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John E. Ferling

John Adams: A Life Paperback – June 15, 1996

by John Ferling (Author)

133 ratings

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John Ferling's masterful John Adams: A Life is the most comprehensive single-volume biography of the man who succeeded George Washington in the presidency and shepherded the fragile new nation through the most dangerous of times. Drawing on extensive research, Ferling depicts a reluctant revolutionary, a leader who was deeply troubled by the warfare that he helped to make, and a fiercely independent statesman.

Print length

536 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Holt Paperbacks
Publication date

June 15, 1996
Dimensions

6.08 x 1.4 x 9.26 inches
ISBN-10

0805045767
ISBN-13

978-0805045765
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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Historian Ferling presents the highly eventful life and times of the second president.

Copyright 1996 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Review

"This is an outstanding biography; Adams will not have to be redone for this generation."--Harry W. Fritz, Library Journal (starred review)

"This is a wonderful biography of John Adams--more revealing of his personal qualities than Peter Shaw's The Character of John Adams, more integrative of his public and private life than Page Smith's John Adams. . . . By inserting short sketches of the other leading founders, Ferling places Adams carefully among them and delineates Adams's preeminent contribution as a revolutionist and nation builder."--Ralph Ketcham, American Historical Review

"Substantive, well crafted . . . Ferling's Adams now has claim to the standard biography of its subject."--Richard Alay Rherson, Journal of the Early Republic

"Ferling has produced a dense, rich text and a wealth of information on our second president. In this sprightly book, he succeeds admirably in placing Adams in a context that is both true to his own time and relevant to ours."--Wendell Garrett, New York History

"Better than any other full-scale biography to date, Ferling's book places Adams in the context of his swirling times and makes clear why he deserves our admiration for his political courage and stubborn independence."--Joseph J. Ellis, the New England Quarterly

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Holt Paperbacks; Reprint edition (June 15, 1996)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 536 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0805045767
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0805045765
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.35 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.08 x 1.4 x 9.26 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #3,933,283 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #10,212 in Presidents & Heads of State Biographies
- #19,161 in Political Leader Biographies
- #40,413 in United States Biographies

Customer Reviews:
133 ratings

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John E. Ferling

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John Ferling is a leading authority on late 18th and early 19th century American history. He is the author of many books, including Independence, The Ascent of George Washington, Almost a Miracle, Setting the World Ablaze, and A Leap in the Dark. To learn more, please visit his website: www.johnferling.com.

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Top reviews from the United States

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My personal favorite one-volume treatment of John Adams

Reviewed in the United States on October 10, 2017

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Although I give credence where it is do to David McCullough's incredibly brilliant one-volume work on the life of John Adams, I feel that Dr. Ferling has done an even more remarkable job here of truly ironing out the sociological, geographical, political, philosophical and historical implications of our third president in this work.

What this biography tackles brilliantly and with considerable erudition is the character of John Adams; the politician, the statesman, the lawyer - and most forgotten - the friend and the father. Born into a family of modest if not lower than so means, John Adams' rise from childhood to be the most well-traveled statesman of his time (with the possible exception of Benjamin Franklin) is simply a joy to read about.

Dr. Ferling gets into his relationships, both professional and personal, all though while painting with the scenes of his life with vivacious narration and scholarly insight. I cannot recommend this biography enough for the educated laymen or serious students of pinnacle figures of the American Revolutionary period.

19 people found this helpful

Terrific Biography

Reviewed in the United States on July 18, 2011

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WOW...........This is great biography. I thoroughly enjoyed David McCullough's 'John Adams'. I absolutely loved John Ferling's treatment of this Founding Father. Mr. Ferling has a magical quality of presenting American history during the Revolutionary Period. He has great editorial sensitivity in selecting what subject matter to cover in depth and what to slip over with brief gracefulness. He knows how to present his material in an entertaining, yet historically accurate manner. This is one of the best biographies I have ever had the pleasure to read. After reading both this and Mr. McCullough's version of Mr. Adams' life, it is a bit disturbing that we do not honor Mr. Adams as he deserves we should. Certainly, one picks up from readings that he had some personality traits that were not particularly attractive, but when we become aware of the harsh sacrifices that he and his family endured for this nation, his accomplishments clearly deserve our respect and admiration. I'm grateful to have come across this masterful work and highly recommend it to anyone remotely interested in American History, and biography in general. I have read numerous books by Mr. Ferling and have thoroughly enjoyed each one and look forward to more from him in the future. As mentioned previously, this is Great Biography.

