Product Description
This presidential encyclopedia covers the presidents from George Washington to William Clinton. It includes election results, biographical information, and events of the period. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (19)

Great for AP class
This book is only for one thing:

Presidential Outlines in Advanced Placement United States History.


It gives you mostly everything that you need. After I was done, I gave it to someone in the next year. A very good investment.

Scholastic Encyclopedia of the Presidents and Their time (Updated 2009)
A MUST have book for everyone of any age. I bought the original one for my daughter when she was in Grade School, and we used and read it all the time Soooo interesting. She is now a 22 yr. old College Student. After Obama was elected I decided to order the new one. She has used it in a couple of her college classes. One of her professors even plans to order it. Full of history and extremely interestion facts!!!!!!!!

Not For Children
This is not a book for children. Its bias is so prevalent that only older young people and adults who are capable of discernment should be reading this.

Also, I cannot see how Barack Obama can be included in this book as it was published before he took office.

I much prefer that my children be exposed to the neutrality of politics such as the importance of our government structure or the importance of the balance of power, rather than the extreme prejudices that exist today as evidenced in this book.

Give children time to form a foundation before exposing them to the intolerance of politics today.

Easy to Read History of the US, through the Presidential Terms
This easy to read, well illustrated and highly education encyclopedia of presidents has just been re-released to include a short (one page) inclusion of Barack Obama as our soon-to-be 44th President. While information on Obama may be in short supply, the rest of the book is highly useful to grade and middle-school children, providing well written biographies of the presidents, explanations of the state of the nation and world at the time, and interesting facts about each administration.

Many of the sidebars throughout give flavor to life in those times, from newspaper "articles" about a key event to significant people at those times. There are many pictures, drawings and maps and controversial subjects are handled with care and historical accuracy. Each of the presidential campaigns are described, with explanations of the issues and candidates involved. Key terms are highlighted and expounded on, and there is a chapter on the history of the White House. For children who are asking questions about the upcoming change in the Presidency, this is a handy guide to previous presidents and American history.

The presidents in the milieu of history
There must be dozens of books like "Encyclopedia of the Presidents and Their Times," making buying choices really difficult. As an elementary/middle school librarian, I must make these same buying choices. However, selecting this particular book was not difficult. Let me count the ways that this book is a must-have for our library:

1. This 2005 update includes ALL presidential elections.
2. "This book not only explains the issues and the challenges that each president faced, but also the headlines, people, scandals, and fads that were defining America during each presidency" (from the front book flap)
3. For each year of presidency the book includes a page. Two terms: eight pages.
4. This book prints primary sources (newspaper clippings) and summaries of major events of the presidency.
5. After all the presidents, the book concludes with several pages highlighting the remodeling of the White House over the years. Very interesting!

Here's a sample:
William Jefferson Clinton, 42nd president, 1993-2001.
The first president to have been a Rhodes Scholar.
Newspaper articles about an arrest in the World Trade Center bombing.
News summaries: Trade agreements, the 1994 elections, Contract with America, Government Shutdowns, the War in Bosnia, the Bombing of Kosovo, Relations with Russia, Clinton's personal diplomacy, Budget Surplus, Impeachment.
Related articles:
Clinton's early years
The First Lady
Oklahoma City Bombing
The Internet
Campaign 1996
Economic Boom sets record (newspaper clipping)
The Tobacco Settlement
The Human Genome project
Columbine,
Y2K
Frankenfood
Campaign 2000

This volume is particularly interesting because of the variety of topics-- political, economic, sociological, personal, cultural and more. There is also a variety of photographs, including ones of the president and his family. ... Read more

Product Description
The first American President is captured at his home inMount Vernon the day he is to leave for New York to beinaugurated. He is beset by problems of his dress, his estate, hiswife, his housekeeper and his "friend" and neighbor, SallyFairfax. Washington attempts to deal with a relationship that is atouch more than "neighborly" and in the process reveals himself asnot only a passionate man but a thoughtful and insightful leaderand conciliator. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Interesting, informative and very readable
The plays in the History's Project's "Character in Time: The US Presidents" series are interesting and informative and, above all, very readable. People unfamiliar with reading plays should not be put off by the format -- after a few minutes time, it seems perfectly natural to read dialogue instead of normal prose. Students, especially, will appreciate the playwright's artful distillation of the subject's ideas and philosophy, as well as the lively presentation of his character -- there's really a lot of information packed into these small volumes.

