The First of Men: A Life of George Washington

by John Ferling

Ferling, John E., First Of A Life Of George Washington, The

Genres: Biography, History, American Revolution, Nonfiction, Presidents, American History

Paperback

First published January 1, 1988

About the author

John E. Ferling is a professor emeritus of history at the University of West Georgia. A leading authority on American Revolutionary history, he is the author of several books, including "A Leap in the Dark: The Struggle to Create the American Republic", "Almost a Miracle: The American Victory in the War of Independence", and his most recent work, "The Ascent of George Washington: The Hidden Political Genius of an American Icon". He has appeared in television documentaries on PBS, the History Channel, C-SPAN Book TV, and the Learning Channel.

Reviews

[Abdullah O. · Rating 1 out of 5]

I’m not a native speaker, but I’m pretty sure that native speakers will find the words used in this book extremely awkward and unnecessary. There are almost 15 rarely used adjectives and nouns on all pages. Some of them: Bucolic, knoll, idyllic, acerbity, sundry, tincture, bamboozled, inebriated, gaol, bivouac... etc.

I’m not against to his use technical, historical terms, but he can at least use brackets to give a shot meaning of these awkward words. A Little respect to the reader what I want to emphasize.

[Barry James Hickey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Informative, but a bit plodding and tedious at times, capturing the essence of a man drawn to lead a nation sputtering towards self-identity. I am reminded from the work that there are no great men in history, but men with great moments in history. Washington was one of them, self-doubting, withdrawn, erudite, vengeful, loving, he was a man of his times.

[J.R. Handley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found a box full of my old college text books and decided to give them another read.... for the fun of it. This one, while not exciting, kept my interest and was a lot of fun to read. It wasn't too jargon heavy, so anyone could manage this read through. I give this one 4 stars for keeping my attention! There are better and more informative books out there about George Washington, but none as easy on the novice historians. If the American Revolutionary history is your jam, then grab some bread and butter this bad boy, cause you found a winner!

[Jim Benton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Feeling captures Washington and his relationship with Mt. Vernon as well or better than any other biographer I have read

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've got about 20 pages left to read. These are my thoughts so far:

George Washington: More concerned with his reputation and with getting ahead, and how he would be remembered. Washington comes across as an introvert and loner who will do whatever it takes to win admiration and respect. It was important for him to connect with the right people: those with money, connections, and power. This doesn't mean he didn't have any redeeming qualities, such as taking care of his family and helping his friends. Moderate federalist until he started depending on Hamilton as his main source for political advice.

Alexander Hamilton: A snake. Pro-federalist.
Thomas Jefferson: Less of a snake than Hamilton. Pro-Republican.
Both Hamilton and Jefferson liked to write anonymous political articles in newspapers to prove how evil the other side was. And if lies were helpful in making their case, well, that's politics. So, if you think our political situation today has only recently become as bad as it gets, it actually started with the first presidency, and continued.

The author did a good job narrating the facts and the era into an interesting story and in bringing the characters to life. It really got interesting when the Genet Affair and the Edmund Randolf fiasco were told towards the end. I rated this book a 4, only because the author had a tendency to intrude into the story with adjectives and adverbs that let the reader know what he personally thought of the characters. It was unnecessary, but I would guess that Ferling isn't the first historian who wanted to ensure the reader understood the characters were not the upstanding citizens they had been led to believe they were. Overall, I believe the author wrote a balanced biography of George Washington.

I plan to read a few more biographies about Washington, as well as biographies of other presidents. I strongly recommend this book for those interested in American history.