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George! A Guide to All Things Washington |
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By Frank E. Grizzard,
Jr. | ||
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468 pages, 7 x 10 • Paper
$34.95 • Cloth $49.95 | ||
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Cloth ISBN
0-9768238-8-8 • Paper ISBN 0-9768238-0-2 | ||
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A COMPREHENSIVE reference devoted exclusively to our first President. It describes his historical significance, every aspect of his being--including his personal and family life, correspondence, and business dealings--and covers all of his contemporaries. Based on primary source research, George! is organized in a concise, easy-to-read A to Z format. "This is the only book on Washington that will never leave my desktop," writes James C. Rees, Executive Director of Mount Vernon. Read this book and experience Washington's life! | ||
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James C. Rees, Executive Director of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association and author of Treasures from Mount Vernon: George Washington Revealed: An indispensable reference to the life and times of America's indispensable man. In a concise and reader-friendly fashion, Dr. Grizzard has covered an amazing amount of ground just as Washington did more than two centuries ago. This is the only book on Washington that will never leave my desktop." Richard Norton Smith, Executive Director of the Abraham Lincolon Museum and author of Patriarch: George Washington and the New American Nation: "Probably no one alive knows more about George Washington than Frank Grizzard. As this volume makes clear, his knowledge is, literally, encyclopedic. But if his research is exhaustive, his presentation is a joy to read. Grizzard has given us a work of impeccable scholarship that crackles with life and the tang of a pungent era. Readers will experience Washington's world as never before." Richard Brookhiser, Senior Editor at The National Review and author of Founding Father: Rediscovering George Washington: "Washington's nobility and consistency will lure and baffle biographers for generations to come. Meanwhile, here are the vital statistics and the notable facts in a handy format. Frank E. Grizzard, Jr., has written a book that is valuable for reference and browsing alike." Reference Books Bulletin of the American Library Association's Booklist magazine: "New titles in the ABC-CLIO Biographical Companions series, these volumes [George Washington: A Biographical Companion and Mark E. Byrnes's James K. Polk: A Biographical Companion] offers the user a wealth of information on two U.S. presidents, one an icon and the other relatively unknown and underappreciated. 'The first encyclopedic work devoted exclusively to Washington' surveys Washington's personal life, family, business dealings, and correspondents as well as his roles as military leader and president. Most of the alphabetically arranged entries cover three categories of information: people (Jefferson, Thomas; Lafayette; Washington, Mary Ball ); events (Boston, siege of; Whiskey Rebellion; Yorktown, battle of ); and interests (Balloons; James River Company; Last will and testament ). Many entries are three or four pages long, allowing fairly detailed treatment. All conclude with cross-references and suggestions for further reading that are primary materials. Following the A-Z entries are selections from Washington's writings; a chronology; lists of family connections, "military family members," and principal executive officers during Washington's presidency; and a bibliography.The Polk volume is similarly arranged. Following A-Z entries covering people, events, and concepts important to understanding Polk's life and times, there are selected primary documents, a chronology, a bibliography, and an index. The researcher can better comprehend Polk's personality, political acumen, and accomplishments after reading entries such as Assassination threats; Boyhood and early education; Cuba; Dueling; Friends; Health; Polk, Sarah Childress; Smithsonian Institution; and Wilmot Proviso as well as those describing significant historical figures of the times. Each entry is followed by see also references and a bibliography of primary and secondary sources.Younger researchers might have benefited from annotations of both the primary documents and the general bibliographies in the two volumes. Black-and-white illustrations and color portraits on the front covers further enhance the works, which should prove helpful to anyone interested in these presidents or the periods during which they lived and served. Recommended for high-school, public, and academic libraries. RBB Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved." Gerald E. Kahler, author of Gentlemen of the Family: General George Washington’s Aides-de-Camp and Military Secretaries: "Frank Grizzard, associate editor of the Washington Papers, has written an invaluable research tool and a much-needed, single source of reliable information on the life and times of George Washington. The book contains about 200 informative essays on a variety of diverse topics related to Washington. Each essay is interesting, concisely written, and is chock full of information on the subject. In addition to being an outstanding reference book, it is also a great 'read,' and the browser will come away with a new appreciation for the character and achievements of the Father of Our Country. Highly recommend." The Bookwatch, June 2002: "Painstakingly compiled by Frank E. Grizzard, Jr. (Senior Associate Editor at the Papers of George Washington Editorial Project at the University of Virginia) George Washington: A Biographical Companion is a seminal and comprehensive reference. Written as a detailed supplement to straightforward biographies of America's first