If you’ve been following The Art of Manliness for awhile, you know we’re big fans of Theodore Roosevelt. The man embodied the Strenuous Life. He was a rancher, a soldier, a hunter, a statesman, and a practitioner of boxing and judo. But what many people don’t know about Roosevelt was that he was also an accomplished man of letters. He wrote over forty books himself and read thousands of others over the course of his lifetime. And as my guests on the show point out, TR’s literary life was tightly interwoven with his mighty deeds.
Today on the show, historians (and husband and wife team) Thomas Bailey and Katherine Joslin discuss their book Theodore Roosevelt: A Literary Life. We discuss how Roosevelt began the writing habit as a 7-year-old boy and how he wrote one of America’s greatest military histories when he was just 24 years old. We then discuss TR’s greatest literary successes, including The Rough Riders, The Winning of the West, and African Game Trails. Thomas and Katherine share how Roosevelt’s penchant for action influenced his writing and how his writing inspired him to take action, and how John Wayne and Western movies wouldn’t exist without TR’s literary work.
We then get into Roosevelt’s reading habits, including his opinion of compiling lists of must-read books.
You’re going to gain new insights about one of America’s larger-than-life characters listening to this show.
Show Highlights
- Why TR is overlooked as one of the great American writers
- When did he start showing a penchant for writing?
- How TR’s reading as a child influenced his Romantic outlook
- What was his guiding ethos with his writing?
- Roosevelt’s relationship with language and his writing process
- Did Roosevelt have an influence on the literary scene in America?
- Why Roosevelt paved the way for John Wayne
- TR’s most famous book and how much he actually made for his writing
- Roosevelt’s voracious reading life
- A few books Roosevelt didn’t like (which wasn’t many)
- What Roosevelt thought about education and autodidactic, lifelong learning
- How his reading as an adult influenced his policy ideas and political decisions
Resources/People/Articles Mentioned in Podcast
- The Field Notes of Theodore Roosevelt
- TR’s Rules for Reading
- The Library of Theodore Roosevelt
- Quentin Durward by Walter Scott
- Theodore Roosevelt Center
- The Naval War of 1812
- The Rough Riders
- The Battle of Plattsburgh
- How to Speed Read Like TR
- The Man in the Arena
- The River of Doubt by Candice Millard
- 21 Western Novels Every Man Should Read
- Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry
- Why and How to Become a Lifelong Learner
- The Jungle by Upton Sinclair
- Strong as a Bull Moose
Listen to the Podcast! (And don’t forget to leave us a review!)
Listen to the episode on a separate page.
Subscribe to the podcast in the media player of your choice.
Podcast Sponsors
Citizen. Their Promaster collection makes watches for men who push their boundaries. And, with Citizen’s Echo Drive technology, your watch is powered by ANY light and will never need a battery. Go to CitizenWatch.com/podcast to learn more.
The Great Courses Plus. Better yourself this year by learning new things. I’m doing that by watching and listening to The Great Courses Plus. Get one month free by visiting thegreatcoursesplus.com/manliness.
Michelin. Whether your tires are new or worn, you should have the confidence to get where you need to be. That’s why Michelin designed the MICHELIN Premier tires, with worn performance in mind. Visit michelinman.com/longlastingperformance for more info.
Click here to see a full list of our podcast sponsors.
Recorded with ClearCast.io.
Read the Transcript
Coming soon!
The post Podcast #414: Theodore Roosevelt, Writer and Reader appeared first on The Art of Manliness.
(via The Art of Manliness)
