First dads: parenting and politics from George Washington to Barack Obama

Prologue: the sense and sensibility of James Garfield: "It is a most intense and innocent passion"

The preoccupied: "I should like to have your opinion on it"

Playful pals: "My father likes snakes"

Double-dealing dads: "You know such things happen on plantations"

Tiger dads: "I could feel nothing but sorrow and shame in your presence"

The grief-stricken: "I always see my boy playing tennis on the court out there"

The nurturers: "When is my daddy coming"

Epilogue: presidential choices: "I knew I had to share my daddy".