Welcoming its first executive in 1842, the Mississippi Governor’s Mansion is the second-oldest continuously occupied governor’s residence in the United States. The Mansion is both a public building open for tours and the private residence of the governor and his family. In this unique book, readers are invited to explore the entirety of the building, from the attic to the garage and everything in between. The Mississippi Governor’s Mansion: Memories of the People’s Home is the first book of its kind dedicated to images and stories about the Governor’s Mansion. The volume reveals Governor Phil Bryant’s profound respect for the office he holds and his deep appreciation for the National Historic Landmark in which he resides. Through his personal, often touching reflections, Governor Bryant pays tribute to former governors, their families, and the many public servants who have dedicated their lives to taking care of this beautiful Greek Revival masterpiece. More than sixty elegant watercolor paintings by noted Mississippi artist Bill Wilson accompany the governor’s stories. Wilson captures the beauty and majesty of the home, its furnishings, and the restored historic grounds. The volume also features a personal foreword by First Lady Deborah Bryant inviting readers into her home, an artist’s statement by Wilson, and a brief historical essay written by Mansion curator Megan Bankston.

Glossy color photographs lavishly depict the residences of the governors of 44 states (six states do not have governor's mansions). Each state's mansion receives its own section picturing public and private rooms, exterior and grounds, and artworks and furnishings within. Text combines architectural description and attention to interior decoration with historical anecdotes and occasional reference to the lives of the residents; Keating, First Lady of the State of Oklahoma, assures us in her introduction that "First Families are people, too."Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

You are invited to dine at the Texas Governor’s Mansion, to be the guest of the first ladies and two women governors of the Lone Star State, as they offer (through author Carl McQueary) some of their finest recipes and favorite stories of life in the heart of Austin. The ingredients in Dining at the Governor’s Mansion include one part culinary history and one part social history, along with a generous helping of recipes cooked by Texas first ladies, or (in later years) their personal chefs, from the completion of the Austin mansion in 1856 down to the present. Carl McQueary’s folksy cookbook offers a look at food and its preparation, entertaining at the Mansion, and the challenges the women faced keeping the old home together. It includes brief biographical sketches of the first ladies, who usually orchestrated food service for both family meals and social or political events, and considerable background on the mansion’s infrastructure challenges, interior decoration, landscaping, and restoration. The book also provides an intimate portrait of Texas life during the last century and a half, since the trends in food enjoyed by the governors and their families, especially in their private lives, have been surprisingly similar to those enjoyed by even the humblest of Texas citizens. Most of all, it presents dozens of tasty, appetizing, historic recipes tested by McQueary in his own kitchen and annotated for the contemporary cook. No matter how you slice it up—as Texas history, food history, women’s hisory, or cookbook—Dining at the Governor’s Mansion offers a palate-pleasing smorgasbord for your reading, dining, or gift-giving pleasure.

Designed by Atlanta architect A. Thomas Bradbury and opened in 1968, the mansion has been home to eight first families and houses a distinguished collection of American art and antiques. Often called “the people’s house,” the mansion is always on display, always serving the public. Memories of the Mansion tells the story of the Georgia Governor’s Mansion—what preceded it and how it came to be as well as the stories of the people who have lived and worked here since its opening in 1968. The authors worked closely with the former first families (Maddox, Carter, Busbee, Harris, Miller, Barnes, Perdue, and Deal) to capture behind-the-scenes anecdotes of what life was like in the state’s most public house. This richly illustrated book not only documents this extraordinary place and the people who have lived and worked here, but it will also help ensure the preservation of this historic resource so that it may continue to serve the state and its people.