President, this impressive compendium contains numerous entries arranged in alphabetical order of the people, places, and things that were important in Washington's life and times. Each entry presents a careful assessment of facts and history, and how they related to George Washington himself. George Washington: A Biographical Companion is first-rate, strongly recommended supplement to academic and community library American History refrence collections.Booknews, Portland, Oregon:This biographical encyclopedia contains alphabetized entries on Washington's military and political career, his personal and family life, his landownings, slaveholdings, and business dealings, and his correspondence. Selected writings, a chronology, and a genealogy are included. Among his writings are letters, speeches, notes on navigation, an essay on etiquette, military orders, and a recipe for beer." Grant A. Fredericksen, Library Journal: "In approximately 200 articles ranging from one paragraph to several pages and covering everything from John Adams to the Whiskey Rebellion, Grizzard [Papers of George Washington, University of Virginia] gives us anyone, anyplace, or anything at all relevant to George Washington. Each of the alphabetically arranged entries includes the topic or name, the date, the significance to Washington, cross references to related entries in the book, and a short bibliography; sometimes, extensive background information is given that thoroughly explains the topic's place in Washington's life. Grizzard ranges widely, offering entries that include a four-page article on the Marquis de Lafayette, one of Washington's trusted friends; a three-page article on Charles Lee, who was court-martialed under Washington; and treatments of Mt. Vernon and the Natural Bridge in Virginia, which Washington is believed to have referenced in several letters. Selected writings, a chronology, and lists of family members, the military officers with whom he served, and the executive officers during his presidency round out the text. More than a companion for those reading about Washington's life, this work is also an interesting and sometimes detailed reference work on Colonial and Revolutionary America. Recommended for all academic and most public libraries." Grant A. Fredericksen, Prairie Dist. P.L., Metamora, IL Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc." Scott Vincent, White Plains, N.Y.: "Frank Grizzard has created the definitive biographical reference about George Washington that manages to grip the reader's attention from start to finish. Grizzard breaks the dry, disjointed bonds of the A to Z format by constructing a vivid portal through time in which the man, the players in his world, and the events of his age are brought to life in vivid, fascinating detail. George Washington: A Biographical Companion is accessible, compelling reading for most ages, and the place to start before delving into the Washington biographies and collections of letters." T. Walch, Hoover Presidential Library, for Choice: Current Reviews for Academic Libraries: "Every American knows Washington, at once familiar and distant, as 'father of our country' and first president of the U.S., but everything else about him seems clouded in legend. Trying to remedy this conundrum, Grizzard has compiled the first encyclopedia devoted exclusively to Washington. Newest in the 'ABC-CLIO Biographical Companions' series, the book consists of 200 brief essays on all aspects of Washington's life and career. Arranged alphabetically, most of the essays fit into one of three categories: people, events, or interests. Besides the essays, the book includes a chronology, a section on Washington's family and friends, a bibliography, and an excellent index. Since Grizzard is senior associate editor of the George Washington Papers project and a leading authority on Washington, it is no surprise that this book succeeds at all levels 'This is the only book on Washington that will never leave my desktop,' notes the executive director of the Mount Vernon Ladies Association. In fact, it is the one book on Washington that belongs in every library. Robert S. Rust, Jr., Virginia Quarterly Review: It would seem that we have little to learn about the most important American of the 18th century, especially if we read [Douglas Southall] Freeman, but we were wrong. Indebted to the riches uncovered by the Washington Papers "factory" at the University of Virginia, Grizzard's deftly selected and prepared entries, a selection of Washington's writings, and other appendices tell us a great deal more about the man and the events, the interests, and the families (kindred, Revolutionary, presidential) that comprised his life. Jefferson concluded that although Washington's intellect was not of the very highest order, he had qualities of greater importance that set him above all other men. Extraordinary judgment, presence, complete honesty and integrity were among them. He is almost without peer in the world's history for his exceptional personal restraint in the face of a temper and temptation. The general who deferred to civil authority despite considerable vexations, the president whose virtuous leadership founded the world's first effective republican government, the man who rejected the principle that his personal virtues could be extended to dynastic leadership--in each role he was uniquely crucial to our national history. His success was not the result of brilliance, fiat, plan, or intrigue, but rather of remarkably clear and practical vision. This allowed him more than any contemporary excepting Franklin to read his countrymen correctly, and he had the power to hold dimmer, astigmatic visions at bay until after a promising start was made. This truly companionable volume teaches us of these gifts, of Washington's conviviality, diversions, sense of humor, travels, and so much more--each entry as interesting as the last. If the rest of this