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The former president wrote more bestsellers than were written about him

According to data published by The New York Times, the 100-year-old former president is the most prolific presidential author

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Jimmy Carter

Jimmy Carter has another important milestone to celebrate on his 100th birthday as he becomes the most successful author of any former president.

The 39th president, who turned 100 on Tuesday, October 1, was considered the most prolific author of all former presidents after writing best-selling books, according to an analysis published by The Times. New York Times.

After running for president in 1981 at the age of 56, Carter wrote 20 books that became NYT bestsellers and co-authored a total of 32 books during his life.

They belong to them Talking Peace: A vision for the next generation(1995),Extraordinary Motherwritten in tribute to his mother Lilian Carter (2008), White House Journal (2010) and its latest title Faith: a journey for all (2018), among many others.

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Jimmy Carter pictured in 2014.

Related: Jimmy Carter turns 100! The longest-living president reaches a historic milestone 19 months after being admitted to Hospice

Carter tops the list of most prolific presidential writers, followed by Richard Nixon in second place and Dwight Eisenhower in third. The list was compiled using sales data for hardcover nonfiction books dating back to 1931, compiled by: NYTby socket.

Other notable former presidents included on the list include Bill Clinton in fourth place, Barack Obama in sixth place, George W. Bush in ninth place and Donald Trump in tenth place.

Although Carter is a best-selling author, the least has been written about him and his time in office, which stands in stark contrast. “It’s true that he’s written a lot, but it’s also true that he’s kind of an overlooked president,” said Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer Kai Bird NYT.

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Related: 13 Memorable Photos of Jimmy Carter and Rosalynn Carter With Family β€” In Honor of His 100th Birthday!

β€œHe transcends what has been written about him, which may be why people don’t always write about him,” added Meredith Evans, director of the Carter Presidential Library and Museum in Atlanta.

One of the bestsellers written about the longest-living president was First Lady of the Plains his late wife Rosalynn Carter, published in 1984. The former first lady died in 2023 at the age of 96.

As is often the case during any writing career, Carter has also faced criticism for some of his titles, including Palestine: peace, not apartheid (2006) for his perceived stance towards Israel and his 1982 memories Keeping the faithWhich NYT previously considered “flat and impersonal”.

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Former President Jimmy Carter pictured in 1980

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A milestone in the former president’s career was when Carter celebrated his 100th birthday on Tuesday, October 1, 19 months after entering hospice care. This makes him the oldest living former president and the longest-living president in US history.

Speaking about his legacy in his 2010 memoir, White House JournalCarter wrote, “I only had one life, and I wanted to live it as a civilian, with potentially fuller opportunities for varied public service.”

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