Veeps: Profiles in Insignificance

This is a well-written, highly amusing book on a fascinating if rather neglected subject - the second-class citizens of presidential politics, the vice presidents. The authors cover each in turn (future presidents included), offering three to six telling stories for each one. Did you know, for example, that one vice president married his former slave? How about the one who may well have been gay? Do you know which vice president (and future president) delivered his inaugural address drunk? Did you know there were arrest warrants for 2 veeps for treason? That one died less than a week before being re-elected? There are also some definite themes here. It's always been a thankless job, with very little to actually do. As a consequence, there were plenty of very reluctant veeps - and plenty who turned down the job. There were also a lot of Dan Quayles - i.e., the only one who would take it, or someone so young, or old, or incompetent, that they make the presidential candidate look like Abraham Delano Washington. One theme that was new to me was the number of vice presidents who died in office and, before the law was changed in this century, were never replaced. That amounted to almost 38 years of no vice president in total. The book is not all trivia however. The writing is really top notch. These guys are very funny. Just to give you an idea, here are some of their section headings: Electoral Dysfunction, "Truman Defeats Daily Tribune," Upward Mobilier. Be sure to check out the index too. Given all that, I'm almost reluctant to point out a number of errors I found in the book. Did you know, for example, that Martin Van Buren was from Kentucky? Or that James Knox Polk was from Texas? That William Henry Harrison and Benjamin Harrison were father and son? I hate to be one of those reviewers who fixates on that sort of thing, but these errors were rather disconcerting.

Veeps: Profiles in Insignificance is a wild collection of completely true anecdotes about American Vice Presidents throughout history. Some of the tales are shockingly bizarre or extraordinary; others lead one to wonder how such an individual ever came to be a front-runner for public office. From the veep who such a drunkard he could not serve out his whole term, to stories of egomaniacs, rogues, cowards, bigots, and ambition-driven power brokers, Veeps: Profiles of Insignificance is sure to raise eyebrows. Black-and-white pictures, a list of online resources, and an index round out this at times uproarious collection of glimpses into the lives of Americans who were ever one step behind the duty of commander-in-chief.

I ordered this book after hearing its author Bill Keltner several times on a morning talk show in Portland, Oregon. He was not only making me laugh on my morning commute but I felt like I wanted to know more about something I never thought I would care about, Vice Presidents. His book did not disappoint, it was very amusing and informative. It's the first time in a long while I actually read with a highlighter in hand, an absolute classic.

I ordered VEEPS after stumbling across its blog, [...] (which I found hilarious). It arrived in the mail yesterday, I cracked it open after dinner, and read it non stop through the end, long past my usual bedtime. The whole time my wife was looking at me like I was a lunatic as I laughed like a hyena, stopping to read her excerpts every few minutes until she told me to knock it off. The book is absolutely beautiful (awesome hardcover - and that's not a dust cover), the illustrations are first-rate, and the content is as informative as it is hilarious. I literally learned something on every page. Who knew that one of our Veeps had chopped off somebody's arm? Anyhow, I highly recommend this book to history buffs, fans of great comedy writing, or just about anybody. It's my last-minute nominee for Book of the Year.