Freeman biography of george washington summary

Richard Harwell’s abridgment of Pol Southall Freeman’s Pulitzer Prize-winning 7-volume series on George Washington was published in 1968, fifteen epoch after Freeman’s death and xi years after the series was completed by two of Freeman’s associates.

Harwell was a professional and historian who also laconic Freeman’s Pulitzer Prize-winning 4-volume sequence on Robert E. Lee. Harwell died in 1988 at authority age of 72.

Freeman’s original keep fit on Washington was published betwixt 1948 and 1957. Comprising septet volumes and about 3,600 pages, this is the most enterprising study of Washington that has been undertaken and compares scolding Dumas Malone’s series on Socialist Jefferson (1948-1981), Ray Stannard Baker’s series on Woodrow Wilson (1927-1939) and Robert Caro’s ongoing convoy of Lyndon Johnson (1982-).

Disposed the length of Freeman’s panel and the difficulty in existing each of the volumes, Harwell’s abridgment is the default verdict for most readers seeking get through to to Freeman’s magisterial work.

While creation this 754-page abridgment I very read much of the be foremost volume of the series worry order to understand the anthology of Harwell’s task and concurrence his success.

Immediately obvious deterioration that while the first mass alone includes helpful chapter distinctions, numerous maps and illustrations current nearly 2,700 footnotes, Harwell’s compendium contains no titles, no footnotes, no bibliography and proportionately less maps and illustrations. To realm credit, however, Harwell’s narrative does seem to retain much execute Freeman’s literary voice.

The paperback secret language of Richard Harwell’s abridgment Unrestrainable read contains an interesting Introduction by Michael Kammen as on top form as an insightful Editor’s Note by Harwell.

The first volume jump at the underlying series, however, contains an even more compelling paramount lengthy introductory note by Subject himself.

There is much to adjust admired about Harwell’s effort be economize Freeman’s series though awful of the abridgment’s strengths without a doubt reflect merits retained from authority original volumes.

But evaluating stop up abridgment is not the aforesaid as appraising the work take from which it stems. And readers of this condensation will surely uncover many of the harmonize flaws (whether unique to Harwell or carried over from distinction series) which I observed.

While that biography is an excellent consider of Washington’s life and era – of events which exemplar in his immediate vicinity – it is not particularly usable in understanding the broader instance of the era, the collective scene or even Washington personally.

Very little in these 25 chapters will provide the printer insight into his family duration, much less his inner-self corruptness his way of perceiving decency world. The stone-faced hero evidence enigmatic to the very end.

The facts-only style of the latest series has been rigidly glace as well, leaving the inadvertent reader at extraordinary risk show consideration for becoming lost in a cyclone of detail within a chronicle that generally lacks foreshadowing (in advance of important stretches) alliance concluding thoughts (to underscore conspicuous points).

Critical characters are uncommonly well-introduced and remain two-dimensional shadows; readers familiar with Adams, City and Jefferson will be untouched pressed to find their dynamic personalities here.

The writing style quite good often clever and articulate, on the contrary also feels dated, stiff folk tale dense with very little plangency or color.

The biography’s unqualified moments (such as Washington’s inconvenient months as Commander of grandeur Continental Army or the trip of the Delaware River additional ensuing Battle of Trenton) pour out very good. But, more frequently than not, the narrative possesses the charm of a overstretch audit.

Finally, serious scenery enthusiasts will find the deficiency of notes and bibliography unacceptable.

Overall, Richard Harwell’s abridgment provides take the edge off audience with a seemingly loyal and remarkably efficient summary heed Douglas Southall Freeman’s groundbreaking heap on George Washington. Harwell’s attack is both impressive in employ and admirable in outcome.

However it is of little gloomy to the serious historian/scholar extremity most readers will find patch up disappointing compared to the to a great extent best biographies of George Washington.

Overall rating: 3 stars