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35+ Works 8,813 Members 121 Reviews 19 Favorited

About the Author

History professor and award-winning author Gordon S. Wood was born in Concord, Massachusetts on November 27, 1933. After graduating in 1955 from Tufts University he served in the US Air Force in Japan and earned his master's degree from Harvard University. In 1964, Wood earned his Ph. D. in history show more from Harvard, and he taught there, as well as at the College of William and Mary and the University of Michigan, before joining the Brown University faculty in 1969. Wood has published a number of articles and books, including The Creation of the American Republic, 1776-1787, which won the Bancroft Prize and the John H. Dunning Prize in 1970, and The Radicalism of the American Revolution, winner of the Pulitzer Prize for History and the Ralph Waldo Emerson Prize in 1993. He has won many other awards in the past five decades from organizations such as the American Historical Association, the New York Historical Society, and the Fraunces Tavern Museum. Wood is a fellow of both the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the American Philosophical Society. In 2014, his book, The American Revolution: A History, was on the New York Times bestseller list. (Bowker Author Biography) show less

Includes the names: G. S. Wood, Gordon S. Wood (Author)

Also includes: Gordon Wood (1)

Image credit: reading at the National Book Festival, Washington, D.C. By slowking4 - Own work, GFDL 1.2, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=72267165

Series

Works by Gordon S. Wood

Associated Works

We Americans (1975) — Contributor — 413 copies
A Matter of Interpretation: Federal Courts and the Law (1997) — Contributor — 342 copies
John Adams: Revolutionary Writings, 1775-1783 (2011) — Editor — 146 copies
John Adams: Revolutionary Writings, 1755-1775 (2011) — Editor — 139 copies
Common Sense: and Other Writings (Modern Library Classics) (2003) — Editor, some editions — 125 copies
Democracy: The Unfinished Journey, 508 BC to AD 1993 (1992) — Contributor — 48 copies
The Rising Glory of America, 1760-1820 (1971) — Editor, some editions — 27 copies
New Directions in American Intellectual History (1979) — Contributor — 17 copies

Tagged

Common Knowledge

Canonical name
Wood, Gordon S.
Legal name
Wood, Gordon Stewart
Birthdate
1933-11-27
Gender
male
Nationality
USA
Birthplace
Concord, Massachusetts, USA
Places of residence
Worcester, Massachusetts, USA
Waltham, Massachusetts, USA
Education
Tufts University (BA | 1955)
Harvard University (AM | Ph. D | History | 1964)
Occupations
professor
historian
Relationships
Goss, Louise (wife)
Wood, Christopher S. (son)
Wood, Elizabeth (daughter)
Wood, Amy Louise (daughter)
Organizations
Brown University
Harvard University
College of William and Mary
University of Michigan
Cambridge University
One Day University (show all 7)
United States Air Force
Awards and honors
National Humanities Medal (2010)
Pulitzer Prize for History (1993)
Bancroft Prize (1970)
American Academy of Arts and Sciences (1988)
American Philosophical Society (1994)
Short biography
Gordon Stewart Wood (born November 27, 1933 in Concord, Massachusetts) is Alva O. Way University Professor and Professor of History Emeritus at Brown University, and the recipient of the 1993 Pulitzer Prize for History for The Radicalism of the American Revolution (1992). His book The Creation of the American Republic, 1776–1787 (1969) won a 1970 Bancroft Prize. In 2010 he was awarded the National Humanities Medal.   Gordon S. Woods in Wikipedia

Members

Reviews

The Benjamin Franklin of this history is both a legendary Founding Father and a man who changes as the circumstances around him shift. He begins as a businessman, becomes a scientist, philosopher, and public servant. He spends many years in London and expresses views in line with British imperialism. Then, as the American colonies move towards revolution, Franklin shifts again - becoming an American and a diplomat. This volume highlights these changes in Franklin's views and makes for a fascinating read on one of the most remarkable founders.… (more)
 
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wagner.sarah35 | 24 other reviews | Feb 24, 2024 |
When I reach for superlatives to characterize this magisterial book, my cup simply runneth over. Gordon S. Wood, by now, is a--if not the--major figure in Colonial and Early United States historiography, and this book, while perhaps not his magnum opus (he has recently published a major study titled Empire of Liberty, and surely has more books and articles to produce), it is perhaps the final word on the ideology and social philosophy of those who fomented the American Revolution. Casual readers should be advised that this is a relatively dense scholarly work, and the impressive array of evidence that Professor Wood has marshaled can at times make for laborious wading. That said, such labor will richly reward those who perform it. Finally, if nothing else, this book serves as a comprehensive refutation of those in our public life--some of the loudest found there, alas--who aver that the founders of this country were radical evangelical Protestants. Very highly recommended.… (more)
 
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Mark_Feltskog | 22 other reviews | Dec 23, 2023 |
An enlightening glimpse into the life of an imperfect genius of a man and much that he gave to our history and posterity.
 
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KeithK999 | 24 other reviews | Dec 3, 2023 |
The author tries to tell the story of the evolving friendship between John Adams and Thomas Jefferson. The author does a good job of using letters sent between Adams, Jefferson and others to help explain the potential motivation and reasoning behind decisions made by Adams and Jefferson before, during, and after their presidencies. An insightful read. Because the author uses first hand references, some of the reading may be difficult because the English language has changed in the past 200 years. However, I'd much rather have the original documents and an explanation of the words over a paraphrased version.… (more)
 
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trueblueglue | 9 other reviews | Nov 23, 2023 |

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Statistics

Works
35
Also by
18
Members
8,813
Popularity
#2,717
Rating
4.0
Reviews
121
ISBNs
117
Languages
5
Favorited
19

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