John Adams

by Page Smith

Book by Smith, Page

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

1170 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1962

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.

Charles Page Smith, who was known by his middle name, was a U.S. historian, professor, author, and newspaper columnist.
A native of Baltimore, Maryland, Smith graduated with a B.A. degree from Dartmouth College in 1940. He then worked at Camp William James, a center for youth leadership training opened in 1940 by Eugen Rosenstock-Huessy, a Dartmouth College professor, as part of the Civilian Conservation Corps. Smith was awarded a Purple Heart for his service as a company commander of the 10th Mountain Division of the United States Army during World War II. (wikipedia)

Reviews

[Aaron Million · Rating 5 out of 5]

VOLUME I: While older, this superb biography of Adams stands right there with David McCullough's masterpiece. This was a pleasant surprise, as many books of this nature that were written several decades ago can and often do have a dated feel to them, with their authors frequently getting mired in minutiae. Not so with Smith. While detailed, he never gets excessive to where the reading is tedious. The story of the first half of Adams' life from birth through 1784, when he was 49, moves along seamlessly.

Again, without getting too detailed, Smith starts by examining the family roots that Adams springs from in Massachusetts. Actually, Massachusetts itself seems to be one of the many characters in this book as there are continuous references to it, specifically Braintree (where Adams lived), and Boston (where he worked and lived on and off). This is as it should be since the state was never far from Adams' own mind, no matter how far away he was. And in this book, he spends a great deal of time away from home. His entire time spent in Europe adds up to roughly a decade. Then factor in all of the time that he spent in Philadelphia (and the not inconsiderable amount of time spent traveling to and from that city, which was a few weeks in those days).

Smith steadily chronicles Adams' rise to power via the legal profession. Adams worked hard (another theme that runs throughout the book) and earned the success that he eventually achieved. Adams, due to his boisterous and blunt personality, never left anyone wondering what he thought about a certain subject, or the person him or herself. As such, this was often the bane of Adams' existence as it made him countless enemies, but on the other hand many people respected his honesty and willingness to be truthful regardless of the consequences. Thus, quite a few people were in Adams' corner as well, and this came in handy while he served both in Congress and then later overseas at what we would now call an Ambassadorial level.

Another strength of the book is that Smith is very good at providing context for what is going on. We do not view Adams in a vacuum. We see the world in which he was living, with conflicting forces swirling around him. We see him getting pressured and pulled from many different directions. This is so in Philadelphia but even more so when he goes to Paris to help negotiate a treaty with France. Communication across the ocean literally took months, and oftentimes letters were intercepted by enemy countries (namely Britain), were lost in a ship wreck, or were just plain lost due to the enormous amount of distance that the mail had to travel to reach its destination.

This delay was never more distressing to Adams than when he was corresponding with his wife Abigail. Their letters number in the thousands, and both were not afraid to mince words. Adams wrote as spoke - off the cuff and unfiltered. Abigail was much the same way. Their voluminous correspondence definitely aided Smith in making this an interesting book to read. Indeed, one of Adams' biggest frustrations is his long separation from Abigail. This was not originally intended by either of them, as Adams spent far greater time in Europe than he ever expected to. And this is after they had already been separated when he stayed in Philadelphia for months on end several times. But fortunately, this separation - while personally painful for the Adamses - was a boon for history as it has provided us with such a treasure trove of insights and feelings from the Revolutionary time period.

Smith punctuates the facts with analysis about Adams' motives and actions. He is eminently fair with Adams - neither lionizing him nor failing to point out his many faults. Adams was a vain man- everyone knew this, even Adams himself. Smith shows how his vanity many times got in his way and only made his path to accomplishing what it was that he wanted at the moment more difficult. Adams was also an incessant worrywart - fretting about his health even when he was young and vibrant.

As with Adams, Smith is also fair with other important characters in the book: Samuel Adams, Benjamin Franklin, John Jay, etc... He explains why they had issues with Adams over either his thinking or his way of doing business, but he also shows why their behavior could infuriate Adams at times too. This is especially true of Franklin. The two men, with such different personalities, did not care for each other at all. Smith makes it easy to see both sides.

