
George Washington
His Quest for Honor and Fame
Peter R. Henriques(Author)
University of Virginia Press
Will be published approx. on 23. September 2025
Book
Hardback
160 pages
978-0-8139-5418-9 (ISBN)
Description
A concise, compelling biography of Washington and the forces that drove him
What drove George Washington to become the preeminent man of his time and to secure a lasting reputation as one of history's great leaders? In this concise and engaging profile, Peter Henriques - a renowned Washington expert - recounts how Washington possessed a desperate desire to be seen, admired, honored, and above all to be remembered. Over the course of his life, Washington deliberately and self-consciously shaped his public image. Even his decision, dictated in his last will and testament, to emancipate the men and women he had held in slavery during his lifetime related directly to his desire to be perceived as honorable after his death and to safeguard his posthumous reputation. The complicated and controversial question of Washington and slavery is examined in an afterword to the biography. Written with a clarity that comes only from deep understanding, this biography goes right to the heart of what made Washington live, and succeed as the greatest of America's Founding Fathers.
What drove George Washington to become the preeminent man of his time and to secure a lasting reputation as one of history's great leaders? In this concise and engaging profile, Peter Henriques - a renowned Washington expert - recounts how Washington possessed a desperate desire to be seen, admired, honored, and above all to be remembered. Over the course of his life, Washington deliberately and self-consciously shaped his public image. Even his decision, dictated in his last will and testament, to emancipate the men and women he had held in slavery during his lifetime related directly to his desire to be perceived as honorable after his death and to safeguard his posthumous reputation. The complicated and controversial question of Washington and slavery is examined in an afterword to the biography. Written with a clarity that comes only from deep understanding, this biography goes right to the heart of what made Washington live, and succeed as the greatest of America's Founding Fathers.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Charlottesville
United States
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
Cloth over boards
Illustrations
20 b&w illus
Dimensions
Height: 208 mm
Width: 147 mm
Thickness: 28 mm
Weight
363 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-8139-5418-9 (9780813954189)
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
09/2025
Naval Institute Press
€24.49
Available for download
Person
Peter R. Henriques is Professor of History Emeritus at George Mason University and the author of First and Always: A New Portrait of George Washington and Realistic Visionary: A Portrait of George Washington.