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edited with an introduction and commentary by

"A fascinating and valuable collection...an excellent glimpse into Reagan

"These handwritten documents prove (to the dismay of all speechwriters) that the original revolutionary was Ronald Reagan…[They] reveal a writer adept at marshaling a philosophical argument in a listener-friendly, conversational style…We are struck by the workings of one man’s mind expressed through a pen in his hand."

On February 6, 2001, Ronald Reagan’s 90^th birthday, The Free Press will publish REAGAN, IN HIS OWN HAND [$30.00], a landmark collection of radio addresses and other documents handwritten by the former president that recounts his role as an original thinker, not just a great communicator. No other book provides such an open and direct window into his mind.

Critics of Ronald Reagan have frequently charged that, as president, he was primarily a mouthpiece for other people’s ideas. The willingness of many of Reagan’s aides to claim responsibility for the ideas that formed the basis of his administration’s policies lent credence to this belief. But Kiron M. Skinner, an assistant professor of history and political science at Carnegie Mellon University, along with Annelise Anderson and Martin Anderson, two of Reagan’s closest domestic advisers, have delved into Reagan’s personal papers--almost never seen by scholars or historians--to demonstrate the extent to which Reagan himself was responsible for the intellectual framework of the "Reagan Revolution."

From the time he left the governorship of California in 1974 through his successful presidential campaign in 1980, Reagan supported himself by broadcasting a daily radio address, writing a biweekly newspaper column, and delivering speeches on domestic and foreign policy. As the boxes of handwritten documents in his archives prove, he composed two-thirds of the more than 1,000 radio addresses himself, using them to formulate the ideas that would propel him to the White House.

REAGAN, IN HIS OWN HAND offers typescripts of these original documents, including his revisions, and in the process reveals the fullness and the breadth of his political thought--and the

clarity with which he was able to communicate that thought to the American public.

Here are Ronald Reagan’s pre-presidential thoughts on everything from Cold War politics ("We want to avoid a war and that is better achieved by being so strong that a potential enemy is not tempted to go adventuring") to domestic issues ("I did more studying, researching, and soul searching [on abortion] than on anything that was to face me").

Here are some of the earliest glimpses of his views on foreign policy, defense spending, and economic reform, as well as prescient opinions on subjects as diverse as presidential elections ("Those who want to do away with the electoral college really mean they want the president elected in a national referendum with no reference as to how each state votes") and marijuana ("if adults want to take such chances that is their business"). And here is his commitment to the cause of freedom, America and its people, "individuals each with his or her own hopes and dreams, plans and problems, and the kind of quiet courage that makes this whole country run better than just about any other place on earth."

In addition to hundreds of scripts from the radio addresses, REAGAN, IN HIS OWN HAND includes representative documents from throughout Reagan’s life, from teenage short stories to the emotional 1994 letter in which the former president revealed his Alzheimer’s diagnosis to the public.

Former Secretary of State George P. Shultz contributes a thoughtful foreword with a personal perspective on Reagan’s participation in the development of his administration’s policies.

REAGAN, IN HIS OWN HAND reintroduces America to a Ronald Reagan most never knew, and will forever change the way he is viewed by history.

edited with an introduction and commentary by Kiron K. Skinner, Annelise Anderson, and Martin Anderson, with an introduction by George P. Shultz

February 6, 2001/$30.00/549 pp./0-7432-0123-X