, this
book is the right medicine for you."
— Elizabeth Kantor, The Conservative Book Club

"an absorbing compendium of eloquent, pithy, insightful, and intelligent quotes from Calvin Coolidge . . .
enthusiastically recommended to anyone seeking to better understand the mind of America's most notoriously
nonvocal president."
--Midwest Book Review

"very readable"
--John McClaughry, The Ethan Allen Institute

"I dipped into this treasury and gleaned much from [Coolidge's] wisdom."
--Thomas F. Roeser

"very good"
--Blog and Mablog

"a very interesting book"   
--Dr. Paul Ibbetson

From Silent Cal:
"Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with
talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb."

"No person was ever honored for what he received. Honor has been the reward for what he gave."

"I am for economy. After that I am for more economy."

"Collecting more taxes than is absolutely necessary is legalized robbery."

"There is no right to strike against the public safety by anybody, any time, anywhere."

"It is only when men begin to worship that they begin to grow."

"The business of America is business and the chief ideal of the American people is idealism. I cannot repeat too often that America
is a nation of idealists. That is the only motive to which they ever give any strong and lasting reaction."

"I favor the policy of economy, not because I wish to save money, but because I wish to save people. The men and women of this
country who toil are the ones who bear the cost of the Government. Every dollar that we carelessly waste means that their life will
be so much the more meager. Every dollar that we prudently save means that their life will be so much the more abundant.
Economy is idealism in its most practical form."

* * *
Paul A. Ibbetson interviews J. David Woodard, Ph.D., Dr. Hans Matata, and David Pietrusza returns
to discuss his book: Silent Cal's Almanack: The Homespun Wit and Wisdom of Vermont's Calvin
Coolidge on The Conscience Of Kansas Radio Program on the Wildcat 91.9 FM - www.IbbetsonUSA.
com on 10-21-08

Mona Charen's Column on Silent Cal's Almanack

Glenn Beck on Coolidge Economic Policies: "Soaking the Rich Never Works"

As Advertised on NationReview.com and TownHall,com