A play for our time.
Our faith in this country's first president as a mythological icon is warmly dispelled through this entertaining account of a man whose daily angst, to the largest extent, so identifiably resembles our own.The read is quick but the remembrances will remain.This play is an excellent vehicle to combat the shallow, pedantic versions of presidential history to which most of us have been previously subjected. ... Read more

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Product Description
From James Rees, Executive Director of Mount Vernon, comes anenlightening guide to the leadership wisdom of America's first great leader. George Washington was more than just an inspiring battlefield commander; he was critical to the founding and success of the United States ofAmerica. His leadership, his vision, and his courage united a war-torncountry and set the United States on the path to greatness. Washington's historic contribution to this nation--his leadership and his character--are as relevant and valuable today as they have ever been.

This book reveals Washington's character, his leadership, his vision, and most surprising of all, his business skills and acumen. Most people aren't awarethat Washington, while all of the above, was also a successful businessman and visionary entrepreneur.

Exhibiting qualities sorely lacking in so many of our political and business leaders today, Washington remained steadfastly honest and ethical,following guiding principles that would benefit leaders around the world. George Washington's Leadership Lessons reveals a man of true character,worthy of emulation not just in the realm of politics and war, but in allleadership positions. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

review
I just love this book.I am a history buff and love famous quotes. You can actually use some of his ettiquite teachings in todays time.It really makes alot of sense. I shared it with a manager friend of mine.He loved it.

Good Not Great
This was an entertaining and interesting book. I feel that theauthor may have come across as somewhat more definitive and authoritative about General Washington's personal traits than may have been the actual case.After more than 200 years it is impossible to really know for sure. There was little new material here.

A slightly different take on George Washington
I picked up this book on my recent visit to Mount Vernon.I am interested in the inner workings of history's great leaders, and just what made them tick.

This book provides a well-written, concise overview of George Washington focusing on his leadership qualities and their relevance to our modern society.It is, in essence, a highly-condensed biography of Washington arranged topically.As the author states in his preface, he is trying to counteract what he perceives in our society as a deplorable decline in interest in history in general -- and in Washington in particular.He has written a book that he hopes will prick the interest of the masses and start a revivial of interest in our first president.

Not surprisingly, the author is overwhelmingly positive in his opinion of his subject -- but who isn't when it comes to Washington?However, he does touch on some of Washington's more human foibles -- he married Martha for her money when he really loved someone else, he owned slaves, he was exacting and short-tempered, he was insecure about his lack of formal education.But these issues are presented and explained in such a way that they are all forgivable, especially when viewed in the context of the times in which Washington lived.It is hard to believe that any human could have been such an exemplary paragon, but apparently Washington was.I haven't read a lot of American history, so I'm definitely no expert here, but there seem to be few scholars who have much of anything negative to say about him.Once every century or so a person of such sterling character rises to the front of the world stage, making an indelible mark on history, and George Washington seems to have been just such a man.

What I took away from this book was that George Washington was, more than anything else, an ambitious man.Although not a great general, he was a man of strong integrity and character, and a born leader whom people would follow.This, combined with his practice of seizing any and every opportunity that came his way and making the best of it, is what propelled him to the level of greatness he achieved.

For serious readers of history I doubt that this book would have much to offer; it is, after all, not written for the 2% or so of Americans who area already avid students of history, but for the other 98%.It is a light and easy read; a good book, but not a great one.

George, you crack me up.
Amazing insight into the young mind and perspective of America's first president.I learned some quite interesting things from this book.On the humorous side I learned it is bad edicate to spit into the campfire. I recommend this fun to read book.Especially if you are a bit of a history nerd as I am.

