Awards

• Commended for L.A. Times Book Prize (History) 2010
• Winner of ALA Notable Books (Nonfiction) 2011
• Winner of Christopher Awards (Books for Adults) 2011
• Winner of New York Historical Society American History Book Prize.
• Winner of New-York Historical Society American History Book Prize.
• Winner of Pulitzer Prize (Biography) 2011

Overview

From the author of Alexander Hamilton, the New York Times bestselling biography that inspired the musical, comes a gripping portrait of the first president of the United States. Winner of the 2011 Pulitzer Prize for Biography “Truly magnificent . . . [a] well-researched, well-written and absolutely definitive biography” —Andrew Roberts, The Wall Street Journal “Until recently, I’d never believed that there could be such a thing as a truly gripping biography of George Washington . . . Well, I was wrong. I can’t recommend it highly enough—as history, as epic, and, not least, as entertainment.” —Hendrik Hertzberg, The New Yorker Celebrated biographer Ron Chernow provides a richly nuanced portrait of the father of our nation and the first president of the United States. With a breadth and depth matched by no other one volume biography of George Washington, this crisply paced narrative carries the reader through his adventurous early years, his heroic exploits with the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War, his presiding over the Constitutional Convention, and his magnificent performance as America's first president. In this groundbreaking work, based on massive research, Chernow shatters forever the stereotype of George Washington as a stolid, unemotional figure and brings to vivid life a dashing, passionate man of fiery opinions and many moods. Lin-Manuel Miranda’s smash Broadway musical Hamilton has sparked new interest in the Revolutionary War and the Founding Fathers. In addition to Alexander Hamilton, the production also features George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, Aaron Burr, Lafayette, and many more.

Full Product Details

9781594202667

Table of Contents

Reviews

Truly magnificent... [a] well-researched, well-written and absolutely definitive biography -Andrew Roberts, The Wall Street Journal Superb... the best, most comprehensive, and most balanced single-volume biography of Washington ever written. [Chernow's] understanding of human nature is extraordinary and that is what makes his biography so powerful. -Gordon S. Wood, The New York Review of Books Chernow displays a breadth of knowledge about Washington that is nothing short of phenomenal... never before has Washington been rendered so tangibly in such a smart, tenaciously researched volume as Chernow's opus... a riveting read... -Douglas Brinkley, The Los Angeles Times Until recently, I'd never believed that there could be such a thing as a truly gripping biography of George Washington...Well, I was wrong. Ron Chernow's huge (900 pages) Washington: A Life , which I've just finished, does all that and more. I can't recommend it highly enough--as history, as epic, and, not least, as entertainment. It's as luxuriantly pleasurable as one of those great big sprawling, sweeping Victorian novels. -Hendrik Hertzberg, The New Yorker [Ron Chernow] has done justice to the solid flesh, the human frailty and the dental miseries of his subject--and also to his immense historical importance... This is a magnificently fair, full-scale biography. - The Economist

Tenaciously researched...This new portrait offers a fresh sense of what a groundbreaking role Washington played, not only in physically embodying his new nation's leadership but also in interpreting how its newly articulated constitutional principles would be applied...deeply rewarding. <br> - New York Times <br> Just as he resuscitated Alexander Hamilton in a heralded 2004 biography, Ron Chernow now resurrects Washington...[A] remarkable book. <br> - Entertainment Weekly <br> Today, books about Washington continue to appear at such an astonishing rate that the publication of Ron Chernow's prompts the inevitable question: Why another one? An obvious answer is that Chernow is no ordinary writer. Like his popular biographies of John D. Rockefeller and Alexander Hamilton, his 'Washington'...is vivid and well paced. <br> - New York Times Book Review <br> Magisterial...the brilliant biographer Ron Chernow, author of the National Book Award-winning The House of Morgan

