Six top biographies of underappreciated historical figures

A. Scott Berg has written five biographies including Lindbergh, a 1999 Pulitzer Prize winner, and Wilson, a portrait of the 28th U.S. president. One of his six favorite biographies of underappreciated historical figures, as shared at The Week magazine:

A Country of Vast Designs by Robert Merry

Dwarfed by other political personalities in his time, James K. Polk stands tall in Merry's illuminating biography. The 11th U.S. president proves to be a commanding figure, acquiring the western third of continental America…and a conquistador mentality with it.

Read about the other entries on the list.

A Country of Vast Designs is one of John Steele Gordon's five best books about one term presidents.

--Marshal Zeringue