Overview

In this vivid and brilliant biography, David Stewart describes Aaron Burr, the third vice president, as a daring and perhaps deluded figure who shook the nation's foundations in its earliest, most vulnerable decade. In this vivid and brilliant biography, David O. Stewart portrays Aaron Burr, the third vice president, as a daring and perhaps deluded figure who shook the nation's foundations in its earliest, most vulnerable decade. Stewart's vivid account of Burr's tumultuous life offers a rare and eye-opening description of the brand-new nation struggling to define itself.

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9781439157206

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Reviews

American Emperor offers a compelling, provocative portrait of Aaron Burr....a skilled historian and a splendid storyteller, Stewart makes the most of the episode and its...cast of characters. -- Kansas City Star Great men behaving badly makes for entertaining reading...[this book] will keep [readers] turning the pages of this meticulous, almost day-by-day account of a plot so bizarre that it's hard to believe it actually happened. - Publishers Weekly A fresh, vivid exploration of the exploits and trial of Aaron Burr... Two parts adventure story and one part courtroom thriller... A persuasive, engaging examination of the post-political career of a shadowy and much-maligned figure from the era of the Founders. -Kirkus Reviews (Starred) Stewart strives admirably to sort through the maze of facts and speculations about the nature of the conspiracy and Burr's place in it. This is also a personality study of Burr, in whom Stewart sees an extraordinary combination of talent, vision, arrogance, and insatiable ambition....readers should enjoy this account of a dangerous episode that threatened our young republic. - Booklist Stewart's sympathetic but unapologetic study of the enigmatic Burr...transcends its subject in exposing the frailty of early America's westward ambitions. Highly recommended for readers of Revolutionary-era biographies and early U.S. history. - Library Journal With remarkable evenhandedness and superb pacing, David O. Stewart has given us a real Aaron Burr and a real Thomas Jefferson in a gripping narrative about a political adventure that might have changed the history of the United States and Mexico. --Thomas Fleming, author of Duel: Aaron Burr, Alexander Hamilton and the Future of America With remarkable evenhandedness and superb pacing, David O. Stewart has given us a real Aaron Burr and a real Thomas Jefferson in a gripping narrative about a political adventure that might have changed the history of the United States and Mexico. --Thomas Fleming, author of Duel: Aaron Burr, Alexander Hamilton and the Future of America Advance Praise for American Emperor A proven storyteller, David O. Stewart takes us on a wonderful journey back to a fascinating chapter of American life: the challenges and controversies embodied in Aaron Burr. American Emperor is a great tale. --Jon Meacham, author of American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House Aaron Burr is the American Lucifer, a figure of immense talents and heroic qualities whose voracious ambition thrust him into a position as adversary to the goodness around him. David Stewart captures this tale in all its drama, treachery, and historical dimension. This is a truly absorbing narrative. --Robert W. Merry, author of A Country of Vast Designs: James K. Polk, the Mexican War and the Conquest of the American Continent A luminous portrait of Aaron Burr as well as the first high-definition picture of an endlessly baffling, infuriating, and mesmerizing life. --Patricia O'Toole, When Trumpets Call: Theodore Roosevelt after the White House Advance Praise for AMERICAN EMPEROR With remarkable evenhandedness and superb pacing, David O. Stewart has given us a real Aaron Burr and a real Thomas Jefferson in a gripping narrative about a political adventure that might have changed the history of the United States and Mexico. --Thomas Fleming, author of Duel: Aaron Burr, Alexander Hamilton and the Future of America The generation of the Founders produced some intriguing characters, but Aaron Burr has to be the most charismatic, quixotic, and mysterious. David Stewart brings the scheming, brilliant Burr to life in this lively but also judicious portrait of grand and unfulfilled ambition. --Evan Thomas, author of The War Lovers: Roosevelt, Lodge, Hearst, and the Rush to Empire, 1898 Aaron Burr is the odd man out among the Founding Fathers, a vainglorious opportunist who looked down on Washington and Jefferson, killed Hamilton, and rarely missed a chance to advance his own political fortunes. By design, he left only a skimpy record of his life, but thanks to the patient scholarship and storytelling powers of David O. Stewart, we now have a luminous portrait of Aaron Burr as well as the first high-definition picture of an endlessly baffling, infuriating, and mesmerizing life. --Patricia O'Toole, When Trumpets Call: Theodore Roosevelt after the White House A proven storyteller, David O. Stewart takes us on a wonderful journey back to a fascinating chapter of American life: the challenges and controversies embodied in Aaron Burr. American Emperor is a great tale. --Jon Meacham, author of American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House

