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John Hancock: Merchant King and American Patriot, by Harlow Giles Unger
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PRAISE FOR HARLOW Giles UNGER'S NOAH WEBSTER: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF AN AMERICAN PATRIOT
""Noah Webster was a truly remarkable man; shrewd, passionate, learned and energetic, God-fearing and patriotic. Mr. Unger has done a fine job reintroducing him to a new generation of Americans.""-Washington Times
""Superb biography. . . . Don't miss this stirring book."" -Florence King, The American Spectator
- Sales Rank: #213484 in Books
- Published on: 2000-09-01
- Original language: English
- Number of items: 1
- Dimensions: 9.49" h x 1.14" w x 6.55" l, 1.49 pounds
- Binding: Hardcover
- 400 pages
- ISBN13: 9780471332091
- Condition: New
- Notes: BRAND NEW FROM PUBLISHER! 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. Tracking provided on most orders. Buy with Confidence! Millions of books sold!
From Publishers Weekly
In a biography awash in early American history, Unger celebrates the career of John Hancock, whose life was as large as his legendary signature. A successful merchant and accomplished politician, Hancock became the first signatory of the Declaration of Independence by virtue of his election as president of the Continental Congress. And when he served as a delegate to the Federal Convention of 1787, it was his suggestion to entertain amendments to the proposed Constitution that later became the basis for the Bill of Rights. Hancock lived at the center of late 18th-century Boston politics and commerce, and his life is an engaging prism through which to view Revolutionary New England. Unger, a journalist and a biographer of Noah Webster, effectively uses letters, newspaper articles and first-hand accounts by Hancock and other preeminent Americans to make immediate the events and controversiesAthe Stamp Act, the Boston Massacre, the Boston Tea PartyAthat culminated in the Revolutionary War. He adds a human and remarkably contemporary impression of the rough-and-tumble nature of revolutionary politics through his descriptions of the innuendo and outright attacks directed at Hancock by fellow Bostonian Samuel Adams (though to better understand Adams's enmity, more discussion of the nuances of the men's respective political views would have been useful). Unger devotes substantial energy to Hancock's private life and habits (Hancock's fondness for almost regal accoutrements was controversial), but his marriage to Dorothy Quincy, as handled by Unger, remains frustratingly enigmatic. Unger's writing is generally straightforward, although occasionally stilted. Overall, this is a rich and satisfying biography that should see only modest success, though it could get a boost from two other fall titles on Revolutionary leaders: H.W. Brands's big bio of Benjamin Franklin and Joseph Ellis's Founding Brothers. Illus. not seen by PW. (Oct.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Review
* In a biography awash in early American history, Unger celebrates the career of John
Hancock, whose life was as large as his legendary signature. A successful merchant and
accomplished politician, Hancock became the first signatory of the Declaration of Independence by virtue of his election as president of the Continental Congress. And when he served as a delegate to the Federal Convention of 1787, it was his suggestion to entertain amendments to the proposed Constitution that later became the basis for the Bill of Rights. Hancock lived at the center of late 18th-century Boston politics and commerce, and his life is an engaging prism through which to view Revolutionary New England. Unger, a journalist and a biographer of Noah Webster, effectively uses letters, newspaper articles and first-hand accounts by Hancock and other preeminent Americans to make immediate the events and controversies--the Stamp Act, the Boston Massacre, the Boston Tea Party--that culminated in the Revolutionary War. He adds a human and remarkably contemporary impression of the rough-and-tumble nature of revolutionary politics through his descriptions of the innuendo and outright attacks directed at Hancock by fellow Bostonian Samuel Adams (though to better
understand Adams's enmity, more discussion of the nuances of the men's respective political views would have been useful). Unger devotes substantial energy to Hancock's private life and habits (Hancock's fondness for almost regal accoutrements was controversial), but his marriage to Dorothy Quincy, as handled by Unger, remains frustratingly enigmatic.
Unger's writing is generally straightforward, rich and satisfying biography that should see only modest success, though it could get a boost from two other fall titles on Revolutionary leaders: H.W. Brands's big bio of Benjamin Franklin and Joseph Ellis's Founding Brothers.
--Publishers Weekly, September 25, 2000
From the Inside Flap
He was a rich, powerful aristocrat, a merchant king who loved English culture and fashion, and, above all, he was a loyal British subject with ambitions of a lordship and a grand retirement estate in England. There simply was no doubt about it: John Hancock was the least likely man in Boston to start a rebellion. How, then, did this Tory patrician become one of the staunchest supporters of the American Revolution?
John Hancock?s overnight transformation from British loyalist to fiery rebel and first governor of the independent state of Massachusetts is one of the least known but most gripping stories of the American Revolution. Now, acclaimed author Harlow Giles Unger introduces us to the founding father whose name is as recognizable as George Washington?s, but whose thrilling life story is all but untold.
