
George Washington
A Life in Books
Kevin J. Hayes(Author)
Oxford University Press Inc
Published on 10. March 2020
Book
Paperback/Softback
408 pages
978-0-19-093612-9 (ISBN)
Description
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.
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.
Reviews / Votes
Winner of the George Washington Book Prize 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. * Douglas R. Bradburn, 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. * Titus Belgard, Journal of the American Revolution * Highly readable....Hayes makes a compelling case that Washington was much more of an intellectual than scholars traditionally admit. * Joseph Slaughter, H-War *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
New York
United States
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Illustrations
24 b/w illustrations
Dimensions
Height: 234 mm
Width: 156 mm
Thickness: 24 mm
Weight
695 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-19-093612-9 (9780190936129)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

E-Book
04/2017
1st Edition
OUP eBook
€9.99
Available for download

E-Book
04/2017
1st Edition
OUP eBook
€9.99
Available for download
Person
Kevin J. Hayes, Emeritus Professor at the University of Central Oklahoma, lives and writes in Toledo, Ohio. He is the author of several books including The Road to Monticello: The Life and Mind of Thomas Jefferson (OUP, 2008) and A Journey through American Literature (OUP, 2012).
Author
Professor of English EmeritusProfessor of English Emeritus, University of Central Oklahoma
Content
Preface
Acknowledgments
1. Meditations and Contemplations
2. Every Boy His Own Teacher
3. Exemplars
4. Travel Writing
5. The Journal of Major George Washington
6. A Memorial Containing a Summary View of Facts
7. Home and Garden
8. George Washington, Bibliographer
9. The Education of John Parke Custis
10. Revolutionary Pamphlets
11. Common Sense and Independence
12. A Green Baize Bookcase
13. Planning for Retirement
14. Haven of History
15. The Slave, the Quaker, and the Panopticon
16. Politics and the Picaresque
17. Presidential Patronage and the Development of American Literature
18. Official Letters to the Honorable American Congress
19. Farewell Address
20. Home at Last
Notes
Sources
Index
Acknowledgments
1. Meditations and Contemplations
2. Every Boy His Own Teacher
3. Exemplars
4. Travel Writing
5. The Journal of Major George Washington
6. A Memorial Containing a Summary View of Facts
7. Home and Garden
8. George Washington, Bibliographer
9. The Education of John Parke Custis
10. Revolutionary Pamphlets
11. Common Sense and Independence
12. A Green Baize Bookcase
13. Planning for Retirement
14. Haven of History
15. The Slave, the Quaker, and the Panopticon
16. Politics and the Picaresque
17. Presidential Patronage and the Development of American Literature
18. Official Letters to the Honorable American Congress
19. Farewell Address
20. Home at Last
Notes
Sources
Index