"Above all, with his sense of urgency and unrelenting drive, John Adams made the Declaration of Independence happen when it did. Had it came later the course of events could have gone very differently." Thomas Jefferson called him "The colossus of independence." Excellent treatment by McCullough. (Best read of list.)

"...it is no exaggeration to say that a man's admiration of absolute government is proportionate to the contempt he feels for those around him," Tocqueville points out in this fine work of informed, and very readable, scholarship on the run-up to the Revolution (without, it should be noted, addressing the Revolution's actual specific happenings).

Hamilton believed that revolutions ended in tyranny because they glorified revolution as a permanent state of mind. The spirit of compromise & a concern with order were needed to balance the quest for liberty." In this spirit "more than anyone else, he engineered the transition to a post-war political culture that valued sound and efficient govt as the most reliable custodian of liberty."

What made the founders different, Gordon Woods asks, then only answers it regarding Washington (of the 8 characters addressed herein---in this order: GW, Franklin, Jefferson, Hamilton, Madison, Adams (whom he calls "an Englishman"), Thomas Paine, Aaron Burr). Your time would be better served by picking up a copy of Miracle at Philadelphia and/or Founding Brothers.

A very readable, reasoned, albeit short (<100 argued pages) examination detailing how Napoleon's "frontal assault tactic" at Waterloo was one of several French errors. Hence the more indirect attempts of the French to unify Europe ever since. Good book to borrow from your local library.

Everyone ought be familiar with Adam Smith's insights on progressive eco development; how such depends on freedom; how division of labor --specialization--is the original source of eco growth," & trade, its expression. Of course, you can read Smith's "Wealth of Nations; "a 900 page indictment of the mercantile system." Or try this casual distillation of that book until you get around to Smith's.

8AM May 14 1905 "flags to celebrate the tsar's coronation day" were raised in Japanese waters. Later,"Half an hour after the battle started, the Russian flagship was already destroyed;" & Nicholas' ability to "rule the east"(Vladivostok, in Russian) was over. Good detail on journey/limited battle detail (no battle maps inexcusably)& says little how this rout engendered more disaster for tsardom.