There's a review by Thomas Mallon of All the Great Prizes: The Life of John Hay, From Lincoln to Roosevelt by John Taliaferro in today's New York Times.

"Taliaferro resists the whipped-cream rosettes of Hay’s own prose and does a sturdy job laying out the foreign policy of a new American empire, though his narrative — especially where the canal is concerned — has a tendency to take the long way round Cape Horn instead of finding some isthmus to cut through. Resisting hagiography, though not by much, he settles for a corrective approach that seeks to liberate Hay from his status as a historical 'Zelig in the corner of someone else’s portrait.'”

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/19/books/...d=all&_r=0

Thanks, Linda. I see where the author takes the view that Hay probably wrote the Bixby Letter. We have had a lengthy debate/discussion on this issue in another thread on the forum.

I'll say this about Thomas Mallon's review he "has a tendency to take the long way round"

Speaking of Mr. Hay, I intend on visiting his grave in Cleveland this summer. While at the cemetery, I'll check President Garfield's tomb, as well.

(05-18-2013 08:16 PM)LincolnMan Wrote:  Speaking of Mr. Hay, I intend on visiting his grave in Cleveland this summer. While at the cemetery, I'll check President Garfield's tomb, as well.

Is Garfield's tomb missing again? As Oscar Wilde said: "To lose one parent is a misfortune. To lose both is carelessness."
Tom

Nope. His tomb is something to behold; ever been there? Its quite grand.

(05-19-2013 05:22 AM)LincolnMan Wrote:  Nope. His tomb is something to behold; ever been there? Its quite grand.

Bill,

You are right--it is "ginormous"--I still can't find out if they have to 're-seal' the Garfield's caskets from time-to-time since they are exposed to view. Does anyone know?

Ghoulishly,

Joe

They should use this stuff

http://www.asseenontv.com/detail.php?p=346830&pa=sli

Gene: I've seen that commercial on TV- too funny,

I love my ShamWow; might get this, too.

I'll get the people at the Garfield Memorial onto this right away.

I recently finished this book, and generally I liked it. However, there was one glaring mistake that seems a bit amateurish. Taliaferro has Senator Albert J. Beveridge as TR's vice-president, when in actuality it was Charles W. Fairbanks. Taliaferro refers to "Vice-President Beveridge" a couple of times, so it wasn't just an accident.

Still, overall it was an interesting history.

Best
Rob

Ryan L. Cole reviews this book in the Nov. 4th Weekly Standard: Witness to History: A golden life in the Gilded Age.

Since this thread was started- I visited Garfield's tomb and the grave of John Hay. Hay's grave features a sculptured angel. I found it interesting that there was nothing there noting who he was- only his name and birth/death dates. Garfield's tomb, on the other hand, is fit for a monarch. Donna and I took the inner stairs to the observation deck of the structure to gaze out at the city of Cleveland. Okay, it wasn't the Empire State Building but it was romantic, nonetheless.

(05-18-2013 02:33 PM)RJNorton Wrote:  Thanks, Linda. I see where the author takes the view that Hay probably wrote the Bixby Letter. We have had a lengthy debate/discussion on this issue in another thread on the forum.

I am very interested in John Hay and I was wondering if you could recommend to me the book that you believe is the most accurate and the best accounting of Mr. Hay. Thanks so much for any recommendation that you may have on this subject.