Presidential biography reading list

•

My Journey Through the Best Presidential Biographies

George Washington:Washington: A Life () by Ron ChernowREVIEW (5 stars)Washington: The Indispensable Man () by James FlexnerREVIEW (4 stars)His Excellency: George Washington () by Joseph EllisREVIEW (4 stars)Washington by Douglas Southall Freeman (Richard Harwell&#;s abridgment)REVIEW (3 stars)The Ascent of George Washington () by John FerlingREVIEW (3 stars)Patriarch: George Washington and the New American Nation () by Richard Norton SmithREVIEW (3 stars)James Flexner&#;s four-volume series:George Washington: The Forge of Experience ()REVIEW (3¾ stars)George Washington in the American Revolution ()REVIEW (4½ stars)George Washington and the New Nation ()REVIEW (4½ stars)George Washington: Anguish and Farewell ()REVIEW (4½ stars)***SUMMARY REVIEW: The Best Biographies of George Washington***Follow-Up:George Washington: A Biography by Wash

•

These are the biographies I&#;ve read so far on my quest to plod through the presidents.

Check out my About page for more information on me, the site, and how I choose which books to read. You&#;ll also find sources listed at the bottom of each post so you can get just as lost as me on the rabbit trails of history.

#1
Washington: The Indispensable Man

by James Thomas Flexner

Flexner wrote a beloved 4-volume biography of George Washington. Then, he consolidated his behemoth into a readable one-volume version for people like me. I came away with a much deeper understanding of the boy who yearned to be a British soldier and went on to defeat the British army. At a relatively quick pages, it left me with the sense there was a lot more beneath the surface. If I were to read a second Washington bio, I might pick up Ron Chernow&#;s Washington: A Life.

Flexner&#;s biography also comes in a beautiful fully-illustrated version.

Read my posts abou

•

Best Presidential Biographies

Years ago my colleague, Michael Waldron, and inom decided to read at least one biography of every U.S. president. We started before we met and made mostly independent choices on which books to read. We finally got through all the Presidents and compared notes to create a best presidential biographies reading list. If we read different books, inom start with Michael&#;s notes, then mine, and give you our verdict.

George Washington

MW: Washington: A Life bygd Ron Chernow. I enjoyed the biography. I&#;m confident Chernow does his research and produces a comprehensive work.

SA: Washington: The Indispensable Man bygd James Thomas Flexner. A single volume distillation of Flexner&#;s definitive four-volume biography provides a dated but then definitive overview of Washington. inom liked it. When Chernow&#;s book came out, inom ended up reading it too.

Verdict: Chernow&#;s book. More recent and detailed.

John Adams