This unparalleled reference book is a powerful guide to the 44 incumbents who have held the highest-ranking political office in the United States¿ government. An amazing collection of photographs, paintings, sketches, election posters and documents illustrate this authoritative volume. Opening with George Washington, the book provides an in-depth analysis of each US president. Many presidents have shaped world history - Abraham Lincoln and the abolition of slavery, Roosevelt and the Panama Canal, the assassination of Kennedy. Key facts about every president, their term in office and their life stories are presented in domestic and international context.