There are few books greater than 700 pages in length (almost 850 with footnotes, etc.) that are real page-turners. Steven Hayward's 2001 The Age of Reagan: The Fall of the Old Liberal Order 1964-1980 is one of them. Age of Reagan is not entirely about Ronald Reagan. It is, instead, a political history--at the federal level--of the United States from 1964-1980. It is, as the subtitle says, about the fall of the "old liberal order" and the subsequent rise of Reagan. The story from Lyndon Johnson's huge victory in 1964 to Reagan's huge victory in 1980 is a story of the exposure of the failure of governmental ordering of society and economics. Johnson's Great Society, the impact of Vietnam, the rise of the New Left, the return of Nixon, the fall of Nixon, Reagan's insurgent 1976 campaign, and Carter's failed presidency are all covered in fascinating detail in this book. The book really picks up steam in discussing the 1976 and 1980 elections. Hayward is a conservative, and this book is written from a conservative worldview. But Hayward does not ignore Reagan's gaffes and, in discussing contemporary opinions, seemingly quotes from the pages of The New Republic as much as he does from National Review. Age of Reagan is, in short, fair, comprehensive, fun, and essential for those interested in recent American political history.
UPDATE (2/12/2011): See review of Hayward's sequel here.
