Kevin J. Hayes
Autor(a) de The Road to Monticello: The Life and Mind of Thomas Jefferson
About the Author
A recipient of the George Washington Prize, Kevin J. Hayes lives and writes in Toledo, Ohio. He has published widely on American literature, history and culture, including Herman Melville, Edgar Allan Poe and Mark Twain in Reaktion's Critical Lives series.
Image credit: University of Delaware
Obras de Kevin J. Hayes
The Critical Response to Herman Melville's Moby-Dick: (Critical Responses in Arts and Letters) (1994) 4 cópias
Jefferson in his own time : a biographical chronicle of his life, drawn from recollections, interviews, and memoirs by… (2012) 3 cópias
Franklin in His Own Time: A Biographical Chronicle of His Life, Drawn from Recollections, Interviews, and Memoirs by… (2011) 2 cópias
"Defining the Ideal Colonist: Captain John Smith's Revisions from A True Relation to the Proceedings to the Third Book… 1 exemplar(es)
How Thomas Jefferson read the Qur'an 1 exemplar(es)
Associated Works
Maggie: A Girl of the Streets (A Story of New York) [Bedford Cultural Edition] (1999) — Editor — 65 cópias
Etiquetado
Conhecimento Comum
- Data de nascimento
- 1964
- Sexo
- male
- Nacionalidade
- USA
- Locais de residência
- Oklahoma, USA
- Ocupação
- Associate Professor of English, University of Central Oklahoma
Membros
Resenhas
Prêmios
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Associated Authors
Estatísticas
- Obras
- 35
- Also by
- 4
- Membros
- 560
- Popularidade
- #44,620
- Avaliação
- 4.1
- Resenhas
- 5
- ISBNs
- 105
- Idiomas
- 3
- Favorito
- 1
Working roughly in chronological order, Hayes takes us through the library at Mount Vernon. We start with Washington’s earliest books (collections of devotions by famous preachers), and move from there to travel guides, reference books, abolitionist tracts (though he regrettably never used his considerable political influence to address the injustice of slavery, in his personal dealings Washington was an abolitionist), popular fiction, and military books.
Hayes introduces us to a man born in the American colonies, and denied a “proper” English education. In order to compensate for an education he perceived as lacking, Washington would embark on a lifetime quest of self-improvement. He actively sought out books to deepen his understanding of the physical, spiritual, and literary worlds. His passion for books and for reading would remain undiminished throughout his life.
George Washington has deservedly been the subject of countless biographies. Approaching his life from the direction of his library is both refreshing and educational. While some of the conclusions the author draws based on the content of the Mount Vernon library shelves seems a bit reaching, on the whole this is a fascinating look at one of the Founding Fathers of the United States.
A copy of this book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.… (mais)