How George Washington exemplified leadership
This book is rich with colorful vignettes, interesting facts and fascinating lore about George Washington, the first president of the United States. Author James C. Rees (writing with Stephen Spignesi) is both blessed and burdened with an abundance of facts, stories, quotes and tidbits of trivia about Washington. The author works mightily to correlate illustrative incidents from Washington's life with character lessons for today's corporate executives. Unfortunately, the connections are often a little forced, although the narrative remains interesting. Some of the things that Rees includes are fresh and valuable, such as his sidebar about Washington's Revolutionary War spy ring. But others are less compelling, like the verbatim rundown on all 110 of the civility rules that the Jesuits developed in the 1500s to instruct young men. They have passing relevance, in that as a child Washington copied them in longhand so he could memorize them. Yet many of the arcane dictums seem to have little to do with the famed general's life or character. Still, this intriguing, easy read provides a fond, useful lens for seeing Washington as a remarkable leader and a leadership role model on many levels. If your goal is to learn about leadership, getAbstract believes that George Washington has a lot to teach. ... Read more

Product Description
This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery. ... Read more

Product Description
This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery. ... Read more

Product Description
This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery. ... Read more

Product Description
This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery. ... Read more

Product Description
This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery. ... Read more

Product Description
Advance Praise for The Unexpected George Washington

"This is a biography that unquestionably lives up to its title. Readers will discover numerous, often touching traits that they never knew about the Father of the Country. Harlow Unger has written a one-of-a-kind book that will please and fascinate everyone."
—Thomas Fleming, author Washington's Secret War: The Hidden History of Valley Forge

"It's hard to imagine George Washington as playful, tender, or funny. But Harlow Unger searches to find these seldom-seen aspects of the private man, and the result is a far more complete and believable founding father."
— James C. Rees, Executive Director, Historic Mount Vernon

Acclaim for Lafayette

"Harlow Unger has cornered the market on muses to emerge as America's most readable historian. His new biography of the Marquis de Lafayette combines a thoroughgoing account of the age of revolution, a probing psychological study of a complex man, and a literary style that goes down like cream."
—Florence King, contributing editor, National Review

"To American readers Unger's biography will provide a stark reminder of just how near run a thing was our War of Independence and the degree to which our forefathers' victory hinged on the help of our French allies, marshalled for George Washington by his 'adopted' son, Lafayette."
—Larry Collins, coauthor, Is Paris Burning? and O Jerusalem!

"An admirable account of his [Lafayette's] life and extraordinary career on both sides of the Atlantic."
— The Sunday Telegraph (London) ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Great Read
Unger is an entertaining writer who makes a common topic intersting.I read anything I can on George Washington and still found this little book very intersting with a few new tidbits of information.I have ordered other books by Unger after reading this one.

should be required reading for every american
our most important president has many details of his life that need to be learned or re-learned by Americans

A Disgraceful book
This book is a disgrace and a whitewash. It's an adoring portrait of a complex and flawed man that completely omits his life as a slave owner -- indeed, at one point, an auctioneer of slaves who, on his deathbed, freed his slaves. (Or tried to; Martha didn't agree to it.) None of that is in this book. Too hard to handle for this author. If you're into denial and cuteness, you'll love it.

Best Bio Ever
I loved this book. I have always liked Washington, but after reading this biography, I can honestly say he is one of my favorite people. I can hardly wait to visit Mt. Vernon.

A George Washington You Didn't Know
I purchased this book as a birthday gift for a friend who is a major George Washington fan, since I had previously read it and found it to be absolutely fascinating. Most books about him ignore the personal aspects of his life which are featured here and help understand him as a man rather than as a painting or a statue. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (7)

Interesting Book
This book provides a really good perspective on the times and life of George Washington. It is a good read, even if you do not believe in the ability for those departed to contact us in this life.

Caroline Myss
I've heard Caroline state many times on how she is a history buff.Unless that is your thing save your money

Great Meta-Historical Read
This book is either a fictional meta-history, or a new look at George Washington through the eyes of a talented intuitive medium. Either way, the philosophical hallmarks of the challenges Washington faces are wonderfully paroachial and epoch making.

Brought to life by the research and development of medical intuitive and motivational speaker, Caroline Myss. This book helped me flesh out the history of the making of American Indepedence and Spirit in a lively way that humanises Washington's incredible achievements as a militia leader, spiritual seeker, and loving husband.

Wonderful book
Without a doubt one of the best books published.You will have no doubt this great nation was founded with God's guidance.Great read!

A Must Read for All Freemasons
Yes, this book is channeled literature.However, if you have an open mind and can get past the messenger, you'll find the message is both entertaining and enlightening.Personally, I find the realistic detail of this book to be very refreshing.It seems we all too often look upon George Washington as a hero and leader without par and forget to actually get to know the man.In this book you'll get to know the man and Mason that was the father of our country. ... Read more

Product Description
Kindle edition of Marshall's classic biography of George Washington with active table of contents.

