New interview: historian Barry H. Landau brings Presidential Treasures to Dallas

by Chad Jones

When the White House is planning a party, they call Barry Landau.

As an avid collector and historian, Landau has amassed a cache of more than one-million presidential artifacts that rivals the Smithsonian — or so says The Washington Post. He's worked for eight U.S. presidents, from Lyndon Johnson to Ronald Reagan to Bush II, offering what he calls "historical continuity" for White House occasions.

"Generally, they'll want to know how an invitation, menu or place setting of china looked during the time of Wilson or Lincoln," Landau said, "That kind of thing."

Interview with Barry H. Landau - Presidential historian

If you can't spare a tiny seven minutes, skip forward to 5:30 to hear Barry decide which president he would fight to the death.
(Photos copyright: Barry H. Landau - The President's Table)

Landau will be speaking at the Dallas Public Library at 7:00 p.m. on Fat, Super Tuesday, Feb the 5th, and signing copies of his book The President's Table, which details "Two-Hundred Years of Dining and Diplomacy." Meanwhile, the items themselves will be viewable from Saturday (Feb 2nd) to Tuesday (Feb 5th).

The event is part of a national tour of the American Presidency Exhibit. A reception will be held on Tuesday, February 5th from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. in the library's 3rd floor Studio, featuring Landau as well as author Jordan M. Wright (Campaigning for President), followed by a discussion and book-signing.

In the interview above, Landau . . .

gives a sneak peak of what he's bringing to town (Kennedy, Johnson and Dubya stuff, for sure)
recites a limerick written by Jacqueline Kennedy on the sexual differences between Republicans and Democrats
recounts his serendipitous meeting with First Daughter Alice Roosevelt Longworth, and how she inspired him to begin his now more than one-million-strong collection of presidential artifacts.
and more