The Mind of a Patriot: Patrick Henry and the World of Ideas

The Mind of a Patriot presents an intellectual life of a major figure who has traditionally been seen as an anti-intellectual "child of nature." This was the view of Patrick Henry that William Wirt presented in his Life of Henry, and it has pervaded every biography since. Hayes presents a very different view of Henry. Starting with neglected pieces of evidence-the inventory of Henry's library-Hayes's unique perspective allows him to position Henry's life within the intellectual currents of the day. After the opening chapter, which shows how Thomas Jefferson's opinions of Henry influenced Wirt's depiction of him, the author traces Henry's life through his relationship with the world of books. Individual chapters examine Henry's education; his legal career; his use of books to improve his speaking style; his relationship to the antislavery movement; his use of books as a legislator, a farmer, and a father; and, ultimately, the place of books in his life during his waning years. In a lengthy appendix, Hayes reconstructs Henry's library, presenting a detailed catalogue of its contents.

Author: Kevin J. Hayes
Publisher: University of Virginia Press
Published: 10/01/2008
Pages: 200
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 0.90lbs
Size: 9.22h x 6.10w x 0.82d
ISBN: 9780813927589

Review Citation(s):
Library Journal 09/01/2008 pg. 141
Chronicle of Higher Education 10/17/2008 pg. 21
Reference and Research Bk News 02/01/2009 pg. 73
Choice 10/01/2009

About the Author

Kevin J. Hayes is Professor of English at the University of Central Oklahoma and the author of several books, including The Road to Monticello: The Life and Mind of Thomas Jefferson and The Library of William Byrd of Westover, for which he received the Virginia Library History Award.