Here, for the first time, is a biography of George Washington for young people which makes him a compelling and charming person as well as a great man. The author, an expert writer and a sound scholar, has departed radically from the sentimental, conventional presentation of Washington. We first see the boy against the background of colonial Virginia; then his gradual development into the leader and molder of his times.

A youthful desire for glory, and later, a real devotion to principle pushed George Washington into activities which made him known in every colony. The story shows clearly his change from the Tory to the Revolutionary point of view. Dramatic scenes picture the highlights of the struggle against England and the critical period in which he serves as our first President.

Leader by Destiny treats both an individual and an era of history in a manner all the more accurate because the book is human and unbiased. At last young people may see an august marble statue come to life.

From the dust jacket