Review by Choice Review
Examining the interaction of presidential communication, the mass media, and the public in the 20th century, Ryfe (communication, Middle Tennessee State Univ.) provides a novel, sophisticated, and substantive rhetorical analysis of presidential communication. He identifies four specific communication eras and constructs his analysis on the communication acts of a limited number of presidents who, he argues, exemplify these eras. This work is an outgrowth of Ryfe's doctoral study, and what is missing is an examination of the special communication problems that face unpopular presidents (Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon, George W. Bush). Perhaps Ryfe will deal with this topic in a future study. The work is extensively annotated with both substantive and source endnotes, and the bibliography is excellent; the index, unfortunately, is limited almost entirely to names. ^BSumming Up: Recommended. Graduate and research collections. P. E. Kane emeritus, SUNY College at Brockport
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review
