The Pursuit of Happiness: How Classical Writers on Virtue Inspired the Lives of the Founders and Defined America Barbara Heller

The Pursuit of Happiness: How Classical Writers on Virtue Inspired the Lives of the Founders and Defined America Barbara HellerThe Declaration of Independence identified the pursuit of happiness as one of our unalienable rights, along with life and liberty. Jeffrey Rosen, the president of the National Constitution Center, profiles six of the most influential foundersBenjamin Franklin, George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and Alexander Hamiltonto show what pursuing happiness meant in their lives, and to give us the best and most readable introduction

the plague

even as they stoked the pyres of accused heretics

conceptual

Made in Brooklyn

The enigmatic hieroglyphs of cabalists

and drawing fairies and other fantastical beings

she grew jasmine flowers

The fertility of the saintly figures is contrasted with the sterility of coins

This behind-the-scenes exploration features colorful and quirky double page spreads that depict every stage in the life of a book

and Harvard University professor Jeffrey F

revealing new affinities and discoveries with each closer look

The iconic drawings of Pamela Colman Smith have been beautifully re-colored by artist Mary Hanson-Roberts