Inventing a Nation

Washington, Adams, Jefferson

Gore Vidal

$26.95

Paperback

Not in-store but you can order this
How long will it take?

Availability Information

We source books from suppliers in Australia and overseas. For books we don't currently have in stock, the time it takes to get them from our suppliers can vary widely - from a few days to a few months - so we check each book with each supplier to determine the expected time it will take to be supplied to us.

We then advise you accordingly. If the time taken to get any book is too long for you, you can let us know and we will cancel or adjust your order, and refund as required.

To find out the anticipated arrival time for specific items prior to ordering, please contact us by phone or email:

Phone +61 2 9264 3111, or 1800 4 BOOKS (1800 4 26657) if outside Sydney:
option 1 Abbey's Bookshop (Crime, History, Science, Kids & more) • info@abbeys.com.au
option 2 Language Book Centre (ESL & Foreign Languages) • language@abbeys.com.au
option 3 Galaxy Bookshop (Sci-fi, Fantasy, Romance, Graphic Novels) • sf@galaxybooks.com.au

QTY:

English

Yale University Press
11 August 2004

History; History of the Americas; Constitution: government & the state

Series: Icons of America

"“Trust Gore Vidal to teach us things we never learned in school. In Inventing a Nation, his quick wit flickers over the canonical tale of our republic’s founding, turning it into a dark and deliciously nuanced comedy of men, manners, and ideas.”—Amanda Heller, Boston Globe (Sunday)

""Entertaining and enlightening. . . . A must for buffs of American civilization and its discontents.""—Booklist

Gore Vidal, one of the master stylists of American literature and one of the most acute observers of American life and history, turns his immense literary and historiographic talent to a portrait of the formidable trio of George Washington, John Adams, and Thomas Jefferson. In Inventing a Nation, Vidal transports the reader into the minds, the living rooms (and bedrooms), the convention halls, and the salons of Washington, Jefferson, Adams, and others. We come to know these men, through Vidal’s splendid and percipient prose, in ways we have not up to now—their opinions of each other, their worries about money, their concerns about creating a viable democracy. Vidal brings them to life at the key moments of decision in the birthing of our nation. He also illuminates the force and weight of the documents they wrote, the speeches they delivered, and the institutions of government by which we still live. More than two centuries later, America is still largely governed by the ideas championed by this triumvirate."

By: Gore Vidal
Imprint: Yale University Press
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 210mm, Width: 140mm, Spine: 1mm
Weight: 245g
ISBN: 9780300105926
ISBN 10: 0300105924
Series: Icons of America
Pages: 208
Publication Date: 11 August 2004
Audience: College/higher education , Professional and scholarly , Primary , Undergraduate
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Gore Vidal, novelist, essayist, and playwright, is one of America's great men of letters. Among his many books are United States: Essays 1951-1991 (winner of the National Book Award), Burr: A Novel, Lincoln, and the recent Perpetual War for Perpetual Peace.

Reviews for Inventing a Nation: Washington, Adams, Jefferson

"""Pure Vidal... Inventing a Nation is his edgy tribute to the way we were before the fall."" Los Angeles Times Book Review ""Vidal offers details that enliven and reflections on the past that point sharply to today."" Richard Eder, New York Times ""An engaging and unblinking view of our national heroes by one who cherishes them, warts and all."" Edmund S. Morgan, New York Review of Books ""Vidal's quick wit flickers over the canonical tale of our republic's founding, turning it into a dark and deliciously nuanced comedy of men, manners, and ideas."" Amanda Heller, Boston Sunday Globe ""This entertaining and enlightening reappraisal of the Founders is a must for buffs of American civilization and its discontents."" Booklist ""Gore Vidal... still understands American history backwards and forwards as few writers ever have."" David Kipen, National Public Radio"""