Unfortunately, Chester Arthur had all of his personal and official papers burned before his death in 1886 so there isn’t a lot of material to work with when writing about him. The author instead attempts to paint a vivid picture of the times and how they defined Arthur’s life. The book contains many stories I hadn’t heard before, like the heroic actions of William Herndon, Arthur’s father-in-law, on the sinking ship “The South American.” The account of Garfield’s rise and assassination and the story of Charles Guiteau is told with great detail here as well, with an eye towards its effect of Arthur’s accidental presidency. Although this book lacks the epic detail of a Grant or Hamilton bio, it provides a way to get to know our little talked about 21st commander in Chief as well as the ins and outs of machine party politics in the 1870s and 80s that characterized his political career. This fairly quick read will make you an instant Arthur expert!