Argues that Americans need to break the stereotype of the WASP as uptight, bland, and elitist and to reinforce the classic WASP ideals of industry, public service, family duty, and conscience to revitalize the nation's faltering moral leadership

Way of the Wasp: How It Made America, and How It Can Save It, So to Speak

Politics & Social Sciences

Brookhiser, Richard

Social Sciences

Free Pr

George Washington: A National Treasure celebrates our nationís permanent acquisition of Gilbert Stuartís magnificent "Landsdowne" portrait of George Washington. Commissioned for the Marquis of Lansdowne, a British supporter of American independence, the painting shows Washington in the last year of his presidency, 1796. Here is a George Washington for the ages, resolute in the face of the multiple crises of our nationís beginnings; grand in the tradition not of a king but of democracyís representative; civilian rather than military in his authority; and above all, the embodiment of a nation both stable and free. Today the painting provides a way to think about a time when Americaís success was by no means certain, about a man whose traits of character became bound up with his nationís fate, and about the expectation for our nationís highest office "the presidency" at the very moment of its creation. Filled with symbols of Washington himself and of the new republic, the painting speaks to Americans today as much as it did in the late eighteenth century. 
Lavishly illustrated in color with details of the Lansdowne portrait itself, with other portraits of Washington--contemporary and modern--and with portraits of Washingtonís colleagues, the book is a treasure in and of itself. Essays reflect on how this remarkable painting explains the nature of Washington and his importance in the national psyche, discuss how Washington came to sit for the Lansdowne painting and the workís ownership throuout the years, and consider Gilbert Stuartís portraits of George Washington, and their many copies. A chronology highlights Washingtonís life and times.

George Washington: A National Treasure

Biographies & Memoirs

Leaders & Notable People

Univ of Washington Pr

National Portrait Gallery (Smithsonian Institution)

The complicated life and legacy of John Trumbull, whose paintings portrayed both the struggle and the principles that distinguished America's founding moment &nbsp; John Trumbull (1756-1843) experienced the American Revolution firsthand--he served as an officer in the Continental Army under George Washington and was shot at and was jailed as a spy. He made it his mission to record the war, giving visual form to what most citizens of the new United States thought: that they had brought into the world a great and unprecedented political experiment. His purpose, he wrote, was "to preserve and diffuse the memory of the noblest series of actions which have ever presented themselves in the history of man." Although Trumbull's contemporaries viewed him as a painter, Trumbull thought of himself as a historian. &nbsp; Richard Brookhiser tells Trumbull's story of acclaim and recognition, a story complicated by provincialism, war, a messy personal life, and, ultimately, changing fashion. He shows how the artist's fifty-year project embodied the meaning of American exceptionalism and played a key role in defining the values of the new country. Trumbull depicted the story of self-rule in the modern world--a story as important and as contested today as it was 250 years ago.

Glorious Lessons: John Trumbull, Painter of the American Revolution

Arts & Literature

Yale University Press

Product DetailsHardcoverPublisher: Doubleday (March 18, 1986)Language: EnglishISBN-10: 0385196792ISBN-13: 978-0385196796Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.8 x 1.2 inchesShipping Weight: 15.2 ouncesAverage Customer Review: Be the first to review this itemAmazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,032,250 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Outside Story

Politics & Government

DOUBLEDAY

FIRST IN WAR, FIRST IN PEACE, FIRST IN LEADERSHIP. Richard Brookhiser's revolutionary biography, Founding Father , took George Washington off the dollar bill and made him live. Now, with his trademark wit and precision, Brookhiser expertly examines the details of Washington's life that fullscale biographies sweep over, to instruct us in true leadership. George Washington on Leadership is a textbook look at Washington's three spectacularly successful careers as an executive: general, president, and tycoon. Brookhiser explains how Washington maximized his strengths and overcame his flaws, and inspires us to do likewise. It shows how one man's struggles and successes 200 years ago can be a model for leaders today. Washington oversaw two startups-the army and the presidency. He chaired the most important meeting in American history-the Constitutional Convention. Washington rose from being a third son who was a major in the militia, to one of the most famous men in the world. At every stage in his career, he had to deal with changing circumstances, from tobacco prices to geopolitics, and with wildly different classes of men, from frontiersmen to aristocrats. Washington's example is so crucial because of the many firsts he is responsible for.

