Product Description

In this powerful, epic biography, David McCullough unfolds the adventurous life journey of John Adams, the brilliant, fiercely independent, often irascible, always honest Yankee patriot who spared nothing in his zeal for the American Revolution; who rose to become the second president of the United States and saved the country from blundering into an unnecessary war; who was learned beyond all but a few and regarded by some as "out of his senses"; and whose marriage to the wise and valiant Abigail Adams is one of the most moving love stories in American history.

This is history on a grand scale -- a book about politics and war and social issues, but also about human nature, love, religious faith, virtue, ambition, friendship, and betrayal, and the far-reaching consequences of noble ideas. Above all, John Adams is an enthralling, often surprising story of one of the most important and fascinating Americans who ever lived.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1315 in Books
• Published on: 2008-01-29
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 768 pages

Amazon.com Review
Left to his own devices, John Adams might have lived out his days as a Massachusetts country lawyer, devoted to his family and friends. As it was, events swiftly overtook him, and Adams--who, David McCullough writes, was "not a man of the world" and not fond of politics--came to greatness as the second president of the United States, and one of the most distinguished of a generation of revolutionary leaders. He found reason to dislike sectarian wrangling even more in the aftermath of war, when Federalist and anti-Federalist factions vied bitterly for power, introducing scandal into an administration beset by other difficulties--including pirates on the high seas, conflict with France and England, and all the public controversy attendant in building a nation.

Overshadowed by the lustrous presidents Washington and Jefferson, who bracketed his tenure in office, Adams emerges from McCullough's brilliant biography as a truly heroic figure--not only for his significant role in the American Revolution but also for maintaining his personal integrity in its strife-filled aftermath. McCullough spends much of his narrative examining the troubled friendship between Adams and Jefferson, who had in common a love for books and ideas but differed on almost every other imaginable point. Reading his pages, it is easy to imagine the two as alter egos. (Strangely, both died on the same day, the 50th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.) But McCullough also considers Adams in his own light, and the portrait that emerges is altogether fascinating. --Gregory McNamee

From Publishers Weekly
Here a preeminent master of narrative history takes on the most fascinating of our founders to create a benchmark for all Adams biographers. With a keen eye for telling detail and a master storyteller's instinct for human interest, McCullough (Truman; Mornings on Horseback) resurrects the great Federalist (1735-1826), revealing in particular his restrained, sometimes off-putting disposition, as well as his political guile. The events McCullough recounts are well-known, but with his astute marshaling of facts, the author surpasses previous biographers in depicting Adams's years at Harvard, his early public life in Boston and his role in the first Continental Congress, where he helped shape the philosophical basis for the Revolution. McCullough also makes vivid Adams's actions in the second Congress, during which he was the first to propose George Washington to command the new Continental Army. Later on, we see Adams bickering with Tom Paine's plan for government as suggested in Common Sense, helping push through the draft for the Declaration of Independence penned by his longtime friend and frequent rival, Thomas Jefferson, and serving as commissioner to France and envoy to the Court of St. James's. The author is likewise brilliant in portraying Adams's complex relationship with Jefferson, who ousted him from the White House in 1800 and with whom he would share a remarkable death date 26 years later: July 4, 1826, 50 years to the day after the signing of the Declaration. (June) Forecast: Joseph Ellis has shown us the Founding Fathers can be bestsellers, and S&S knows it has a winner: first printing is 350,000 copies, and McCullough will go on a 15-city tour; both Book-of-the-Month Club and the History Book Club have taken this book as a selection.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
This life of Adams is an extraordinary portrait of an extraordinary man who has not received his due in America's early political history but whose life work significantly affected his country's future. McCullough is here following his Pulitzer Prize-winning biography, Truman, and his subjects have much in common as leaders who struggled to establish their own presidential identities as they emerged from the shadows of their revered predecessors. The author paints a portrait of Adams, the patriot, in the fullest sense of the word. The reader is treated to engaging descriptions and accounts of Washington, Jefferson, and Franklin, among others, as well as the significant figures in the Adams family: Abigail, John's love and full partner, and son John Quincy. In tracing Adams's life from childhood through his many critical, heroic, and selfless acts during the Revolution, his vice presidency under Washington, and his own term as president, the full measure of Adams a man widely regarded in his time as the equal of Jefferson, Hamilton, and all of the other Founding Fathers is revealed. This excellent biography deserves a wide audience. Thomas J. Baldino, Wilkes Univ., Wilkes-Barre, PA
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Customer Reviews

Great book!
John Adams

The book was shipped with decent shipping time. It arrived before Christmas so everything was good. My husband loved it even though it was used. It looked like it was still in good shape. The content of the book is awesome!

Stunning. An Absolutely Astounding Life.
I cannot now imagine having NOT read this book.

It now seems impossible to me that a person can understand the beginnings of America without having read John Adams.

The research and writing are impeccable in every respect. The author has made the subject so interesting it is almost impossible to put the book down.

Clearly, the massive corpus of research available -- through John's and Abigail's letters, letters of other family members, Jefferson, and others, made the book possible. But it took master craftsmanship to turn this material into one of the best biographies in existence.

The story is fascinating. The fluff is nonexistent, with every word being essential and relevant.

As a frequent reader of biographical and historical material, I have been offended at the way much of history is colored with political bias and opinion. If there is any such bias to be found in this book, I missed it. As a reader, I had the compelling sense that I was reading the story precisely as it was, or at the very least, the closest rendition that is now attainable.

As to the subject of the book, I can say only that I came away with a sense of respect for John Adams that no other political figure in American history has engendered in me. In every instance, he put his country first -- sometimes, to a fault -- but his country was his first priority, always. He understood the critical nature of what was happening during the time and that the actions taken at that time would not only influence, but dictate, the future of the country -- and he was willing to sacrifice everything for it.

Apart from his extreme patriotism, the importance of Abigail and the relationship with Jefferson were the two overriding themes that were ever-present throughout the book.

Read it, read it, read it.

Should Be Required Reading
What can I say. This was one of those life changing books for me. The lessons that I learned really made me appreciate my american heritage and realize how fragile our democracy is. As flawed as Mr. Adams was you can't deny that he was an intragrul part of what made this country great. (and his wife Abigail too by the way)