My Dearest Friend
eBook - PDF

My Dearest Friend

Letters of Abigail and John Adams

  1. English
  2. PDF
  3. Available on iOS & Android
eBook - PDF

My Dearest Friend

Letters of Abigail and John Adams

About this book

"A wonderfully vivid account of the momentous era they lived through, underscoring the chaotic, often improvisatory circumstances that attended the birth of the fledgling nation and the hardships of daily life."
—Michiko Kakutani, New York Times


In 1762, John Adams penned a flirtatious note to "Miss Adorable," the 17-year-old Abigail Smith. In 1801, Abigail wrote to wish her husband John a safe journey as he headed home to Quincy after serving as president of the nation he helped create. The letters that span these nearly forty years form the most significant correspondence—and reveal one of the most intriguing and inspiring partnerships—in American history.

As a pivotal player in the American Revolution and the early republic, John had a front-row seat at critical moments in the creation of the United States, from the drafting of the Declaration of Independence to negotiating peace with Great Britain to serving as the first vice president and second president under the U.S. Constitution. Separated more often than they were together during this founding era, John and Abigail shared their lives through letters that each addressed to "My Dearest Friend," debating ideas and commenting on current events while attending to the concerns of raising their children (including a future president).

Full of keen observations and articulate commentary on world events, these letters are also remarkably intimate. This new collection—including some letters never before published—invites readers to experience the founding of a nation and the partnership of two strong individuals, in their own words. This is history at its most authentic and most engaging.

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Yes, you can access My Dearest Friend by Abigail Adams,John Adams, Margaret A. Hogan,C. James Taylor in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in Politics & International Relations & Historical Biographies. We have over one million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.

Table of contents

  1. Cover
  2. Title page
  3. Copyright
  4. Contents
  5. Foreword by Joseph J. Ellis
  6. Introduction
  7. Note to the Reader and Acknowledgments
  8. Courtship and Marriage
  9. “Love Sweetens Life” October 1762–july 1774
  10. “The Decisive Day is Come” August 1774–december 1775
  11. Independence
  12. “We Are Determined to Foment a Rebelion” January–october 1776
  13. “Kind Providence Has Preserved to Me a Life” January–november 1777
  14. The Years Abroad
  15. “I Cast My Thoughts Across the Atlantick” February 1778–april 1782
  16. “A Signal Tryumph” July 1782–march 1788
  17. A New Government
  18. “The Most Insignificant Office” December 1788–January 1794
  19. “This Whirligig of a World” February 1794–December 1795
  20. The First Couple
  21. “I Am Heir Apparent” January 1796–January 1797
  22. “The Chief Majestracy of a Nation” February 1797–February 1801
  23. Epilogue: The Death of Abigail
  24. Chronology
  25. Index
  26. Plate 1