It’s not what we think he should read, but what Washington Monthly thinks. We think he should read lots and lots of classics, of course… and hey! One of the books on Washington Monthly’s list is William James’ The Will to Believe, which is available in a beautiful Cosimo edition (as are lots of other works by James).

Also on the list: George Santayana’s Character and Opinion in the United States, a worthy suggestion. We’ll also recommend Santayana’s classic discourse on aesthetics and the arts, The Sense of Beauty, available in a Cosimo edition, because we’d like President Obama to remember the arts in his economic stimulus packages. (If FDR’s Works Progress Administration could operate major projects in the arts, media, drama, and literacy, then so can Obama’s modern equivalent.)

The Washington Monthly list probably wouldn’t have been complete without a Lincoln book, and indeed, Garry Wills’ Lincoln at Gettysburg is featured. We recommend two other books that offer the firsthand wisdom of that other President from Illinois: Abraham Lincoln: The Gettysburg Speech and Other Papers and The Lincoln Year Book: Axioms and Aphorisms From the Great Emancipator. Both are, of course, available in Cosimo editions.

Cosimo books are available at Amazon.com and from other online booksellers.