A review by alanfederman
Martin Van Buren: The Romantic Age of American Politics by John Niven

3.0

The book provided some great insight into the person of Martin Van Buren, but the writing focused too much on the minute details of his life and times and didn't provide enough context into the broader issues of the day (slavery, banking, expansion). At times Van Buren seemed more a 'politician' than a leader, and the book didn't give him enough credit for what seemed to be some pretty progressive ideas for his time. An interesting character, more context would have helped. On to William Henry Harrison.