On the heels of David McCullough's phenomenal No.1 New York Times bestseller JOHN ADAMS, a lively and authoritative biography of Adams's 'dearest friend.' DEAREST FRIEND is a full biography of Abigail Adams, the unschooled minister's daughter who became the most influential woman in Revolutionary America. Rich with excerpts from her incomparable letters and alive with the ferment of a new nation, DEAREST FRIEND captures both the public and private side of this fascinating woman. Intelligent, resourceful, and outspoken, she was her husband John's closest confidante, matriarch of America's first political dynasty, and an ardent advocate for a greater role for women and the abolition of slavery. With this book, her life, and her legacy, are finally ours to share.

Author Biography

Lynne Withey's books include Voyages of Discovery: Captain James Cook and the Exploration of the Pacific (1987) and Grand Tours and Cook's Tours: A History of Leisure Travel, 1750-1915 (1997). She has taught history at the University of Iowa, Boston University, and the University of California at Berkeley, and is now the associate director of the University of California Press.