“The only Washington biography you need. . . . As a brief account of Washington’s life, it is unlikely to be surpassed for many years.”—Fergus M. Bordewich, Wall Street Journal

"A masterpiece, a concise, fluidly written and well-grounded biography. Rhodehamel . . . has executed an accurate and revealing portrait of a man who, more than any other, made possible the creation and subsequent success of the United States."—Steve Forbes, Forbes magazine

As editor of the award-winning Library of America collection of George Washington’s writings and a curator of the great man’s original papers, John Rhodehamel has established himself as an authority of our nation’s preeminent founding father. In this “crisply written, admirably concise, and never superficial” biography (Fergus M. Bordewich, Wall Street Journal) Rhodehamel examines George Washington as a public figure, arguing that the man—who first achieved fame in his early twenties—is inextricably bound to his mythic status. Solidly grounded in Washington’s papers and exemplary in its brevity, this approachable biography is a superb introduction to the leader whose name has become synonymous with America.