Introduction
Bibliography of books relating to the Johnson Presidency (1963-1969). Johnson took the oath of office just hours after Kennedy’s death in November 1963, and was elected the 36th president of the U.S. with a landslide in 1964, his term ended in 1969 after he declined the Democratic Presidential nomination in 1968.
His major historical legacies was the creation of the domestic program, the Great Society which he introduced six months after assuming office. The Great Society would commit federal funds toward education, Head Start, medical care for children, Job Corps, food stamps, housing and community development and other social welfare programs.
Johnson’s other legacy was the escalation of the Vietnam War. Johnson kept committing troops to help the South Vietnamese even with the growing objections of the country including some of his advisers, members of Congress and members of his own party, and the citizens of the United States. The country’s dissatisfaction with his policies led him not to seek reelection in 1968.
The books listed are a combination of biographies and studies just focusing on Johnson’s Presidency or particular aspects such as the Great Society. There are memoirs from Johnson, Lady Bird, and Johnson’s brother which can good insight into the man and the presidency. Good overviews of the Johnson Presidency include; Robert Dallek’s Flawed Giant and Robert Caro’s three volume set on Johnson.
Bibliography : The Presidency of Lyndon Baines Johnson
Andrew, John A. Lyndon Johnson and the Great Society. Chicago : I.R. Dee, 1998. 211 p.
Bernstein, Irving. Guns or butter : the presidency of Lyndon Johnson. New York : Oxford University Press, 1996. 606 p.
Beschloss, Michael S., ed. Taking Charge: The Johnson White House Tapes, 1963-1964. 1997.
Bornet, Vaughn Davis. The presidency of Lyndon B. Johnson. Lawrence, Kan. : University Press of Kansas, 1983. 415 p.
Brands, H. W. The wages of globalism : Lyndon Johnson and the limits of American power. New York : Oxford University Press, 1995. 294 p.
Califano, Joseph A. The triumph & tragedy of Lyndon Johnson : the White House years. New York : Simon & Schuster, 1991. 398 p.
Caro, Robert A. The years of Lyndon Johnson. New York : Knopf, 1st ed. 1982-, vols 1-3.
This is a three volume set on Lyndon Johnson’s life and his career as a politician, senator, Vice-President and then President. The books include: [1] The path to power — [2] Means of ascent — [3] Master of the Senate.
Caro, Robert A. Means of ascent. New York : Knopf, 1st ed., 1990. 506 p.,
Christian, George. The President steps down: a personal memoir of the transfer of power. New York: Macmillan, 1970. 282 p.
Conkin, Paul Keith. Big Daddy from the Pedernales : Lyndon Baines Johnson. Boston : Twayne Publishers, 1986. 324 p.
Cormier, Frank. LBJ the way he was. Garden City, N.Y. : Doubleday, 1st ed., 1977. 276 p.
Dallek, Robert. Lone star rising : Lyndon Johnson and his times, 1908-1960. New York : Oxford University Press, 1991.
Dallek, Robert. Flawed giant : Lyndon Johnson and his times, 1961-1973. New York : Oxford University Press, 1998. 754 p.
Divine, Robert A. The Johnson years. Lawrence : University Press of Kansas, 1987-
The is a three volume set tracking The Johnson Presidency and divided thematically. The book include; v. 1. Foreign policy, the Great Society, and the White House — v. 2. Vietnam, the environment, and science — v. 3. LBJ at home and abroad.
Dugger, Ronnie. The politician : the life and times of Lyndon Johnson : the drive for power, from the frontier to master of the Senate. New York : Norton, 1982. 514 p.
Evans, Rowland and Novak, Robert D. Lyndon B. Johnson; the exercise of power; a political biography. New York: New American Library, 1966. 597 p
Goldman, Eric Frederick. The tragedy of Lyndon Johnson. New York, Knopf, 1st ed., 1969. 531p.
Goodwin, Doris Kearns. Lyndon Johnson and the American dream. New York : Harper & Row, 1st ed., 1976. 432 p.
Harwood, Richard. and Johnson, Haynes Bonner. Lyndon. New York, Praeger Publishers, 1973. 187 p. “A Washington post book.”
Heren, Louis. No hail, no farewell. New York, Harper & Row, 1st ed., 1970. 275 p.
Henggeler, Paul R. In his steps : Lyndon Johnson and the Kennedy mystique. Chicago : I.R. Dee, 1991. 325 p.
Johnson, Lady Bird. A White House diary. New York, Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1st ed., 1970. 806 p.
Johnson, Lyndon B. The vantage point; perspectives of the Presidency, 1963-1969. New York, Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1st ed., 1971. 636 p.
This is Johnson’s official memoirs of his time as President.
Johnson, Lyndon B. and Beschloss, Michael R. Taking charge : the Johnson White House tapes, 1963-1964. New York, NY : Simon & Schuster, 1997. 591 p.
Johnson, Lyndon B. and Beschloss, Michael R. Reaching for glory : Lyndon Johnson’s secret White House tapes, 1964-1965. New York : Simon & Schuster, 2001. 475 p.
Johnson, Lyndon B. and Burns, James MacGregor, ed. To heal and to build; the programs of Lyndon B. Johnson. New York, McGraw-Hill, 1st ed., 1968. 506 p
Johnson, Sam Houston. My brother, Lyndon. New York, Cowles Book Co., 1st ed., 1970. 278 p.
Lincoln, Evelyn. Kennedy and Johnson. New York, Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1st ed., 1968. 207 p.
Miller, Merle. Lyndon, an oral biography. New York : Putnam, 1980. 645 p.
Reedy, George E. Lyndon B. Johnson, a memoir. New York : Andrews and McMeel, 1982. 159 p.
Rosenberg, Jonathan and Karabell, Zachary. Kennedy, Johnson, and the quest for justice; the civil rights tapes. 1st ed. New York : W.W. Norton xiv, 368 p. ; 24 cm.
Shesol, Jeff. Mutual contempt : Lyndon Johnson, Robert Kennedy, and the feud that defined a decade. New York : W.W. Norton, 1st ed. 1997. 591 p.
Sidey, Hugh. A very personal Presidency; Lyndon Johnson in the White House. New York, Atheneum, 1st ed., 1968. 305 p.
Steinberg, Alfred. Sam Johnson’s boy; a close-up of the President from Texas. New York, Macmillan, 1968. 871 p.
Unger, Irwin and Debi Unger. LBJ : a life. New York : Wiley, 1999. 586 p.
Valenti, Jack. A very human President. New York : Norton, 1st ed., 1975. 402 p.
White, Theodore Harold. The making of the President, 1964. New York, Atheneum, 1st ed. 1965. 431 p.
Wicker, Tom. JFK and LBJ; the influence of personality upon politics. New York, Morrow, 1968. 297 p.
Content c2004
The Sixties: A Journey Through Politics and Culture.
Web design and content by Bonnie K. Goodman, BA, MLIS
History Bibliographies 