Alexander Hamilton : A Life

At last - A modern, comprehensive, and enjoyable study of probably the most brilliant "founding father". An outstanding example of biography teaching history.

From his less than auspicious start in 1755 on the Caribbean island of Nevis to his untimely death in a duel with his old enemy Aaron Burr in 1804, Alexander Hamilton, despite his short life, left a huge legacy.

Orphaned at thirteen and apprenticed in a counting house, the precocious Hamilton learned principles of business that helped him create the American financial system and invent the modern corporation. But first the staunch, intrepid Hamilton served in the American Revolution, acting as General Washington's spymaster. Forging a successful legal career, Hamilton coauthored the Federalist Papers and plunged into politics. Irresistibly attractive to women, he was a man of many gifts, but he could be arrogant and was, at times, a poor judge of character.

In this meticulously researched, illuminating, and lively account, Willard Sterne Randall mines the latest scholarship to provide a new perspective on Alexander Hamilton, his illegitimate birth, little-known military activities, political and diplomatic intrigues, and sometimes scandalous private life.

Willard Sterne Randall is the Visiting Professor of Humanities at Champlain College in Vermont and an expert on early U.S. history. He received the Sidney Hillman Prize and the National Magazine Award as an investigative reporter. His book, Benedict Arnold: Patriot and Traitor was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and A Little Revenge: Benjamin Franklin and His Son won the Frank Luther Mott Prize. He lives in Burlington, Vermont with his family.

Distributor: HarperCollins Publishers
Publication Date: 12-23-2003
Pages: 512
Measurements: 8in X 5.3125in X 0.820513in X 14.16oz