Customer Reviews

The Education of Henry Adams: A Centennial Version (Massachusetts Historical Society)

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This review has nothing to do with the book itself, which is a classic of American letters and worthy of its many editions. I bought this edition since it seemed to be the "definitive" one. Well, I won't argue with that as far as the text goes. The editors seem to have tracked down every scrap of the text and correlated them with extensive notes, more than 40 pages of them, detailing what variation came from where, etc. While this perhaps has merit as an excercise for the obsessive compulsive, the real pity is that for much less labor we might have expected some reasonable helps to understanding the text. Instead, we get virtually no notes or commentary, and a pathetic list of names mentioned organized under each chapter (not in a general index, which would have been more useful), with such illuminating descriptions as "German philosopher" or "American astronomer" ...duh!! This list adds nothing to understanding the text or illuminating Adams' opinions of the many people mentioned, let alone providing some context for Adams' experiences and opinions for the benefit of people living in the first decade of the twenty-first century rather than that of the twentieth. But the worst offense is the sheer, lumbering, tree murdering waste of this edition. The text is double spaced, but the type is no larger than an ordinary book, so no help for the visually impaired. Outside of making this an edition for someone who wants to fill its pages with their own notes and comments, this makes the book the size and weight of a telephone book. Save a tree and yourself some frustration and opt for the Modern Library or Library of America editions. While not without drawbacks themselves, they provide no worse a text and in formats that will not tax your bookshelf space.

This book has been at the top of many lists of books and frequently made reference to in other great books that are also on great book lists. Finally, my book group decided to read it and I had an excuse. It turns out the book is much more of an effort than we thought but well worth it none the less. I like to use these reviews as a convenient place to keep my notes on the book and usually that would include great quotes. But with this book the number of keepers would be almost as large as the book itself. What a wry wit HA must have had! He was also sly to present himself as constantly failing in finding education except where it was a surprise and stressing the Harvard type as he does in the chapter by that name. It sets the character type that he plays as his and represents that as the ideal Harvard man but in some of the wriest terms. It is hilarious. This ideal type turns out to be a main focus of the autobiography. But very interesting is the way this is written from the point of view of the educated older man looking back and accounting for a life that still reflects the perspective of the child, adolescent, and adult, which was full of meetings with folks like the British Earl Russell and J.S. Mill, Americans like Secretary Seward, not to mention his own father and the Presidents - such that he assumed as a child that everyone would eventually be president, Italians like Garibaldi, such a life - jam packed with the important folks of the day. If HA had taken the tack of stressing the importance of his endeavors and experiences he would have come across as an unabashed egotist. But by decrying his abilities, education, and experience, the book becomes endearing and heartwarming. A joy to read. But some of the great quotes I noted were these: p. 55 "The chief wonder of education is that it does not ruin everybody concerned in it, the teachers and the taught." On Harvard but education in general? "...he, like the rest of mankind that accepted a material universe, remained always an insect or something much lower -- a man." P. 63 and p. 78 "The German government did not encourage reasoning." p. 192 "Everyone had heard of Mrs. Grote as "the origin of the word grotesque.". or p. 193 "The young American who should adopt English thought was lost. From the facts, the conclusion was correct, yet, as usual, the conclusion was wrong." Many more are worth noting but passed while I was nowhere near a computer.

The late Mr. Adams' most famous work was at times interesting and other times boring beyond measure. The author takes the unique approach of addressing himself in the third person throughout the memoir. The style of the mid-1800s had more flourish and was less succinct than most of today's writing. He gives a clear view of what life was like during his times. His attitudes about such luminaries as Presidents Lincoln, Grant and Theodore Roosevelt show that the public's jaundiced view about politics and politicians hasn't changed one iota since this country's founding. It is also notable that he mentions many famous, powerful people of his time that, in today's light, have faded into obscurity. Mr. Adams, a wise proponent of Darwin's evolution theory, also had attitudes about Jews, women and stereotypes of other countries that, in today's world, are rightly viewed as just plain silly. This self-deprecating man spent his life constantly searching for knowledge and illumination, but his incessant whiny tone tried my patience. It's a great piece of historical literature, but only readable for people that are interested in such material.

I guess I missed something because I see this as an interesting memoir of Adams' life and times, but not much beyond that. His documenting of his world is interesting and helpful to those seeking to understand the changes he witnessed. However, some of his ramblings are a bit tedious.

I have just had a chance to look at this book. It is obviously a labor of love.

Long one of my favorites, this edition is the new standard.

It should be read by all lovers/students of American literature/culture.

If you have any interest in this subject, then this version is the best available. It has been carefully edited to reflect the original version and has an excellent introduction.

This is a great story and an easy read; its value lies in "wanting" to believe it is true. To consider the ends to which the human spirit and body is capable of being pushed makes it truly a worthy read.

That being said, there are parts of the book that evoke my skepticism. His relationship with the camp commandant and being left alone with his wife seems unlikely; the 30 mile-a-day trek across the Gobi Desert sans water and over the Himalaya without winter gear defies my belief. References to sighting the yeti creatures did little to add to this human adventure.

I think the weakness of this writing lies in the journalistic approach to the tale. We are fed a who, what, why, when, how story that lacks any real emotional content. I would suggest that this book be read and then compared with Antoine De Saint Exupery's book "Wind, Sand and Stars" to compare the emotional kick.