Abigail Adams: A Writing Life

by Edith B. Gelles

In this book, Edith B. Gelles asserts that Abigail Adams' vivid, insightful letters are "the best account that exists from the pre to the post-Revolutionary period in America of a woman's life and world." Adams' spontaneous, witty letters serve dual purposes for the modern it provides an intriguing first hand account of pivotal historical events and it shows how these events from the Boston Tea Party to the War of 1812 entered the private sphere. Included in the book is a chronology, notes and reference section and a selected bibliography. This book will be a must for all scholars of American literature, history and politics seeking to understand this literary figure.

Genres: History, Biography

222 pages, Paperback

First published February 8, 2002

Reviews

[Tracy Hackney]

I'm almost finished with this book. Abigail was a very prolific writer of correspondence. She left such a wonderful legacy of her life by writing to many different people. I like how the book divides her writing into various categories, such as her travel letters, her confidential letters, and her historic letters. The letters she wrote to Mercy Otis Warren I found particularly of interest. The Adams, both John and Abigail, are very fascinating to me. I admire both of them greatly.

[Sisiggy]

A good, solid biography focused on Abigail Adams' life revealed through her correspondences. A revealing look not only into the life of the second First Lady, but also into the social and cultural customs of the world in which she lived.