History of the United States of America During the Administrations of Thomas Jefferson (Library of America Series) (Library of America Henry Adams Edition)

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One of the greatest histories ever written in English, Henry Adams’s History of the United States is remarkable for its fullness of detail, its penetrating insight, and above all its strong, lively, and ironic style. First published in nine volumes from 1889 to 1891, this classic work was out of print for several decades until The Library of America reissued it in two volumes: the first volume on the years of Thomas Jefferson’s presidency and the second devoted to those of James Madison.

With a cast of characters including Aaron Burr, Napoleon Bonaparte, Albert Gallatin, John Randolph, Toussaint L’Ouverture, and the complex, brilliantly delineated character of Thomas Jefferson, the first volume is unrivaled in its handling of diplomatic intrigue and political factionalism. Upon assuming office, Jefferson discovers that his optimistic laissez-faire principles—designed to prevent American government from becoming a militaristic European “tyranny”—clash with the realities of European war and American security. The party of small government presides over the Louisiana Purchase, the most extensive use of executive power the country has yet seen. Jefferson’s embargo—a high-minded effort at peaceable coercion—breeds corruption and smuggling, and the former defender of states’ rights is forced to use federal power to suppress them. The passion for peace and liberty pushes the country toward war.

In the center of these ironic reversals, played out in a Washington full of diplomatic intrigue, is the complex figure of Jefferson himself, part tragic visionary, part comic mock-hero. Like his contemporary Napoleon Bonaparte, he is swept into power by the rising tide of democratic nationalism; unlike Bonaparte, he tries to avert the consequences of the wolfish struggle for power among nation-states.

The grandson of one president and the great-grandson of another, Adams gained access to hitherto secret archives in Europe. The diplomatic documents that lace the history lend a novelistic intimacy to scenes such as Jefferson’s conscientious introduction of democratic table manners into stuffily aristocratic state dinner parties. Written in a strong, lively style pointed with Adams’s wit, the History chronicles the consolidation of American character, and poses questions about the future course of democracy.

LIBRARY OF AMERICA is an independent nonprofit cultural organization founded in 1979 to preserve our nation’s literary heritage by publishing, and keeping permanently in print, America’s best and most significant writing. The Library of America series includes more than 300 volumes to date, authoritative editions that average 1,000 pages in length, feature cloth covers, sewn bindings, and ribbon markers, and are printed on premium acid-free paper that will last for centuries.

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American history as shaped and experienced by four generations of one extraordinary family
A young provincial lawyer becomes a leader in the American Revolution in this volume of letters, memoirs & political writings, including the complete newspaper exchange between “Novanglus” (Adams) and “Massachusettensis” (Loyalist Daniel Leonard.) Including the highly influential pamphlet “Thoughts on Government,” extensive diary excerpts, selected passages from his unfinished autobiography, and dozens of his characteristically frank and revealing personal letters, many to his wife Abigail Gordon Wood caps his 3-volume edition of John Adams’s writings with this gathering of letters, diary excerpts, political essays, and presidential messages, revealing the passionate and mercurial personality of one of our most fascinating Founders. NEW! 21 essential works trace a great statesman’s lifelong engagement with the promise of America and the legacy of the Founding Fathers. The diary of John Quincy Adams is one of the most extraordinary works in American literature. This is the first of two volumes of selections based for the first time on the original manuscripts, restoring passages suppressed in earlier editions. Volume 2 of John Quincy Adams’s diaries follows him from his service as Secretary of State, through his embittered presidency, and into the most remarkable second act in American political history, as a Congressman from Massachusetts.

The Diaries of John Quincy Adams (2-vol. boxed set)

The diary of John Quincy Adams is one of the most extraordinary works in American literature. Begun in 1779 at the age of twelve and kept more or less faithfully until his death almost 70 years later, and totaling some fifteen thousand closely-written manuscript pages, it is both an unrivaled record of historical events and personalities from the nation’s founding to the antebellum era and a masterpiece of American self-portraiture, tracing the spiritual, literary, and scientific interests of an exceptionally lively mind. Library of America and historian David Waldstreicher present a two-volume reader’s edition of diary selections based for the first time on the original manuscripts, restoring personal and revealing passages suppressed in earlier editions.

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Library of America (July 4, 1986)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 1308 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0940450348
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0940450349
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.82 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.19 x 1.56 x 8.15 inches