This “perceptive” and “satisfying” biography of George Washington by an award-winning historian “deserves a place on every American’s bookshelf” (The New York Times Book Review). James Thomas Flexner’s masterful four-volume biography of America’s first president, which received a special Pulitzer Prize citation and a National Book Award for its concluding installment, is the definitive … concluding installment, is the definitive chronicle of Washington’s life and a classic work of American history. In this single-volume edition, Flexner brilliantly distills his sweeping study to offer readers “the most convincing evocation of the man and his deeds written within the compass of one book” (Los Angeles Times).
In graceful and dramatic prose, Flexner peels back the myths surrounding Washington to reveal the true complexity of his character. The only founding father from Virginia to free all his slaves, Washington was a faithful husband who harbored deep romantic feelings for his best friend’s wife. An amateur soldier, he prepared for his role as commander in chief of the Continental army by sending out to Philadelphia bookshops for treatises on military strategy. As president, he set many democratic precedents–including the two-term limit and the appointment of an advisory cabinet–yet routinely excluded his vice president, John Adams, from important decisions.
The George Washington that emerges in these pages is a shrewd statesman, a wise commander, a brave patriot, and above all, “an ordinary man pushed to greatness by the extraordinary times in which he lived” (The Christian Science Monitor). In tracing Washington’s evolution from privileged son of the landed gentry to “the indispensable man” without whom the United States as we know it would not exist, Flexner presents a hero worthy of admiration not only for his remarkable strengths, but also for his all-too-human weaknesses.
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One of the best biographies of Washington I have ever read. Highly recommended!
This is a highly readable, scholarly treatment of George Washington, which goes back to the original manuscripts. It also reviews, and critiques literature which treats Washington.
The author does tend to send you to the dictionary from time to time, to look up some obscure, or rarely used words. There are a couple problems with his prose, from the standpoint that there are some dangling participles, which can lead to confusion. The other barrier to reading this book is simply the very dense style of Washington himself, who tended to write some rather complex sentences. I should hope that they didn’t actually talk that way.
On the whole, this kind of book gives insight into the person of one of the men most influential in the founding of the United States of America. His impeccable character was distinguished by integrity, which deserves to be the standard by which all men and women who aspire to this office should be judged.