A Powerful Mind: The Self-Education of George Washington
Categories: Biographies & Memoirs, History
Historian Adrienne Harrison examines how George Washington, whose formal schooling ended at eleven, educated himself through reading. Using the books in his library and his notes, she shows how he studied subjects from agriculture and military science to history and literature to improve himself and advance in colonial Virginia. Harrison argues that Washington was far more intellectually serious than often believed.
Recommended by 1 person
- Shane Parrish: “What a cool book idea by Adrienne Harrison. There are a zillion biographies of GW out there, with Chernow’s getting a lot of praise recently. But Harrison narrows in on Washington’s self-didactic nature. Why did he read so much? How did he educate himself? Any self-motivated learner is probably going to enjoy this.”