<b>Truly magnificent... [a] well-researched, well-written and absolutely definitive biography</b> -<b>Andrew Roberts, <i>The Wall Street Journal</i></b> <b>Superb... the best, most comprehensive, and most balanced single-volume biography of Washington ever written.</b> [Chernow's] understanding of human nature is extraordinary and that is what makes his biography so powerful. -<b>Gordon S. Wood, <i>The New York Review of Books</i> Chernow displays a breadth of knowledge about Washington that is <b>nothing short of phenomenal</b>... never before has Washington been rendered so tangibly in such a <b>smart, tenaciously researched </b>volume as Chernow's opus... <b>a riveting read</b>... -<b>Douglas Brinkley, <i>The Los Angeles Times</i></b> Until recently, I'd never believed that there could be such a thing as <b>a truly gripping biography of George Washington</b>...Well, I was wrong. Ron Chernow's huge (900 pages) <i>Washington: A Life</i>, which I've just finished, does all that and more. <b>I can't recommend it highly enough</b>--as history, as epic, and, not least, as entertainment. It's as<b> luxuriantly pleasurable</b> as one of those great big sprawling, sweeping Victorian novels. -<b>Hendrik Hertzberg, <i>The New Yorker</i> [Ron Chernow] has done justice to the solid flesh, the human frailty and the dental miseries of his subject--and also to his immense historical importance... This is a <b>magnificently fair, full-scale biography.</b> -<b><i>The Economist</i></b>

Truly magnificent... [a] well-researched, well-written and absolutely definitive biography -Andrew Roberts, The Wall Street Journal Superb... the best, most comprehensive, and most balanced single-volume biography of Washington ever written. [Chernow's] understanding of human nature is extraordinary and that is what makes his biography so powerful. -Gordon S. Wood, The New York Review of Books Chernow displays a breadth of knowledge about Washington that is nothing short of phenomenal... never before has Washington been rendered so tangibly in such a smart, tenaciously researched volume as Chernow's opus... a riveting read... -Douglas Brinkley, The Los Angeles Times Until recently, I'd never believed that there could be such a thing as a truly gripping biography of George Washington...Well, I was wrong. Ron Chernow's huge (900 pages) Washington: A Life, which I've just finished, does all that and more. I can't recommend it highly enough--as history, as epic, and, not least, as entertainment. It's as luxuriantly pleasurable as one of those great big sprawling, sweeping Victorian novels. -Hendrik Hertzberg, The New Yorker [Ron Chernow] has done justice to the solid flesh, the human frailty and the dental miseries of his subject--and also to his immense historical importance... This is a magnificently fair, full-scale biography. - The Economist

Truly magnificent... [a] well-researched, well-written and absolutely definitive biography -Andrew Roberts, The Wall Street Journal Superb... the best, most comprehensive, and most balanced single-volume biography of Washington ever written. [Chernow's] understanding of human nature is extraordinary and that is what makes his biography so powerful. -Gordon S. Wood, The New York Review of Books Chernow displays a breadth of knowledge about Washington that is nothing short of phenomenal... never before has Washington been rendered so tangibly in such a smart, tenaciously researched volume as Chernow's opus... a riveting read... -Douglas Brinkley, The Los Angeles Times Until recently, I'd never believed that there could be such a thing as a truly gripping biography of George Washington...Well, I was wrong. Ron Chernow's huge (900 pages) Washington: A Life, which I've just finished, does all that and more. I can't recommend it highly enough--as history, as epic, and, not least, as entertainment. It's as luxuriantly pleasurable as one of those great big sprawling, sweeping Victorian novels. -Hendrik Hertzberg, The New Yorker [Ron Chernow] has done justice to the solid flesh, the human frailty and the dental miseries of his subject--and also to his immense historical importance... This is a magnificently fair, full-scale biography. - The Economist

Author Information

Ron Chernow is the prize-winning author of six books and the recipient of the 2015 National Humanities Medal. His first book, The House of Morgan, won the National Book Award, Washington: A Life won the 2011 Pulitzer Prize for Biography, and Alexander Hamilton was the inspiration for the Broadway musical. His new biography, Grant, will be published in October 2017. Chernow lives in Brooklyn, New York.

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