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A Powerful Mind: The Self-Education of George Washington. By Adrienne M. Harrison. (Lincoln, Neb.: Potomac Books, 2015. Pp. xiv, 307. $29.95, ISBN 978-1-61234-725-7.)
National mythology emphasizes the impressive intelligence of America's Founding Fathers, except for George Washington. Washington is typically depicted as surrounding himself with superior minds to compensate for his lack of formal education. In A Powerful Mind: The Self-Education of George Washington, Adrienne M. Harrison argues that this perception of Washington is not entirely correct, as he pursued a focused course of self-education throughout his life by reading on practical subjects. He acquired books on military training and strategy when he was in the Virginia militia and Continental army; he read books on religion, law, and history when he served in the Virginia House of Burgesses; and he scrutinized books on agriculture when he undertook efforts to increase the productivity of his plantations. Never one to read for reading's sake, Washington read what he needed to read in...