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1776
by David McCullough
The two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning author goes for the hat trick with this carefully-researched look at 12 months in the battle for American independence.
Simon & Schuster, 400 pages
05/24/2005
$32.00
ISBN: 0743226712
Nonfiction
History
All reviews are classified as one of five grades: Outstanding (4 points), Favorable (3), Mixed (2), Unfavorable (1) and Terrible (0). To calculate the Metascore, we divide total points achieved by the total points possible (i.e., 4 x the number of reviews), with the resulting percentage (multiplied by 100) being the Metascore. Learn more...
Booklist Jay Freeman
He is a gifted writer who enriches his story with ample use of the diaries and correspondence of ordinary soldiers on both sides. Yet it is his portrayals of the two principal antagonists in this struggle that makes this account both engrossing and poignant. [1 Mar 2005, p.1100]
Kirkus Reviews
A sterling account. [1 Apr 2005, p.404]
Library Journal John Carver Edwards
An altogether marvelous contribution that deserves to be read by every American. [1 Apr 2005, p.109]
Publishers Weekly
Simply put, this is history writing at its best from one of its top practitioners. [21 Feb 2005, p.164]
San Francisco Chronicle Chuck Leddy
It's a story filled with drama, and McCullough shows himself once again to be among our nation's great storytellers.
Chicago Sun-Times Sam Weller
1776 soars with enrapturing tales.
Christian Science Monitor William M. Fowler Jr.
What is truly remarkable about David McCullough is his eagerness as an author to allow the actors in the drama of history to speak for themselves.
The Nation Daniel Lazare
Though McCullough's prose is anything but stylish, it's sturdy enough, and he has a novelist's sense of structure and pacing.
London Review Of Books Colin Kidd
However conventional the storytelling, McCullough has a sophisticated – and quietly subversive – approach to narrative.
The Observer Neal Ascherson
This is a well written, conventional war history.... But narrowing the subject to one year has drawbacks as well as advantages.
Daily Telegraph Stephen Graubard
McCullough's abundant use of correspondence between those who fought on the American side and their families at home tells a social tale as compelling as the military one.
The Economist
Although "1776" is a fine book, it is, in almost every respect, inferior to David Hackett Fischer's "Washington Crossing."
Chicago Tribune Scott Casper
McCullough is a good storyteller who knows the importance of physical space: "1776" shimmers with descriptions of Boston, New York, even Trenton, N.J., drawn largely from the accounts of British and American officers and soldiers. [3 Jul 2005]
Boston Globe David Hackett Fischer
It is very fluent and engaging. Not much of it is new. The main lines are familiar, and most of the anecdotes have been told before, but they have rarely been told so well.
Los Angeles Times Anthony Day
By focusing on just one year (with a bit of stretching on both ends), McCullough jumps into the middle of things, then out. He assumes (perhaps recklessly) that the reader knows enough of the complex causes of the revolution and its complicated outcome so that the author can focus on the narrative in that easy style that launched him into the popular-history business. [1 Jun 2005]
New York Observer David S. Reynolds
Mr. McCullough's book works well as a historical narrative. But it depends too heavily on stylistic tricks designed to enhance readability. [30 May 2005]
The New York Times Michiko Kakutani
Although the reader in search of a wide-ranging overview of the Revolution would be better off turning to any number of earlier books (from Trevelyan's classic ''American Revolution'' to more recent works like ''The Glorious Cause'' by Robert Middlekauff or Benson Bobrick's ''Angel in the Whirlwind''), ''1776'' does succeed in its limited aims.
The New York Times Book Review Tony Horwitz
A lucid and lively work that will engage both Revolutionary War bores and general readers who have avoided the subject since their school days.
The New Yorker Joshua Micah Marshall
The prose is vibrant, and there is a telling insight into each character--William Howe, we learn, is valiant and courageous in battle, lackadaisical and self-indulgent when not. But the book is essentially a portrait of the Continental Army’s commander.
USA Today Bob Minzesheimer
It's not as sweeping or groundbreaking as McCullough's major work, but it's a pleasure to read.
Wall Street Journal Andrew Roberts
Mr. McCullough is very good at recreating a world where Brooklyn consisted of eight houses and a Dutch church, where British military commissions were bought and sold, where Congress met in secret, and where "Sons of Liberty" such as Washington owned a hundred slaves.
Washington Post Gordon S. Wood
McCullough has a remarkable ability to paint pictures with words, and he is at the height of his powers in this book.
Houston Chronicle Lynwood Abram
In David McCullough, readers will find a seasoned, skilled guide to the shifting tides of revolution.
The Spectator Anne Applebaum
To a British reader who knows the subject, 1776 may seem pretty thin. To one who doesn’t, it may be confusing.
Entertainment Weekly Jennifer Reese
McCullough has crafted a deliciously readable book that leaves you famished for philosophical context.
 The average user rating for this book is 7.2 (out of 10) based on 27 User Votes
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