Abigail and John: Portrait of a Marriage – Book Review

Christmas brought a nice addition to the library here for Friends of 1776. A lot has been written about this famous Presidential marriage, their letters, and the well-known salutation, “My dearest friend”.

This book is not about the many letters and wide variety of topics they cover, although Gelles quotes extensively from them. Rather, this book is biographical n scope, bringing great detail to the personality traits of both people. This marriage had its share of triumph, great personal tragedy, and strong disagreements. If I can describe the marriage in a few words, it was a marriage of separation. Nothing turned out as one might expect. The author focuses on Abigail in greater detail than for John. She was a typical late 18th century woman, from a solid “good family”. She was also brilliant, very intelligent, and surprisingly modern in outlook.

Considering what Abigail had to face, alone, over decades, I have no idea how she coped. Fortunately, in spite of many periods of illness, for children and family, she had basically a healthy constitution.

When illness struck around her, she did what she had to do. She was not a whiner. She knew how to pick extraordinary friends. Many of the letters’ substance are dominated by domestic problems. Why did this happen? Gelles effectively explains that from the beginning of their marriage, John more and more abdicated home life for a life of public service, calling for prolonged absences from Massachusetts and his growing family. Once, later, it was for five years!

Also, the extraordinary time it took for correspondence to reach its destination, weeks, often months, left Abigail to often have little contact with John. The time factor for correspondence is well handled in this book.

In a way, the marriage was very modern. Leaving Abigail at home on the farm in the Boston suburb (Braintree), John goes to the city to pursue his career and financial future. People recognized his talents quickly. He was invited to join he right political and legal organizations, where he rapidly met many influential people. In many modern marriages, he would catch a late commuter train, meanwhile leaving his wife to deal with the plumber and the children’s schools.

When Jefferson wrote our Declaration of Independence, it was John Adams who put it into place. John earlier had recognized the special talents of George Washington and pushed for his selection of general of our revolutionary army. But the more John rose in importance and prestige, the less chance he had to build his wealth. His earlier highly esteemed legal practice couldn’t grow. Thank goodness for Abigail’s abundant energy; much later Abigail was essentially the family financial manager. Her aim was not to amass riches, but to stay out of debt, the danger was all farming operations. She was successful at that. It showed again that in this marriage, both partners were good at what they did. Throughout these long years, they maintained their mutual affection and respect. They never took each other for granted.

So many years of their marriage played out in the Revolutionary War, with campaigns and battles over a large area. I do criticize this book for rather neglecting the military history. Important, decisive battles are often given scant attention. But maybe this can be justified by the fact that John was never a military leader.

Everything in Abigail’s background would predict that she was a sober, righteous New England housewife. But when she began to accompany John on diplomatic missions, she acquired an elegance and culture perfectly suited to her new social position (particularly in Paris and later London). She maintained a friendship with Jefferson. She attended the theater, ballet, concerts and recitals, and saw important landmarks as a tourist. She began to enjoy and appreciate some of the outstanding furniture and décor of the late 18th century. She was no country bumpkin from the farm.

Did John miss a great deal because his family life was essentially subject to the demands of his public life? I think you will judge this for yourself.

If anything, the devotion and compatibility in this marriage was particularly strong in their later years. Deaths of adult children were a terrible grief for them, but not described as morbid. The presence of many grandchildren was a great satisfaction and happiness for them now being together, retired, back on the farm, John’s most lasting preference for his whole life.

This portrait of a marriage shows why it earned an absolute right to be considered an outstanding Presidential marriage. Maybe Jack and Jackie Kennedy’s much briefer days together as celebrities also earned an outstanding designation, or perhaps that of Franklin and Eleanor.

But Gelles has drawn up a portrait of two extraordinary people, living in extraordinary times. I don’t think a reader will ever tire of them. – Renata Breisacher Mulry

Abigail: 1744 – 1818; John: 1735 – 1826
Lived in Braintree, Family Farm
Abigail and John: Portrait of a Marriage Edith B. Gelles, author. William Morrow, 2009. 285 pp.

