About the Author

JOSEPH J. ELLIS is the author of many works of American history including Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation, which was awarded the Pulitzer Prize; and American Sphinx: The Character of Thomas Jefferson, which won the National Book Award. He recently retired from his position as the Ford Foundation Professor of History at Mount Holyoke College and lives in Amherst, Massachusetts, with his wife and their youngest son.

Reviews

“Founding Brothers is a wonderful book, one of the best ... on the Founders ever written.... Ellis has established himself as the Founders’ historian for our time.” —Gordon S. Wood, The New York Review of Books

“Vivid and unforgettable ... [an] enduring achievement.” —The Boston Globe

“A splendid book—humane, learned, written with flair and radiant with a calm intelligence and wit.” —The New York Times Book Review

“Lively and illuminating ... leaves the reader with a visceral sense of a formative era in American life.” —The New York Times

“Masterful.... Fascinating.... Ellis is an elegant stylist.... [He] captures the passion the founders brought to the revolutionary project... [A] very fine book.” —Chicago Tribune

“Learned, exceedingly well-written, and perceptive.” —The Oregonian

“Lucid.... Ellis has such command of the subject matter that it feels fresh, particularly as he segues from psychological to political, even to physical analysis.... Ellis’s storytelling helps us more fully hear the Brothers’ voices.” —Business Week

“Splendid.... Revealing.... An extraordinary book. Its insightful conclusions rest on extensive research, and its author’s writing is vigorous and lucid.” —St. Louis Post-Dispatch

"Founding Brothers is a wonderful book, one of the best ... on the Founders ever written.... Ellis has established himself as the Founders' historian for our time." -Gordon S. Wood, The New York Review of Books

"Vivid and unforgettable ... [an] enduring achievement." -The Boston Globe

"A splendid book-humane, learned, written with flair and radiant with a calm intelligence and wit." -The New York Times Book Review

"Lively and illuminating ... leaves the reader with a visceral sense of a formative era in American life." -The New York Times

"Masterful.... Fascinating.... Ellis is an elegant stylist.... [He] captures the passion the founders brought to the revolutionary project... [A] very fine book." -Chicago Tribune

"Learned, exceedingly well-written, and perceptive." -The Oregonian

"Lucid.... Ellis has such command of the subject matter that it feels fresh, particularly as he segues from psychological to political, even to physical analysis.... Ellis's storytelling helps us more fully hear the Brothers' voices." -Business Week

"Splendid.... Revealing.... An extraordinary book. Its insightful conclusions rest on extensive research, and its author's writing is vigorous and lucid." -St. Louis Post-Dispatch