29 people found this helpful

Another great read by John Ferling

Reviewed in the United States on January 6, 2012

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Ferling is one of those authors of whom you expect great things. I was not disappointed with his take on John Adams. With the exception of the fact that he did not earn a Pulitzer for his version like David McCullough did, I found little to disappoint with "John Adams: A Life".

One word of advance counsel: Before you get comfortable, you will need close access to a dictionary while you read this work. Since I like to learn new words, I was not too frustrated. However, by the end of the book, it did get just a little old. Words like captious, sybarite, querulous, peculation, irascible, supercilious, truculence, vertiginous and hirsute are just a few of the many examples of very uncommon words littering the pages of "John Adams: A Life" that kept me searching. But don't take my word for it. Dig in and see for yourself. I don't say this as a criticism, unless you are wanting an unchallenging and mundane read. I read to learn, and this book was right up my alley.

Besides learning new words, I learned a lot of new things about our second president, as well as his times, the revolution he participated in, and his contributions to our national origins. I also learned more about his cousin, Samuel Adams than I had read in other books. In fact, Ferling drove me straight into the arms of Mark Puls ("Samuel Adams, Father of The American Revolution" and "Henry Knox, Visionary General of The American Revolution") when I finished his work on John. I have read Puls' work on Henry Knox and I know he is good, too.

In short, to me, a good writer is one who creates interest, curiosity, and a desire to learn more. Like David McCullough and a host of other great writers, John E. Ferling does just that. I am totally satisfied with what I have read in this great work, but also sufficiently unsatisfied that I am inspired to learn more. John Ferling did his job well and I highly recommend this result of his efforts.

Five stars.

10 people found this helpful

Kindle Customer

Vital American History

Reviewed in the United States on June 21, 2013

Verified Purchase

I appreciated this biography of John Adams a great deal. It is authenticated by actual letters between John and his wife Abigail. They were separated so much during their married life that their correspondence was prolific and all was conserved. Abigail bravely supervised the family farm and raised the children near Boston while John spent months at the Continental Congress in Philadelphia. Although to us the distance between the two cities does not seem great, in those days when the only travel was by horse, it was a long distance. Winter travel was especial perilous. Later Adams was sent to Paris as an ambassador of the new USA. At first he went with only John Quincy, his oldest son, but later Abigail too, and I think also the daughter braved the crossing. The younger boys were left in school, and I can't help but feel that this abandonment on the part of their parents did them a disservice. They each had a tragic life. On the other hand, John Quincy became a high achiever and followed his father into the presidency -- the 2nd and 5th presidents. Theirs was the only father and son to become presidents until the George Bushes of recent years.

Abigail, the first First Lady to live in what later became known as the White House in Washington, DC, was a thrifty, capable New England housewife. She was interested in politics, and made pertinent suggestions to her husband by letter when he was in Philadelphia. One being a suggestion that the Founding Fathers give some liberty to blacks and women as well as white males. It does not seem that Adams or the other Founding Fathers took this suggestion to heart. I understand she hung her laundry in what is now the East Room. I would heartily recommend this book to anyone interested in American history of this time period.

3 people found this helpful

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Cosmo lang

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 27, 2015

Verified Purchase

Go go Alabama!

joseph o'kane

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 28, 2016

Verified Purchase

What a Great Man You must read it xx

Arrakis

John Adams, l'autre président

Reviewed in France on April 25, 2017

Verified Purchase

Le livre est bien équilibré. Il aborde de manière adroite la vie personnelle d'Adams et son parcours politique, évitant autant l'anecdotique que la déshumanisation de l'individu derrière son costume d'homme d'Etat. John Ferling a un style agréable et fluide. Son propos est clair et précis, ce qui rajoute au plaisir de la lecture. A travers John Adams, figure cruciale mais moins connue de la Révolution américaine, deuxième président des Etats-Unis, on retraverse une époque charnière de l'histoire mondiale et, pour un lecteur français, on revoit aussi les liens et les conflits qui ont surgis entre la France et les colonies rebelles, puis l'Amérique indépendante, car Adams séjourna plusieurs années en Europe et en France, participera aux négociations de paix avec l'Angleterre, et sera confronté comme président à une montée vers la guerre avec la France du Directoire qu'il participera activement à éviter. A lire!

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