Notes: Over a century later another celebrated marriage, that of the last Czar and Czarina of Russia, Nicholas and Alexandra, was also known for their voluminous correspondence through tumultuous times. See A Lifelong Passion: Nicholas and Alexandra Their Own Story. Andrei Maylunas and Sergei Mironenko. Doubleday, 1997. 667 pp.

Friends of 1776 Holiday Wish List

With Christmas and all the other celebrations just a few weeks away, a lot of people think about gifts, friends, family, travel … I hope a lot of pleasant things.

Friends of 1776 isn’t going to be left out.

So I’ve prepared a short list, what else, for your consideration and approval. Please add your personal wishes to our Web site. We are interested.

Let’s start with a few gift suggestions, books and movies / DVDs. (All citations appear at end of post.)

Obviously, a lot of books are available of interest to Friends of 1776. Many have been mentioned here before. Some are quite long, well-researched, quite scholarly. They may not be so easy to read. They often have excellent notes and bibliographies.

Here are the selections: Berkin’s A Brilliant Solution, on the formation of the American Constitution, and Kitman, The Making of the Prefident 1789, a very humorous, irreverent retelling of Washington’s first Presidential campaign. You can obtain these books with confidence that they will make good gifts.

Selecting movies / DVDs was more difficult. There is not all that much out there. I had to stretch our interest quotient quite a bit. Keeping in mind that perennial favorite, HBO’s John Adams, in conjunction with the original book, McCullough’s John Adams, three movies are suggested. All have broad appeal, lasting interest, and excellent production.

One is Amazing Grace, the biography of the British abolitionist William Wilberforce and his decades-long struggle to finally end British slave trade. In the United States, it affected how we conducted our slave trade for decades longer.

Another is that stunning remake of The Last of the Mohicans, with Daniel Day Lewis, set at the time of the French and Indian War (1757), which defined the colonies as geographical areas. This war was the foundation of our independence only twenty years later.

That bright, patriotic musical 1776 brings out effectively the many differing attitudes about independence at the 2nd Continental Congress. There was no uniformity of opinion. This movie also hints at the danger facing those who considered independence at all. This movie would make a nice gift for all ages and backgrounds.

For holiday travel, a popular pastime, consider the following: a trip to scenic Virginia, touring the homes and lands of important men in our Revolution, in addition to those of the Founding Fathers. It’s significant that of the first nine presidential terms, eight were filled by Virginians!

Now for some wishes of longer duration. Many military campaigns of our Revolution had unique locations, strategies, and outcomes. Not all were victories by any means. I would really wish that Friends of 1776 was the sponsor and organizer of a military history lecture series for the American Revolution. Of course, lecturers from the Pentagon, West Point, the Department of Defense, etc. are very welcome. But we don’t need t be greedy. Here in the proximity we have the huge Marine base Camp Pendleton and there’s plenty of talent there!

When was the last time you were in a bookstore and you really could talk books with the seller? In a book chain, are you kidding? If you have such a store, treasure it, because economic forecasts for these are always dismal.

How about a wish-bookstore, “U.S. History in Print”, well-located, smallish, its owners not dependent on it for their living expenses, or else this store will fail. But millions of well-pensioned retirees are entering the market now, so the time may actually never be better.

I don’t recommend locating and competing with an academic bookstore; students do not have money for buying books, not even for those they have to buy. I’d rather locate it in a smaller city a little off the beaten track. That’s where you’ll find browsing interest, time, and money!

Hopefully, U.S. Constitution Day (September 17, 1787) will be considered as a national holiday (as already suggested in a previous post).

A very personal wish: that Friends of 1776 holds an annual meeting, maybe around George Washington’s birthday, with lots of input, good company, and probably a speaker. All of our Founding Fathers, with very few exceptions, were very active in social activities, and I see no reason why we shouldn’t copy them.

And as a final wish, in this world today, a lot more freedom and democracy, and a lot less poverty and illness.

It’s going to be 2010.

