From Publishers Weekly
This little book will inevitably be compared with Josiah Bunting's similarly short biography of one of the world's greatest military figures. The marriage of author and subject works well, although Korda (Horse People: Scenes from the Riding Life, etc.) doesn't have much new to say about Lincoln's favorite general. That's not surprising, since everyone now writes about Grant in the shadow of Edmund Wilson, who gave new fame to Grant's memoirs, and William McFeely, who has written the best full biography to date. Even so, Korda freshly characterizes his man without psychologizing an unpromising subject. Grant was, after all, unyieldingly stolid and tight-lipped. While his qualities of directness and taciturnity made him a great general, they didn't yield up a fascinating man or a great president. Korda does about as good a job of bringing Grant to life as possible and handles all the essential set pieces—Grant as Mexican War officer, Civil War general, president and author of masterful memoirs on the eve of his death—with much skill. He's less perceptive than Bunting about Grant's presidency and occasionally puts unnecessary erudition on display, but on the whole this is a highly readable, accurate study of the man. FYI: This title launches the new Eminent Lives series, edited by James Atlas. Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist
The second short life of Grant in weeks is nearly as commendable as Josiah Bunting's Ulysses S. Grant [BKL S 1 04]. Bunting's contribution to the American Presidents series attends more to Grant's administration. Korda, as his book's subtitle portends, prefers Grant's military career. So doing, Korda brings up possibilities and spotlights figures that Bunting doesn't. For example, contra Bunting's implication that, after the episode leading to his post-Mexican War resignation from the army, Grant had no real drinking problem, Korda allows that accusations of drunkenness during the Civil War may have been warranted, and he emphasizes personal aide John Rawlings' role in managing Grant's image and sometimes his behavior. Korda attempts to plumb Grant more than Bunting does, with the overall result that he seems more speculative than Bunting, and the exaggerations in Korda's epilogue ("Why Grant?") make him seem less trustworthy. Korda is easier to read though less stylish than Bunting, but both make Grant, for all his taciturnity and shyness, a fascinating and major historical player. Ray Olson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Book Description

In this concise, vivid, and brilliantly readable biography, New York Times bestselling author Michael Korda sheds new light on the life of Ulysses S. Grant -- a man who is consistently ranked as one of the greatest American generals and as one of our weaker presidents.

The son of a tanner in Ohio, soft-spoken, taciturn, given to drink, easily hurt and embarrassed, Ulysses S. Grant was the most unlikely of heroes. But, as Korda vividly demonstrates, Grant also possessed remarkable tenacity, decisiveness, a willingness to tackle conflict head-on, and a ruthlessly objective way of evaluating military situations. These characteristics are what enabled a shy and awkward boy to overcome his unhappy years as a West Point cadet and his lack of early success in the army. They propelled him through the ranks of military leadership to victory at Fort Donaldson, Shiloh, and Missionary Ridge; drove him in his epic pursuit of Lee to Appomattox; and eventually guided him to the presidency. Korda writes that it was Grant, with his slouchy hat, rumpled uniform, unkempt beard, and omnipresent cigar, who understood like no other man -- Lincoln excepted -- that the Civil War would be long and bloody, and would be won not by fancy maneuvers or clever strategy but by confronting the Confederate army in the field and defeating it.

Despite his battlefield successes, Grant is often dismissed as a failed president. Examining his leadership in the White House, however, both within the context of his time and in contrast to more recent American presidents, Korda shows that, although Grant's two terms were riddled with political and financial scandals, he managed to exert a calming influence on a country that had only recently emerged from civil war, and that he sought -- above all things -- peace between North and South, and between the United States and the rest of the world.

Korda concludes that Grant was both a military genius and an ordinary American, a warrior without arrogance or vainglory, a general who excelled at fighting and hated what he was doing -- in short, a hero only America could have produced. It is at once a unique portrait of Grant and a rousing and illuminating study of his times -- and of the great war he did so much to win.

