Former president Bill Clinton's new book isn't the only presidential biography published this month.
For the first time in more than 70 years, a historian has published an account of New Hampshire's own Franklin Pierce.
NHPR's Mark Bevis has more.
THE LAST TIME SOMEONE PUBLISHED A BIOGRAPHY OF PRESIDENT FRANKLIN PIERCE, HERBERT HOOVER WAS IN THE OVAL OFFICE.
THE BIOGRAPHER WAS NOTED HISTORIAN ROY NICHOLS AND THE YEAR WAS 1931.
AND HIS BIOGRAPHY OF NEW HAMPSHIRE'S NATIVE SON, CEMENTED PIERCES IMAGE AS INDECISIVE AND WEAK.
IN THOSE DAYS OF COMPROMISES, PIERCE SPOKE OUT AGAINST SLAVERY BUT DID NOTHING ABOUT IT.
HE THOUGHT THE ABOLITIONIST MOVEMENT WAS TOO STRIDENT AND THAT SLAVERY WOULD EVENTUALLY RUN ITS COURSE.
THAT POSITION HAS LED MANY HISTORIANS TO HOLD PIERCE AT LEAST SOMEWHAT RESPONSIBLE FOR THE CIVIL WAR THAT RIPPED THE NATION APART JUST FOUR YEAR AFTER HE LEFT OFFICE.
HISTORIAN PETER WALLNER DECIDED IT WAS TIME THAT PIERCE GOT ANOTHER LOOK.
AND HE'S WRITTEN A NEW BIOGRAPHY OF PIERCE THAT OFFERS A RE-INTERPRETATION OF AMERICA'S 14TH PRESIDENT.
TAPED INTERVIEW WITH WALLNER.
HISTORIAN PETER WALLNER HAS JUST WRITTEN A NEW BIOGRAPHY TITLED FRANKLIN PIERCE: NEW HAMPSHIRE'S FAVORITE SON, PUBLISHED BY PLAIDSWEDE.
WALLNER HOPES TO FINISH A SECOND VOLUMN ON PIERCE BY 2008.
FOR NHPR NEWS, THIS IS MARK BEVIS.
