A lot of ink has been spilled covering the lives of history’s most influential figures, but how much of the forest is lost for the trees? In Charles River Editors’ American Legends series, readers can get caught up to speed on the lives of America’s most important men and women in the time it takes to finish a commute, while learning interesting facts long forgotten or never known. In the famous movie Back to the Future , Marty McFly travels back to 1955, and, in an attempt to convince his friend Doc Brown that he is from 1985, tells the 1955 version of Doc Brown that Ronald Reagan is president. Doc looks at him incredulously and laughs, chortling, “Ronald Reagan? The actor?” In a story that could have come straight out of Hollywood, the golden actor rose through California politics to become California governor and eventually the 40th President. The 70+ year old former actor then went on to have one of the most consequential presidencies of the 20th century, unquestionably making him one of the most influential men of the last 50 years. And his name is still as relevant in American politics today, with every politician with an R next to his or her name trying to claim Ronald Reagan’s conservative mantle. In the Republican presidential nomination debates in 2011, Reagan’s name was invoked an average of over 5 times per debate, more than every other president combined. Meanwhile, Americans of all stripes continue to debate the merits of “Reaganomics” more than 30 years after Reagan was elected. Like all legends, Reagan’s lengthy life and career have been molded to fit certain narratives, to the point that they obscure the actual man. American Legends: The Life of Ronald Reagan looks at the personal and family life of the Golden Age actor, governor and president, while highlighting his accomplishments and assessing his ongoing legacy. Along with pictures of Reagan and other important people and events in his life, you will learn about Reagan like you never have before, in no time at all.