AFFECTIONATELY YOURS, GEORGE WASHINGTON

by Thomas J. Fleming ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 1, 1967

In a recent essay Richard Kluger spoke of non-books, ""which anyone with a scissors, a pot of glue, and an extra patience gland can assemble. The Eisenhower Wit, for example, would be a non-book, a short one at that."" Affectionately Yours, George Washington is a non-book, a long one at that. Thomas Fleming believes that history has been unkind to the father of our country, that the twenty-five thousand separate documents in his collected writings perpetuate the image of ""the man in the white marble toga."" Wishing to reveal Washington, ""the warm and fascinating human being,"" Mr. Fleming has cut and pasted his way to his subject's heart by editing a selection of the first President's ""letters of friendship."" ""No one,"" he tells us, ""can do a better job' of recapturing the human side of George Washington for our generation than the man himself."" Since the letters are far from complete, the edition far from scholarly, since Mr. Fleming has discovered no new letters and offers no original insights, one must question the value of this volume. The general reader interested in the human side of George Washington can read any of several popular biographies, all of which quote liberally from the same correspondence. The scholar can consult the Collected Writings.

Pub Date: March 1, 1967

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Norton

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 1967

Categories: NONFICTION