The White House: An Historic Guide, 27th Edition

The White House is both office and home for the president of the United States. It is the scene of nearly all the official activities of each administration and the setting for the first family’s daily life. Since 1962, the celebrated spaces and rich history have been portrayed for the public in this continually updated award-winning guidebook, The White House: An Historic Guide. It was First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy’s wish that such a book be written, and her letter opened the first edition, the first project of the White House Historical Association. Since that time eleven first ladies have continued the tradition, including First Lady Melania Trump who opens this 27th edition by welcoming readers to the White House. This edition, like its twenty-six predecessors, offers an intimate room-by-room tour of the interior of the house, with photographs and descriptions. It also offers a walking tour of the exterior, with a key to its architectural elements and grounds, so that visitors viewing the White House from the streets of Washington, D.C.—and armchair tourists at home—can enjoy and appreciate the house that belongs not just to the president, but to all the American people.