John adams wife
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My Journey Through the Best Presidential Biographies
“John Adams” is the 2001 narrative biography of our nation’s second president, written by author and historian David McCullough. Of the seven John Adams biographies in my library, McCullough’s “John Adams” is the most popular by an enormous margin, and is widely considered one of the best presidential biographies ever written. Among many other accolades, the book received a 2002 Pulitzer Prize.
As my journey through the best presidential biographies swept me from Washington to Adams, I looked forward to this book with great anticipation. Few books in my library have received as many outstanding reviews as this biography. With all but angels singing the book’s praises, I was only slightly worried about reports of the author’s overly-generous treatment of Adams. And in the back of my mind, I harbored some suspicion that Adams may not have supplied history much in the way of interesting raw material.
On the latter point, my worry was entirely unfounded. Adams proved a charac
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John Adams (book)
2001 book by David McCullough
John Adams. is a 2001 biography of the Founding Father and second U.S. PresidentJohn Adams, written by the popular American historian David McCullough, which won the 2002 Pulitzer Prize for Biography or Autobiography. It was adapted into the 2008 television miniseries of the same name by HBO Films. Since the TV miniseries debuted, an alternative cover has been added to the book showing Paul Giamatti as John Adams. The book is available as both hardcover and paperback.
Production
The problem with Adams is that most Americans know nothing about him.[1]
— David McCullough
Although the book was originally intended to be a dual biography of Adams and Jefferson, McCullough was increasingly drawn to Adams and away from Jefferson.[2] The author spent six years studying Adams, reading the same books he had read and visiting the places he had lived.[2]
Perhaps the greatest treasure trove was the enormous amount of correspondence between John Adams and his wife, Abigail Adams, a mar
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My Journey Through the Best Presidential Biographies
The journey through the John Adams presidency involved nearly five weeks and over 3,400 pages of reading. It included four biographies (five counting “Passionate Sage” which arguably falls into its own hybrid biography/character analysis category) and two “ancillary” books on Adams: one centered on his unsuccessful campaign in 1800 against Thomas Jefferson, and one focused on his relationship with his extraordinary wife Abigail.
It might be reasonable to ask whether John Adams was worth the investment. The answer (particularly since the commitment was just 100 pages/day) is a resounding “yes.” He proved an exceptionally interesting subject and in many ways seemed even more fascinating than other, more revered members of the founding generation. What made John Adams so interesting, and why have so many esteemed authors written about him?
A thorough explanation would require its own book, but John Adams was an unusual, gifted and alluringly complex figure. He was a cantankerous and se
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