John Adams: Revolutionary Writings 1775-1783 (Library of America, No. 214)

It's his diary. A working diary. No revisions. And certainly not autobiographical. He didn't need to. All his public activity and his interaction with family, friends, and clients said it all. He had a sacred persona, as did his son and other descendants. No conceit, no deceit. Strong, pure, righteous manhood. He's clever, he's lucid, way above any of his contemporaries. Knock down the statue of Minerva, g*ddessOh, the book. I've always loved the physical L.O.A. editions. Format's beautiful and editorialism is usually controlled. This was a universal man, unique for any time, and a blessing for America. Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, Wilson, F.D.R. and J.F.K. and B.O. were so small in comparison.

I wrote my doctoral dissertation on the political thought of John Adams many moons ago and possess all of his writings in their unabridged form, but wanted just what this three-volume set provides — a chronological integration of correspondence, essays, and major works intelligently edited to provide a good picture of the range and nature of Adams as a scholar and student of ancient, medieval, and modern political thought and practice. The three volumes together form a generally accurate, if not entirely complete, picture of Adams, the thinker, which may stand as a valuable resource for the appreciation of his many contributions to the independence movement, the Revolution, and to the shaping of the debate over the principles of the Constitution of 1787. Readers will be rewarded by the discovery of a founder whose intellect has been largely buried by his biographers who have emphasized his public and private life to accord with Jefferson's friend-and- foe quips about Adams's affable as well as his irascible character. It is long since time that those interested in the founding pantheon are given the means to appreciate John Adams, the political philosopher and wise student of human nature. Gordon Wood and The Library of America has made that unknown John Adams widely accessible.

I first stumbled onto the Library of American Series back in the 90's with the 2 volume collection on the "Debate of the Constitution." I have a great fascination with our founding and a great respect of the Constitution as most true conservatives do. We must do everything we can to protect the original intent of the founders and why our natural rights were protected in written form and concisely. It is preferred to get as close to history and the original source as possible without being told what to think by presenting only what an author wants you know. The books available from Libary of America have given me just that. They do still have editors. To what degree of editing is done I hope is minimal. These are actual writings of the founders themselves. It is only by reading the original writings can you make a good assessment on history.These have proven to be used more as resources than just sitting down to read every page. Which has been an intent but there are two many volumes of interest and most of the books have over 1000 pages. I usually bounce around researching specific topics of interest at any given time.The books all match no matter which topic you choose so they fit nicely on the book shelf. The come in boxed sets for specific volumes or those volumes can be purchased individually. The boxes are very well made and don't look out of place when sitting next to unboxed LOA books. Each comes with a dust jacket all similarly designed. The binding and covers of the books themselves also have a classy style that are reminiscent of books of the past when displaying them on shelves. I recommend this publisher for books on the founding or any subject they publish. Other topics range from Civil War, WWII, Poetry and more. I am careful about some books that are published since not all are the original writings. If that's important to you, research them well before diving into a purchase. I tend to look up the "authors" of those published types and their backgrounds before trusting this source for historical accounts. Overall they are nice books with an acceptable price.

John Adams is my favorite President and these writings are the reason. Such a powerful voice and pen this man put forth. Today's politicians need to take some lessons from Mr Adams!

Great book, excellent condition, thanks!

The Library of America puts out the original writings of the American founding fathers and other important figures of our country. It is one of the most valuable set of books. This book is in excellent condition and helps complete my entire set. Thank you.

The Libray of America published two volumes of John Adams writings. They are mostly letters, diary entries, and newspaper pieces published to debate the issues taking the American people from colonists to independance. There is much here and at times the completeness of what the editors have provided tempts the reader to skim; but don't. Follow the argument for better or worse

It's difficult to read many of the correspondence without having the letters to which Mr. Adams was responding.