Finally, Smith also writes at length of Adams as a parent, and of his devotion to his children. This devotion could at times be too much; John Quincy Adams did not catch a break from either parent on anything. Both of them were unbelievably demanding of him. No wonder he became so dour and aloof later in life. Smith paints a well-rounded portrait of John Adams that would be hard for anyone to surpass.

VOLUME II: Smith picks up this volume with Adams in the midst of his decade of foreign service in Europe. He was all over the place: England, France, Holland, Italy. His diplomatic work was crucial in funding the new republic across the Atlantic Ocean and keeping it going. Certainly Adams did not possess the typical characteristics that today's State Department would want out of a diplomat: discretion, calm, and reserved in nature. But he was effective because he was honest and upfront about what he came to do, and by this point his stature and name meant something. As one of the pillars of the Revolution, he had to be taken seriously by foreign secretaries whether they liked him or not, although certainly Vergennes of France was disrespectful to him at times.

As he did throughout the first volume, Smith seamlessly weaves between Adams' professional and personal lives. In this sense the reader feels like he is following along with Adams on his journey through life. Adams continues to suffer from vanity, finally admitting in his old age that it has been with him all of his life. Smith mines Adams' prolific correspondence with, well, everyone to provide as accurate a portrayal of Adams as possible. Since he allows Adams to speak for himself whenever possible, and also to allow his correspondents to do so, we see first-hand what all of them were thinking, and also see when they were being less than honest with each other (although Adams, if anything, was usually too honest).

Smith devotes much time to reviewing the relationship between Adams and Thomas Jefferson. This is probably one of the most important political relationships in the history of the U.S. because of all that each man accomplished and further because they both came to represent such differing views of the type of government that should be undertaken in America. Smith reviews their diplomatic service together, then through the 1790s as the two friends gradually moved away from each other politically and personally. While he does not assign blame to one or the other, in fact he points out things that both men did that could have been taken poorly by each other, there is a - not overpowering - bias towards Adams. I think that, on the whole, this is right: Jefferson was devious and did his work in the shadows, professing to just want to retire to his Virginia plantation when in reality he pined for the Presidency. It is really amazing to see that the two men shared a common enemy - Alexander Hamilton - yet never collaborated on ways to defeat him. It seems that they really never discussed Hamilton's intrigues against either man.

Smith seldom fails to provide astute analysis of Adams' actions, motives, and relationships. His review of the Adams-Jefferson relationship is succinct and seems to capture the juxtaposition of the two men better than anywhere else that I have read. Form page 675: "The warmth and affection of the relationship, to be sure, had been rather more in John and Abigail than in Jefferson. As with most charming men, the Virginian held something of himself in reserve.... Adams, on the other hand,... when he gave his friendship he gave it as he gave everything without reservation or restraint... Put another way, it might be said that Adams loved Jefferson, while Jefferson liked Adams."

On the whole, Smith is favorable to Adams. Adams is respected and revered much more as being one of the Founding Fathers than he ever has been or will be as a President. For a long time, his Presidency was viewed with a high degree of disfavor. Smith argues that while there certainly is evidence to support this view, it is too simplistic, that some of the policies that Adams set in motion turned out to be right. Most specifically of these are two that later bared fruit: a measured and moderate tone towards a France that was in the midst of it own revolution, and the need for a large navy. Adams was proven right on the second point by the War of 1812 and then subsequent wars. And clearly with hindsight, his cautious yet polite policy towards France paid off. Had he rushed the infant United States into war, odds would not have been on its side. It had no Navy to speak of, and barely an Army. A war with France may also have brought Britain into an alignment with France, a partnership that surely would have been fatal to the fledgling U.S.

There are a few areas where Smith lets Adams off lightly. Adams had an alarming penchant for spending long periods of time while President away from Philadelphia (Washington became the capitol only at the end of Adams' time in office) back home in Massachusetts. With all of the party factionalism that was going on, and given the lag time in communication during this time period, this was very short-sighted. His long absences simply allowed people like Hamilton, and Adams' Cabinet, to openly work to undermine his policies and oppose him at every corner. Adams was incredibly slow to see that Hamilton was someone who could do his administration great harm, and unfortunately he did not see this in time. Also, Adams departed the capitol early in the morning on March 4, 1801, the day that Jefferson became President. Adams did not stay to greet Jefferson and demonstrate the peaceful transfer of power that Americans are so accustomed to seeing today. Smith deems it unfortunate that Adams did not attend Jefferson's inaugural, but excuses it partially by saying that there was no custom for it then. True enough - to an extent. The fact that Washington stayed until Adams was administered the oath and gave his inaugural address should have been enough of a guide for Adams to see what the right thing to do was.

