Kevin J. Hayes

So here you are, reading a book review about a book about the history of George Washington’s books. It’s hard to get more meta than that. In all seriousness, though, this was an interesting angle for a history/biography about the first president of the United States.

Working roughly in chronological order, Hayes takes us through the library at Mount Vernon. We start with Washington’s earliest books (collections of devotions by famous preachers), and move from there to travel guides, reference books, abolitionist tracts (though he regrettably never used his considerable political influence to address the injustice of slavery, in his personal dealings Washington was an abolitionist), popular fiction, and military books.

Hayes introduces us to a man born in the American colonies, and denied a “proper” English education. In order to compensate for an education he perceived as lacking, Washington would embark on a lifetime quest of self-improvement. He actively sought out books to deepen his understanding of the physical, spiritual, and literary worlds. His passion for books and for reading would remain undiminished throughout his life.

George Washington has deservedly been the subject of countless biographies. Approaching his life from the direction of his library is both refreshing and educational. While some of the conclusions the author draws based on the content of the Mount Vernon library shelves seems a bit reaching, on the whole this is a fascinating look at one of the Founding Fathers of the United States.

A copy of this book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.… (altro)

While not an extremely lengthy book, The Mind of a Patriot is concise and most likely complete, in its assessment and supposition of Patrick Henry's reading proclivities. This book is less about his politics or solely interested in his reading habits; rather, it fuses the two interests. Kevin Hayes attempts to understand the man and identify which books of the time shaped and helped culminate Henry's philosophy, world view and shrewd political acumen.

Mr. Hayes makes no attempt to hide two major events in Henry's time to obscure concrete evidence of his bibliophilia. First, a fire destroyed his first library, and careless cataloging of Patrick Henry's estate is the second event which shrouds Henry's book collection in mystery. This book documents observations by those who knew Henry and his biographers, as well as his own references to popular law and classic literature in his speeches.

Patrick Henry allowed the personae of a "backwoods" bumpkin to veil his knowledge base; those who knew him assumed he became so successful by way of luck or pluck. It is clear he was more learned than he let on or others actually knew.… (altro)

Kevin Hayes, one of America's preeminent writers on literary culture and books, has done himself proud with The Road to Monticello: The Life and Mind of Thomas Jefferson (Oxford University Press, 2008). Modeled on John Livingston Lowes' classic examination of Coleridge, The Road to Xanadu, Hayes' study focuses on a close examination of what "Thomas Jefferson read and what he wrote to show how the written word shaped his life."

This is the most comprehensive account by far of Thomas Jefferson's literary life, encompassing his habits as a reader, a collector, an acquirer, a disseminator, a promoter and a writer of books and other printed materials throughout his long and productive life. It goes light-years beyond William Peden's 1942 dissertation "Thomas Jefferson as Book Collector" (a very fine treatment in its own right), to place Jefferson's involvement with print culture into the context of his political, social and family life.

In his typical way, Hayes has combined copious research with an approachable and readable prose style which makes this book both eminently accessible and highly enjoyable. The chapters are short (~15 pages apiece), well paced and distinct, and the endnotes thorough and well-documented (don't ask how many articles I've added to my "get" list). Hayes' close analysis of Jefferson's written productions (his travel writings, his letters, his religious musings and common-place books, among others) are careful and uncolored by judgment, and his discussions of Jefferson's books and the important role they played in his life are second to none.

An unparalleled study, one which will stand the tests of time and then some. On a scale of one to ten, this is a twelve.

http://philobiblos.blogspot.com/2008/08/book-review-road-to-monticello.html… (altro)