John Quincy Adams blends history and biography in presenting a new study of the statecraft and life of John Quincy Adams, policy-maker in the early American republic. It's recommended reading for high school and college undergraduate students, as well as any non-specialist general radeing studying early American history and politics.

Zachary Kent provides a more than solid introduction to John Quincy Adams in this volume in the Encyclopedia of Presidents series. The story begins with Adams as the most hated man in Congress because of his insistence on presenting the House of Representatives petitions by citizens demanding an end to slavery. Kent then covers Adams's distinguished career as a diplomat which saw postings in Prussia, Russia and Great Britain before he became James Monroe's Secretary of State. His one term as President actually becomes the least important part of his political career. Adams actually died in the House of Representatives, collapsing before a vote in 1848.

Kent does a nice job of making it clear that for John Quincy Adams duty and character were more important that popularity. When he was elected to the Senate as a Federalist, Adams often supported the policies of President Thomas Jefferson, such as the Louisiana Purchase. When his party actually nominated somebody else to run for the Senate in his place, Adams immediately resigned. This episode is certainly representative of the quality of the man.

This is not a slick looking book but it does provide more than adequate coverage of the life of its subject, which is supposed to be its purpose. There are better looking juvenile biographies of Adams, but they do not provide the amount of information students will find here. This volume is illustrated with dozens of black and white illustrations, mostly engravings and paintings from Adams's lifetime, as well as maps, pamphlets and signatures. The book contains a detailed Chronology of American History that lists virtually ever year from the birth of Washington in 1732 to the crash of the space shuttle Challenger in 1986, when this book was published.

Great book about growing up in the Ozarks. Wonderful pen & ink drawings.

I loved this, and have gone back to it many times. If you liked "Let Us Now Praise Famous Men," this too will be an inspiration.

I am one of the authors of this book. It is a very good collection of poems by a very talented group of young adults.

while i await the Autobiography this book has solid moments.enough to me is never said about the Brillant mind of Quincy Jones.this is a Man without Limits and a Music Pioneer who has done it all and is still doing it.

Scientists have discovered that life as we know it began in Quincy, near the Beachcomber.

Quincy Rumpel is a young girl entering the sixth grade with pierced ears, rosy-hued glasses, and a Save-the-Whales T-shirt. As Quincy's father tries to market his latest business venture (the Rumpel Rebounders), she wants to launch a grand plan to advertise the Rebounders and ensure stardom for herself at the same time. But how can she do it? Should she use her newfound talent arising from the school music class? Or perhaps her skills at unicycling or sword-dancing. Or maybe as the star of the school play? Starring Quincy Rumpel is a lively, engaging, and totally entertaining book for grade school and junior high readers. Other highly recommended titles in Betty Waterton's wonderfully written series starring this precocious, energetic, and charming girl include: Quincy Rumple; Starring Quincy Rumpel; Quincy Rumpel, P.I.; Morris Rumpel And The Wings Of Icarus; Quincy Rumpel And The Sasquatch Of Phantom Cove; Quincy Rumpel And The Wooly Chaps; Quincy Rumpel And The Mystifying Experience; and Quincy Rumpel And The All-day Breakfast.

I listened to Miles Davis's recordings for about a year before I purchased this book. I wanted to find out more about this gifted musician and found alot of insight into Miles Davis. While I don't agree with some of his opinions, I admire him for his bluntness of his beliefs. I especially enjoyed reading about his collaboration with Gil Evans and how such immortal classics as "Sketches of Spain", "Miles Ahead", and "Porgy and Bess" were developed and made into classics of Jazz. His opinions about fellow Jazz musicians are not sugar coated in any degree, either Miles liked you or he didn't, no middle ground. Yet, he admits his flaws and weaknesses, but makes no apologies for his past and the way he lived. His views of music critics and race relations are bitter, yet those were his experiences as he saw it. This biography of Miles in my opinion is the best insight into the musician and the man printed so far.

"Listen. The greatest feeling I ever had in my life - with my clothes on - was when I first hear Diz and Bird together in St. Louis, Missouri, back in 1944". And so begins Miles' account of his remarkable career. In collaboration with Quincy Troupe, Davis guides us through the events and the people in his life that shaped his music. A brilliant piece of work which is distinctly Miles - simultaneously angry and humorous, harsh and reflective. Miles speaks directly about his struggles with drugs, the women in his life, and his experience as an often misunderstood black musician in a white America. Miles also provides us with richly engaging accounts of his music and the musicians he played with over the years. This spirited story is told by Miles in caustic language and he never shies away from controversy. Miles said of his music in his later years "I like playing with young musicians. I want to keep creating, changing. Music isn't about standing still and becoming safe". This book isn't safe and will always be compelling reading. A must read for new and seasoned fans and enthusiasts.