The book concludes with extensive coverage of Adams' final years after retiring to his farm in Quincy, MA. Adams was an active correspondent for most of this time (he lived until 1826, thus enjoying a twenty-five year retirement at a time when many people did not live long enough to have one at all), and Smith as usual makes good use of Adams' voluminous correspondence. Adams' family, always important to him, became even more so as he aged. Reading about this man now, one is struck by what an incredible career and life he lived: a Founding Father, involved in the American Revolution, participating in the writing of the Declaration of Independence, a Delegate to the Constitutional Congresses, Minister to The Netherlands, Minister to Great Britain, Special Envoy to France, the first Vice President, the second President, and father of the sixth President, John Quincy Adams. Who among us would not want to have even one of those successes?

Grade: A

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

http://bestpresidentialbios.com/2013/...

“John Adams” by Page Smith was the first comprehensive biography of Adams written once the second president’s personal papers became widely available. Published in 1962, this epic biography consists of two volumes spanning nearly 1,200 pages. This biography was the winner of a 1963 Bancroft Prize (awarded to outstanding books on the history of the Americas) and has long been recognized as one of the earliest, most thorough, treatments of John Adams’ life.

In a manner reminiscent of Flexner’s nearly contemporaneous multi-volume work on Washington, this biography meticulously chronicles John Adams’ life from his earliest days as a youth in what is now Quincy, MA to his final days in that same town, at the age of 90. What transpired in the 45 years between his graduation from Harvard to the end of his presidency was a surprisingly interesting tale of dogmatic focus on self-improvement, a pursuit and embrace of significant political opportunities, extraordinary opportunities to work and live abroad, and an unusually strong devotion to his family and friends.

Although this was the second biography of John Adams I read (following the excellent book by David McCullough), the journey was undiminished by my previous venture through Adams’ life. Because McCullough’s biography was nearly 40% shorter, by necessity it hustled past a number of interesting sojourns which Smith allows us to enjoy. While little of the incremental detail is necessary in order to understand the broad themes of Adams’ life, we almost feel as though we roamed the English countryside with Adams and Jefferson in the spring of 1786, and it seems all but certain we must have been John’s and Abigail’s therapists at some point, having been privy to the witty banter and touching emotional exchanges they shared through their frequent letters.

Where a thorough biography of George Washington seems at its core a primer on the American Revolution and a treatise of the first years of the American presidency, Page Smith’s excellent biography of John Adams frequently seems a behind-the-scenes eyewitness account of the birth of a nation, a revolutionary-era Fodor’s Guide to Europe and a treatise of the first years of the US Senate. And despite heavy involvement by each in the evolution of the United States, Adams’ and Washington’s lives intersected so infrequently that both of these men need to be carefully studied in order to fully appreciate the political and social climate of the earliest days of our country and the treacherous currents which very nearly ripped the new country apart.

Smith as an author is not as elegant or efficient as Chernow or McCullough, but still manages to leave the reader feeling refreshed and gratefully enlightened. However, I suspect my experience with this biography would have been slightly less enjoyable had it been my first journey through Adams’ life, owing to the possibility that the level of detail would have sometimes prevented me from seeing the “big picture”. My appreciation for the frequent granularity Smith provided was undoubtedly made more robust by my having already mapped the notable terrain of Adams’ life through McCullough’s book.

Although Smith is clearly a fan of John Adams, his biography does not suffer from excessive fawning or idolatry, nor does Smith present his positive case for Adams too defensively. Only Smith’s rationalization of Adams’ role in the Alien and Sedition Acts seems a bit out of touch with modern judgment. But despite its age (the series was first published just over 50 years ago), the biography does not seem to have lost its relevance and I am unaware of fresh insights into Adams which would cast doubts on Smith’s work. In fact, Smith’s conclusions on Adams and his presidency may be the highlight of the book and seem remarkably insightful given the limited time the former president’s papers were available to Smith prior to publication of this biography.