It’s time. – Renata Breisacher Mulry




Citations

A Brilliant Solution: inventing the American Constitution. Carol Berkin. A Harvest Book, Harcourt Inc. 2002. 310 pp.

The Making of the Prefident 1789. Marvin Kitman. Grove Press. 1989. 358 pp.

Amazing Grace. 2007. Michael Apted, Director. Movie.

The Last of the Mohicans. 1992. Michael Mann, Director. Movie.

1776. Released in 1972. Peter H. Hunt, Director. Movie.

The Lottery Wars -- Book Review

Gambling can generate big news. Several days ago, Michael Hiltzik (Los Angeles Times, Business, October 19, 2009) wrote about “calling America’s bluff on online gambling”. The Internet may undergo a dramatic change. Barney Frank (D – Massachusetts, which is a very successful lottery state) is pushing legislation to repeal a federal ban on Internet gambling.

If you can’t eradicate, regulate and take a big chunk out of the wages of sin while you’re at it.

Currently, the Internet has many legal issues. There are some elements which many do not consider suitable for the Internet at all. Financially, collection of sales taxes from state to state has never been settled. For moralists and many politicians, it is considered out of sufficient public scrutiny and particularly dangerous for the young. The usual treatment? Prohibition.

Lotteries have always been part of our colonial history. In 1754, Virginia authorized a lottery to fight the French and Indian War. In 1769, George Washington managed a lottery in Williamsburg. During our Revolutionary War, they raised money for fighting. After the war, they helped sustain the new and struggling country.

Lotteries have always been at war with causes, people, and politicians. Alexander Hamilton liked them, so I guess that his support generated strong opposition. In the decades since 1776, lotteries have gone boom or bust. They have been praised or banned. Only recently, since most states now have official lotteries, they have achieved a certain respectability. After all, they support good works, such as education.

Therefore, adding a new book, The Lottery Wars, to the Friends of 1776 library, seems timely and well-worth reading. The title describes the contents as “Long Odds, Fast Money, and the Battle Over an American Institution”. In spite of the millions who consider gambling a sin, it has never stopped.

This book makes for some very interesting reading. It is crammed full of facts including names and dates. It does not really write about gambling wars as a straight historical text. Rather, it focuses on winners and losers, who gambles and how, and the public fascination with those who win. What is that really like?

A great deal of The Lottery Wars focuses on the public side of lotteries, the business, including many pages exclusively on Joan Borucki, appointed California State Lottery chief in 2007. Her chief goal was to improve the whole financial position of the lottery, and therefore generate more revenue for the state, including education. The California lottery had been badly lagging. Better distribution of sales became very necessary. Tickets went into Big Retail. The $20 lottery ticket began to be accepted.

There is talk of privatizing the whole operation. States would get their money, up front, lots of it, but that would be it. Then the owner keeps the profits. There are a lot of financial and ethical issues with this proposal.

The book differentiates well between how official government regards the lottery and the players’ view. With government, you don’t consider sin, but marketing, growth, sales; it’s a business seminar. The player wants to know how much are the tickets, where are they, what are the prizes. A winner comes well-prepared with an attorney, tax accountant, financial advisor, who else knows what.

Groups, often employees, buy tickets together. I like this; there’s better organization and planning this way. More people have a chance to win something. The office football pool is a popular private lottery. You put your money in, if you win, you get everyone’s. I hope there are no expenses.

Do I gamble the state lottery? No, but I do participate in sweepstakes, a private lottery, run by Publishers’ Clearing House. This has gone on for years. There are good prices for popular magazines I sometimes order. Then I’m entered into the sweepstakes. Actually, I don’t have to order anything, just send in the entry. The payouts are quite high. Will I win? Are you kidding? But when I do, I’ve already made big plans on how to spend the money. – Renata Breisacher Mulry


The Lottery Wars: Long Odds, Fast Money, and the Battle Over an American Institution. Matthew Sweeney. Bloomsbury, 2009. 295 pp.

George Washington & The Making of the Prefident 1789 by Marvin Kitman

“Summer reading” is a pleasant tradition, along with holiday movies, Easter brunch, and many others I know you enjoy. I’d like to hear about some of them.

