This book contains a collection of Stephen Hess's best essays on the presidency. Written over a fifteen year period, the essays selected are just as relevant today as when they were first published. Each essay says something useful about the office of the presidency or a specific president.

The book includes:

•"Presidential Qualities," originally published when Richard Nixon was president, addresses the characteristics we should want in a chief executive regardless of whether or not we agree with him.

•"Why Great Men Are Not Chosen Presidents: Lord Bryce Revisited" asks whether changes in the process by which we select presidential candidates would result in different kinds of people seeking office.

•"Toward a More Functional Presidency," written after Watergate, rethinks the appropriate role of the president and offers a job description.