Given its age, it is not surprising (but certainly regrettable) that Smith’s biography of Adams is not well-read these days, nor frequently reviewed. Thankfully, it remains readily available for purchase by prospective readers and at a reasonable cost. To my surprise, I managed to obtain a very affordable, nearly mint condition copy of the series “still in the box” as it must have arrived at someone’s house a half-century ago as part of a Book-of-the-Month Club (yes, seriously…according to the dust jacket).

Although Page Smith’s “John Adams” has lost its youth, it has not lost its vigor or power of persuasion, entertainment or education. As an initial foray into the life of John Adams by a serious student of history, I recommend this biography very highly. For a John Adams “enthusiast,” Page Smith’s biography serves either as a thorough and interesting introduction to our second president (for a reader with time to devote) or as a great follow-up for someone whose first experience with Adams came through one of the shorter, more recently published biographies of Adams.

Overall rating: 4½ stars

[Bruce · Rating 4 out of 5]

Our second president John Adams was a force of nature in terms of the founding of America. A man of
unquestioned integrity, a lawyer of great ability he pushed and lobbied his fellow founders until he got what he wanted. In the musical 1776 we got a glimpse of Adams in action. In this book we also
see that integrity came with an incredible vanity and a sense of self righteousness. It got passed down
to other Adams descendants who went into public life.

If the call to revolution hadn't been heard Adams would have been content to be a Braintree farmer.
He was born there in 1735 and he was also lucky to find a love match in his choice of wife. The
correspondence between John and Abigail Smith Adams reveals a woman of some rather stern views
on all topics, be it politics, child raising or farming.

Adams was one of the first of the founding fathers to believe that only independence would satisfy
all the colonial grievances. He was on the committee that drafted our Declaration of Independence
which colleague Thomas Jefferson wrote. Those were in the days of a strong friendship. Both
Adams and Jefferson served in various diplomatic posts for the Continental Congress. Both served
on the peace commission that drafted the Treaty of Paris that ended the Revolutionary War. Adams
became our first Minister to Great Britain and Jefferson became Minister to France.

When the Constitution was adopted and George Washington became our first president these two
were called home, Jefferson to be our first Secretary of State and Adams to be the first Vice President. It was during the Washington administration that these two developed severe differences in foreign and domestic policies. Jefferson resigned and with James Madison started
organizing opposition to the Federalists running the Washington administration. Adams was a
Federalist.

Not that he got along all that well with Alexander Hamilton the founder and philosophical head of
the Federalists. My own view is that if hadn't been for the Maria Reynolds personal scandal Hamilton would have succeeded Washington as president. Hamilton was like a son to Washington,
Adams and Washington were not really close. But with Hamilton eliminated Adams was elected
in 1796 to be our 2nd president.

In these early years of the government under the new Constitution decisions were made that would
set precedent. Adams made one bad precedent, he kept the Cabinet he inherited from Washington.
He also made a horrible assumption that these guys if left to their own devices would listen to him
and not Hamilton. WRONG. Cabinet members Timothy Pickering (State), Oliver Wolcott (Treasury) and James McHenry (War) all had relationships with Hamilton. When Adams left them
alone Hamilton filled a vacuum. He's never been properly criticized for that.

It took Adams over two years to realize that. By then we were in an undeclared naval war with
France which Adams managed to settle peacefully. In doing so he satisfied neither the Hamiltonian high Federalists who wanted the war and the pro French Democrat-Republicans who
looked to Vice President Thomas Jefferson for leadership. The two once good friends were now
bitter foes.

Adams deserves our gratitude for settling this French undeclared war before it got out of hand. He
also established the United States Navy as an additional Cabinet post. Sadly he signed into law the
Alien and Sedition Acts which made it hard on aliens and made it harder to obtain citizenship and
a crime to criticize the government.

Author Page Smith feels if he had not fired those three Cabinet ministers and made an open break
with Hamilton, Adams might have been re-elected in 1800. Adams by nature of his character could
do nothing else. Thomas Jefferson defeated his once close friend and Adams returned to being a
farmer in Braintree.

In his retirement years Adams made up with Jefferson and they kept up a lively correspondence from Braintree to Monticello in Virginia. Both as if by divine Providence died on the 50th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1826. Adams was about 4 months short
of his 91st birthday.

