Biographies
Few presidents have received as much attention from biographers as has FDR. The best single-volume overview of his life is 'Franklin D. Roosevelt : A Rendezvous with Destiny' by Frank Freidel, the culmination of a lifetime of scholarship on Roosevelt. Among the several multivolume studies of his life, two stand out. The first is James MacGregor Burns's 'Roosevelt: The Lion and the Fox: Vol. 1, 1882-1940' and 'Roosevelt: Soldier of Freedom 1940-1945', which offers the best complete overview of his political career. The other is Geoffrey Ward's well-written study of Roosevelt's early years, 'Before the Trumpet: Young Franklin Roosevelt, 1882-1905' and 'A First-Class Temperament: The Emergence of Franklin Roosevelt', which ends with his nomination for the governorship of New York. Ward focuses on the Roosevelt as a person, illuminating his character with insight born not just of extensive research but of his own experience with polio; it is unlikely that a more perceptive study of his personality will ever be written.

Roosevelt's wife Eleanor has also been the subject of considerable attention, probably more so than any other First Lady in history. Of the many works on her life and career, three stand out. The first is Joseph Lash's 'Eleanor & Franklin'; written by an intimate of Eleanor's, it has all of the strengths and weaknesses that a work from such a close associate would possess. Far more comprehensive, yet still incomplete, is Blanche Wiesen Cooke's multivolume study, 'Eleanor Roosevelt' and 'Eleanor Roosevelt : Volume 2 , The Defining Years, 1933-1938', which is stronger on her personal life than her public career.

Specialized Studies
Roosevelt's early years are best approached through Ward's biography and the first two volumes of Freidel's multivolume study of Roosevelt: 'Franklin D. Roosevelt: The Apprenticeship' and 'Franklin D. Roosevelt: The Ordeal'. For his longtime political advisor during this period, see 'The Man Behind Roosevelt: The Story of Louis McHenry Howe'. His time as governor was detailed Freidel in 'Franklin D. Roosevelt: The Triumph' and by Bernard Bellush in 'Franklin D. Roosevelt As Governor of New York' while his relationship with his predecessor is addresed in Robert Slayton's 'Empire Statesman: The Rise and Redemption of Al Smith'.

For the background to his presidency, David Kennedy's 'Freedom from Fear : The American People in Depression and War, 1929-1945 (Oxford History of the United States)' is indispensable, providing a general overview with a compelling interpretation of how FDR's presidency transformed the nation. Older and more partisan, Arthur Schlesinger's classic "Age of Roosevelt" series, 'The Crisis of the Old Order : 1919-1933, The Age of Roosevelt, Volume I (The Age of Roosevelt)', 'The Coming of the New Deal : 1933-1935, The Age of Roosevelt, Volume II (The Age of Roosevelt)', and 'The Politics of Upheaval : 1935-1936, The Age of Roosevelt, Volume III (The Age of Roosevelt)' nonetheless continues to offer a compelling, readable account of the era. Yet in 'Happy Days Are Here Again : The 1932 Democratic Convention, the Emergence of FDR--and How America Was Changed Forever', Steven Neal argues it might not have happened, as Roosevelt's nomination was far from the sure thing it seemed in retrospect.

For a single-volume overview of his time in office, George McJimsey's 'The Presidency of Franklin Delano Roosevelt (American Presidency Series)' offers the best general portrait of its entire thirteen-year span. For the New Deal, the starting point is 'Franklin D Roosevelt And The New Deal', which remains a classic for its grasp of the politics of the era; it can be supplemented with Anthony Badger's more recent 'The New Deal : The Depression Years, 1933-1940'. Another classic book on his presidency is 'Roosevelt and Hopkins', which provides an insider's account of a friendship that was a cornerstone of Roosevelt's presidency.

Betty Houchin Winfield's 'FDR and the News Media' covers a critical aspect of his administration, while Hugh Gregory Gallagher offers an interesting study of how Roosevelt carefully managed one aspect of his public image in 'Fdr's Splendid Deception: The Moving Story of Roosevelt's Massive Disability-And the Intense Efforts to Conceal It from the Public'. For Roosevelt's interaction with a key component of the Democratic Party, consult 'Franklin D. Roosevelt and the City Bosses (Interdisciplinary urban series)', while 'Congressional Conservatism and the New Deal : The Growth of the Conservative Coalition in Congress, 1933-1939' provides a good study of the political opposition he faced in Congress. For his fight with the Supreme Court, the essays in 'The Supreme Court Reborn : The Constitutional Revolution in the Age of Roosevelt ' are the best starting point.

In order to understand Roosevelt's foreign policy, Robert Dallek's 'Franklin D. Roosevelt and American Foreign Policy, 1932-1945 : With a New Afterword (Oxford Paperbacks)' is essential for its comprehensiveness, its detail, and its insights. Alonzo Hamby focuses more closely on FDR's foreign policies during the Depression years in 'For the Survival of Democracy: Franklin Roosevelt and the World Crisis of the 1930s', while the events surrounding America's involvement in World War II are covered in 'Threshold of War : Franklin D. Roosevelt and American Entry into World War II '.

For his complex relationship with his British counterpart during the war, consult 'Franklin and Winston : An Intimate Portrait of an Epic Friendship'. On his role in the Japanese internments, 'By Order of the President : FDR and the Internment of Japanese Americans' is the book to read, while Henry Feingold looks at another regrettable aspect of his legacy in 'The Politics of Rescue: The Roosevelt Administration & the Holocaust 1938-1945'. And though he did not live long enough to see its formation, 'FDR and the Creation of the U.N.' demonstrates his essenial role in its creation. Finally, two books by William Leuchtenberg, 'In the Shadow of FDR: From Harry Truman to' and 'The FDR Years', examine his legacy in American politics.

Memoirs, Letters & Speeches
Roosevelt was an extensive letter writer and collections of his correspondence abound. His son Elliot edited 'F.D.R., his personal letters', which say little; more useful is 'Roosevelt and Frankfurter: Their correspondence, 1928-1945,', which has much of political interest. His correspondence with Winston Churchill has been edited by Warren Kimball in the indispensable 'Churchill and Roosevelt, the Complete Correspondence: I. Alliance Emerging, Ii. Alliance Forged, Iii. Alliance Declining', while his exchanges with Josef Stalin were recently published in 'My Dear Mr. Stalin : The Complete Correspondence of Franklin D. Roosevelt and Joseph V. Stalin'.

Yet what FDR is best remembered for are his speeches. Delivered by radio, they were part of his connection with the American people. The text of many of these can be found in 'Fdr's Fireside Chats', while 'The People and the President : America's Extraordinary Conversation with FDR' offers an excellent portrait into how the people responded to them.

Though Roosevelt himself didn't live long enough to write an account of his presidency, memoirs of his colleagues and advisors abound. Among the most important of these is that of his wife; 'The Autobiography of Eleanor Roosevelt (Quality Paperbacks Series)' is the second of the two she wrote. Some of the most interesting accounts are by members of his "brains trust": Rexford Tugwell's 'The democratic Roosevelt: A biography of Franklin D. Roosevelt' embodies many of his insights gained from close observation, while Raymond Moley's 'After Seven Years' is a more critical account. Frances Perkins's 'The Roosevelt I Knew' is perhaps the best memoir from one of his Cabinet members, though Robert Jackson's recently discovered 'That Man : An Insider's Portrait of Franklin D. Roosevelt ' is not to be missed. Other memoirs of note are of his campaign manager James Farley, 'Jim Farley's Story : The Roosevelt Years' and Farley's successor, Ed Flynn, 'You're the Boss.'.