This beautifully written and engrossing biography of John Tyler, the tenth President of the United States, and his fascinating wife, Julia, brings a neglected period of American history vividly and exuberantly to life.

Few people know anything about Tyler, except for the fact that he was the Tyler of "Tippecanoe and Tyler too." No President ever longed so much to be remembered for his deeds, but to posterity he has become the last half of a slogan.

In this scholarly book, Robert Seager tells the story of John Tyler and Julia Gardiner. Since both were from old, aristocratic families, the book is as much about the New York Gardiners as it is the Virginia Tylers. Professor Seager has been given access to thousands of family letters never before made available to a historian, and the result is not only a superb biography, but an exciting adventure in the social and political history of an almost forgotten era.