Henry Adams

William Merrill Decker (Oklahoma State University)
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In 1998, the Modern Library editorial board designated

The Education of Henry Adams

the most important twentieth-century American work of nonfiction. The memoir of a descendent of two U.S. presidents, the book became a bestseller upon its posthumous publication and was awarded the Pulitzer Prize. Unbeknownst to many readers, then and now, the work by which Adams is best remembered represents the culmination of a long career which produced three biographies,

Life of Albert Gallatin

(1879),

Life of John Randolph

(1881),

Life of George Cabot Lodge

(1911), two novels

Democracy

(1880),

Esther

(1884), a nine-volume history of the early national period,

The History of the United States during the Administrations of Thomas Jefferson and James Madison

(1889-91), a history of Tahiti,

Memoirs of

2495 words

Citation: Decker, William Merrill. "Henry Adams". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 15 December 2004 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=27, accessed 19 March 2024.]

27 Henry Adams 1 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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