Reinventing Richard Nixon : a cultural history of an American obsession / Daniel Frick.

Includes bibliographical references (pages [285]-315) and index.

Introduction. Richard Nixon and the -- Many Faces of a Representative American -- 1. "Ragged Dick" Nixon, American Missionary -- 2. Jeremiah at San Clemente: Richard Nixon and the Decline of the American Republic -- 3. "Anyone Can Be the President": Behind the Mask of Success -- 4. The Self-Made Monster: America and the Myth of National Mission -- 5. Richard Mephisto Nixon: Further Adventures in American Political Demonology -- 6. "Never Give Up": American Orthodoxy, Revised Standard Version -- 7. Nixon, Now More than Ever.

"Examining Nixon's autobiographies and political memorabilia, Frick offers far-reaching perceptions not only of the man but of Nixon's version of himself - contrasted with those who would interpret him differently. He cites reinventions of Nixon from the late 1980s, particularly the museum at the Richard Nixon Library and Birthplace, to demonstrate the resilience of certain national mythic narratives in the face of liberal critiques. And he recounts how celebrants at Nixon's state funeral, at which Bob Dole's eulogy depicted a God-fearing American hero, attempted to bury the sources of our divisions over him, rendering in some minds the judgment of "redeemed statesman" to erase his status as "disgraced president."" "With dozens of illustrations - Nixon posing with Elvis (the National Archives' most requested photo), Nixonian cultural artifacts, classic editorial cartoons - no other book collects in one place such varied images of Nixon from so many diverse media. These reinforce Frick's probing analysis to help us understand why we disagree about Nixon - and why it matters how we resolve our disagreements."--BOOK JACKET.