Hecht marie b author (2 risultati)

Hardcover. First printing. Octavo, xii, 306 pages. In Very Good condition with a Good plus dust jacket. Spine is white with black print. Dust jacket in mylar; slight edge wear. Price unclipped: "$6.95". Boards in blue cloth. Text block has red tinted top edge; bookplate on front pastedown. Illustrated: b&w plates (photographs). NOTE: Shelved in Netdesk Column Z. 1409519. FP New Rockville Stock. …

Hardcover. Condizione: Good. Condizione sovraccoperta: Fair. First Printing [Stated]. 682, [6] pages. Notes. Bibliography. Index. The dust jacket has wear, tears, chips, creases and soiling. A few marginal marks and comments noted. Publisher's press release laid in. Letter from The Washington Post to John Mccoll requesting a review. Copy of the review, which may have appeared in the Post's Book World also laid in. Marie Bergenfeld Hecht was a distinguished historian and author. She was the author of seven books: Aaron Burr: Portrait of an Ambitious Man with Herbert S. Parmet; Never Again: A President Runs for a Third Term with Herbert S. Parmet, John Quincy Adams: A Personal History of an Independent Man, Beyond the Presidency: The Residues of Power; The Women, Yes! with Joan Berbrich, et al; Odd Destiny: The Life of Alexander Hamilton; and The Church on the Hill: The First Hundred Years of All Saints Church, Great Neck, New York. This industrious biography gives particular attention to the circumstantialities of Adams' private life -- his health, his courtship and marriage -- and to his diplomatic experience as a young man in London, the Hague, Berlin, and later St. Petersburg. His career is rendered from an Adams-eye point of view, without explicit delineation of his political perspective or analysis of political judgments, beyond a treatment of his contribution to the Monroe Doctrine and its significance. His preference for remaining above party and special interests, his independence from the Federalists, and his opposition to the slaveocracy are viewed as matters of individual integrity. This will stand as the last word on Adams' "personal history" for a long time to come. This biography of John Quincy Adams seems to be the most substantial work on the sixth president. Hecht was the author of six other books including works on Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton. In Hecht's biography, she clearly shows her fondness for John Quincy Adams and his long (though sometimes unpopular) legacy of public service. But this is no hagiography, for as much as Hecht touts Adams as a successful diplomat, a committed abolitionist and a brilliant thinker, she does not hesitate to also portray him as an oldest son raised for greatness constantly seeking his parents' approval for his deeds who was never quite able to "fit in" socially with his peers. She describes an often crotchety, opinionated and stubborn man who worked diligently in the trenches and, once elected to the nation's highest office, suffered a relatively unpopular presidency due to a combination of "wrong place, wrong time" and an unwillingness to forcefully use presidential power to further his causes. But he did not simply disappear post-presidency; instead, he became an indefatigable presence and constant force in Congress until his death (in the US Capitol building itself). John Quincy Adams's life is thoroughly described from beginning to end and Hecht outlines his multitude of personal and professional successes -as well as his notable failures. While carefully laying key facts of his life on the table, she leaves it to the reader to draw meaningful conclusions. The only big-picture theme one takes from this biography is that of John Quincy Adams's unfailing devotion to his country, at significant expense to his relationship with his own political party. The biography was generally well-paced and only seemed to slow meaningfully during his years as Monroe's Secretary of State. Overall, Marie Hecht's "John Quincy Adams" provides a thorough introduction to the sixth president. This biography humanized him nicely and methodically summarized his numerous accomplishments. It is an informative and interesting review and assessment of John Quincy Adams's rather unique and interesting life. Herbert S. Parmet (Author photograph) (illustratore).…