John Marshall was an American statesman who helped shape the constitutional law and make the supreme court a center of power; he was Chief Justice of the supreme court from 1801 to 1835. Marshall greatly admired Washhington and this biography was the result. The book is based on records and papers provided by the President's family. Historians have often praised its accuracy and well-reasoned judgments.

If you enjoyed this book, look for others in the "Great Lives Series." ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Marshall the Judge as Witness for Washington
This is the only Washington biography written by a contemporary who knew him and served with him in the Army.Certainly the longest Presidential biography I know of written by a U.S. Supreme Court Justice.According to Senator Beveridge's later biography of John Marshall, Marshall wrote it in installments, and sold it through the U.S. Post Offic distribution network, to make enough money to pay off his massive Virginia land purchsse which in turn enabled Marshall's children to live out their lives free of the need to write books or make land deals.And it worked that way.But that's not all this is.

The first entire volume says little about Washington, because Marshall felt he needed to set the stage with a condensed historyof the colonies prior to Washington. Few of Washington's later biographers went to such subsequent introductory lengths, but then Marshall's law practice ended up acquainting him with the early pre-history of the deeds and conveyances of Virginia, the further elaboration of which can be interpreted as enveloping the rest of the colonies.

This is also a history of the U.S. Army, and how it fought and starved in successive cycles which are described in minute detail exceeding most other accounts.Some of this covers organized military campaigns preceding the declaration of independence, the scope of which I had not heretofore realized by undergoing annual waves of pilgrim-study in "My Early Education."

Leading and embodying this story of land and armies, and ideas, Marshall gives us Washington, illuminated most clearly by excerpts from Washington's own letters.Marshall also gives us Marshall, distilling out of military examples and instances of weak government preceding 1789, potent arguments for increased federal power to do the things our federal government has since done quite well:raise armies, raise taxes, subdue the Indians, kick out the European powers, build a strong navy, and take no back talk from smallish tyrants resentful of centralized governmental power directly and simultaneously exercised on each citizen, and on each state.

When Hamilton wrote that we need "energy in the Executive" he had to have been thinking of Washington, and Marshall catalogs this energy with meticulous documentation of each British officer leading campaigns against us, each subordinate officer on our side under Washinton's command, and how the constant maneuver of armies up and down the length of our seaboard was accomplished--usually without many shoes and without much dry powder.

So Marshall knowing Washington probably insulated him from too much disconnected iconography, and his writing is free of modern fixations on negative or unseemly personal or pychographic tidbits of trivia.Modern readers are left to cling to factual reporting of how Washington handled this British Lord or that recalcitrant congress.

There's a lot here in all five volumes, and the flow of the over-written parts isn't that bad once you get used to it.When one man had such acentral role in all of the key events of our country's founding, and rode out the formation into its institutional phase, thereafter to die in bed at home, Marshall may not have been able to write it any other way than to go over all of the events, to catch the essence of the man.

Neat discovery:LaFayette was only 24 years old while commanding the French at the battle of Yorktown.Marshall quotes from the letters of Cornwallis (or maybe it was Sir Henry Clinton) who refers to LaFayette as "the boy."This is the same boy who later presented Washington with the key to the Bastille, which today hangs on the wall of the stairway of Mount Vernon going up to the second floor. ... Read more

Product Description
According to Wikipedia: "Washington is seen as a symbol of the United States and republicanism in practice. His devotion to civic virtue made him an exemplary figure among early American politicians. Washington died in 1799, and in his funeral oration, Henry Lee said that of all Americans, he was "first in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen." Washington has been consistently ranked by scholars as one of the greatest U.S. Presidents." ... Read more

