Introduction

Problem

Since the 1980 Presidential campaign historians have produced numerous books and journal articles on Ronald Reagan. There are a limited amount of bibliographies on the Reagan Presidency, and there is not one complete exhaustive one. There are two that are published but quite dated, the most complete one out there is Irving J. Sloan’s bibliography, Ronald W. Reagan, 1911- : chronology, documents, bibliographical aids from 1990. The other bibliography is by Nancy Elizabeth Fitch, The management style of Ronald Reagan, Chairman of the Board of the United States of America : an annotated bibliography which was published in 1982, a mere two years into Reagan’s presidency. This bibliography was devoted only to Ronald Reagan’s management style, and did not go into the other aspects in his life or presidency.

Very few bibliographies in the back of books are extensive, and most include sources that were needed to defend the thesis of the book. The last notable one was in Exit with honor : the life and presidency of Ronald Reagan by William E. Pemberton, published in 1997. Most of the materials are usually presented at a limited bibliography in larger bibliographies on United States History or the American Presidents, and these too are out of date. However, there exists no up-to-date bibliography listing these books and journal articles on Reagan. There has been since 1997 numerous books published on Reagan and his presidency, and many that are being published this year alone.

Since Reagan left the White House the nature of scholarship on Reagan as well is evolving, historians are starting to analyze his presidency from a distance, and revise their earlier opinions on the impact of the Reagan Presidency. Many of the books that have been written during his presidency, or soon thereafter are being published in second and expanded editions. The book that has had the largest impact, and is the most complete and authoritative work on the Reagan Presidency is Lou Cannon’s Ronald Reagan : a role of a lifetime (2000), which was first published in 1991. Other notable and authoritative books include, Robert Dallek’s Ronald Reagan : the Politics of Symbolism (1999) whose first edition was in 1984 and Garry Will’s Reagan’s America, 2000 and originally published in 1988. All of these books have been published after 1997, and are not included in a complete bibliography.

In 1999, Reagan’s official biography written by Edmund Morris, Dutch was published. During the fourteen years scholars waited for this book to be published, they believed it would have a large impact on the Reagan scholarship, since Reagan had given Morris all access to the president and personal documents. This access, and a huge multimillion dollar advance scared off many Reagan scholars who wanted to as well to write on the Reagan Presidency. However, it was a disappointment to the scholars who awaited it. Since then many scholars are rushing in to fill the gap, and many new books on Reagan are presently being published. This extensive list has not been included in a bibliography, making it more pressing to write one.

There is also more presidential documents available for scholars writing these new books on the Reagan Presidency. It takes years to process presidential documents, and there have also been restrictions in releasing many materials. Now passed a "magic" moment, 20 years since the inauguration, which allows researchers access to previously restricted files offering direct advice to the president. These materials in the Ronald Reagan Library are increasingly being released for scholars to use. This access gives scholars more perspectives, and insightful information to include in a book concerning the Reagan Presidency making writing new books more attractive.

An increase in scholarly activity on the Reagan Presidency has also been sparked by the comparisons of the current president to Reagan. The media has brought up similarities in the characters and backgrounds of President George W. Bush and Reagan. Bush, who like Reagan is a conservative, often-underestimated former Governor in the White House. These comparisons have ignited in the people a renewed interest in his predecessor. With this interest the public needs a complete bibliography to be able to view what has been written including the most recent books. Then the public would be able to choose books they would find relevant to read in order to gain a clearer understanding of Reagan.

The fact that the few bibliographies on Reagan are dated proves that a project of this nature is timely and necessary. There is a lot of scholarly activity in studying Reagan the man and the president, and there is presently a momentum of books that have been popular successes including Frances FitzGerald’s Way out there in the blue : Reagan, Star Wars, and the end of the Cold War from 2000, and Peggy Noonan’s When Character was King : a story of Ronald Reagan published in 2001. This project would serve as a research guide, with analysis on Reagan, and the various aspects of his presidency. A complete and comprehensive annotated bibliography would serve as a excellent research and reference tool, especially for students of his presidency that are embarking on research. Since Reagan scholarship is hot and getting hotter, a new bibliography will prove immensely valuable to the many researchers starting to turn their attention to this crucial period in US history.

Methodology

The bibliography will be subdivided into nine areas concentrating on different aspects; (I) complete biographies, (II) early political career, (III) general overviews of his presidency, (IV) elections, (V) foreign affairs, (VI) the Cold War focusing on the Soviet Union, (VII) the Iran Contra Affair, (VIII) domestic policies, and (IX) Reagan as author. Although the entries will not be annotated the beginning of each area will include a short narrative on the topic, evaluating the publications in that area. These essays will also place particular aspects of the Reagan Presidency into historical perspective, and indicate the most influential works that have been written in that sub area. The citations will be listed chronologically in each area. In addition there will be a general introduction to the paper which discusses the major trends in the literature. The bibliography will also cross reference citations between areas, and there will also be an author index.

Conclusions

As the end product this bibliography will be a complete listing of the literature, and a research guide to the study of Ronald Reagan and his presidency. The bibliography will serve as a valuable research tool for its targeted audience which includes history teachers, graduate students, researchers, and specialists studying the Reagan Presidency and its context in American History.