WRITTEN BY THE LEADING EXPERT ON U.S. INAUGURAL HISTORY   --   FEATURED ON  CBS,  MSNBC, CNN,   FOX NEWS CHANNEL,  ABC,   USA TODAY,  WASHINGTON POST,  LOS ANGELES TIMES,  CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 
BALTIMORE SUN, SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE,  NEW YORK DAILY NEWS,  BBC  and ITV (GREAT BRITAIN)

Few events in the world symbolize the essence of democracy like the inauguration of a United States president. In Democracy's Big Day: The Inauguration of our President 1789-2009, Jim Bendat paints a vivid picture of this centuries-old institution. The author details various parts of the inauguration day, beginning with the morning when the outgoing president has coffee with his successor, proceeding to the U.S. Capitol for the ceremony, and continuing with the afternoon parade and the Inaugural Ball in the evening. He shares historic and amusing vignettes about past presidents that illustrate how inauguration day has evolved from 1789 to the present. Finally, Bendat recounts the quiet inaugurations of nine presidents after the unexpected demise of their predecessors. Complete with a map of the parade route and an inauguration chart from George Washington to George W. Bush, this concise and lively book is a remarkably comprehensive history of our nation's fascinating inauguration festivities, as we look forward to the upcoming inauguration of Barack Obama as our nation's 44th president on January 20, 2009.