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A Leaders in Action Series Title
George Washington is one of the most significant men in all of history. As far as the advancement of liberty goes, he may well be the most significant. His contemporaries acknowledged God's hand in his selection as commander of the Continental army and later as president, believing that without Washington, America would not have prevailed in the Revolution or prospered as a new nation founded in liberty.
Washington provided the leadership necessary to hold the troops together during the Revolutionary War, even in the most difficult of situations. When the war was won, he rebuffed an attempt to make him king of the United States, thereby preventing a monarchy or military rule. With his example of how presidents are to govern, he set in motion America's constitutional form of government that prior to his presidency had only existed on paper and in men's hearts.
Apostle of Liberty: The World-Changing Leadership of George Washington is a biography of the great man, but in truth it is more than a mere biography. It also looks at his unique personal qualities as a leader and how these qualities marked him as a leader among leaders. In doing so, it reveals a man whose greatness did not stem from oratorical skills, superior knowledge, or brilliant military tactics, but from virtue. He understood his duty and his proper role in the fledgling nation, and he pursued it with an invincible resolution. Largely, this was due to his belief that God in his providence had chosen him to lead the new nation that was founded on liberty -- civil, religious, and economic -- and that the experiment that began under his leadership as president of the Constitutional Convention and was successful under his leadership in battle would prosper under his leadership and change the world if given the opportunity to succeed. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Washington was Christian
Reviewed by Tyler R. Tichelaar for Reader Views (12/07)

Stephen McDowell's biography of George Washington, "Apostle of Liberty," has strengths as well as weaknesses. The author's argument is two-fold: Washington was a Christian, not a deist as many recent biographers have claimed, and God or "Providence" guided the United States' creation as a democratic nation.

McDowell's main argument that Washington was a Christian is well supported throughout. McDowell uses extensive quotes from Washington's letters and the writings of those who knew Washington, that Washington was a Christian in his behavior and in his words. Washington was frequently caught praying privately by his family members, he supported local churches, and he continually referred to the hand of Providence as guiding him and the nation during the American Revolution and his presidency. Washington followed Christ's example, thus making him a man to respect, and one who deserves to be held in the highest regard by all Americans and people worldwide for the great contribution he made to ensure liberty, even denying himself the chance to become the first monarch of the United States.

McDowell is obviously disappointed in the way modern historians have treated George Washington. "Apostle of Liberty" provides a more traditional and respectful view of the great general and first president. I agree with McDowell that Washington's great character, his honesty, his modesty, his self-sacrifice and courage are all virtues to model our lives after. I wanted to read this book because I did not feel I knew much about the first president myself, and I now have a greater respect for Washington. I wish, however, the book had provided more detail. I am left wanting to learn still more about the first president.

McDowell divides the book into three sections, the first being Washington's biography, then his character and his legacy. I wish the entire book had focused on his biography. I felt the descriptions of his life read like summaries and short lessons, almost as if written for children or high school students. I would have liked more detail, so that I could get into the mind of George Washington and know what it really was like to suffer through that winter at Valley Forge and to feel the stress and the joy he must have known as a great leader. I thought the section on his character read well as a series of short essays, each on a character trait like honesty or modesty, although a lot of these sections were repetitive with items already discussed in the biographical section. I thought the section on his legacy was just more repetition and would have been better as one final conclusion rather than two separate essays that basically repeated themselves.

My biggest disagreement with the book is that while McDowell completely convinced me that Washington was a Christian and that his beliefs in Christianity led to his strength of character, and while I am a proud American, I have a hard time believing the underlying premise that God or Providence, whether Washington believed it or not, was involved in ensuring the success of the American Revolution. At the end of the book, McDowell has a series of "Lessons of Leadership" to be gained from studying the life of Washington. The first one is "Christianity is the source of liberty, happiness and prosperity in society. Leaders have a duty to acknowledge God and obey His will." Christianity in its purest form can lead to happiness, but this kind of statement is too general and simply inaccurate. Christianity in the Middle Ages and many other times throughout history was far from a source of liberty, and to say leaders must obey God's will is opening up a leader to claiming everything he chooses to do is God's will--not a far cry from extremist religious groups today. Obviously Christianity was a great influence on Washington, but "liberty" or democracy is not dependent on Christianity for its success--after all, ancient Greece created democracy centuries before Christ's birth. The argument of Providence's role in the creation of the United States is something that cannot be reasonably supported and is simply just theorizing. It is a matter of faith, but an argument that I think would turn off many readers.

I would recommend "Apostle of Liberty" to young adults who wish to learn more about Washington--his example is one young people can definitely benefit from following. I also hope McDowell's book leads to more complete biographies where Washington's Christian faith is treated more accurately because it definitely was an integral part of his life.

