Throughout his career, Ronald Reagan delivered one-liners and anecdotes with finesse, but this was facilitated by his careful advance preparation. Offering special insight into the heart and soul of the 40th president, this collection contains his most intimate thoughts, his favorite quotations by others, and his own jokes, all culled from a newly disclosed set of personal notecards he kept throughout his life. Under such headings as "Liberty," "Religion," and "Political Theater," editor Douglas Brinkley groups selections whose plainspoken wit and wisdom could only have come from Reagan's pen.

"These are amusing and enlightening diaries…. I quite simply couldn't put them down."—Christopher Hitchens