January 11, 2004 New Books and Beyond Talk To Feature Two Books on Presidents Garfield and Roosevelt

Historians Kenneth D. Ackerman and Kathleen Dalton will discuss their new books about Presidents James A. Garfield and Theodore Roosevelt at the Library of Congress, at 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 11 in the Montpelier Room, sixth floor, Madison Building, 101 Independence Ave. S.E. in Washington, D.C. A book signing by the two authors will follow. This program is free and open to the public and no tickets or reservations are required.

The discussion, which commemorates February as Presidents' Month, is part of the Center for the Book's "Books & Beyond" author series and co-sponsored by the Manuscript Division, a major repository of the papers of both President Garfield and President Roosevelt.

Kenneth Ackerman will discuss his volume, "Dark Horse: The Surprise Election and Political Murder of President James A. Garfield" (Carroll and Graf, 2003), the gripping story of post-Civil War partisanship and political rivalries that led to Garfield's assassination in 1881. Ackerman is also the author of "The Gold Ring: Jim Fisk, Jay Gould and Black Friday, 1869" (Dodd, Mead, 1988), and currently practices law in Washington, D.C.

Kathleen Dalton"s book, "Theodore Roosevelt: A Strenuous Life," has been praised by historian Douglas Brinkley as a "remarkable biography...a brave, bold, revisionist study of the most multidimensional of our American presidents." Dalton teaches history at Phillips Academy in Andover, Mass., and has been a Roosevelt scholar since 1975.

The Center for the Book was established in 1977 to use resources of the Library of Congress to stimulate public interest in books and reading. For information about its programs and publications and the activities of its affiliates in 50 states and the District of Columbia, consult its Web site at www.loc.gov/cfbook.