Great brief overview of the great man's life.
This book seemed to find many of the same conclusions as "Washington's God" by Michael Novak.There were a few anecdotes that I had not read elsewhere.It is one of the better written books in the Leaders in Action Series.I appreciate the author's view that Washington was sincere and straitforward in what he wrote and said. ... Read more

Product Description
"In every country boasting a history there may be observed a tendency to make its leaders or great men superhuman. Whether we turn to the legends of the East, the folk-lore of Europe, or the traditions of the native races of America, we find a mythology based upon the acts of man gifted with superhuman powers. In the unscientific, primeval periods in which these beliefs were born and elaborated into oral and written form, their origin is not surprising. But to all who have studied the creation of a mythology, no phase is a more curious one than that the keen, practical American of to-day should engage in the same process of hero-building which has given us Jupiter, Wotan, King Arthur, and others. By a slow evolution we have well-nigh discarded from the lives of our greatest men of the past all human faults and feelings; have enclosed their greatness in glass of the clearest crystal, and hung up a sign, Do not touch. Indeed, with such characters as Washington, Franklin, and Lincoln we have practically adopted the English maxim that the king can do no wrong. In place of men, limited by human limits, and influenced by human passions, we have demi-gods, so stripped of human characteristics as to make us question even whether they deserve much credit for their sacrifices and deeds. " ... Read more

Product Description
In every country boasting a history there may be observed a tendency to make its leaders or great men superhuman. Whether we turn to the legends of the East, the folk-lore of Europe, or the traditions of the native races of America, we find a mythology based upon the acts of man gifted with superhuman powers. In the unscientific, primeval periods in which these beliefs were born and elaborated into oral and written form, their origin is not surprising. But to all who have studied the creation of a mythology, no phase is a more curious one than that the keen, practical American of to-day should engage in the same process of hero-building which has given us Jupiter, Wotan, King Arthur, and others. By a slow evolution we have well-nigh discarded from the lives of our greatest men of the past all human faults and feelings; have enclosed their greatness in glass of the clearest crystal, and hung up a sign, "Do not touch." Indeed, with such characters as Washington, Franklin, and Lincoln we have practically adopted the English maxim that "the king can do no wrong." In place of men, limited by human limits, and influenced by human passions, we have demi-gods, so stripped of human characteristics as to make us question even whether they deserve much credit for their sacrifices and deeds.

But with this process of canonization have we not lost more than we have gained, both in example and in interest? Many, no doubt, with the greatest veneration for our first citizen, have sympathized with the view expressed by Mark Twain, when he said that he was a greater man than Washington, for the latter "couldn't tell a lie, while he could, but wouldn't" We have endless biographies of Franklin, picturing him in all the public stations of life, but all together they do not equal in popularity his own human autobiography, in which we see him walking down Market Street with a roll under each arm, and devouring a third. And so it seems as if the time had come to put the shadow-boxes of humanity round our historic portraits, not because they are ornamental in themselves, but because they will make them examples, not mere idols.

If the present work succeeds in humanizing Washington, and making him a man rather than a historical figure, its purpose will have been fulfilled. In the attempt to accomplish this, Washington has, so far as is possible, been made to speak for himself, even though at times it has compelled the sacrifice of literary form, in the hope that his own words would convey a greater sense of the personality of the man. So, too, liberal drafts have been made on the opinions and statements of his contemporaries; but, unless the contrary is stated or is obvious, all quoted matter is from Washington's own pen. It is with pleasure that the author adds that the result of his study has only served to make Washington the greater to him.

Download The True George Washington Now! ... Read more

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Much has been written in the past two centuries about George Washington the statesman and “father of his country.” Less often discussed is Washington’s military career, including his exploits as a young officer and his performance as the Revolutionary War commander in chief. Now, in a revealing work of historical biography, Edward Lengel has written the definitive account of George Washington the soldier.

Based largely on Washington’s personal papers, this engrossing book paints a vivid, factual portrait of a man to whom lore and legend so tenaciously cling. To Lengel, Washington was the imperfect commander. Washington possessed no great tactical ingenuity, and his acknowledged “brilliance in retreat” only demonstrates the role luck plays in the fortunes of all great men. He was not an enlisted man’s leader; he made a point of never mingling with his troops. He was not an especially creative military thinker; he fought largely by the book.

He was not a professional, but a citizen soldier, who, at a time when warfare demanded that armies maneuver efficiently in precise formation, had little practical training handling men in combat. Yet despite his flaws, Washington was a remarkable figure, a true man of the moment, a leader who possessed a clear strategic, national, and continental vision, and who inspired complete loyalty from his fellow revolutionaries, officers, and enlisted men. America could never have won freedom without him.

