Inventing a Nation
The First Three Presidents, George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson
Published on 11. October 2003
Book
Hardback
224 pages
978-0-300-10171-3 (ISBN)
Description
Gore Vidal, one of the master stylists of American literature and an acute observer of American life and history, turns his literary and historiographic talent to a portrait of the formidable trio of George Washington, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson. In "Inventing a Nation", Vidal transports the reader into the minds, the living rooms (and bedrooms), the convention halls and the salons of Washington, Jefferson, Adams and others. We come to know these men, their opinions of each other, their worries about money and their concerns about creating a viable democracy.
Reviews / Votes
"Washington's steady presence and regal confidence more than compensated for his poor performance in the field against British generals, themselves every bit as striking in their mediocrity as he." "If Adams was the loftiest of the scholars at the First Congress, Thomas Jefferson was the most intricate character, gifted as writer, architect, farmer - and, in a corrupt moment, he allowed his cook to give birth to that unique dessert later known as the Baked Alaska." "Adams alone saw virtues in monarchy - not England's but one of our own, with titles for the men of power (due to his elliptical shape he was dubbed His Rotundity).More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
United States
Target group
Professional and scholarly
College/higher education
Dimensions
Height: 210 mm
Width: 140 mm
Thickness: 19 mm
Weight
386 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-300-10171-3 (9780300101713)
Copyright in bibliographic data is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or its licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
08/2020
Yale University Press
€18.18
Available for download
Person
Gore Vidal, novelist, essayist, and playwright, is one of America's great men of letters. Among his many books are United States: Essays 1951-1991 (winner of the National Book Award), Burr: A Novel, Lincoln, and the recent Perpetual War for Perpetual Peace.