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James K. Polk, Vol. 1: Jacksonian, 1795-1843 by Charles Grier Sellers is the first volume in a proposed trilogy studying the 11th President of the United States. Mr. Sellers is a historian, a Southern liberal specializing in antebellum America.

This book tells of the rise of James K. Polk in Tennessee and the national, political scene due to his wits and connections with President Andrew Jackson. Much of the book talks about Polk, Jackson, and others opposing banks and paper money.

In much of James K. Polk, Vol. 1 by Charles Grier Sellers, the titled man takes a back seat to the huge figure of Jackson. The author tells of the rise of Andrew Jackson and an analysis of the political debates which were the hot topics of the time.

Polk himself takes a backseat and often isn’t even mentioned for many pages. However, once he becomes Speaker of the House, Polk returns to the forefront of his own biography.

Much of the book examines why Jackson, Polk, and their supporters opposed banks and paper money. While the narrative could be dry at times, the research and analysis are solid and I managed to understand their views very well. To be honest, I liked Polk: The Man Who Transformed the Presidency and America by Walter R. Borneman much better.

But this book doesn’t even reach Polk’s presidency. The majority focuses on local politics, Van Buren’s New York politics, and of course the politics of the state of Tennessee. While some of it is interesting, it slows down the book tremendously. The ending is supposedly a cliffhanger, where James K. Polk finds himself ousted after losing, again, the governor’s office, and hoping to gain the vice president’s office.
We, however, know what’s coming. ( )

2016 James K. Polk: Continentalist 1843-1846, by Charles Sellers (read 20 Jul 1986) This is the second volume of Sellers' masterful biography of James K. Polk. This covers the period from Aug 1843 to Aug 1846. It is an extremely fascinating story and time. Polk received no votes on the first seven ballots at Baltimore, but on the 8th ballot, New Hampshire (the second state called--they called states in geographical order) gave all its six votes to Polk. He won on the ninth ballot. This book is just fascinating in its detail. The Mexican War really seems indefensible by any standard, the U.S. clearly being in the wrong and Polk eager for war. But how glad I can't help but be that all that vast area is a part of the U.S. This biography is excellent. I hope I can get the third volume. [Years later I determined the third volume was never written, or at least never published.] ( )