A trained surveyor, Washington mastered topography and used his superior knowledge of battlegrounds to maximum effect. He appreciated the importance of good allies in times of crisis, and understood well the benefits of coordination of ground and naval forces. Like the American nation itself, he was a whole that was greater than the sum of its parts–a remarkable everyman whose acts determined the course of history. Lengel argues that Washington’s excellence was in his completeness, in how he united the military, political, and personal skills necessary to lead a nation in war and peace.

At once informative and engaging, and filled with some eye-opening revelations about Washington, the war for American independence, and the very nature of military command, General George Washington is a book that reintroduces readers to a figure many think they already know.


From the Hardcover edition. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (13)

The best work on Washington the soldier...
Edward G. Lengel's book on George Washington was one of the best I have ever read-and I have read many books on Washington. This one was my favorite, because it focuses on Washington's military career and that is the part of Washington's life I love studying most. This book was very well written and it analized Washington's military campaigns and battles like no other book I've read on him

Lengel focuses clearly on Washington's early career as a soldier. He doesn't devote that much time to Washington's childhood-which I though was very well handled. Instead he brought the camera into Washington's entrance onto the military stage in 1753-1758. The years well documented, Washington was always in the forefront, and his military education was clearly explored. Great start.

The author then makes reverances to Washington's years of peace from 1759-1775. It was fun to she the great man spending time building his home, spending time with his family, and being involved in the poltics of Colonial Virginia. and then are the years of 1775-1783, the defineing years of the general's career and life. The battles of New York, Trenton, Princeton, Brandywine, Germantown, and Yorktown were always descriptive and fun to read.

I recommend this book to anyone really intersted in Washington's career as a soldier and the first great American warrior-hero. A well writtwn biography on the greatest American who ever lived.

The generalship of George Washington
In General George Washington: A Military Life, author Edward Lengel does an admirable job of revealing through his biographical focus on Washington not just the development and achievements of Washington the general but also the wider events that affected America from the time of the French and Indian War through to the end of the eighteenth century.As a casual reader, I find this biographical approach to history much more enjoyable than detailed accounts of campaign after campaign where the individual personalities are never sufficiently developed.

Lengel's General Washington is virtuous, personally brave, a tireless quartermaster, a meticulous administrator and reformer, a polished diplomat, an unerring positive example to his troops and possesses no small amount of personal charisma.What he is not, is a brilliant battlefield general.Fortunately for Washington and his nascent country, his positive qualities overcome this deficiency.

He is often careless of terrain and does not perform sufficient reconnaissance.In two specific examples, at Long Island and at Brandywine, he leaves one of his flanks "in the air,"and on both occasions the British General William Howe takes advantage by marching around the vulnerable end of Washington's line.Also on both occasions, Washington benefits from Howe's reluctance to vigorously pursue the withdrawing Americans.

Although finding numerous faults with Washington's generalship, Lengel concludes that Washington was indeed the indispensable leader, without whom there would have been no United States of America.

Well done
I thought this was a well written and informative book. Sometimes we try to portray Washington as a God, but not in this book. Edward G. Lengel gives an unbiased fair view of Washington's military life. Sometimes I believe he was overly critical, but then, I am not a military historian. I would recommend this to anyone interested in the American Revolution.

General George Washington: A Military Life
General George Washington: A Military Life by Edward G. Lengel. 2005. 450 pages.

This book covers the military career of George Washington from his days as a youth watching the adventures of his brother through the Seven Years War/French and Indian War, the Revolution, The whisky Rebellion and ends with the former President of the United States (POTUS) Washington still on duty at the end of his life.

This book is primarily concerned with Washington the military man. It provides a good history of his military career and some historical evaluation. The author is not a military man or military scholar; rather he is involved with the George Washington Papers Project. The author's lack of military experience however does not impact his selection of material or his evaluation of Washington the soldier.

While Washington's exploits during the Seven Years War and the Revolution are fairly well known some of the details and the scope of these exploits are often not understood. This lack of understanding is partly the result of our distance from the way things were in the 18th century and partly because Washington was a unique and extraordinary leader and man. In many ways he was much more akin to our modern sensibilities than he was to those of the military establishments of his time. Though he himself operated firmly in an 18th century frame of reference.

