Presidential Power and the Modern Presidents

Published in 1960, Richard Neustadt's Presidential Power and the Modern Presidents uses the Truman and Eisenhower Administrations as case studies to show how the president actually gets things done. Despite its age, the book is an instructive lesson in not just the structure of American constitutional democracy, but also the nature of leadership (since so much of the president's success relies on his or her ability to persuade other lawmakers and the general public).