With remarkable evenhandedness and superb pacing, David O. Stewart has given us a real Aaron Burr and a real Thomas Jefferson in a gripping narrative about a political adventure that might have changed the history of the United States and Mexico. <p>--Thomas Fleming, author of Duel: Aaron Burr, Alexander Hamilton and the Future of America

American Emperor offers a compelling, provocative portrait of Aaron Burr....a skilled historian and a splendid storyteller, Stewart makes the most of the episode and its...cast of characters. -- Kansas City Star A fresh, vivid exploration of the exploits and trial of Aaron Burr... Two parts adventure story and one part courtroom thriller... A persuasive, engaging examination of the post-political career of a shadowy and much-maligned figure from the era of the Founders. -Kirkus Reviews (Starred) Great men behaving badly makes for entertaining reading...[this book] will keep [readers] turning the pages of this meticulous, almost day-by-day account of a plot so bizarre that it's hard to believe it actually happened. - Publishers Weekly Stewart strives admirably to sort through the maze of facts and speculations about the nature of the conspiracy and Burr's place in it. This is also a personality study of Burr, in whom Stewart sees an extraordinary combination of talent, vision, arrogance, and insatiable ambition....readers should enjoy this account of a dangerous episode that threatened our young republic. - Booklist Stewart's sympathetic but unapologetic study of the enigmatic Burr...transcends its subject in exposing the frailty of early America's westward ambitions. Highly recommended for readers of Revolutionary-era biographies and early U.S. history. - Library Journal Advance Praise for AMERICAN EMPEROR With remarkable evenhandedness and superb pacing, David O. Stewart has given us a real Aaron Burr and a real Thomas Jefferson in a gripping narrative about a political adventure that might have changed the history of the United States and Mexico. --Thomas Fleming, author of Duel: Aaron Burr, Alexander Hamilton and the Future of America The generation of the Founders produced some intriguing characters, but Aaron Burr has to be the most charismatic, quixotic, and mysterious. David Stewart brings the scheming, brilliant Burr to life in this lively but also judicious portrait of grand and unfulfilled ambition. --Evan Thomas, author of The War Lovers: Roosevelt, Lodge, Hearst, and the Rush to Empire, 1898 Aaron Burr is the odd man out among the Founding Fathers, a vainglorious opportunist who looked down on Washington and Jefferson, killed Hamilton, and rarely missed a chance to advance his own political fortunes. By design, he left only a skimpy record of his life, but thanks to the patient scholarship and storytelling powers of David O. Stewart, we now have a luminous portrait of Aaron Burr as well as the first high-definition picture of an endlessly baffling, infuriating, and mesmerizing life. --Patricia O'Toole, When Trumpets Call: Theodore Roosevelt after the White House A proven storyteller, David O. Stewart takes us on a wonderful journey back to a fascinating chapter of American life: the challenges and controversies embodied in Aaron Burr. American Emperor is a great tale. --Jon Meacham, author of American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House Advance Praise for American Emperor A proven storyteller, David O. Stewart takes us on a wonderful journey back to a fascinating chapter of American life: the challenges and controversies embodied in Aaron Burr. American Emperor is a great tale. --Jon Meacham, author of American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House Aaron Burr is the American Lucifer, a figure of immense talents and heroic qualities whose voracious ambition thrust him into a position as adversary to the goodness around him. David Stewart captures this tale in all its drama, treachery, and historical dimension. This is a truly absorbing narrative. --Robert W. Merry, author of A Country of Vast Designs: James K. Polk, the Mexican War and the Conquest of the American Continent A luminous portrait of Aaron Burr as well as the first high-definition picture of an endlessly baffling, infuriating, and mesmerizing life. --Patricia O'Toole, When Trumpets Call: Theodore Roosevelt after the White House With remarkable evenhandedness and superb pacing, David O. Stewart has given us a real Aaron Burr and a real Thomas Jefferson in a gripping narrative about a political adventure that might have changed the history of the United States and Mexico. --Thomas Fleming, author of Duel: Aaron Burr, Alexander Hamilton and the Future of America With remarkable evenhandedness and superb pacing, David O. Stewart has given us a real Aaron Burr and a real Thomas Jefferson in a gripping narrative about a political adventure that might have changed the history of the United States and Mexico. --Thomas Fleming, author of Duel: Aaron Burr, Alexander Hamilton and the Future of America

Author Information

David O. Stewart is an award-winning author and the president of the Washington Independent Review of Books. He is the author of several acclaimed histories, including Madison's Gift: Five Partnerships That Built America; The Summer of 1787: The Men Who Invented the Constitution; Impeached: The Trial of President Andrew Johnson and the Fight for Lincoln's Legacy; and American Emperor: Aaron Burr's Challenge to Jefferson's America. Stewart's first novel is The Lincoln Deception.

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