Washington was a one man staff system who directed his logistics both on the practical side and on the political side, always wary to avoid burdening the populace and maintaining civilian control and a sense of proper order in the army. Washington was heavily involved in conducting his own intelligence and agitory propaganda work to a degree which modern commanders do not do because much of these functions are delegated to dedicated and specially trained staff.

Peeling back the aspects of Washington's organization and activities which today are handled by a staff we come to the issue of Washington in the traditional sense of a military man as we commonly think of them. Washington was by all accounts of friend and foe a very physically brave man on par even with Hernando Cortez. Washington's ability to lead men was remarkable for a man with little education. He was, compared to his 18th century peers, a very modern leader reinforcing the positive and challenging his men to meet his expectation rather then the blunt bully who used the vine stave.

At a tactical level Washington's forces failed more often than they succeeded. Too often the failure was a result of an overly complicated plan. Though Washington was seemingly always itching for a fight he tended towards plans of such intricate timing and advance that they were often doomed. On the operational and strategic level Washington's talents were much more evident. Though he maintained a fixed obsession with New York City he quickly understood the tie between the revolution and its promise to the country and world and the need to keep his army in the field defying the British.

The notion that Washington was a Fabian in his tactics does not strictly hold water. Washington though recognizing the need to maintain the army as a whole in the field in order to preserve the revolution routinely risked the entire main army in battle. The campaigns in New York City, Brandywine, Germantown, even Monmouth showed a desire for that one decisive action which would decide the issue. The author does understand this.

Washington is so far the only sitting POTUS to, as Commander in Chief, command troops in the field, in uniform as President. This occurred during the Whiskey Rebellion though the mere presence of Washington contributed to the end of the rebellion with out a full scale national conflagration. Washington, in a little known tidbit, also returned to military service after his final term as POTUS. He, at the behest of POTUS John Adams, accepted a commission to ready the American military for potential conflict with France. When Washington died he did so under commission and therefore still technically as a serving military officer in the armed forces of the United States.

This book reads quickly, the prose not being a millstone to the material, and does a fine job of presenting this aspect of Washington to the reader.

Deconstructing His Excellency
Well written and researched, the writing style a little difficult at times. I felt the author was over critical of Washington, especially since he spends 99% of the narrative criticizing him and, in the last chapter, alots only a few pages to defending him. Overall a good read, but I would pickup His Excellency by J. Ellis, 1776 by Mccollough, or Washington's Crossing by Fischer first. ... Read more

Product Description

A Class Trip Turns into a Wild-Goose Chase!

Dee, José, and Annie are touring the White House when they accidentally knock an old painting of George Washington off the wall - and the first president escapes! As they race to put him back, the three meet other famous people who lived in the White House.

Chasing George Washington is based on a play produced by the Kennedy Center and the White House Historical Association, written by Karen Zacarías, Deborah Wicks La Puma, and the Young Playwrights Theater, and now touring nationally. ... Read more

Product Description
According to Wikipedia: "Washington is seen as a symbol of the United States and republicanism in practice. His devotion to civic virtue made him an exemplary figure among early American politicians. Washington died in 1799, and in his funeral oration, Henry Lee said that of all Americans, he was "first in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen." Washington has been consistently ranked by scholars as one of the greatest U.S. Presidents." ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

If you haven't read this you know nothing of Washington
If you read Teddy Roosevelt's History of the United States first it will make more sense. Could be better written, author alludes to information but doesn't cover it in detail. Unfortunate in that with one or two sentences you would know what he is talking about rather than having to research it in wiki or google. Worth a read even with that criticism.

Good primer on George Washington
This is a short book but I found it very readable.I learned more about the man than the myth.I recommend it.

Fair and balanced presentation
Certainly not the easiest read in the Amazon collection, but assuredly a different portrayal of George Washington than you'll find in the more common "I cannot tell a lie" variety.I'm no scholar in histrionically figures, but this book had the ring of a fair and balanced presentation. Oh, and a Kindle freebie!

mel folsom ca
Good reminder of the amazing events that gave birth to this country.The taxation of the colonies that inspired the Revolution is history repeated in Obama era politics.
This book draws some interesting parallels between WWI and Washingtons advocacy of neutrality in the conflict between Great Britain and France.

George Washington
American history has been a favorite of mine.This one was informative & well written. ... Read more