Reagan, In His Own Hand

Reagan, In His Own Hand: The Writings of Ronald Reagan That Reveal His Revolutionary Vision for America is a collection of Reagan's writings, primarily from the 1970s, published in book form.

Carnegie Mellon professor Kiron Skinner, the first researcher granted access to Reagan's papers after Edmund Morris, discovered a number of papers written in Reagan's own hand—mostly rough drafts intended for typists—in the Pre-Presidential Papers at the Reagan Library. Along with Annelise and Martin Anderson, both fellows at the Hoover Institution, she set about editing and publishing these papers. The trio concentrated on the radio addresses Reagan wrote in the years immediately preceding his presidency.

The finished volume produces typed copies of Reagan's drafts with most of his emendations intact. Several drafts are also reproduced photographically. The radio material is divided into philosophy, foreign policy, and domestic and economic policy. A fourth section includes various other writings from 1925 to his farewell letter of 1994. (The farewell letter, the last known example of Reagan's writing, is not reproduced photographically; a reproduction may be seen in Morris's Dutch.) The book also includes a foreword by Reagan's Secretary of State, George P. Schultz; an introduction with information on Reagan's writing habits, speaking techniques, and 1970s radio addresses; and an index of Reagan's radio addresses.

Critics generally agreed that In His Own Hand offers a comprehensive view of Reagan's political philosophy and a useful introduction to modern American conservatism.^[1] New York Times commentator David Brooks used the book to demonstrate a hypothetical divide within conservatism between "Reaganites and Bushies," the former being inclined toward ideas and the latter toward management.^[2]

The team of researchers who edited In His Own Hand released a small companion volume, Stories in His Own Hand: The Everyday Wisdom of Ronald Reagan. This volume contains 30 radio addresses and six other pieces focusing on values, love, and humor. An introduction by George P. Schultz is included.

1. ↑ e.g. Berrett 2003.
2. ↑ Brooks 2001.

• Berrett, Jesse, review of Reagan in His Own Hand: The Writings of Ronald Reagan that Reveal His Revolutionary Vision for America, by Ronald Reagan, The History Teacher 36, no. 2 (Feb. 2003). http://www.historycooperative.org/journals/ht/36.2/br_16.html. Accessed April 22, 2007.

• Brooks, David, "Reagan Was a Reaganite," New York Times, January 28, 2001. https://www.nytimes.com/books/01/01/28/reviews/010128.28brookst.html. Accessed April 22, 2007.

• Morris, Edmund. Dutch: A Memoir of Ronald Reagan. New York: Random House, 1999.

• Reagan, Ronald. Reagan, In His Own Hand: The Writings of Ronald Reagan That Reveal His Revolutionary Vision For America. Edited by Kiron K. Skinner, Annelise Anderson, and Martin Anderson. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2001.

• Reagan, Ronald. Stories in His Own Hand: The Everyday Wisdom of Ronald Reagan. Edited by Kiron K. Skinner, Annelise Anderson, and Martin Anderson. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2001.