Gordon Wood's Empire of Liberty is a big book. Actually, it's a really big book. But no one else has studied these pivotal early years of the nation with the same penetration, nor told their story with greater clarity. Wood is interested in more than the actions and ideas of a few leading figures. He examines brawling newspaper editors and wonders how the depiction of illicit love affairs in novels reflected revolutionary ideas. He explains the impact of the cotton gin on

—David O. Stewart