Charlie Saxe
Chicago, Illinois

Anytime someone allows his or her life story to be told, he leaves himself open to the judgments of the people who read it. After reading Miles, it is really easy to criticize Miles Davis for many of the decisions and actions he made in his life. But whether or not one likes the image that Mr. Davis carves out for himself has nothing to do with the merits of Miles as an autobiography. That said, it is excellent. Those interested in jazz and what goes on beyond the recordings and performances will be pleased to find countless anecdotes and stories about the men and women who created one of America's truly unique art forms. That was what originally attracted me to this book, although at first I was wary of reading it. I was influenced by other customer reviews who said that any reader of this book could not possibly like the man after knowing the details of his personal life. But the fact is, I gained a great deal of respect for Miles Davis as a man who made many mistakes in his life and who hurt a lot of people close to him, but was still honest enough to expose himself to the public. I also respect Miles Davis for his staunchly pro-black stance and the small battles he fought for black people throughout his life, which can (and was, and is) easily be misinterpreted for anti-white or pouty arrogance. But he was no racist; his selection of musicians through the years shows that he was committed to performing with the best artists he could surround himself with, black or white.
It must be said that I am a huge fan of Mr. Davis' music, and that I was only twelve years old when he died. I would not hate him for the mistakes he made, but rather accept him as a human being and learn from those mistakes by not repeating them in my own life. The autobiography is Miles' way of saying about his life what he said about his music, "if you like it, great; if you don't, f you."

Most Americans spurn the idea that any politician could be admirable -- but, then again, most Americans don't know as much about their political history as they should. They should read this sensitive, thoughtful portrait of John Quincy Adams. Building on extensive research in John Quincy Adams's public and private papers, including his mammoth diary (most of which remains unpublished to this day), and on his previous landmark studies in family history -- DESCENT FROM GLORY (Oxford 1981) and THE ADAMS WOMEN (Oxford 1988), Nagel has written one of the best and most exciting biographies of recent years. He devotes equal attention to Adams's public career as politician, diplomat, scholar, orator, Secretary of State, President, and "Old Man Eloquent" in the House of Representatives and to his private life and personal crises. Especially memorable is Nagel's riveting, sometimes horrifying portrait of Abigail Adams as an intolerant, domineering mother. This fine study has only one real flaw: scholars will cavil -- and rightly so -- at Nagel's decision not to append endnotes or other documentation beyond a sketchy bibliographic essay. Nonetheless, Nagel's book is a worthy counterpart to the definitive two-volume study of John Quincy Adams's public career by Samuel Flagg Bemis (Knopf, 1949, 1956). -- Richard B. Bernstein, Adjunct Professor of Law, New York Law School, and Daniel M. Lyons Visiting Professor in American History, Brooklyn College/CUNY (1997-1998)

For this biography of the sixth president of the United States, Nagel used JQA's personal journals for much of the material. This will give you very valuable insight in a very readable narrative.

The most important thing to note is that this is about his life and not about his presidency. His one term as president is covered in only one chapter towards the end of the book. More time is spent on his early development and yearning for a literary career, as well as some emphasis on his time after the presidency when he served in the House of Representatives.

Nagel does a good job in providing names and dates, which allow you to put JQA's life into perspective; furthermore, the writing does not get bogged down in the minutiae. The emphasis is on a highly intelligent man who buries himself in work and in his country, but who feels he did not do enough.

I would recommend reading this book, especially after the success of the biography of his father, John Adams.

This book was a wonderful book to read which is surprising because of the detail that was presented. The author was also surprisingly objective. I find that the typical biographer is biased towards his subject but Nagel really strove to provide a well balanced presentation of the man and his accomplishments and his shortcomings.

One criticism is that at times he didn't provide enough background for events that were happenning in JQA's life. I was able to fill in some of the blanks myself because I had just read David McCullough's John Adams. He also could have put a little more detail in how JQA became to be regarded as the foremost American diplomat while he was stationed in Great Britain the first time.

He also came down hard on Abigail Adams. McCullough's book was a little gentler on her than Nagel's was. I'm not sure whose is more accurate.

Overall, it was a very enjoyable and very informative book.