Book Reviews

Local Author John Wasowicz on the First President’s Literary Interests

A discussion at Heron Hotel follows the Washington Birthday Parade on Feb. 15

AI Generated Image/Aron Wasowicz

By John Adam Wasowicz

We equate George Washington with many things, among them his faith and courage as Commander in Chief of the colonial forces at Valley Forge; his resolve and equanimity as our first president; and his statesmanship in managing consensus among the warring Federalist and Democratic-Republican factions that sought to govern the new nation.

But reader?

Yes.

Washington was both a voracious reader and a fierce advocate of reading. “I conceive a knowledge of books is the basis upon which other knowledge is to be built,” he wrote in a letter to Jonathan Boucher on July 9, 1771.

Granted, this lesser-known quote is not as famous as, say, “To be prepared for war is one of the most effectual means of preserving peace.” Still, it illustrates that our first president was, in many respects, the nation’s First Reader and espoused reading as the bedrock of good citizenship and wise stewardship.

After all, Washington was born during the Age of Reason, otherwise known as the Enlightenment. During that time, a generation of illuminated thinkers, including Alexander Hamilton, Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Payne, and Benjamin Franklin, established the framework that has guided our nation.

Although his formal education ended when he was 15, Washington’s inquisitiveness lasted a lifetime, propelling him through a distinguished career as a soldier and a legendary eight-year political career as our first president.

The observation of Washington as a reader was vividly expressed a decade ago at an exhibit titled: “Take Note: George Washington the Reader!” at the Donald W. Reynolds Museum at Mount Vernon.

The exhibit can still be viewed online at Mount Vernon’s website and tells us a lot about Washington’s love for reading, including the following:
Over 1,200 publications were collected by Washington during his lifetime, and his library served as the Wikipedia of its day for information on politics, farming, economics, and military history and strategy;
Washington purchased a copy of the Spanish epic novel Don Quixote on September 17, 1787, the same day that the final draft of our Constitution was signed by 39 of the 55 delegates attending the Constitutional Convention. (Fortunately, Washington’s dream of the world’s greatest democracy was more than an illusory windmill running around in his mind!); and
A third of the books in Washington’s library focused on politics and the law, while about 10 percent were about farming or philosophy and religion.
Washington can be forgiven for not stashing away any mystery novels, as the architects of the genre — Edgar Allen Poe, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Agatha Christie, and Raymond Chandler — post-dated him!

If you want to learn more about George Washington’s penchant for reading and literature, please attend a free discussion at the Heron Hotel located at the corner of Prince and Washington Streets, following the Washington’s Day Parade on Saturday, February 15.

Old Town Cryer Ben Fiore-Walker will participate, along with Brendan O’Leary, who will discuss the history of one of the city’s famous spite houses. I’ll talk about how the colonial Alexandria of Washington’s day continues to find expression in current culture.

The Heron Hotel event is free. Hot cocoa will be served to those who’ve braved the elements to watch the parade.

John Adam Wasowicz, author of the Old Town Loves Mystery series and the recently released ‘Spite House,’ will be marching in the Washington Birthday Parade with a ‘tiny’ spite house paying tribute to Washington’s role as a lover of literature.

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