In honor of the 100th anniversary of George H. W. Bush’s birth, this visually stunning chronicle features never-before-published photos and memories celebrating the 41st president’s vision of leadership as service to country --- curated by Pulitzer Prize–winning biographer Jon Meacham.

Lavishly illustrated, THE CALL TO SERVE is an intimate, illuminating portrait of the 41st president, a man who was so much more than just his politics. In words and images --- many found in a lifetime of scrapbooks kept by Barbara Pierce Bush --- Jon Meacham brings George H. W. Bush vividly to life. From the values of integrity, empathy and grace that Bush learned in childhood to his leadership at the highest levels in tumultuous times, the 41st president embodied an ideal of service that warrants attention in our own divided time.

Bush pursued a life of service to America through his heroic combat experience in the Pacific during World War II, his political rise in Texas, his serving as U.S. ambassador to the UN, his time as envoy to China and as director of the CIA, his tenure as Ronald Reagan’s vice president and his election as the 41st president of the United States. Set against the background of America during the 20th and 21st centuries, this book commemorates the legacy of a man who was far from perfect --- he could be cutthroat on the campaign trail --- but whose ambition was not an end unto itself. Bush’s drive to succeed was, rather, a means to put the values of balance, patriotism and respect for others into action in the political arena. Toward the end of Bush’s life, the 44th president, Barack Obama, said that Bush put the country first “both before he was president, while he was president and ever since.”

Featuring more than 450 photographs, Meacham’s introduction and commentary throughout and narration drawn from his biography of George H. W. Bush, DESTINY AND POWER, this is an essential tribute to a uniquely American life.