The Los Angeles Times carried a list of books President Obama took on his vacation to Martha’s Vineyard. Included are a couple not considered exactly light reading – John Adams by David McCollough and Tom Friedman’s Hot, Flat, and Crowded.

Bookstores often feature crowded tables full of books, many of them classics, considered good candidates for “summer reading”.

Confess now, did you really read all the titles you brought with you? War and Peace doesn’t count!

I am really enjoying Kitman’s The Making of the Prefident 1789: The Unauthorized Campaign Biography. It’s a very funny, very clever, very readable spoof on George Washington. As the Father of our country shall we agree he’s fair game.

What makes a book readable for me? I can open it at any page and find continuity, the book maintains a lively pace, and generally the chapters are short. Kitman’s book is all of the above.

The back cover carries the following description of the book:

In The Making of the President 1789, humorist and self-appointed historian Marvin Kitman satirizes the contemporary “campaign insider” book while making the case that George Washington was not only “First in War, First in Peace” – he was also first among the Founding Fathers in gambling, drinking, and social climbing. And that’s not to mention his weakness for the Founding Girlfriends.

In an irreverent exposé of how the Mount Vernon Machine engineered the first presidential election victory, Kitman sets out to answer the questions: “How is it possible that a man with virtually no military experience becomes a general? He loses more battle than he wins and becomes a war hero? He has absolutely no political opinion in the most sophisticated intellectual period of our history? He has no ambitions, and he wins?”

Washington looked good, married well, that usually means rich. He engaged in wealth-inducing activities such as land speculation. His constant debt was respectable because after all, it was tied to being a large landowner and planter. Above all, he developed the right social graces, cultivating influential people around him.

He was never insignificant.

Even wearing his splendid uniforms was a powerful campaign tactic. His constant professed modesty got him elected unanimously as our first president. Washington had the luck to be in the right place at the right time.

Will I have the chance to read more in these waning days of summer? I have selected Cooperstown Confidential: Heroes, Rogues, and the Inside Story of the Baseball Hall of Fame. I could finish it by the time of the World Series.

We can’t bet on it. But betting always carries with it the element of surprise. – Renata Breisacher Mulry

Book Review Mini-post: Boone – A Biography, Robert Morgan

Published by Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, 2007 538 pp. Includes extensive notes, bibliography.

This book provides a detailed, balanced treatment of the life and character of Boone, but certainly not the semi-fictional Boone created by the media.

The media has been kind to him, contrary to for instance Jefferson; I think the latter has taken a beating in recent years. Morgan’s biography is not the easiest reading. He includes a great deal of information on Boone’s many business dealings in land with a very large number of clients. Many of these transactions were unsatisfactory.

Sources for Morgan were provided by many contributors, including relatives. The source authenticity must always be questioned.

The focus on Boone’s public life, rather than just his exploration and life on the frontier, succeeds in defining Boone as basically a moral, kindly man. I wouldn’t call him a saint, but he wasn’t a sinner, either.

Writing biography automatically sets up a need to include and explain everything possible about the subject’s life. Some types of biography are very popular, particularly if the subject is in any type of show business. These biographies embellish rumors, then add depth and mystery where actually none may exist. Even a provocative title can set up great expectations. They are not trashy, just not scholarly. I enjoy them very much.

Choosing a more obscure subject may generate a lot of interest. Some years ago, a biographer, instead of choosing a blockbuster subject such as Winston Churchill, chose his mother, Jennie. It was a great success.

How does Morgan relate Boone’s long life (1734 – 1820) to the American Revolutionary War?

He shows that America’s frontiers were fighting their own war, predominantly against hostile Indians hired by the British. The frontier did not end its war when the colonies did. Essentially, there were two wars. Boone’s was part of the frontier war. His family’s Tory sympathies existed, although the extent is unclear.

There is good information on Boone’s later years in Missouri. It is not definite if he ever returned to Kentucky. He was treated with great honor and respect. There was always interest in his years on the Kentucky frontier.

