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''An Invitation to the White House: At Home with History'' is a 2000
coffee table book A coffee table book, also known as a cocktail table book, is an oversized, usually hard-covered book whose purpose is for display on a table intended for use in an area in which one entertains guests and from which it can serve to inspire convers ...
written by
First Lady of the United States The first lady of the United States (FLOTUS) is the title held by the hostess of the White House, usually the wife of the president of the United States, concurrent with the president's term in office. Although the first lady's role has never ...
Hillary Rodham Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, diplomat, and former lawyer who served as the 67th United States Secretary of State for President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, as a United States sen ...
. Published by
Simon & Schuster Simon & Schuster () is an American publishing company and a subsidiary of Paramount Global. It was founded in New York City on January 2, 1924 by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster. As of 2016, Simon & Schuster was the third largest publi ...
, it describes life at the
White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in ...
during the
Clinton administration Bill Clinton's tenure as the 42nd president of the United States began with his first inauguration on January 20, 1993, and ended on January 20, 2001. Clinton, a Democrat from Arkansas, took office following a decisive election victory over ...
, including the renovation and refurbishment projects that were done and the emphasis on
American cuisine American cuisine consists of the cooking style and traditional dishes prepared in the United States. It has been significantly influenced by Europeans, indigenous Native Americans, Africans, Asians, Pacific Islanders, and many other cultures a ...
.


Background and writing

Plans for the book were announced publicly in April 1999. A spokesperson for the publisher said that Clinton had first thought of the idea for the book a year and a half earlier. Clinton worked on the book during the
United States Senate election in New York, 2000 In the United States Senate election held in the State of New York on November 7, 2000, Hillary Rodham Clinton, then First Lady of the United States and the first First Lady to run for political office, defeated U.S. Representative Rick Lazio. T ...
, often writing notes or text out longhand in between campaign stops. Writer Cheryl Merser was stated to be assisting Clinton with the research and writing of the work; she met with Clinton twice during this period. The book was completed during summer 2000, but publication of it was held up until after the Senate election, to avoid the appearance that Clinton was using the book to gain an advantage with her time as First Lady. Thus the book was released shortly before the author left the White House to take her seat in the
United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and po ...
.


Themes of the book

The book is the most traditional of Clinton's publications, having less to do with politicking than with hostessing. In particular, it sought to portray the author as "a keeper of tradition". Clinton received no advance and sales proceeds for the $35 book were given to the
White House Historical Association The White House Historical Association, founded in 1961 through efforts of First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy, is a private, non-profit organization that works to preserve the history of the White House and make that history more accessible to the pub ...
, a private, non-profit organization with a mission to enhance the public's understanding, appreciation, and enjoyment of the White House. That association also holds the book's copyright. The book's foreword is by
J. Carter Brown John Carter Brown III (October 8, 1934 – June 17, 2002) was the director of the U.S. National Gallery of Art from 1969 to 1992 and a leading figure in American intellectual life. Under Brown's direction, the National Gallery became one of the ...
, former director of the
National Gallery of Art The National Gallery of Art, and its attached Sculpture Garden, is a national art museum in Washington, D.C., United States, located on the National Mall, between 3rd and 9th Streets, at Constitution Avenue NW. Open to the public and free of ch ...
. Its introduction is by historian Carl Sferrazza Anthony. Chapters of the book include ones that discuss the historical aspects of the White House, what goes on behind the scenes, how White House functions celebrate arts and culture and Americans of accomplishment, and traditions associated with the winter holidays. Much attention is given to the two-year renovation of the Blue Room. The final 90 pages of the book are devoted to various recipes of the White House Kitchens.''An Invitation to the White House'', Front matter. The volume contains over 350 color and black-and-white photographs. Most were taken by various photographers of the White House Photo Office, including
Ralph Alswang Ralph Alswang (April 12, 1916 – February 1979) was an American theatre and film director, designer, and producer. He designed scenery, lighting, and costumes for nearly 100 Broadway productions. He also designed venues such as the George Gershwin ...
and Barbara Kinney, along with never-before-published family photographs. Many of the photographs of food items were taken by Romulo Yanes.''An Invitation to the White House'', Photo credits on p. 304. It contains a general allusion to the controversies and investigations that the Clintons were the subject of during their time in the White House. But it does not discuss any of them in particular; the only mention of the
Lincoln Bedroom The Lincoln Bedroom is a bedroom which is part of a guest suite located in the southeast corner of the second floor of the White House in Washington, D.C. The Lincoln Sitting Room makes up the other part of the suite. The room is named for Presi ...
makes no reference to the Lincoln Bedroom for contributors controversy. Nor does it discuss Clinton's feelings or inner thoughts about being First Lady; that would have to come with her 2003 memoir ''
Living History Living history is an activity that incorporates historical tools, activities and dress into an interactive presentation that seeks to give observers and participants a sense of stepping back in time. Although it does not necessarily seek to ree ...
''.


Critical and commercial reception

The publisher,
Simon & Schuster Simon & Schuster () is an American publishing company and a subsidiary of Paramount Global. It was founded in New York City on January 2, 1924 by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster. As of 2016, Simon & Schuster was the third largest publi ...
, undertook a publicity campaign for the book and two others on American design as part of the holiday buying season. The book's appearance also coincided with the 200th anniversary of the White House itself and several other books on that subject. A book party was held at the White House in December 2000 with over 300 guests. The book sold well, spending nine weeks on ''The New York Times'' Best Seller list for hardcover non-fiction, peaking at number five. This is the last entry on the list before dropping into 'Also Selling'. See the previous entries under similar URLs for the peak position. The photography and scheme of illustrations in the book was generally characterized as "glossy" or "lavish". Regarding its content, Marian Burros of ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' wrote that
At the very moment Hillary Rodham Clinton has shattered the mold of First Lady by winning a Senate seat, she is also celebrating the traditional side of her life for the last eight years, as chatelaine of the Executive Mansion. ... she makes a case that a policy wonk can also pour her energies into the entertaining and 'cookie baking' side of being First Lady.
Lawrence L. Knutson of the
Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. new ...
wrote that "The closest that the book comes to political or policy debate is a description of the intense inner-circle deliberations on choosing the right shade of deep sapphire blue for the Blue Room's new look." Sherryl Connolly of the '' Daily News'' wrote that
the surprise of this book is Clinton's spotlighting her domestic duties – when for eight years she has worked so determinedly to expand the role beyond the traditional and expected. But there she is, pictured fingering carpet swatches and fussing over the flower arrangements for last year's millennium celebration dinner.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Invitation to the White House 2000 non-fiction books Books by Hillary Clinton Simon & Schuster books Coffee table books White House