Adams remains one of our most fascinating of founding fathers. And Page Smith gives him a lengthy book to match his lengthy life.

[SaraJane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting perspective of the building of the US. Very detail heavy, thanks to all those letters available.

[Lora Shouse · Rating 5 out of 5]

This review is for Volume 2 of this book only.

I read the first volume of this two-volume book back when I was in high school. This would have been nearly fifty years ago. I never had the chance to read the second volume at the time but put it on my list to finish, and I have finally done that – yay!

I don’t remember much about the first volume except for one scene where Adams’ wife, Abigail, was left at home on the farm expecting their last child while John was off in Philadelphia doing political stuff. The child was stillborn. My opinion of that book ever since has been that the most interesting thing about John Adams was Abigail.

Now, having read the second volume, I am impressed with how much more interesting this one seems to have been. Maybe it’s me. Maybe the vagaries of politics seem to have more relevance these days. Maybe it’s because this volume has more of Abigail in it. But anyway, this volume was more readable than I remember the first one being.

It begins when John Adams was in France as part of a trio of ambassadors trying to negotiate a series of treaties with the French and other people. After that, he was sent as ambassador to England. The observations of John and Abigail, and their daughter, young Abigail, who they called Nabby, of life in France and England and their comparison of the two countries with each other and with New England (New England was best, and Old England was next) are very enlightening. Their time in England was particularly interesting as they visited several English country estates. Their travels there were almost like doing the tourist trip today. I was surprised that there were so many owners of large estates who were so willing to show visitors from another country around their homes.

Back in America, they were immediately caught up in the first Presidential elections. This is by far the closest look I have ever had of the early days of the Federal government. We get to see John Adams trying to establish the forms and ceremonies of Congress, particularly the Senate, since, as Vice-President, he was also the President of the Senate. I was particularly impressed with his relationship with George Washington, and also with the relationship between Abigail and Martha Washington.

Alexander Hamilton doesn’t come off very well in this, as he is shown meddling in the affairs of the Electoral College, persuading several members of various New England delegations not to vote for Adams, which had the effect of giving Washington a unanimous majority and Adams slightly fewer votes, leaving him the Vice-President. This was all well and good in the first election. But he kept doing this, and by the time of the fourth election he managed to get enough votes away from Adams that he was not elected to a second term, and the election went to the House of Representatives to decide between Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr, who were running in the other party. It was somewhat disappointing that we never got to see how Congress finally sorted out the system enough to get the votes for President and Vice President separated.

Another thing I was sort of sorry not to see more of was the early days of Washington D.C. and the White House. The new capital (and the new Capitol) were finished enough by the last year of Adams’ presidency that the government was moved there after its earlier stays in New York and Philadelphia. There is only a little bit about breaking in the new buildings in this biography.
Adams left office a sick old man, expecting to go home to die. But apparently living on his farm in Quincy was good for his health, because he recovered remarkably, and, despite various illnesses and other setbacks managed to live more or less happily for another twenty-five or so years. He died on the fiftieth anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, as did Thomas Jefferson. His son, John Quincy Adams, was President at the time.

This was a library book.

[Jdb · Rating 4 out of 5]

Volume 1 (1735-1784)...4.5 stars

Outstanding biography and a must read for those with more than a passing interest in Adams. ( for the casual reader, I recommend McCullough’s excellent ‘John Adams’ , which is half the length of Smith’s). Page Smith and McCullough cover essentially the same events but Smith takes deeper dives into many things that added nuances not normally found in biographies where the author was unable to interview the subject or any living person who knew the subject. Undoubtedly, this is due to the enormous written record of his life and thoughts that Adams left for posterity with his letters, essays, pamphlets, and almost daily diary that spanned most of his life. I came away with the feeling I really understood who this man was, both his strengths and character weaknesses. Adams is truly the unsung Founding Father of the United States.

Smith also offers numerous insights in a literary manner which are spot on, for example: “ Political action is seldom a spontaneous response, guided by rational motives, to the requirements of the moment. It was and is a web of conflicting interests and aspirations of sharply opposed ideas and personalities. To produce actions requires vision and astute management of the complicated machinery of politics where complex human motivations made up the warp and woof of the tapestry of history .”

The Warp and woof of the tapestry of history....don’t you just love that?