This biography fills a gap. Boone needed some serious study, not more entertainment wearing a coonskin cap. 2007 is not a moment too soon. –Renata Breisacher Mulry

Hardcover Edition

Paperback Edition

Children Reading About the American Revolution

I once heard that if you want to learn something about anything, get a kid’s book on that subject. There’s a lot of merit in that advice.

The personalities and events of the American Revolution can be explained to even very young children. How is this information being presented?

Wrapped in large print, decreasing according to age, basic; very simple, short sentences, with many pertinent facts omitted. And therein lies the catch. Pertinent facts are the links which carry events forward, which explain why certain events turned out the way they did. Young readers want facts, but the reasons behind them may not be included at all. They probably like the story of the Boston Tea party, but don’t read much about the long list of grievances that lead up to it.

The selection of personalities featured seems quite random. It’s not just about Founding Fathers. Some selections may even seem a trifle gimmicky. A harsher critic would probably agree.

For instance, a title featuring Paul Revere is all his ride, most of the time. After all, he is a cult figure as much as a historical personality might allow. We know that Revere’s purpose was to warn notorious Patriots such as John Hancock to avoid capture by the British at all costs. That might have changed the American Revolution. But this very pertinent fact is really not brought out at all. But information needs to keep moving for young readers, and introducing too many personalities certainly won’t do this.

Please don’t think my intention is to disparage juvenile biography. Absolutely not. Anyone can get information this way quickly and simply. That is a real value.

Another example, John Hancock, comes to mind. A title praises Hancock for signing the Declaration of Independence first. There was a reason for this, which is really not mentioned. Hancock was President of the Congress that adopted the Declaration; he had a great deal of power running the show. So it wasn’t surprising that his name would be prominent on that document.

Some of the Revolutionary War personalities were interesting. They are all important, but not on the Founding Fathers’ tier. Information on Patrick Henry was surprisingly complete, with heavy emphasis of course on his “give me liberty or give me death” speech. I think we can call that the most famous quote of the war.

Abigail Adams gets her own volume, mostly discussing her long correspondence with husband John Adams. I doubt that the later correspondence of Adams and Jefferson is discussed as much.

For adolescent readers, the print gets smaller and the treatment longer; a George Washington biography is complete, although the title “Frontier Colonel” seems to indicate only his early checkered military career. He is never treated too harshly.

A volume on John Paul Jones gives basic facts on someone not mentioned all that often. Once you reach biography for adolescents, there is competition for the fact-seeker. A simple, short handbook can often give you the information very concisely and quickly.

The Internet of course has become a font of all knowledge but may not save one time over just checking an index.

Landmark Books (2002) has a lavishly illustrated history Liberty!: How the Revolutionary War Began (for adolescents) listing all the familiar reasons quite completely. However, it has no real advantage over a simple handbook or encyclopedia, designed for general reference.

I read an adolescent biography on Daniel Boone (subject of a forthcoming post) completely and I found that certain portions were very violent. It brings up again a perennial dilemma, how much violence should be included in items marketed to young people? The times of Daniel Boone were incredibly violent. Those who attempted to settle in frontier Kentucky lived in constant danger from many sources. This Boone biography stresses this very effectively.

I’m glad juvenile biography titles are available. I hope more personalities from the American Revolutionary War will be featured. I’ll look forward to reading their titles, too. – Renata Breisacher Mulry

Sterling Point Books | Landmark Books

Read about general audience books on Friendsof1776.com
More books on Friendsof1776.com
1776 reviewed on Friendsof1776.com

Free Shipping -- No minimum purchase -- Abe Books

David McCullough’s 1776 – Book Review

Need a Father’s Day gift? 1776 is absolutely worthy of your consideration. McCullough wrote his esteemed biography of John Adams in 2001. In 2005, he followed with 1776 as a companion volume. The two books are very different in scope. John Adams is a political history; 1776 is a very detailed military history of that year, concentrating on Washington and his campaigns, particularly in New York.

This book is not a quick read. There is extensive detail on military maneuvers and results. The bibliographic sources and book notes are enormous.

