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Jose Jones
* Dog in the Sand *
USA
1758 Posts |
 Posted - 03/15/2005 : 18:30:11
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i just finished the washington bio "his excellency" by ellis and am eager to read more about the american founding fathers. i'll be reading the other two ellis works (founding brothers and american sphinx) and am really wanting a good hamilton biography. i know chernow's just came out recently and has gotten rave reviews, but i did read some criticisms of it that keep me at bay, most notably some rather poor attempts at psycho-analyizing and too much bias, not too mention it's 700+ pages long.
anyway, it seems that it is the best out there, but is it worth the read, or do ya'll have any other suggestions?
note: i have know problem reading lengthy works, but i don't want to read hundreds of pages of gushing with little substance.
any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
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they were the heroes of old, men of renown. |
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kathryn
~ Selkie Bride ~
Belgium
15320 Posts |
Posted - 03/15/2005 : 18:51:03
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Gosh, I don't have a suggestion, sorry. There is a bio, but the author's name
escapes me.
While on the subject of Hamilton, did you read the neat article in The New Yorker last year about the spot in Weehawken, N.J. where the duel with Burr took place?
Fascinating.
 I still believe in the excellent joy of the Catholics |
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Jose Jones
* Dog in the Sand *
USA
1758 Posts |
Posted - 03/15/2005 : 19:04:51
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no, i didn't catch that. what were some interesting things about it? facts surrounding the duel, the geography, other? there's a book called "duel" or something by fleming, i think, that i suppose chronicles the burr-jefferson-madison/hamilton fued i suppose. again, some criticism has been made on that one concerning jefferson coming off as too cartoon-ily villainous.
none of these men were without flaw, which is what makes them so interesting. a biography that fails to adequately address these flaws does the reader and the character an injusitce, i believe. bias is fine, but hero worship and deification i can do without.
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they were the heroes of old, men of renown. |
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kathryn
~ Selkie Bride ~
Belgium
15320 Posts |
Posted - 03/15/2005 : 19:28:46
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Yep, I agree re: hero deification being for the birds.
The article was all around great. It was about the location,
the history and, most compelling of all, about the way
current society all but destroyed the spot.
I still believe in the excellent joy of the Catholics |
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Sir Rockabye
* Dog in the Sand *
USA
1158 Posts |
Posted - 03/15/2005 : 19:53:59
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I love Hamilton, and the rest of the Federalists (Madison, before he turned his back on his pals and teamed up with those coward republicans, John Marshall, etc.) I really don't know as much about them as I would like to, but I was exposed to a lot of it during my history course this year. The Burr Hamilton duel is pretty interesting, especially Burr's exploits immediately afterwards. A friend of mine carries around the Chernow bio, but hasn't finished it. I get the impression that it is pretty dense, but I can't honestly say that I've examined it very thoroughly.
Are you honest when no one's looking? Can you summon honey from a telephone? They sat there with their hooks in the water and their mustaches caked with airplane glue. |
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The King Of Karaoke
> Teenager of the Year <
USA
3759 Posts |
Posted - 03/15/2005 : 22:42:48
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Hello?
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kathryn
~ Selkie Bride ~
Belgium
15320 Posts |
Posted - 03/16/2005 : 11:25:25
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He hit on me once. I was 15. He was 50.
I still believe in the excellent joy of the Catholics |
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darwin
>> Denizen of the Citizens Band <<
USA
5454 Posts |
Posted - 03/16/2005 : 11:50:52
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| Were you with Sidney Lumit's daughter when it happened? |
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kathryn
~ Selkie Bride ~
Belgium
15320 Posts |
Posted - 03/16/2005 : 11:54:01
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darwin, the first rule of stalking is "spell your stalkee's name correctly." Sheesh, even floop knows that rule.
(No. Your lovely Ms. Lumet was about 4 years in my future.
If only she were in your future.)
I still believe in the excellent joy of the Catholics |
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darwin
>> Denizen of the Citizens Band <<
USA
5454 Posts |
Posted - 03/16/2005 : 12:01:33
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To pay penance for helping to derail this topic:
I haven't read any Hamiliton biographies, but I have read my share of Presidental biographies. I recommend Edmund Morris's series on Teddy Roosevelt (I believe he's still working on the third of three books). That guy (TR) packed 3 or more full lives into his years. I also liked Truman by McCullough and Lincoln by David Herbert Donald. |
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kathryn
~ Selkie Bride ~
Belgium
15320 Posts |
Posted - 03/16/2005 : 12:07:23
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I, too, apologize. And I, too, recommend Morris's TR series.
I still believe in the excellent joy of the Catholics |
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Jose Jones
* Dog in the Sand *
USA
1758 Posts |
Posted - 03/16/2005 : 14:15:13
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funnily enough, the first of those 2 (projected 3) is on my shelf waiting to be read. i bought it and was about to start it but my parents got me the washington bio for christmas and i just started to read that one instead. now i'm compelled to stay in the revolutionary era but am eager as well to move on up to the TR days.
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they were the heroes of old, men of renown. |
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floop
= Wannabe Volunteer =
Mexico
15297 Posts |
Posted - 03/16/2005 : 14:41:44
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Jose, you've been reading too much. please report to the "beautiful women" thread
ist es möglich für ein quesadilla skrotum zu lecken? beim sprechen der quesadillas von LBF, ja. ja in der tatheheheheheheehehee! |
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Jose Jones
* Dog in the Sand *
USA
1758 Posts |
Posted - 03/16/2005 : 14:45:38
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don't worry, i've been keeping it updated. i do know my priorities.
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they were the heroes of old, men of renown. |
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kathryn
~ Selkie Bride ~
Belgium
15320 Posts |
Posted - 03/16/2005 : 19:10:38
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Chicks dig well-read guys who can talk about historical biographies.
I still believe in the excellent joy of the Catholics |
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floop
= Wannabe Volunteer =
Mexico
15297 Posts |
Posted - 03/16/2005 : 19:15:49
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and flowers
ist es möglich für ein quesadilla skrotum zu lecken? beim sprechen der quesadillas von LBF, ja. ja in der tatheheheheheheehehee! |
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kathryn
~ Selkie Bride ~
Belgium
15320 Posts |
Posted - 03/16/2005 : 19:20:49
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Fields of marigolds, definitely.
I still believe in the excellent joy of the Catholics |
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floop
= Wannabe Volunteer =
Mexico
15297 Posts |
Posted - 03/16/2005 : 19:26:31
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and scars
ist es möglich für ein quesadilla skrotum zu lecken? beim sprechen der quesadillas von LBF, ja. ja in der tatheheheheheheehehee! |
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kathryn
~ Selkie Bride ~
Belgium
15320 Posts |
Posted - 03/16/2005 : 19:35:09
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and Soyrizo®
I still believe in the excellent joy of the Catholics |
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VoVat
>> Denizen of the Citizens Band <<
USA
9168 Posts |
Posted - 03/16/2005 : 21:42:46
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And graves
"Reunion? Shit union!" |
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any good Alexander Hamilton biographies?
