George Washington: A Biography : Victory With the Help of France (Victory with the Help of France, 1778-83 Vol. 5) (Hardcover)

by Douglas Southall Freeman (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 570 pages
• Publisher: Harvard University Press (June 1981)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0678028311
• ISBN-13: 978-0678028315
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #3,340,273 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars - The American Iliad -, June 24, 2002

By	Glenn R. Urbanas (Richmond Hill, New York USA) - See all my reviews

Volumes 3, 4, & 5 are the essential bedrock of any respectable American's library -- the starting point from which any serious investigation of the American Revolution commences -- there is only one word to describe Freeman's achievement -- SUPERB -- to fault Freeman for his detail suggests the mind of an adolescent seeking easy crib notes for a school paper -- the footnotes (relegated to back pages of less scholarly histories) tempt the reader down little-trodden paths of historical investigation leading to new & fascinating insights -- it is the detail and Freeman's lean transcendent prose that make the difference in comparison to the abridgement -- for any American with an interest in our history -- how independence was wrested from defeat by the sheer will perserverence & determination of one man -- a man who refused to be cowed or mentally defeated by the world's great superpower or by even more insidious enemies -- those selfish conservatives who wished to find common cause with Britain to return to the status quo & maintain their perogatives without risk of loss -- how Washington overcame all odds despite the obstinate stupidity of Congress -- the incompetence of state legislatures & governors (including Jefferson) as well as the greedy selfishness & studied indifference of the propertied classes -- these volumes describe Washington's monumental achievement -- but the biography does not concern itself solely with the man himself but also with that dedicated band of true-believers inspired by his example -- some of modest talents -- some of great -- and some who proved unable to keep the faith -- but most important of all it descibes the achievements possible what a great leader can achieve with an army of starving ragamuffins & scarecrow refugees, the refuse of colonial society, unmarried men of small means representing all races, nations, & ages (& not a few women as well) bound together by hope for a better future (based on promises Congress failed to keep) and their undying love & respect for Washington -- volumes 3, 4, 5 represent the essential core of classical American history -- books I'd want along if I were marooned on a desert island -- these volumes are nothing less than the prose outline of an AMERICAN ILIAD.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Biography of Washington ever written, July 9, 2004

By	Kerry Johnson (Apple Valley, MN United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: George Washington: A Biography (Hardcover)

This is by far the best and most definitive biography of George Washington to date. Meticulously researched with extensive and interesting footnotes, it is a must for anyone looking for an accurate account of this amazing man's life. I have read hundreds of books on Washington and this one is at the top of my list. The author won a Pulitzer Prize for this one and it is well deserved.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Freeman - Real Historian, January 3, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: George Washington: A Biography : Young Washington, 1732-54 (Hardcover)

THE definitive biography of our first president. Freeman can only be faulted for providing too much detail. If you really desire to find out about George Washington, read this book. It should be required study material for contemporary, so called historians.