DVDs like this are always rare and exciting. In this day and age we are used to seeing our presidents on the television screen on a regular basis. But back at the turn of the 20th century even film was a new, untested medium. This DVD – the first in a three volume set dedicated to Theodore Roosevelt – contains real documentary footage (no reproductions) of Roosevelt from the late 1800s – before he ascended to the presidency (future volumes follow his career into the White House and beyond). You get to see him as one of the famous Rough Riders and later as governor of New York. Later on there is some interesting footage of Roosevelt as president attending an Army/Navy game and trying to heal the nation after President McKinley was slain by an "anarchist terrorist." Footage of this kind is very rare. At the time film was considered a novelty item – not unlike iPods today. Beyond that the type of celluloid used would break down into explosive elements over time – which means that much footage from this era was destroyed forever. Yet, somehow this footage still exists – and is very well preserved. The digital preservation of these films is in and of itself an important historical event.