Mornings on Horseback is the brilliant biography of the young Theodore Roosevelt. Hailed as "a masterpiece" (John A. Gable, Newsday), it is the winner of the Los Angeles Times 1981 Book Prize for Biography and the National Book Award for Biography. Written by David McCullough, the author of Truman, this is the story of a remarkable little boy, seriously handicapped by recurrent and almost fatal asthma attacks, and his struggle to manhood: an amazing metamorphosis seen in the context of the very uncommon household in which he was raised.

The father is the first Theodore Roosevelt, a figure of unbounded energy, enormously attractive and selfless, a god in the eyes of his small, frail namesake. The mother, Mittie Bulloch Roosevelt, is a Southerner and a celebrated beauty, but also considerably more, which the book makes clear as never before. There are sisters Anna and Corinne, brother Elliott (who becomes the father of Eleanor Roosevelt), and the lovely, tragic Alice Lee, TR's first love. All are brought to life to make "a beautifully told story, filled with fresh detail", wrote The New York Times Book Review.

A book to be read on many levels, it is at once an enthralling story, a brilliant social history and a work of important scholarship which does away with several old myths and breaks entirely new ground. It is a book about life intensely lived, about family love and loyalty, about grief and courage, about "blessed" mornings on horseback beneath the wide blue skies of the Badlands.

This book given to my brother, a history buff, who did not like it. He raved about 1776 by the same author.

I NEVER RECIEVED THIS BOOK. It was returned to sender as undeliverable. The reason is the address was to my winter residence for which I have a mail transfer through the post office with mail going to my summer address and the post office would not transfer anything except fist class mail and I didn't know that when I placed the order. I will have to order it again after October first.

Overall, not bad with some entertainment and it got better in the second half. Won't read it again though..

I thought I knew much about Theodore Roosevelt before I read this book, but learned even more about him and find that he is an inspiration, the way he got over all the troubles that he had as a young child.
A very good book. Entertaining and informative.

One of McCullough's early books, 'Mornings on Horseback' may surprise readers more accustomed to the author's definitive treatments of Harry Truman or John Adams. The intentions of 'Mornings on Horseback' are slightly more modest than either of those books: it documents only Theodore Roosevelt's early life and does not attempt to be the last word as a biography of this great American president. And yet, it is no less a book for that. McCullough deftly traces the young TRs transformation from a sickly, introverted child of a wealthy New York family to a robust, confident adult ready to tackle the vast promise of America. Using family letters and diaries--and drawing on his incomparable knowledge of American history and culture--McCullough brings TR to life as a vivid, compelling, and surprisingly poignant figure. A great read....One only wishes that McCullough had gone on to do a full multi-volume TR opus. (Perhaps there's still time.) Anyway, if you like McCullough, you'll love this book. Read it!