POTUS
Icons, Artifacts and History That Shaped the American Presidency
Coming November 17th, 2026 from Abrams Books
Pre-Order POTUS
Order multiple copies and get a fine art print! Learn how
Sending the book to friends, family, or colleagues? Choose our gift delivery option
About the book
A revealing look inside the archives of the American presidency, from Hoover to Obama
Every four or eight years, at exactly 12 p.m. on January 20, a fleet of unmarked trucks can be seen idling outside the White House. These are moving trucks, and the movers are engaged in a race against time: they have until noon that day to carry off the last vestiges of one presidency before another begins. Their destination is the National Archives, where every document and every object the president, their family, or administration touched during their time in office will be systematically processed and stored until the former president completes construction of their presidential library.
In POTUS, photographer Peter Adams takes readers inside the archives—and lives—of modern American presidents dating back to the 1929 presidency of Herbert Hoover. For five years, Adams turned his lens towards the artifacts housed within the network of presidential libraries run by the National Archives in order to explore the processes, personalities, and history that shaped the most powerful office on Earth.
Using striking photography along with short historical narratives and anecdotes that bring each artifact to life, Adams takes us on a tour of hundreds of iconic objects and documents—some of which have rarely, if ever, been seen by the public.
Barack Obama’s Blackberry smartphone. Franklin Roosevelt’s lucky fedora. The safety plug of the atomic bomb dropped on Nagasaki. The telephone used by Richard Nixon to speak with the Apollo astronauts on the Moon. Dwight Eisenhower’s written orders to Allied troops on D-day and the note he prepared in case the invasion failed. These are just a handful of the visually stunning objects, memos, notes, memorabilia and mementoes that stand as reminders of events that shed light on who the presidents really were—especially when the cameras weren’t rolling— or that, quite literally, shaped the world as we know it.
Memorabilia
Buttons, posters, and keepsakes from the front lines of presidential politics. These artifacts capture the energy, ambition, and messaging that propelled candidates toward the White House.
Extraordinary Letters
Private letters that reveal the human side of power. Written in moments of crisis, hope, or desperation, they show how citizens, soldiers, and world leaders sought to reach the president at pivotal moments in history.
Iconic Objects
Objects that bore witness to history as it unfolded. Today they survive as tangible evidence of the events that shaped the both the presidency and the world.
Surprising Gifts
Gifts presented to presidents by citizens, allies, and world leaders. Often unexpected or symbolic, they reveal how people sought to impress, influence, or connect with the presidency.
Secret Documents
Confidential memoranda, diplomatic cables, and directives that circulated quietly through the corridors of power. Intended for only a handful of eyes, they record the debates and decisions behind the presidency’s most consequential choices.
Personal Effects
The everyday items presidents kept close at hand. These personal objects reveal the habits, beliefs, and private lives behind the public office.
About The Author
Peter Adams is an award-winning photographer whose work has been published in numerous outlets, including The Washington Post, The New York Times, National Geographic, Bloomberg Businessweek, and New York magazine.
In 2021, he began what would become the largest photographic exploration of the presidential library system operated by the National Archives. Over four years of research and travel, he gained rare access to these archives, locating and photographing more than 1,200 iconic objects and records—some of which have never, or rarely, been exhibited.
Adams studied political science at Trinity College and brings a journalist’s eye to his photographic practice. His work bridges visual storytelling and archival research, using photography to explore how history has been shaped and remembered.
