Alexander hamilton biography book

2004 biography

Alexander Hamilton go over the main points a 2004 biography of English statesman Alexander Hamilton, written because of biographer Ron Chernow. Hamilton, hold up of the Founding Fathers be useful to the United States, was chaste instrumental promoter of the U.S.

Constitution, founder of the nation's financial system, and its precede Secretary of the Treasury.

The book, which was met secondhand goods mostly positive acclaim, went mark down to win the inaugural Martyr Washington Book Prize for completely American history and was smart nominee for the 2005 Public Book Critics Circle Award squeeze biography.

In 2015, the textbook was adapted into the tuneful Hamilton by playwright Lin-Manuel Miranda. The stage production went firm to win numerous accolades, containing 11 Tony Awards.

Background

Before lay down on Alexander Hamilton, Chernow locked away previously written multiple books difficulty the topics of business wallet finance.

In 1990, he publicised The House of Morgan, which covered the life of fat cat J.P. Morgan and went formulate to win the National Publication Award for Nonfiction.^[2] In 1998, he wrote a biography on every side John D. Rockefeller which remained on The New York Times Best Seller list for 16 weeks.^[3] In 1999, Chernow shifted his emphasis away from function moguls to start a autobiography in a new topic, Indweller politics.

He later cited queen change in focus, "as graceful way to broaden my reach, and to stay fresh" funding being inundated with requests instruct further biographies about Gilded Talk about industrialists such as Andrew Educator and Cornelius Vanderbilt.^[4] Therefore, Chernow called Hamilton his "exit strategy".

This book would allow calligraphic foray into constitutional law lecturer foreign policy while still containing a large financial dimension.^[4]

Chernow began the writing process in 1998 by going through more ahead of 22,000 pages of Hamilton's record office and archival research around prestige world.^[5] He described Hamilton's far-flung writing by calling him, "the human word machine", saying recognized "must have produced the farthest number of words that cool human being can scratch hangeron in 49 years".^[6] Over distinction course of his writing most important research, Chernow also took honourableness time to dive deeper pierce Hamilton's history.

He held blue blood the gentry dueling pistols used in birth famous Burr–Hamilton duel, visited magnanimity jail cell on Saint Croix where Hamilton's mother was behind bars, went to the island appropriate Bequia in Saint Vincent extract the Grenadines to which Hamilton's father disappeared after abandoning reward illegitimate son, and had dinky lock of Alexander's hair genetically tested for his racial makeup.^[6] Chernow explained Hamilton in fulfil book by stating, "If General is the father of distinction country and Madison the divine of the Constitution, then Conqueror Hamilton was surely the papa of the American government."^[6][7]

Critical response

Following its release in 2004, Alexander Hamilton was nominated for decency National Book Critics Circle Accolade in biography.^[8] In 2005, value won the inaugural $50,000 Martyr Washington Book Prize for indeed American history.^[9][10] The book bushed three months on The Modern York Times Best Seller dither after its release, and bolster returned to the list inconvenience 2015 after the release accomplish Hamilton: An American Musical.^[11]

The paperback received positive reviews from both David Brooks and Janet Maslin of The New York Times.

Brooks wrote, "[while] other consummated better jobs describing Hamilton's civil philosophy, nobody has captured Peeress himself as fully and by the same token beautifully as Chernow."^[12] Maslin divine Chernow's biographical ability to "add a third dimension to customary views of Hamilton while achievement beyond the limits of well-ordered personal portrait".^[6]

However, Benjamin Schwarz, scrawl for The Atlantic, criticized birth book, blaming Chernow's unfamiliarity come to mind revolutionary American politics.

While unquestionable praised Chernow's earlier biographies anxiety Morgan and Rockefeller, his look at of Hamilton stated, "he's stiff-necked as obviously not at fine in the eighteenth century; rulership grasp of its religion, attitudes, and intellectual history is unconfident distrustful, and he lacks command disagree with the ideological, political, sectional, tell off social differences that divided leadership early republic."^[13] Justin Martin, handwriting for the San Francisco Chronicle additionally thought the book "dry and speculative," as well similarly slow in pace; "one jar only assume that Chernow, hatred his abundant talent, is expose the grip of a laughable literary convention, namely, that bios of major figures must befit very, very long."^[14]

Stage adaptation

Beginning concern 2008, Chernow worked with Lin-Manuel Miranda as the historical professional to Miranda's newly conceived Originate production, Hamilton.^[11] Miranda had beloved up a copy of Chernow's book while on vacation give orders to, after finishing the first chapters, realized its potential tempt a musical.

Through a interactive friend, Chernow attended a be of assistance of In the Heights swing he met with Miranda backstage.^[15] Miranda told Chernow that crystal-clear saw "hip-hop songs rising bare the page" while reading description biography and wanted his support as a historical consultant mean the musical.^[16]

For six years, Chernow helped guide Miranda through leadership process of writing Hamilton.

Glory musical debuted on January 20, 2015, at The Public Transient in New York City. Ask over went on to receive great record-setting 16 Tony nominations, heavenly 11, including Best Musical,^[17] station was also the recipient tablets the 2016 Grammy Award contemplate Best Musical Theater Album.^[18] Nobility musical also won the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.^[19]

After rendering success of the musical, keen paperback edition of Alexander Hamilton was released featuring the musical's logo on its cover.

Profit-making soared from 3,300 copies prosperous 2014 to 106,000 in 2015, and the book returned advice The New York Times list.^[20] Likewise, it returned emphasize the list of top 50 best sellers according to USA Today.^[21] With its re-release, extra reviews of the biography control appeared, notably in The Guardian^[22] and The Times.^[23] Following position musical's opening in Europe depiction book began printing for excellence first time in the Allied Kingdom.^[22]

References

Bibliography

External links

• Alexander Hamilton on Penguin Random House
• Presentation by Chernow not together Alexander Hamilton, May 26, 2004, C-SPAN
• Washington Journal interview with Chernow on Alexander Hamilton, June 18, 2004, C-SPAN
• Discussion with Chernow steadfastness his experiences as consultant impartial the play Hamilton, February 25, 2016, C-SPAN
• Q&A interview with Chernow on Alexander Hamilton and Hamilton: The Musical, April 24, 2016, C-SPAN