Customer Reviews

Washington

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Harwell does a good job of pulling together and redacting DS Freeman's epic VII Volume (actually VI - he died before publishing the 7th) account of George Washington's life. I often find myself wishing he would annotate, at least on a chapter basis, which volumes of the larger work he is pulling his info from.

A basic understanding of the extreme hardships early Americans (Colonists) went through can be gathered through this book, and this understanding should be required basic knowledge in all schools. The birth of this nation, was founded on some of the most remarkable physically, financially, emotionally and seemingly impossible acheivements by a few who had the courage to see the delivery through. Freeman captured these trials and victories in marvelous detail.

Every year there are biographies published on the life and career of George Washington. Years pass but still no one has matched Douglas Southall Freeman for a biography on the Father of our nation. Freeman was the dean of Southern historians winning many awards (including the Pulitzer Prize) for his unsurpassed life of RE Lee in 4 volumes; Lee's Lieutenants in 3 volumes and 7 volumes on the life of Washington (he died before he completed this overwhelming project!)
Richard Harwell abridges the work as he has also done on Freeman's volumes on Lee. Overall he has done an excellent job.
I do wish the book had included more maps to follow the battle action.
Many of the sections of the book will seem dry. Freeman's work
is basically a military history as he rarely comments on the social scene in colonial and early America.
While not williing to spend time with Freeman through his seven volumes on Washington I found this one volume work to be
essential in my understanding of Washington.
Washington was a man who loved duty, honor and country. He was
honest and ambitious. Frugal Washington never gave up on American independence. He was kind and though somewhat aloof could also be there for his friends and nation when in need.
No wonder he and Lincoln are always at the top of presidential polls.
In this sober work of scholarship you will meet a great man and enjoy the words of a great scholar. Recommended.

As a biography of one of our most famous and respected Presidents, I had high expectations for this book. Given that the author had devoted 30 years of his life to studying Washington and that this was a one-volume abridgment of his original 7-volume biography, I expected more excitement.

Though I learned quite a bit about George Washington the man, Freeman spends too much of the book with weekly and monthly accounts of the lengthy revolutionary war, most of which Washington and his meager army spent waiting for the British to make a move. Too little actually happened to warrant devoting so much of the book to this period.

However, the description of Washington's youth and Presidential years are very well done. Overall, a decent (although dry) account of Washington's life.

His decades of efforts for the multivolume biography on Washington is a gift to all fans of American history. While this summary drags in a few places, it is the best one volume biography of the "Father or Our Country" available. Particularly pleasing is the concise chronological arrangement of the materials.

Douglas Southall Freeman's unabridged Washington biography would be the best thing for serious students of American history. It is one of the best Washington biographies and the author won a Pulitzer Prize.

Richard Harwell has done a good job with this abridgement for people who don't have time for the full work.

I notice that some reviewers think this work is "dry," however the original is also dry, and more so! But both versions are full of important information.

The introduction and afterward contain some useful biographical information about Freeman and were written by Michael Kammen and Dumas Malone, also Pulitzer Prize winners.

John Christmas, author of "Democracy Society"

Although I greatly appreciate the tremendous historical significance of Freeman's work, I have to say that I strongly prefer Flexner's 1-volume abridgement of "Washington: The Indispensible Man" over this one. Although I think the scholarship and scope of both are excellent, Flexner is much more readable and enjoyable in my opinion. Maybe historians would prefer Freeman, but I think most lay readers (like me) would prefer Flexner.

Joseph Ellis' "Excellency" is also a great read, but not comprehensive enough to challenge Freeman and Flexner as the best single-volume biography of Washington. I am currently reading Ron Chernow's biography of Washington, and I think it will give Flexner a good run for his money.

This volume condenses a much larger work into a manageable read that does not gloss over the mistakes and human shortcomings of Washington, while at the same time illuminating the elements of the General's character that made him great. I found it refreshingly candid and extremely interesting; in fact, I couldn't put it down once I dug into it in earnest.

I live 10 minutes from Mount Vernon and I've been to West Point, Trenton, Princeton, Philadelphia, and other places where Washington fought the American Revolution and carried out the earliest business of our nation. Reading this book after seeing these historic sites makes Washington real and causes me to want to return to these places and walk in his footsteps again. If you are looking for an excellent, well-written summary of the life of one of the greatest leaders who ever lived, look no further.

His decades of efforts for the multi-volume biography is a gift to all fans of American History. Even though it drags in a few spots, this edited version is one of the best one volume biographies of the "Father of Our Country"

This is very interesting stuff, not as easily read as Freeman's abridged Lee. It is well researched and still classic Freeman.

Multiple reviewers of other Washington biographies recommended this abridgement over the book they were reviewing. I am a reader, as claimed above, but I have NOT read ANY Washington biography. I still thought the above information might be helpful to other seekers.