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Kevin J. Hayes

George Washington: A Life in Books

by Kevin J. Hayes (Author) Format: Hardcover

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When it comes to the Founding Fathers, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, and Alexander Hamilton are generally considered the great minds of early America. George Washington, instead, is toasted with accolades regarding his solid common sense and strength in battle. Indeed, John Adams once snobbishly dismissed him as "too illiterate, unlearned, unread for his station and reputation." Yet Adams, as well as the majority of the men who knew Washington in his life, were unaware of his singular devotion to self-improvement.

Based on a comprehensive amount of research at the Library of Congress, the collections at Mount Vernon, and rare book archives scattered across the country, Kevin J. Hayes corrects this misconception and reconstructs in vivid detail the active intellectual life that has gone largely unnoticed in conventional narratives of Washington. Despite being a lifelong reader, Washington felt an acute sense of embarrassment about his relative lack of formal education and cultural sophistication, and in this sparkling literary biography, Hayes illustrates just how tirelessly Washington worked to improve. Beginning with the primers, forgotten periodicals, conduct books, and classic eighteenth-century novels such as Tom Jones that shaped Washington's early life, Hayes studies Washington's letters and journals, charting the many ways the books of his upbringing affected decisions before and during the Revolutionary War. The final section of the book covers the voluminous reading that occurred during Washington's presidency and his retirement at Mount Vernon. Throughout, Hayes examines Washington's writing as well as his reading, from The Journal of Major George Washington through his Farewell Address. The sheer breadth of titles under review here allow readers to glimpse Washington's views on foreign policy, economics, the law, art, slavery, marriage, and religion-and how those views shaped the young nation..

Ultimately, this sharply written biography offers a fresh perspective on America's Father, uncovering the ideas that shaped his intellectual journey and, subsequently, the development of America.

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Print length

408 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Oxford University Press
Publication date

May 1, 2017
Dimensions

6.5 x 1.2 x 9.3 inches
ISBN-10

0190456671
ISBN-13

978-0190456672

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Editorial Reviews

Review

"In this new work, Kevin J. Hayes shatters the myth of an ignorant, unread Washington and does something even more difficult: Hayes not only has tracked down new discoveries in one of the most studied American lives, but he reveals a much more human portrait of the great man than most biographies have been able to reveal. Hayes makes George Washington even more real, and more significant... Kevin J. Hayes's study will reward the reader with a newfound respect for our first president and imparts a renewed sense of the sustained curiosity of truly great leaders. It is a book even John Adams might have enjoyed." -- The Weekly Standard

"This is a highly enjoyable and informative book. For anyone interested in the primary documentation of the lives of the Founding Fathers or for anyone wishing to be an informed visitor to Mount Vernon, this is essential reading." -- Journal of the American Revolution

Winner of The 2018 George Washington Prize

Book Description

From one of the great biographers for Revolutionary America, a captivating and influential literary biography of America's Father

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Oxford University Press
Publication date ‏ : ‎ May 1, 2017
Edition ‏ : ‎ Illustrated
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Print length ‏ : ‎ 408 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0190456671
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0190456672
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.31 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.5 x 1.2 x 9.3 inches
Best Sellers Rank: #613,100 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #307 in American Revolution Biographies (Books)
- #744 in U.S. Revolution & Founding History
- #813 in US Presidents
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Kevin J. Hayes

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Kevin J. Hayes spent most of his twenties as a bike bum. Returning home from distant parts of the globe, he would regale friends with stories of his two-wheeled adventures. He now channels his story-telling abilities to reconstructing the lives of people from the past. He has told the stories of some intrepid cyclists of the high-wheeled era, but his main focus has been on leading figures in American history and culture—Benjamin Franklin, Patrick Henry, Thomas Jefferson, Herman Melville, Edgar Allan Poe, Mark Twain and George Washington. Hayes is a recipient of the George Washington Prize.