Description

Alexander Hamilton was an illegitimate, largely self-taught orphan from the Caribbean who overcame all the odds to become George Washington’s aide-de-camp and the first Treasury Secretary of the United States.

Few figures in American history are more controversial. In this masterful work, Chernow shows how the political and economic power of America today is the result of Hamilton’s willingness to champion ideas that were often wildly disputed during his time. He charts his titanic feuds with Jefferson, Adams, Madison, Monroe and Burr; his highly public affair with Maria Reynolds; his loving marriage to his loyal wife Eliza; and the notorious duel with Aaron Burr that led to his death in July 1804.

The book was adapted into a hugely successful Broadway musical – winner of 11 Tony awards – which opens at the Victoria Palace Theatre in London in November 2017.

Publisher Review

'That biography is incredible. It out-Dickenses Charles Dickens' Lin-Manuel Miranda. 'Chernow charts his way through Hamilton's hectic life, and the tumultuous times in which he lived, with aplomb' Military History Monthly. 'By far the best of the many lives of Hamilton now in print, and a model of the biographer's art' Kirkus. 'A must-read. Ron Chernow's masterpiece' USA Today. 'Impressively thorough, superbly written and carefully researched' Wall Street Journal. 'Gripping history, now turned into a hip-hop musical' Michael Gove in The Times: 'Our favourite reads of 2016'. 'Chernow's magnificent biography of Hamilton is out now ... and has gained fame for inspiring a musical' The Spectator. 'This acclaimed biography which inspired an award-winning musical, salvages the reputation of a Founding Father of the US ... a mammoth work of research that charted the course of Hamilton's dazzling career and the dark controversies that accompanied it' Guardian. 'This handsome new edition [is] an elegantly written, richly detailed account of Hamilton's tempestuous life' The Times.