George Washington on Leadership

Historical

Basic Books

In 1799, at the end of George Washington's long life and illustrious career, the politician Henry Lee eulogized him as: First in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen.” Esteemed historian Richard Brookhiser now adds to this list, First in leadership,” examining the lessons to be learned from our first president, first commander-in-chief, and founding CEO.
With wit and skill, Brookhiser expertly anatomizes true leadership with lessons from Washington's three spectacularly successful careers as an executive: general, president, and tycoon. In every area of endeavor, Washington maximized his strengths and overcame his flaws. Brookhiser shows how one man's struggles and successes two centuries ago can serve as a modeland an inspirationfor leaders today.

George Washington On Leadership

What Would the Founders Do?: Our Questions, Their Answers

Why do Americans care so much about the Founding Fathers? After all, the French don't ask themselves, "What would Napoleon do?" But Washington, Franklin, Jefferson, Hamilton, Madison, and Adams built our country, wrote our user's manuals--the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution--and ran the nation while it was still under warranty and could be returned to the manufacturer. If anyone knows how the U.S.A. should work, they did and they still do. Richard Brookhiser has been writing, talking, and thinking about the Founders for years. Now he channels them. What would Hamilton think about free trade? What would Franklin make of the national obsession with values? What would Washington say about gays in the military? Examining a host of issues from terrorism to women's rights to gun control, Brookhiser reveals why we still turn to the Founders in moments of struggle, farce, or disaster--just as Lincoln, FDR, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Bill Clinton have done before us. Written with Brookhiser's trademark eloquence--and a good dose of wit--while drawing on his deep knowledge of American history, What Would the Founders Do? sheds new light on the disagreements and debates that have shaped our country from the beginning. Brookhiser challenges us to think and act with the clarity that the Founders brought to the task of making a democratic country. Now, more than ever, we need these creators of America--argumentative, expansive, funny know-it-alls--to help us solve the issues that threaten to divide us.

Reference

What would George Washington do about weapons of mass destruction? How would Benjamin Franklin feel about unwed mothers? What would Alexander Hamilton think about minorities in the military? Examining a host of issues from terrorism to women's rights, acclaimed historian Richard Brookhiser reveals why we still turn to the Founders in moments of struggle, farce, or disaster. Washington, Franklin, Jefferson, Hamilton, Madison, Adams and all the rest have an unshakable hold on our collective imagination. We trust them more than today's politicians because they built our country, they wrote our user's manuals-the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution-and they ran the nation while it was still under warranty and could be returned to the manufacturer. If anyone knows how the U.S.A. should work, it must be the Founders. Brookhiser uses his vast knowledge to apply their views to today's issues. He also explores why what the Founders would think still matters. Written with Brookhiser's trademark eloquence and wit, while drawing on his deep understanding of American history, What Would the Founders Do? sheds new light on the disagreements and debates that have shaped our country from the beginning. Now, more than ever, we need the Founders-inspiring, argumentative, amusing know-it-alls-to help us work through the issues that divide us.

History

Americas

Richard Brookhiser wrote his first cover story for National Review at age fourteen, and became the magazine's youngest senior editor at twenty-three. William F. Buckley Jr. was Brookhiser's mentor, hero, and admirer; within a year of Brookhiser's arrival at the magazine, Buckley tapped him as his successor as editor-in-chief. But without warning, the relation ship souredone day, Brookhiser returned to his desk to find a letter from Buckley unceremoniously informing him you will no longer be my successor.”
Brookhiser remained friends and colleagues with Buckley despite the breach, and in Right Time, Right Place he tells the story of that friendship with affection and clarity. At the same time, he provides a delightful account of the intellectual and political ferment of the conservative resurgence that Buckley nurtured and led.
Witty and poignant, Right Time, Right Place tells the story of a young man and a political movement coming of ageand of the man who inspired them both.

Right Time, Right Place: Coming of Age with William F. Buckley Jr. and the Conservative Movement

Professionals & Academics

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Brookhiser, Richard. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Brookhiser, Richard

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Brookhiser, Richard. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Way of the Wasp: How It Made America, and How It Can Save It, So to Speak

George Washington: A National Treasure

George Washington: A National Treasure

Glorious Lessons: John Trumbull, Painter of the American Revolution

Outside Story

George Washington on Leadership

George Washington On Leadership

What Would the Founders Do?: Our Questions, Their Answers

What Would the Founders Do?: Our Questions, Their Answers

Right Time, Right Place: Coming of Age with William F. Buckley Jr. and the Conservative Movement