About the Author
Michael Korda, who served in the British armed forces, is the editor in chief of Simon & Schuster as well as the author of Charmed Lives, Another Life, Horse People, and several bestselling novels. He lives with his wife, Margaret, in upstate New York.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

"The son of a tanner in Ohio, soft-spoken, taciturn, given to drink, easily hurt and embarrassed, Ulysses S. Grant was the most unlikely of heroes. But, as Korda demonstrates, Grant also possessed remarkable tenacity, decisiveness, a willingness to tackle conflict head-on, and a ruthlessly objective way of evaluating military situations. These characteristics are what enabled a shy and awkward boy to overcome his unhappy years as a West Point cadet and his lack of early success in the army. They propelled him through the ranks of military leadership to victory at Fort Donaldson, Shiloh, and Missionary Ridge; drove him in his epic pursuit of Lee to Appomattox; and eventually guided him to the presidency. Korda writes that it was Grant, with his slouchy hat, rumpled uniform, unkempt beard, and omnipresent cigar, who understood like no other man - Lincoln excepted - that the Civil War would be long and bloody, and would be won not by fancy maneuvers or clever strategy but by confronting the Confederate army in the field and defeating it." Despite his battlefield successes, Grant is often dismissed as a failed president. Examining his leadership in the White House, however, both within the context of his time and in contrast to more recent American presidents, Korda shows that, although Grant's two terms were riddled with political and financial scandals, he managed to exert a calming influence on a country that had only recently emerged from civil war, and that he sought - above all things - peace between North and South, and between the United States and the rest of the world.

SYNOPSIS

Simon & Schuster's editor-in-chief offers insights into Grant (1822- 85), 18th president of the US. Beginning this concise biography with speculation about how Grant might have felt about his tomb being used as the backdrop for a recent pop concert, Korda traces his upbringing, victories as a Civil War general, and shortcomings as president (e.g., failure to grasp economics) in the context of the times. The author urges politicians contemplating the use of force to first read Grant. Lacks an index. Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

This little book will inevitably be compared with Josiah Bunting's similarly short biography of one of the world's greatest military figures (Forecasts, June 14). The marriage of author and subject works well, although Korda (Horse People: Scenes from the Riding Life, etc.) doesn't have much new to say about Lincoln's favorite general. That's not surprising, since everyone now writes about Grant in the shadow of Edmund Wilson, who gave new fame to Grant's memoirs, and William McFeely, who has written the best full biography to date. Even so, Korda freshly characterizes his man without psychologizing an unpromising subject. Grant was, after all, unyieldingly stolid and tight-lipped. While his qualities of directness and taciturnity made him a great general, they didn't yield up a fascinating man or a great president. Korda does about as good a job of bringing Grant to life as possible and handles all the essential set pieces-Grant as Mexican War officer, Civil War general, president and author of masterful memoirs on the eve of his death-with much skill. He's less perceptive than Bunting about Grant's presidency and occasionally puts unnecessary erudition on display, but on the whole this is a highly readable, accurate study of the man. (Oct. 1) FYI: This title launches the new Eminent Lives series, edited by James Atlas. Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Library Journal

Korda, Simon & Schuster's editor in chief, initiates a new series of short biographies by trying to compact a complicated man into a short compass. Grant earned a reputation as a general and later a writer for being direct, making his orders and his autobiography clear and compelling. His military philosophy was simple: find the enemy, hit him hard, and keep moving. Korda might have taken Grant's advice. He succeeds in keeping Grant's life moving along in a series of telling anecdotes that reveal Grant as a man of unprepossessing presence in peace, cool temperament in war, bad luck in business, innocence and prescience in politics, and good fortune in marriage. But Korda relies overly on William McFeely's Grant: A Biography (1981) to get the man, and he stumbles over facts, misreads context, and wastes words in an un-Grantlike manner. Still, Korda rightly recognizes that Grant's character was more complex than the usual stereotype of him as a butcher in battle and a bungler in politics, and Grant emerges as the greatest general of his day. Useful for major public and academic libraries, but McFeely's book remains the better buy. Randall M. Miller, Saint Joseph's Univ., Philadelphia Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews