On the face of it this series seems an excellent idea: a timeline and a short chronological biography, followed by sections that focus on three key issues about the individual concerned. Then some exam-style questions, to test students’ understanding of the issue. Very minimalist and very exam focused.

Each book in the series begins with a brief section ‘Why do Historians Differ?’ This is meant to set the scene for the ‘interpretations’ work. To a certain extent it does, but to say that ‘a Marxist historian looking at an historical issue may take a completely different viewpoint to a non-Marxist historian’ doesn’t really add a great deal to our understanding of why historians differ. The introduction states ‘it is important therefore, for students to understand why historians differ in their views….’ Unfortunately these texts show how historians’ views differ, without really exploring the why, or giving students enough information to work it out for themselves.

JFK and LBJ focuses on three key issues. The text is particularly good at putting events into context, and comparing achievements – in’ domestic policies’; in ‘black civil rights’; and in ‘involving the USA in Vietnam’. Continuities – and changes – are effectively picked out by this approach, as is the way Johnson used Kennedy’s death to push through Kennedy’s – and Johnson’s own – political agenda; but again, I can’t help feeling that the very brevity of the text – 64 small pages – means students are going to get a brief introduction to complex topics and need to go elsewhere for the detail.

Considerable effort has been put into making the texts accessible – language, structure, etc, are all appropriate for the target audience, and each author uses a wide range of historians to tell students the differing views. I can’t help feeling though, that these books don’t really do justice to such important topics.