During his two terms as the fortieth president of the United States, Ronald Reagan kept a daily diary in which he recorded, by hand, his innermost thoughts and observations on the extraordinary, the historic, and the routine day-to-day occurrences of his presidency. Now, nearly two decades after he left office, this remarkable record — the only daily presidential diary in American history — is available for the first time.

Brought together in one volume and edited by historian Douglas Brinkley, The Reagan Diaries provides a striking insight into one of this nation's most important presidencies and sheds new light on the character of a true American leader. Whether he was in his White House residence study or aboard Air Force One, each night Reagan wrote about the events of his day, which often included his relationships with other world leaders Mikhail Gorbachev, Pope John Paul II, Mohammar al-Qaddafi, and Margaret Thatcher, among others, and the unforgettable moments that defined the era — from his first inauguration to the end of the Cold War, the Iran hostage crisis to John Hinckley Jr.'s assassination attempt.

The Reagan Diaries reveals more than just Reagan's political experiences: many entries are concerned with the president's private thoughts and feelings — his love and devotion for Nancy Reagan and their family, his belief in God and the power of prayer. Seldom before has the American public been given access to the unfiltered experiences and opinions of a president in his own words, from Reagan's description of near-drowning at the home of Hollywood friend Claudette Colbert to his determination to fight Fidel Castro at every turn and keepthe Caribbean Sea from becoming a Red Lake.

To read these diaries — filled with Reagan's trademark wit, sharp intelligence, and humor — is to gain a unique understanding of one of the most beloved occupants of the Oval Office in our nation's history.

"The diaries our 40th president kept while in office edited and abridged by historian Brinkley (The Great Deluge)are largely a straightforward political chronicle. Reagan describes meetings with heads of state and antiabortion leaders, reflects on legislative strategy and worries about leaks to the press. He often used his diary to vigorously defend his polices: for example, after a 1984 visit with South African archbishop Desmond Tutu (whom Reagan calls 'naïve'), the president explained why his approach to apartheid 'quiet diplomacy' was preferable to sanctions. Reagan sometimes seems uncomfortable with dissent, as when he is irked by a high school student who presents a petition advocating a nuclear freeze. And he often sees the media as a 'lynch mob,' trying to drum up scandal where there is none. Reagan's geniality shines through in his more quotidian comments: he muses regularly about how much he appreciates Nancy, and his complaints about hating Monday mornings make him seem quite like everyone else. Brinkley doesn't weigh down the text with extensive annotation; this makes for smooth reading, but those who don't remember the major political events of the 1980s will want to refer to the glossary of names. Reagan's diaries are revealing, and Brinkley has done historians and the broad public a great service by editing them for publication." Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)

"[A] thick but not unwieldy volume covering all eight years of what we now regard as the Reagan Era....What is missing is the deeper form of reflection that might have elevated The Reagan Diaries to the first tier of presidential writing." Boston Globe

During his two terms in office, Reagan kept a daily diary in which he recorded, by hand, his innermost thoughts and observations on the extraordinary, the historic, and the routine day-to-day occurrences of his presidency. Now, this remarkable historical record is available in a single volume.

Douglas Brinkley is the director of the Eisenhower Center for American Studies at the University of New Orleans, where he is a distinguished professor and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. He is the author and editor of numerous books of U. S. history, including a Penguin Lives biography of Rosa Parks. He lives in New Orleans, Louisiana.