There have been a number of misrepresentations concerning former President Ronald Reagan that have become in some circles a part of his reputation. This is not surprising. The dictatorships of Hitler and Stalin were happily built upon the premise that a lie repeated often enough becomes the stuff of truth. Two of the lesser untruths concerning President Reagan were that 1) he didn't know much and 2) the ideas he had were not his own. It is fortunate, then, that the absolutely wonderful Free Press has published a volume entitled REAGAN, IN HIS OWN HAND, which sets the record straight.

Reagan, in the years between his governorship of California and his Presidency, presented a series of short but vital radio addresses addressing foreign, domestic and economic policy in the United States. REAGAN, IN HIS OWN HAND is nothing less than a word-for-word transcription, with edits, of these addresses as written by Reagan himself without the aid of speechwriters or policy wonks. Taken together, these essays reveal the development and fruition of Reagan's vision for America. This is Reagan without the edited sound bite, without the Canadian high school dropout anchor's slant and interpretation. Essay after essay demonstrates why this son of an alcoholic, failed salesman, who rose from poverty to become the Leader --- and that's with a capital L --- of the Free World was known first and foremost as the Great Communicator. Some of these essays, particularly those dealing with the return of power to the states, seem almost prescient. They were not. Reagan simply went back to the principles that guided the establishment of this nation and used them as a guiding light.

The beauty of this volume, as with so many of the Free Press works, is in its presentation. There are reproductions of Reagan's notes (with more available at www.simonsays.com/reaganinhisownhand); commentary from associates concerning Reagan's work habits; and an exhaustive appendix of the radio addresses. The editors made a painstaking effort to ensure the accuracy of each transcription, even if it meant including the introduction to the commercial break, which rarely varied from address to address. While this becomes repetitive, it nonetheless preserves the air of authenticity that permeates this volume from beginning to end. There is, however, no reason to read it in that manner. Given the relative brevity of each radio essay, the reader can open the book at almost any point and find the beginning of an essay. The problem is not in starting to read, but rather in finding a point to stop. The ideas, and the presentation of same, in these short essays, remain nothing short of compelling. In addition to Reagan's radio essays, the volume also contains some of his works of short fiction, personal letters, and other uncollected essays.

REAGAN, IN HIS OWN HAND is the unadulterated vision of the man who, notwithstanding recent poll results naming him our greatest President, has yet to be given his full due. This volume is nothing less than absolutely wonderful for his supporters as well as for critics who might wish to have the scales fall from their eyes.