Certain themes are stressed constantly. George Washington was not an experienced or even that skillful a general. But he had incredible charisma with his troops. He also knew how to pick his closest advisors. Three of them, Greene, Knox and Reed, probably could fill books with their own accomplishments.

The many accomplished British generals are given plenty of mention. Of course, their efforts for George III were inevitably doomed, because for how long could Great Britain maintain and supply its army three thousand miles away? I think the most experienced generals knew this. They needed quick, pivotal victories against the colonies, and end this conflict.

Many times they got them. Throughout this whole book, the Continental Army, such as it was, was in a dreadful state. Lack of the most basic necessities, compounded by fierce winter weather, and lack of training, made this army a ragged force often unrecognizable as soldiers. The British had contempt for them. It’s what makes their courage and spirit the more amazing. I liked the many direct quotes from soldiers of all ranks.

I am convinced that to really read and enjoy this book, accompanying maps or battlefield diagrams that are clear and uncomplicated are absolutely necessary. Even with many familiar place names, and I enjoyed that, the chronology of events can be very confusing without maps, which are not included. Probably other military histories need these. Think of Civil War books.

One fact really struck me. By 1776, the colonies had the highest living standard in the world. That’s what the British didn’t understand; why throw that away?

Another thing always amazes me. 1776 was the beginning of the long, bitter Revolutionary War. How the colonies won is amazing. Foreign loans, the entry of the French on our side, and British exhaustion contributed heavily to our victory.

We were a truly divided country. The loyalists understood nothing of why their fellow citizens wanted to lose their good fortune of being part of Great Britain’s empire. The patriots regarded loyalists as nothing less than traitors. How they dealt with these traitors is as dark a chapter as any in American history.

The title “1776” is sparse. “Washington in 1776” describes the contents more completely. He is the focus.

There is a special extensively illustrated version of 1776 available. McCullough has won two Pulitzers, for Truman and John Adams. He is considered a leading historian.

So, all those gift givers, your choice is outstanding. And Dads, you have a topnotch gift. Other recipients, you will enjoy this book. With all due respect to the paperback industry, hardcover editions do add a certain pizzazz. – Renata Breisacher Mulry

Note: If McCullough is interested, I would really welcome a biography of President Eisenhower. Comments, please.

More Books and the American Revolution

A post from 4/28/09 listed some books about the American Revolution for the Friends of 1776 library which I’m compiling. Here are some additional titles, with comments about each one.

A Brilliant Solution: Inventing the American Constitution. Carol Berkin. 2002. Harcourt, 310 pp.

This is the latest addition to the library. It contains some particularly agreeable features, such as profiles of delegates to the Constitutional Convention and text of the Articles of Confederation. The book is quite short and very readable. I do take exception though to the word “inventing” in the title. “Creating” would be more suitable, because that’s what happened.

Almost a Miracle: The American Victory in the War of Independence. John Ferling. 2007. Oxford, 679 pp.

A solid, detailed military history of the Revolutionary War; valuable. The military campaigns in the long war were so numerous and scattered over such a large area, a reference book is necessary. Extensive notes and bibliography.

Samuel Adams, Father of the American Revolution. Mark Puls. 2006. MacMillan, 273 pp.

There couldn’t be a better subject for biography than Samuel Adams. Whether he is the father of the Revolution can be debated, but he certainly can be considered.

The Making of the Prefident, 1789. Marvin Kitman. 1989. Grove. 358 pp.

A man as important as George Washington has of course many books written about every aspect of his life. Kitman does one better. He’s taken the first Presidential campaign and give us his witty, sparkling account. Has he written history, or just spoofed it? In any case, people will enjoy it. Kitman gives his book a marked Woody Allen flavor. Many laughs.

American Scripture: Making the Declaration of Independence. Pauline Maier. 1998. Vintage Books, 304 pp.

This critique of 1776 is scholarly, highly regarded. Somewhat difficult to read. It is good research to take Jefferson’s role in the writing of the Declaration and examine what else and who else contributed to its validity.

