Bacon Presidential Library Vol. 42: Making the Presidency

Making the Presidency - Lindsay M Chervinsky
Oxford University Press
440 Pages

Making the Presidency by Lindsay M Chervinsky is one of the newest books published about John Adams. It was published in September 2024. The subtitle is, “John Adams and the Precedents that Forged the Republic.” Much like the last John Adams book that I reviewed, this one was among my favorites. It seems like our often overlooked second President is starting to be reappraised with fresh eyes, and it is improving his standing among our list of Presidents. This book does a superb job looking at Adams while he served his single term. While most earlier historians focused on the Alien and Sedition Acts, Chervinsky takes a deeper dive into what Adams did as the successor to George Washington.

Bacon Presidential Library Vol. 41: A View From Abroad

A View From Abroad - Jeanne E Abrams
NYU Press
295 Pages

Eight books into the John Adams portion of my Presidential Reading Project and I can already say that I am a bigger fan of our second president than I ever expected to be. The consensus seems to be that Adams was not a good president, and many historians have unfairly, in my opinion, viewed him. With both Washington and Jefferson, the hero worship overshadows everything and Adams becomes a patsy. As I read more of these books, the person that John Adams was becomes clearer and clearer. It’s easy to say that he has been relegated to the wrong side of the ledger because of this. Thankfully, he’s been getting a fresh look over the past decade or so.

Bacon Presidential Library Vol. 40: The Education of John Adams

The Education of John Adams - R.B. Bernstein
Oxford University Press
368 Pages

I have discovered that the books about John Adams seem to be much more personable than the ones about George Washington. The mystique and worship surrounding the idea of our first President seem to have stripped away the man Washington rather than amplify him. Fortunately, on two fronts, Washington’s person is beginning to be re-explored beyond the traditional deification, and John Adams seems to get a much better treatment regarding his personality. Perhaps it is because Adams had so much of his writings saved for posterity while Washington did not. At any rate, with The Education of John Adams by R.B. Bernstein, we get another glimpse into the life of our second President. 

Bacon Presidential Library Vol. 39: John Adams Under Fire

John Adams Under Fire - Dan Abrams
Hanover Square Press
320 Pages

With John Adams, I decided not to go down the same rabbit hole that I did with George Washington when I let my OCD take over for a bit. My plan going forward would limit the number of books about ancillary events during that particular president’s life. However, with John Adams Under Fire by Dan Abrams, I let this one into the project. It was a good choice.

Bacon Presidential Library Vol. 38: John Adams Party of One

John Adams: Party of One - James Grant
Farrar, Straus & Giroux
544 Pages

In the wake of David McCullough’s seminal John Adams, other books about our second president quickly hit the shelves. There were some claims that this book, John Adams: Party of One by James Grant, was a “medium” compared to McCullough’s “large.” I did not see that at all after reading this book. I would put it on par with that other work. In fact, in some places, I would even daresay that it was better.

Bacon Presidential Library - Vol. 37: First Family

First Family: Abigail & John Adams - Joseph J Ellis
Knopf Publishing
320 Pages

We’re five books into the John Adams portion of my Presidential Reading Project, and I can tell you already that I have a deeper appreciation for our second president. He’s definitely trending higher on my list than before I started reading about him. Granted, he’s only the second president, so I have a long way to go. First Family: Abigail & John Adams by Joseph J Ellis was one of my more favorite books that I read about Adams. As I write this review, I have the hindsight of having read all the books I had planned for this man. Maybe it’s an unfair review to do it that way, but I assure you that I keep notes as I read these books.

Bacon Presidential Library Vol 36: John Adams, 1784-1826

John Adams Vol. 2 - Page Smith
Doubleday
596 Pages

After I wrote the review for the first volume in this series, I second guessed myself about that very thing. I went back and forth even after I wrote the review. Even though volume 1 and volume 2 were written at the same time, there is definitely a difference between the two, at least in my opinion. John Adams Vol. 2 by Page Smith is a better written book than the first book. Both are dated, but I found myself able to read the second with greater interest.

Bacon Presidential Library Vol 35: John Adams, 1735-1784

John Adams Vol 1 - Page Smith
Doubleday
636 Pages

I debated for some time whether to do each of the volumes of John Adams by Page Smith together or separately. After reading both, however, I decided that I would do them as individual books as I definitely preferred one over the other. Together, they constitute the first major biography written about our second president, first published back in 1962. Until David McCullough’s masterpiece written in 2001, it was considered the most authoritative work on John Adams.

Bacon Presidential Library Vol 34: John Adams: A Life

John Adams: A Life - John Ferling
Oxford University Press
535 Pages

By the time of writing this review on the last day of October, I have flown through the books about John Adams and have started my second Thomas Jefferson book. My Presidential Reading Project is in full gear. There are fifteen total books about Adams that made it into my project and I read them in two months. John Adams, in my opinion, was far more interesting than George Washington. It’s probably because we have so idolized Washington and forgotten Adams over the years. All the information is new. That’s what I like.

Bacon Presidential Library Vol 33: John Adams

John Adams - David McCullough
Simon & Schuster
752 Pages

Finally after far too long stuck on George Washington, I have moved onto John Adams in my Presidential Reading Project. I have loved the other books by David McCullough, and I watched the miniseries about Adams based upon this book, so it was a no-brainer to start my reading about our second President with McCullough’s John Adams. I’ve owned this book since the move came out, but I never got around to reading it until now. I have no idea what I was waiting for.