Holiday Book Fair

The White House Historical Association hosts their annual Holiday Book Fair, a full day of holiday shopping and festivities, with 18 authors signing their award-winning books, live music, historic artifacts, and much more!

The Book Fair is free and open to the public.

Highlights include:
Book signings with 18 award-winning authors
A performance of holiday music on a unique replica of the gilded Steinway grand piano made for the Theodore Roosevelt White House.
An exhibition on “Photographing the White House” of the ten winning photographs selected from hundreds of submissions to the White House History Quarterly call for photographs.
Special Guest President Thomas Jefferson (as portrayed by Bill Barker of Monticello)
Former White House Pastry Chef Roland Mesnier will sign his new book Creating the Sweet World of White House Desserts. Selections from his unique collection of antique chocolate and ice cream molds will be on display, plus his authentic White House Eggnog will be served.
Artist and author John Hutton will offer lessons in creating presidential portraits from the new book How to Draw the Presidents and four original Hutton illustrations will be raffled.
A display of President Obama’s presidential china will be on view and former White House Curator William Allman, author of Official White House China, will be available to answer questions.
Jonathan Pliska, author of A Garden for the President, will discuss his collection of heirloom seeds, which match those purchased for the earliest White House gardens.
Reproductions of two dresses worn by First Lady Jackie Kennedy and featured in “Mid-Century Fashion and the First Ladies” will be on display.
A limited number of the signed and numbered deluxe edition of To Live on Lafayette Square by William Seale will be available on a first come basis.
Author Osborne Mackie will discuss examples of a rarely seen artifacts in the Decatur House collection, which will be on display in connection with our recently released book, The Stephen Decatur House: A History

The White House Historical Association is a private, non-profit organization founded in 1961 by First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy with a mission to protect, preserve, and provide public access to the rich history of America’s Executive Mansion. Since 1962, the White House Historical Association has published books on the history of the White House—covering topics such as architecture, gardens, fine and decorative arts, food, and presidential families. Authors include former White House staffers, historians, political cartoonists, and scholars from diverse fields.