Best Biographies of Each President (2026): 5 Compared

If you want to meet every president on one shelf, the best biographies of each president come in two flavors: single-volume surveys that cover them all, and deep biographies of one president at a time. We compared five president books, from a 50-page kid’s guide to a 624-page life of Garfield, scoring each on fit, contents and edition, value and the reading details the listing states.

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The picks

#	Product	Shelf Score	Buy
1	US Presidents by Oscar Johnson	9.6/10	Buy on Amazon
2	A Kid's Guide to Presidents	9.6/10	Buy on Amazon
3	President Garfield by Goodyear	9.5/10	Buy on Amazon
4	Gerald R. Ford by Brinkley	9.5/10	Buy on Amazon
5	Zachary Taylor by Eisenhower	9.4/10	Buy on Amazon

1

US Presidents by Oscar Johnson

Oscar Johnson·9.6/10 Shelf Score

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The Shelf Score runs from 9.2 to 9.8 and weighs fit for the reader or goal (35 points), contents and edition (25), value (25) and listed reading age or level (10, where the listing gives one), using only what the book listing states. How we pick ›

Fits a reader who wants one volume on every president, from Washington to Trump.

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Pros

• Covers every president in one volume, the direct match for the keyword
• Current edition: July 2025 publication date, the newest of the main picks
• 190 pages, a moderate length for a survey book

Cons

• Reading age is marked as from customers, not a publisher age range
• Independently published, so check the listing's stated facts carefully
• A survey cannot go as deep as a single-president biography

2

A Kid's Guide to Presidents

Dylanna Press·9.6/10 Shelf Score

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The Shelf Score runs from 9.2 to 9.8 and weighs fit for the reader or goal (35 points), contents and edition (25), value (25) and listed reading age or level (10, where the listing gives one), using only what the book listing states. How we pick ›

Fits a young reader who wants fascinating facts about each president.

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Pros

• Covers each president, the direct match for the keyword
• Stated reading age of 5 to 12 years, the clearest age match here
• 50 pages, a short volume a young reader can finish

Cons

• 50 pages means only brief coverage per president
• Updated through the 2020 election, so newer officeholders are missing
• No publisher is stated in the listing

3

President Garfield by Goodyear

CW Goodyear·9.5/10 Shelf Score

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The Shelf Score runs from 9.2 to 9.8 and weighs fit for the reader or goal (35 points), contents and edition (25), value (25) and listed reading age or level (10, where the listing gives one), using only what the book listing states. How we pick ›

Fits a history reader who wants a deep single-presidency biography.

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Pros

• 624 pages, the most substantial volume in this list
• Current edition: July 2023 publication date from Simon and Schuster
• A full-life treatment of one president, not a survey

Cons

• A single president, so it is a deep dive rather than each president
• 624 pages is a long commitment for a casual reader
• No reading age or grade level is stated in the listing

4

Gerald R. Ford by Brinkley

Douglas Brinkley·9.5/10 Shelf Score

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The Shelf Score runs from 9.2 to 9.8 and weighs fit for the reader or goal (35 points), contents and edition (25), value (25) and listed reading age or level (10, where the listing gives one), using only what the book listing states. How we pick ›

Fits a reader who wants the concise American Presidents Series take on Ford.

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Pros

• Part of the American Presidents Series on the 38th president
• Annotated edition, 224 pages, a concise one-volume life
• Times Books publisher, a stated major publisher

Cons

• Published in 2007, the older edition among these picks
• A single president, so it is a deep dive rather than each president
• No reading age or grade level is stated in the listing

5

Zachary Taylor by Eisenhower

John S. D. Eisenhower·9.4/10 Shelf Score

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The Shelf Score runs from 9.2 to 9.8 and weighs fit for the reader or goal (35 points), contents and edition (25), value (25) and listed reading age or level (10, where the listing gives one), using only what the book listing states. How we pick ›

Fits a reader who wants the concise American Presidents Series take on Taylor.

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Pros

• Part of the American Presidents Series on the 12th president
• 192 pages, the shortest of the adult biographies here
• Times Books publisher, a stated major publisher

Cons

• Published in 2008, the older edition among these picks
• A single president, so it is a deep dive rather than each president
• No reading age or grade level is stated in the listing

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More picks to compare

• Our Country's Presidents by NatGeoComplete encyclopedia of the presidency, ages 8 to 12, 224 pages.Check on Amazon
• The Presidents 3rd Ed by DKVisual encyclopedia of American leaders, ages 6 to 10, 208 pages.Check on Amazon
• Presidential Chronicles Vol VCovers five presidents, Arthur to Roosevelt, 823 pages.Check on Amazon
• Great American PresidentsTwelve transforming presidents, 600 pages, September 2026 edition.Check on Amazon

Compare the picks

Book details as published on each listing, collected 21 October 2026.

How we scored them

The Shelf Score weighs fit for the reader, contents and edition, value, and the listed reading age or level where one is given. Two of the five picks state a reading age, and the other three state none. How we pick explains the weights.

Scores run from 9.2 to 9.8: each book’s point total is placed on that range, so more points always means a higher score. Reading age or level counts on a list where at least one listing gives one, and a book whose listing gives none then scores zero on it. Where no listing gives one, the score is taken over the other 85 points. Books carry no warranty, so warranty is not scored.

How to choose the best biographies of each president

Survey or single president

The Oscar Johnson volume and the kid’s guide each cover every president in one book, while the Garfield, Ford and Taylor books go deep on one presidency. For a reader meeting the office for the first time, browse the history and biography shelves for both formats. For neighboring eras, the best biographies of FDR list pairs well with the Ford and Taylor books.

Match the reading age

The kid’s guide states a reading age of 5 to 12 years, and the Oscar Johnson volume lists a reading age of 10 plus years marked as from customers. The three adult biographies state no reading age at all, so they suit confident readers. Check the listing’s age line before buying for a student.

Check the edition and depth

Page counts here run from 50 pages to 624 pages, so depth varies widely. The Ford book is an annotated 2007 edition and the Taylor book dates to 2008, while the Garfield and Oscar Johnson volumes carry 2023 and 2025 dates. For the White House from another angle, the best biographies of first ladies list covers the other side of the desk.

Before you buy

• Decide between a survey of every president and a deep biography of one.
• Check the stated reading age: two of these five list one, three do not.
• Confirm the edition date and page count, which range from 50 to 624 pages here.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which book covers every president?

The Oscar Johnson volume covers all presidents from Washington to Trump in 190 pages, and the kid’s guide covers each president in 50 pages. The other three books cover one president each.

Which of these biographies is newest?

The Oscar Johnson volume lists July 12, 2025, the newest date among the main picks. The Garfield biography lists July 4, 2023, the kid’s guide April 8, 2022, the Taylor book May 27, 2008, and the Ford book February 6, 2007.

Are there kids’ editions for presidents?

The kid’s guide states a reading age of 5 to 12 years, and the Oscar Johnson volume lists a reading age of 10 plus years marked as from customers. The more-picks section adds two children’s encyclopedia editions with stated ages.

Still deciding? Our top pickUS Presidents by Oscar Johnson

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Related lists

See every History and Biography list and all Nonfiction lists.

More lists: biographies of FDR, biographies of first ladies, biographies of founding fathers.