On to Volume 2 ! 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸

[Elie Harriett · Rating 5 out of 5]

This two volume biography of John Adams is one of the best biographies I've ever read. Even though it was written in the 1960's, it is highly accessible to modern readers.

The book's biggest strength, in my opinion, is its ability to build the world out around John Adams. It isn't about Adams as much as it is how he interacted with the world, people, and events around him. That makes this book special, informative, and worth a second read.

My only wish with this book is if there were an audio version of it, or even an e-book version. Especially the audio. This is one of those books so filled with information that I'm sure a second read through is warranted. Having an audio accompaniment would help tremendously with that.

[Danny Stevens · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good 2 volume set on John Adams. Lots of detail, sometimes in excess, but overall a great read. For volume 1, I liked the detail on the dislike of Ben Franklin in Paris. I knew they disliked each other but didn't always understand why. I just assumed it was personality differences. This book shows it was a bit more than that. His defense of the British troops following the Boston Massacre also was a highlight from volume 1.

[Alex Stephenson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Almost sickeningly methodical, sticking to the chronology and exact documentation of his letters so strictly that it can be very consuming to follow. Be warned, also: the actual "presidential" part of this bio doesn't get started until around page *900*. Detail nuts should relish this, however.

[Stephen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic. I have read a dozen books on John Adams. Finally someone who who doesn't apologise for Alien and Sedition Act. Page is a complete Savage and I loved this book.

[Stinger · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is an informative book, but I chose to give it a break. Adams, though a moral man, had Pharisaical tendencies from which I seek release, not further entanglement.

[Jim Gallen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Page Smith’s two volume biography of John Adams is extensive and through while avoiding minutia that could induce boredom. Volume I covers 1735-1784, the period from Adams’ birth to the arrival of his wife, Abigail, and daughter, Nabby, to join him in the Netherlands where he was engaged in negotiating commercial treaties. Volume II covers their arrival thorough to Adams’ death, including his vice-presidency and presidency.

Although many biographies of presidents heavily on their time in that office, this one views Adams’ time as Chief Executive as merely four years, and not necessarily the most important four, in a lifetime of achievement. Adams was the great-grandson of immigrants whose family had lived in Massachusetts for 60 years before his birth. Born into a respectable family, John was provided with opportunity but had to work to advance his station. Although an aspiring farmer, his father insisted that he continue his schooling that led to a job as a teacher before he read law and was admitted to the bar. His early life was one of challenges and choices. He chose to get inoculated for smallpox, a risky and unpleasant ordeal, and pursue a career in law and politics. Although detesting British occupying forces, he undertook the legal defense to charges arising out of the Boston Massacre. Involvement in the revolutionary movement coincided with a gradual withdrawal from the legal practice. His election to the Continental Congress enabled him to play the leading role in adoption of a resolution for independence and the appointment of George Washington as Commander of the Continental Army. Congress sent him to Europe to join Benjamin Franklin and other diplomats to negotiate loans and treaties and eventually a treaty of peace between the United States and Great Britain. Adams was so successful that his diplomatic contributions to independence were compared to Washington’s military ones. He was appointed the first Minister to Great Britain before coming home to help write a constitution for Massachusetts and be elected him the first vice-president. He established precedents, for better or worse, for the second highest office in the land. Party spirit having developed during Washington’s administration, he won the first contested election for president, setting up America’s initial transfer of power. His administration rocked on the sea of domestic and international turmoil resulting in his defeat in the election of 1800. The intrigues among his supporters and opponents make for interesting reading. In retirement he remained a local celebrity who participated in a later Massachusetts Constitutional Convention before dying, along with Thomas Jefferson, on the Fiftieth Independence Day.

Smith has done an excellent job of weaving the official with the family and presents, not just a biography of a man but a history of his era. The relationships between intimates and friends, allies and rivals are skillfully presented. Adams is seen as an ambitious man dedicated to his country, who was envious of others, including Washington and Jefferson, who received acclaim that he thought he deserved. This book is long, but not overly so considering its subject. There are newer works, prominently David McCullough’s “John Adams” but Page Smith’s has a place in a thorough study of the man. Each era interprets historical characters by its own lights. Inclusion of biographies from different times gives the reader a more balanced perspective on their subject.