The Notes: Ronald Reagan's Private Collection of Stories and Wisdom

What a delightful book! Here we have Ronald Reagan's jottings of thoughts and observations, jokes and quotations, preserved on his ever-present 4 x 6 note cards. Watch a film of the 'Great Communicator' preparing to speak, and you may find him slipping his hand in his suit pocket, deftly withdrawing and then arranging his cards as he waves, smiles, accepts applause and looks across his audience. His ubiquitous note cards were each written to be self-contained, with an eye toward prospective rearrangement for future presentations. This system--a description he might have smilingly dismissed as rather grand--comprised a vital element of his extraordinary effectiveness as a communicator.Historian Douglas Brinkley has done a masterful job of classifying the cards into topics such as: 'On the Nation,' 'On the People,' 'On Religion,', 'On Character,' and so on. My favorite--and I suspect, the favorite of many--is the final section, 'Humor.' Reagan's voice is remains familiar, even intimate, in his use of humor as a persuasive tool, a management tool, indeed, a way to approach the seriousness of leadership and life and work.Especially for younger readers, Brinkley adds value with a glossary of the many individuals whose words or actions populate the cards. The index is also invaluable.Those who--somehow, against all evidence--continue at this late date to underestimate Reagan's discipline and thought process will find much to reflect upon in this book.So, too, those who have studied or written about or served under Reagan (or done a bit of each, such as myself) will find much to appreciate in this newly discovered trove of work, direct from his pen.I recommend this book most highly. It's a useful addition to any library: on Reagan, on history, on leadership, on communication.Most importantly--and, perhaps, most enduringly--as Brinkley declares in the introduction, Reagan's notes 'constitute a love song to America.'

Actually, I bought this initially on my Kindle (first generation) - but I will be buying the hard copy also, that's how much I was entertained as well as educated by it.I am a quote junkie and saw the Editor, Douglas Brinkley, on one of the morning programs who explained that while it's true Reagan was a master communicator, he was also very prepared. A box of full of Reagan's "notes" was discovered in 2010. Reagan collected quotes, poems, and one liners that resonated with him and filed them in a black photo album.This is a short book, I read it in one afternoon, but it is a book I will turn to again and again for when I need inspiration or a laugh or trying to understand history or politics.The quotes are divided into these subjects: On Nation, On Liberty, On War, On the People, On Religion, The World, On Character (one of my most highlighted chapters), On Political Theater, Humor (the second most highlighted chapter).There is a glossary at the conclusion of The Notes that lists more information on the people the quotes are attributed to...some are well known to me: Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, but I loved that I was able to learn of authors that I was not so familiar with: Graham Barden, Whittaker Chambers, Gilbert Chesterton.I will be gifting to this to many many people for graduations, birthdays, and Christmas.This is for people who love history, love politics, love quotes, and of course, love Reagan.Also, after reading it, I thought it would make a great gift to ALL political parties in office - it's a humbling, often humorous reminder of what this country fought for, stands for and yet most of today's politicians seem to have forgot.If my house caught fire, and I could only save one book - it would be The Notes; that's how much I loved it.

I loved the material but they printed the hand written note cards word for word. Too many abbreviations to make sense of some of the note cards.A good book to pick up for 5 minutes at a time and get some quotes.

Maybe the greatest combination of thought promoting literature ever. ( at least for the common man lol) I picked it up and thought I would just read the introduction like I do on most new books I get before they go on the shelf to be read at a later date, but instead I found that I put asside readings I was currently involved in to read this as I could not put it down nor could I stop making my own notations to nearly every passage.

The binding on this book is of such low quality that the book will be destroyed as you flip through the pages. Pages fall out and are not aligned properly. I returned the book and received a replacement and the same issues were there. It's disappointing, because this book is one that you will want to go back to and reread and consider some of the quotes. With the poor quality binding, that becomes a dangerous exercise because every time you open the book, more pages fall out.

I love Ronald Reagan and wish our current leadership had such a beautiful sense of humor..book timely delivered and reasonably priced

Gosh, is there anything more to say about President Reagan? He was the greatest we've ever had! If you enjoyed his diaries, you will truly love this gem of collected quotes amassed by Reagan. I visited the Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley and this was one book that I regretted not purchasing over there. It's broken into chapters by themes and they span all sorts of issues. The quotes are timeless and chilling, considering what we are currently going through as a country and a planet. If you are a fan of Reagan, this is a must-have for your home's library, or perhaps a gift for that token conservative in your group of friends! Enjoy!

My 13 & 16 year old sons loved this book! Both of them read it from cover to cover. Just the right amount of wisdom and humor to keep them turning the pages. They liked it so much I bought another copy to give away. Excellent book for your coffee table! Easy read, and thought provoking. Will probably buy it over and over throughout the years for gifts.

Delightful book

the best president of the USA. His notes gives the reader a glimpse of his wisdom und humor. Missing people like him in our time

Maybe I didn't read the description well, but this is literary the compilation of his notes, and nothing more. I guess I wish there were more in-depth analysis of his notes because I've had enough of quotes books. However, there are some amazing quotes which I haven't seen anywhere else so it's not entirely a waste of money...