If you love books, if you love history, this extraordinary new book by Oxford University Press George Wa
This one is more than a biography; it is a literary trip following the entire existence and...library of beloved President George Washington. Of course a lot of people, authors published books about Washington.
Why Hayes thought at this special topic?
Because once, during a vacation in Australia when some people he met along his way asked him some questions of this President, Hayes didn't know what to tell them. He didn't remember a lot about him, after all. The genesys of this book is this one.
Written with great gusto, love, passion, the reader will remain captivated till the last page by the story of this soldier and man of letters. In particular if in love for books, in love for reading. The life of President Washington became difficult once his dad died. He studied privately and in a local school, but without to attend the exclusive british school of his siblings. He started soon of falling in love for books and books brought him in lands he didn't know for sure. He fell passionate of poetry, travel-writers as Defoe, but also of all the works by Stevenson with Robinson Crusoe. He loved reading The Spectator and as writes brilliantly at the end of chapter three the author: "The men Washington met and the those he read about in his teens would significantly shape the man he would become." Washington met along his way people who would have helped him to build his culture, putting at his disposition their libraries.
He loved to travelling and let's say that his first trip alone has been an adenture surrounded also by fleas and unexpected and unwanted guests. He preferred spending his time outside during the night with the rest of his friends.
Once Lawrence Washington, his second dad, and brother died, and a place left vacant, Washington accepted a mission for trying to diplomatically speak with the french for the Frontier and in that occasion, exploring the wilderness of the territory he wrote a journal. This journal became a real success and was published pretty soon. The vastity of culture of Washington was remarkable, and later, during a fight against french another letter he privately wrote was published.
The future statist, a soldier, was also intrigued by garden and agriculture's books. Washington would have expanded this passion and this section of his library during his entire existence.
Washington would have transmitted love for culture and books to his nephew as well, trying to avoid in the case of Jacky (and Patsy) Curtis the problems and deficiences of his own education. Latin, Greek, the Bible, stimulating reading and what it was necessary was offered to them. He would have followed his nephew till the end of his studies, with intense exchange of letters with his tutors and teachers, because sometimes Jacky problematic.
Once Revolution was over literature became a crucial point for American culture and George Washington encouraged the expansion, publication of new authors, understanding the power and beauty of good literature and books in general.
Beautiful cover.
Highly recommended.
I thank Oxford University Press for the physical copy of this book.
Anna Maria Polidori
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