Booknotes: Ulysses's Odyssey

New Arrival:

• Ulysses’s Odyssey: Ulysses S. Grant’s World Tour at the Dawn of American Empire by Louis L. Picone (Savas Beatie, 2026).

From the description: "In May 1877, Ulysses S. Grant, newly departed from two terms in the White House, embarked on an extraordinary three-year journey that defined a pivotal moment in the Gilded Age. Driven by a lifelong passion for travel and unburdened by a fixed itinerary, Grant set out to explore the world, his wanderlust sustained by modest means." Louis Picone’s Ulysses’s Odyssey: Ulysses S. Grant’s World Tour at the Dawn of American Empire "chronicles this unprecedented adventure, illuminating its historical significance and Grant’s enduring legacy."

More than a mere grand vacation, Grant's journey was an exceptional one involving both interactions with world leaders and wide-ranging engagement with local flavor. More from the description: "Grant’s odyssey spanned continents, from Europe’s capitals to uncharted terrain for an American president, including Egypt, the Holy Land, the Ottoman Empire, Russia, India, Siam, Saigon, China, and Japan where he was welcomed by throngs and honored by monarchs, kings, queens, emperors, and heads of state. Grant immersed himself in local cultures: He scaled Mount Vesuvius, sailed the Nile, rode elephants in India, and strolled the streets of Sicily, where he was cautioned about the mafia."

Grant wound down his world tour on more familiar ground. More: "In September 1879, thousands greeted Grant’s return at San Francisco heralding him as a national hero. His journey continued across the United States via the Transcontinental Railroad, culminating in Philadelphia’s grandest reception, where his global voyage was celebrated with unparalleled fervor. His travels were not yet over. Weeks later he ventured south to Cuba, Mexico, and the Southern states, where former Confederates and the formerly enslaved alike cheered his presence." The tour concluded, it was back to national politics. "Returning to Illinois just before the 1880 Republican convention, Grant entered the presidential race for a third time, his global perspective newly sharpened."

"(D)rawing upon Grant’s extensive papers, accounts of fellow travelers, letters, diaries, historic newspapers, and myriad other sources," Picone's narrative "reveals Grant’s personality, core decency, and sense of humor, and explores the trip’s significance at the time before it faded from public memory." Supplementing the text are a number of photographs, mostly of Grant sitting or standing with dignitaries. Restoring Grant's epic world tour "to its rightful place in history," the book's intended audience broadly includes "anyone interested in American presidents, the Gilded Age, or foreign policy."