A History of the American People. Paul Johnson. 1997. Harper. 1088 pp.

A well-known, popular, extensive encyclopedia of American history. Because of the book’s scope, the material on the American Revolution is very condensed.

Infamous Scribblers: The Founding Fathers and the Rowdy Beginnings of American Journalism. Eric Burns. 2006. Public Affairs. 467 pp.

It certainly wasn’t always journalism, but that’s what makes this book so appealing. Today the Press is often berated by different groups, but maybe not a whole lot has changed.

The Quotable Founding Fathers. Buckner F. Melton Jr., editor. 2004. Fall River Press, 411 pp.

Described as a “Treasury of 2,500 Wise and Witty Quotations from the Men and Women who created America”.

Easy to use, the compilation is pleasant just on its own, without the need to know a lot of history.

Some general comments:

America’s national holiday, July 4th, is just a few weeks away. Please join me in reading the Declaration on that day.

Publishing about the American Revolution continues at a healthy clip. Very encouraging.

The recently published biography of John and Abigail Adams will be enjoyed by many readers.

I wish some of the splendid texts of 20 – 30 years ago on the Revolution would be reprinted.

Do any Friends of 1776 know of a biography of John Hancock?

With so many “boomers” reaching their “reading years” (i.e., retirement), I see a bright future for publishing. And for book clubs.

Dear Friends, please do submit recent good titles as a comment to a post, especially since the number of bookstores (for browsing) is always shrinking. – Renata Breisacher Mulry

Some Books About the American Revolution

Recently I had the chance to do something which you would also enjoy. Clutching a percentage-off coupon (the backbone of my economy) I was in a large bookstore, balancing on one of their rickety circular stools, and scanned the shelves on the American Revolution.

Scanning isn’t really reading. It’s looking, front to back, and vice versa. The cover, typeface, index, how does the book feel to you? Happily, biographical titles were filed at the same location, otherwise I feel I’m missing something. Can you curl up with this book? With all respect, you can’t do this with a computer!

Is the book easy to read physically? I take my glasses off to make this test. Hardcovers will always excel over the paper version, but the latter are so portable, can be stuffed into so many places, it’s a bit of a toss-up.

It’s true, though, for any subject: I don’t want to see the word “dummies” in the title. If you don’t know much about quantum mechanics, does that make you a dummy? I don’t think so.

Whatever your interest, having some volumes on a shelf, half a shelf, table, gives you a nice connection to your subject. The problem with library books is that at some point they have to be returned!

The 1776 period has generated a great deal of published material, and continues to do so. For books about Founding Fathers, John Adams and George Washington seem to be in a virtual tie. Ben Franklin and Tom Jefferson are also up there.

I thought it would be interesting to look at my small collection and see how these volumes duplicate at all what you might possess. Also, an ever increasing collection of other media products, such as TV series, cannot be ignored. For example HBO’s multiple-episodic John Adams is an outstanding example.

There are many gaps in my small collection. I became more and more aware of this.

Here are some titles from my shelf. Critically they are considered good treatments of the period under consideration.

Ron Chernow: Alexander Hamilton
David McCullough: 1776
David McCullough: John Adams
Joseph J. Ellis: American Creation
Joseph J. Ellis: Founding Brothers
Joyce Appleby: Thomas Jefferson
Gordon S. Wood: The American Revolution
Fred Anderson: The War That Made America: A Short History of the French and Indian War
Edmund S. Morgan: The Birth of the Republic 1763-1789
Robert Middlekauff: The Glorious Cause: The American Revolution 1763-1789
Thomas Paine: Common Cause
A single volume containing the Declaration of Independence, Articles of Confederation, Bill of Rights and the Constitution, and your state constitution

Some of the books are hard to read (and finish); the longer books are probably easier because the shorter ones are so crammed full of facts that one almost needs a companion volume to go with it.

A parting thought. Never, ever, lend out a book you love. You will regret it. I learned the hard way. Rather, donate it, buy it as a gift.

From an experienced Friend of 1776 – Renata Breisacher Mulry