The Myth of the Modern Presidency is a major contribution to how we ought to think about the American presidency, especially its constitutional roots and historical development. It forcefully challenges the reigning paradigm of the 'modern presidency,' arguing that all the essential elements of the post-FDR presidency were present in the constitutional design of the framers and were exhibited in practice well before the twentieth century. This is a book that presidential and constitutional scholars will be compelled to confront.-Joseph Bessette, Claremont McKenna CollegeThe idea that a radical transformation of the Presidency took place during the FDR administration has become one of the most widely accepted tenets of contemporary scholarship. According to this view, the Constitutional Presidency was a product of the Founders' fear of arbitrary power. Only with the development of a popular extra-Constitutional Presidency did the powerful "modern Presidency" emerge.David K. Nichols...