There is no doubt that a president's political fortunes rise and fall with the state of the economy, but there is no consensus on whether—or how—their actions actually affect economic performance. In his magisterial study of presidential politics during the Gilded Age, Mark Zachary Taylor sets out to show that even during a period when “milquetoast backbenchers” (1) supposedly let Congress and party bosses take the lead, presidential action and inaction had enormous impacts on everything from financial stability and economic growth to rates of unemployment and levels of national debt. Structured around engaging surveys of each president from Ulysses S. Grant to William McKinley and interspersed with highly illuminating overviews of major demographic, industrial, and financial developments, Taylor's book will interest scholars in American political development, economic history, and presidential studies. Presidential Leadership in Feeble Times may not settle debates over the president's impact on the economy, but it does help to reframe the terms of debate by identifying the leadership qualities that actually make a difference.

Based on historically detailed and data-driven case studies that provide a trove of informative tidbits about the backgrounds of each president, their conduct in office, and the circumstances t