series is to be as good as this, one ought to subscribe." John Buchanan, New York City, Journal of Military History: "Frank E. Grizzard, Jr., senior associate editor of the Papers of George Washington at the University of Virginia, has put students of American history and reference book addicts in his debt. Steeped in all things Washington, Grizzard has produced, in his own words, 'the first encyclopedic work devoted exclusively to Washington' (p. xv). Covering all aspects of the Great Virginian's life, personal and business as well as military and political, this excellent work is based for the most part on primary sources which are listed at the end of each entry, along with 'Related entries.' There are also cross references throughout the work. The alphabetical table of contents enables the user to quickly narrow a search. Following the two hundred entries are twenty-nine well selected writings from Washington's papers, arranged chronologically and including the little known "Recipe for Small Beer" (1757) and the famous 'Farewell Address' (1796). A chronology is included, then a very helpful section entitled 'Ties that Bind,' that includes eight pages of 'Familial Relationships'; 'Revolutionary War Military Family'; and 'Principal Executive Officers during Washington's Administrations.' Unfamiliar entries will pique the reader's interest. For example, 'Balloons,' which relates Washington's reaction to the French balloon craze that swept Europe in 1783. Or 'Conotocarious,' which was the Indian name meaning 'town taker' or 'devourer of villages,' given to Washington in 1753 by the Seneca chief, Half-King.For the most part, however, the entries tread familiar ground, yet Grizzard's command of primary sources and the literature is such that we learn things we did not know and end with confidence that we are in the hands of a master of his craft and subject. And if you believe as I do that history is a literary art, despite the efforts of many to prove otherwise, you will appreciate Grizzard's mastery of brevity and clarity of expression.The book is not a mere compilation of facts. Although giving Horatio Gates his due as an able military administrator and paying tribute to his 'warm and generous' (p. 129) nature, Grizzard leaves no doubt that he had a character plagued by vanity, ambition, and susceptibility to flattery. Essays on other controversial characters, such as Benedict Arnold and Charles Lee, are equally well done. Nor does Grizzard neglect Washington's shortcomings, for example, at the Battle of Brandywine, where his poor, and inexcusable knowledge of local geography led to defeat and near disaster. Nathanael Greene is given his due, when Grizzard notes what is so often ignored, that Greene's brilliant Carolina campaign set the stage for Yorktown.My quick examination of selected Washington biographies reveals no index entries under humor or wit, and indeed Washington is usually portrayed as stiff and reserved. Yet he had, as Grizzard takes pains to point out, a well-developed sense of humor, on at least one occasion, a contemporary reported, laughing 'till the tears ran down his face' (p. 152). Under the entry 'Humor' Grizzard includes several examples of Washington's wit, including his anticipation of Mark Twain by well over a century, when he wrote to his brother after the Battle of Monongahela (1755), 'The report of my death was an exaggeration' and continued, 'As I heard . . . a circumstantial account of my death and dying Speech, I take this early opportunity of contradicting the first, and of assuring you that I have not, as yet, composed the latter' (p. 152).Washington specialists, I am sure, will wonder why certain individuals or subjects do not merit entries in their own right, but that would be quibbling. In my opinion, Grizzard has covered the waterfront and done it admirably. Despite the stiff price, the book is a worthwhile investment for students of American history." Patriot Number 1, Honolulu, O'ahu, Hawai'i, USA: "Frank E Grizzard Jr, the senior associate editor of the 'Papers of George Washington' at the University of Virginia, covers all aspects of the great Virginian's life in this superb book. Based for the most part on primary sources which are easily assessable at the end of each entry, the book has complete cross references and alphabetical table of contents. More than 200 entries are topped off at the end with 29 selected writings from Washington's papers that are arranged chronologically. Here is a historian in complete command of primary sources and the literature of the period; indeed, the reader is in the hands of a master who knows his craft and his subject. If you have ANY interest in George Washington, this book is a must for your library." Arthur Kirsch, Alice Griffin Professor of English Emeritus at the University of Virginia, and editor of Auden's Lectures on Shakespeare (Princeton): "I've always believed that historians know more than literary types, and [Grizzard] prove[s] it, over and over. [Grizzard] also writes with unusual grace. The entry for 'slavery,' for example, seems to me a model of exact information, judiciousness and tone. A wonderful volume!" | |
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Frank E. Grizzard, Jr. is
Director of the Lee Family Digital Archive, an ambitious effort to create
an online edition of the papers of the historic Lee Family of Virginia,
and former Senior Associate Editor at the Papers of George Washington
editorial project at the University of
Virginia. A frequent lecturer on George Washington and other historical topics, Mr. Grizzard's other books include The Ways of Providence: Religion and George Washington; Jamestown Colony: A Political, Cultural, and Social History (with D. Boyd Smith); Humor in the Age of Washington; and The Hobby of My Old Age: Thomas Jefferson and the Construction of the University of Virginia. | |
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