Applying his historical expertise and storytelling gift, Unger details the fascinating life of one of our most extraordinary business and political leaders?the first signer of the Declaration of Independence. As Unger reveals in this unflinching portrait, Hancock was one of the most paradoxical figures of his time. Arguably the wealthiest man in the American colonies, he unabashedly reveled in his riches, adoring all the foppish trappings he could buy. But his commitment to individual liberty eventually transformed him into a fervent revolutionary, venerated equally by his establishment peers at Harvard as he was by the rebels?the Minutemen who did the fighting and the Boston street mobs who declared him their hero even as they burned the homes of other aristocrats. To repay their respect, he sacrificed his fortune and risked death by hanging to win independence from the British. A brilliant orator, he combined his wealth and political skills to unite Boston?s merchant and working classes into an armed might that forced Britain?s vaunted professional army to evacuate Boston, assuring the success of the Revolution.
America?s first great philanthropist and humanitarian, Hancock rebuilt whole neighborhoods devastated by Boston?s periodic fires, fed the poor, sent orphans to college, and bought the city its first fire engine. He rebuilt the city and the magnificent Boston Common after the vicious British devastation, and the people of Massachusetts elected and reelected him their governor for the rest of his life?nine terms in all. Here is the fascinating story of the man with the most recognizable signature in American history. Intertwining Hancock?s story with that of the colorful Samuel Adams, his fellow Bostonian (and Harvard man) who was both comrade in arms and political enemy, Unger etches a finely drawn portrait of one of the Revolutionary War?s greatest?and possibly least known?leaders.
Most helpful customer reviews
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful.
Great book.......buy it!!!
By B
This is an excellent book. JH had such an interesting life. We are taught almost nothing about this man in school, yet he is one of the most important founding fathers.
39 of 41 people found the following review helpful.
Readable, Interesting, a Little Vicious
By Dave (D.J.) Butler
So John Hancock turns out to be a pretty interesting fellow, the millionaire head of a mercantile empire who initially gets dragged into revolutionary politics to prevent the revolutionaries from vandalizing his property, but converts and becomes a leading, if moderate, revolutionary voice. A vain man and one accustomed to luxury, he nevertheless gives very generously of both his money and his time to the revolutionary cause and to the governing of Massachusetts.
His career includes stints as the president of the continental congress, member of the Massachusetts legislature and governor of the newly independent state of MA. His roles in the revolution and the adoption of the constitution are central: as president of congress, his is initially the only signature on the Declaration of Independence; he coordinates and equips the continental army, including large expenditures out of his own pocket; he turns the tide in Massachusetts in favor of ratification.
So the biography is interesting because the man is interesting, even pivotal. It's also well-written, in the sense of being easy to read.
But the book's also a little spiteful. Anyone who clashes with Hancock, ever, comes in for a little sting from the biographer's pen. Sam Adams, in particular, is described as a bloodthirsty, erratic and backstabbing radical, who undercuts and betrays Hancock at every turn. Even George Washington is painted as behaving irrationally, in contrast with Hancock's genteel polish, in respect of some offers of hospitality that Hancock extends to the general, and Unger seems incapable of mentioning John Adams without calling him "fat little John Adams".
23 of 27 people found the following review helpful.
Leaving me wanting...
By H Rose
Perhaps my expectations were set too high by the biography I read on Benjamin Franklin by Walter Isaacson. I found Unger's book on John Hancock easy to read, interesting, but lacking of facts and objectivity. I got the impression that the author did not like any of the people involved in the American Revolution. Is this author a Tory? His descriptions of people and things were often shallow and repetitive. For example...Unger used the description of a livered carriage with four horses for Hancock throughout the book many, many times, but does not describe once what this really means. How many servants were working the carriage? Were they slaves? Were they in uniform? If so, what colors? How fancy? The book does not describe in much detail the relationships Hancock has with other founders other than Sam Adams whom he paints extremely negatively.
Plus, Unger gets at least one important historical fact wrong. Here's what I got from Isaacson's book: John Hancock, declared at the signing of the Declaration of Independence, "There must be no pulling different ways. We must all hang together." To which, Ben Franklin replied, "Yes, we must, indeed, all hang together, or most assuredly we shall all hang separately." In Unger's book, he attributes the first quote to Franklin not Hancock and omits the second quote all together - which is the famous line!
It just seems to me the author was sloppy in research and lazy in writing this book. If you can't find anything else about Hancock, then the information is interesting - I did find out that the Declaration was signed by one person - Hancock for the first month of its existence and that they created 13 originals - one for each state. It's a very quick read, but don't rely on this book as the final answer on what went on during the Revolution.
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