Named by The Modern Library as the best non-fiction book of the 20th century, this autobiography plots Adams' own history against that of the U.S. during his lifetime.
As a journalist, historian, and novelist born into a distinguished family that included two past presidents of the United States, Henry Adams was inescapably a part of the American experience.
The Education of Henry Adams
recounts his own and the country's development from 1838, the year of his birth, to 1905. The Civil War, economic expansion, and the growth of the United States are among its subjects, as well as his own 'dynamic theory of history.' An immediate bestseller, the book was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 1919. It remains one of the most vital autobiographies ever published and is required reading in many liberal arts degree programs.