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Pols: Great Writers on American Politicians From Bryan to Reagan

Edited by Jack Beatty

PublicAffairs, 463 pages, $28

Take a breather from the crush of current political news and read through this collection of work by wonderful writers–including H.L. Mencken and Mike Royko–on a range of crooks and crusaders who played prominent roles in U.S. political history, from agrarian-rebel-turned-racist Tom Watson, to clumsy Warren Harding, to the fascinating Mayor Richard J. Daley.