Henry Adams

Henry Adams (great-grandson of John Adams and grandson of John Quincy Adams) asserts that his conventional education was defective because it did not prepare him to live in a world transformed by the new science and technology. This autobiography provides an insightful exploration of the tumultuous age in which he lived.

Using architecture, sculpture, culture and history, Adams humanizes the medieval period and provides valuable insight on religious philosophy. Mont-Saint Michel and Chartes provides a background and description of the construction of two French landmarks built in the 11th century. The Mont-Saint Michel cathedral was built during a militant time; it was not enough to simply be steadfast in one's own beliefs, but also to make others believe them. Religious...

John Randolph, known as John Randolph of Roanoke, represented Virginia in the House of Representatives and the Senate, and once famously stated, "I am an aristocrat. I love liberty, I hate equality." Ideal for history buffs, Henry Adams's biography of this prominent politician examines Randolph's tumultuous career and disdainfully covers his preference for Jeffersonian policies rather than the Federalist politics of Adams's own ancestors.