John Adams cover art

John Adams

 Preview
Try Premium Plus free
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Unlimited access to our all-you-can-listen catalogue of 15K+ audiobooks and podcasts
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£8.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically.

John Adams

By: David McCullough
Narrated by: Nelson Runger
Try Premium Plus free

£8.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £28.29

Buy Now for £28.29

About this listen

 The Pulitzer Prize–winning, bestselling biography of America’s founding father and second president that was the basis for the acclaimed HBO series, brilliantly told by master historian David McCullough.

In this powerful, epic biography, David McCullough unfolds the adventurous life journey of John Adams, the brilliant, fiercely independent, often irascible, always honest Yankee patriot who spared nothing in his zeal for the American Revolution; who rose to become the second president of the United States and saved the country from blundering into an unnecessary war; who was learned beyond all but a few and regarded by some as “out of his senses”; and whose marriage to the wise and valiant Abigail Adams is one of the moving love stories in American history.

This is history on a grand scale—a book about politics and war and social issues, but also about human nature, love, religious faith, virtue, ambition, friendship, and betrayal, and the far-reaching consequences of noble ideas. Above all, John Adams is an enthralling, often surprising story of one of the most important and fascinating Americans who ever lived. Americas Political Science Politics & Activism Politics & Government Presidents & Heads of State Revolution & Founding United States American History War of 1812 War Founding Fathers US Constitution Biography Boston Latin American
All stars
Most relevant
Excellent portrayal not only of an honest man who served his country faithfully, but also the story of a marriage that was a real and rare partnership.

An Honest Politician and Honourable Husband

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Great work in all ways. It inspires and delights and is a tome to Abigail too

Fab history

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Having enjoyed listening to Benjamin Franklin’s biography (by Walter Isaacson) I chose this book to get a different slant on the birth of America as an independent country. John Adams wasn’t as colourful a character as the polymath Franklin, but he probably had a greater influence on the creation of the USA as one of the key men in writing the Declaration of Independence and in formulating the Constitution. An example, like Franklin, of a man from humble beginnings achieving greatness through his intelligence, hard work and courage. Adams dedicated his life to his country, but one has also to give much praise to Abigail, his devoted wife, who endured long absences by Adams as he travelled in Europe negotiating with the British, French and Dutch governments to try and bring peace and prosperity to his country.

While the book illustrates the epic history of the birth of a nation, it is enriched by the personal side of Adams’ life and his relationships with his family as well as with the famous people of his time. I’m often struck by the fact that the personalities and relationships among the main players quite often have a pivotal role in the direction of history. Much of the detail of these relationships is furnished by the copious amount of letters that have survived. I wonder will biographies of the future have this rich source of personal information with so much communication now being done by ephemeral e-mails and texts?

On tends to learn history at school from the point of view of ones own country so it it's educational to hear about the American War of Independence from the other side.

Though a long book the story is engaging and the narration excellent.

A great life that kept me listening

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
This is a magnificent biography by David McCullough. The character and personality of John Adams with all his talents and faults just jumps out of the page. He is the least known and probably the least appreciated of the founding Presidents and the author goes a long way to redress both these factors. Of particular interest is the correspondence between Adams and his remarkable wife Abigail. The test of a biography is to ask yourself after finishing it:- Do I think I know this person? If the answer is yes then then it succeeds. In this case it is a resounding YES. It is up there with Ron Chernows biographies of Hamilton and Washington. I thought it so good that I bought a hard copy for my bookshelf to put beside these two!

Great Biography

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
The narrator took a bit of getting used to but in no time I loved how be portrayed each of the characters. Adams' story is amusing, annoying and full of colour and character.

Great story

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews