John Adams;: A biography in his own words (The Founding Fathers)

Rating:
Summary: A biography in his own words:
Review: That's an autobiography, right? No, in this case, this book is truly what it says it is: James Bishop Peabody edits a collection of original source material, puts it all in chronological order according to the events it is discussing, rather than the order in which it was written, and provides connecting and explaining paragraphs of his own. What we are left with is truly a biography rather than an autobiography; Peabody really should get the credit as author, rather than editor. Still, probably 2/3 to 3/4 of the book is actually written "in his own words": excerpts from his incomplete autobiography, his correspondence, and his diary entries detailing his life in very thorough and exhaustive detail.

The book is a bit dry, and because it is in Adams' own words, its style is somewhat archaic, so it may not be for the general reader. But for the amateur historian who would like a close look at the source material, it's marvellous.