Barack Obama’s Gift Library

By Jason Boog on Galley Cat, January 21, 2011

On Tuesday, the State Department released its annual Federal Register–a report detailing “Gifts to Federal Employees from Foreign Government Sources Reported to Employing Agencies in Calendar Year 2009.”

We’ve collected all the identified books given to our president in 2009. All of these titles are now collected in federal archives, like a Warhol book (pictured) from a hip European dignitary.

Read the Federal Register for more details. It is a fairly impressive (and expensive library). The list follows below…

French President Nicolas Sarkozy: “S.T. Dupont white gold pen set; book entitled Warhol: Le Grand Monde d’ Andy Warhol. Rec’d—9/25/2009. Est. Value— Fre$3,766.00.”

Mexican President Felipe Calderón: “The National Palace of Mexico; red and brown artwork made of Olinalá lacquer. Rec’d—1/20/2009. Est. Value—$400.00.”

Calderon also gave this: “Book entitled ‘‘The Aztec Calendar and Other Solar Monuments’’ by Eduardo Matos and Felipe Solis; one metal Aztec calendar on a wooden display stand. Rec’d—8/25/2009. Est. Value—$422.00.

Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi: “Book entitled ‘‘I Vetri di Archimede Seguso dal 1950 al 1959’’; pair of blown glass candleholders and a glass fruit bowl. Rec’d—9/24/2009. Est. Value—$14,445.00.”

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown: “Black and gold pen with a wooden pen holder, made from the wood of the HMS Gannet in Chatham; book entitled Churchill and America by Martin Gilbert; book entitled Churchill: A Life by Martin Gilbert; book set entitled Biography of Winston S. Churchill by Martin Gilbert. Rec’d—3/3/2009. Est. Value—$16,510.00″

Brown also gave: “Book entitled ‘‘A Carnegie Anthology’’; book entitled ‘‘Scottish Estate Tweeds’’; one Johnstons cashmere sweater. Rec’d—10/22/2009″

Royal Danish Consulate Richard Heller: “Book entitled Restoring the Balance; book entitled The Military Balance 2009. Rec’d—3/20/2009. Est. Value—$388.00″

Pope Benedict XVI: “Gilt framed and matted mosaic depicting St. Peter’s Square; decorative gold coin with the inscription ‘‘Benedict XVI Pont Max Anno IV’’ with the profile of Pope Benedict the XVI; booklet entitled ‘‘Instruction Dignitas Personae On Certain Bioethical Questions’’; book entitled ‘‘Encyclical Letter Caritas in Veritate of the Supreme Pontiff Benedict XVI’’; silver keychain. Rec’d—7/10/2009. Est. Value—$7,905.00″

Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh: “Book entitled ‘‘Stories from the Panchatantra’’; book entitled ‘‘Ancient Tales of Wit and Wisdom’’; book entitled ‘‘The Puffin Treasury of Modern Indian Stories’’; book entitled ‘‘A History of Ancient and Early Medieval India’’; book entitled ‘‘The Gandhi Collection: History in the Making: The Visual Archives of Kulwant Roy.’’ Rec’d—12/22/2009. Est. Value—$3,572.00.”

Thanks to Book Patrol for pointing us to the original link.