John Hancock's name lives on as a metaphor for official signatures, but he had a much bigger part to play in the American Revolution and the early days of the new country. His many contradictions, including his relatively poor and isolated childhood that was transformed into wealth and privilege by adoption, helped make him comfortable with every kind of person in the highly stratified British colonial society. Once he made the pragmatic decision to join the revolution, his moderate positions helped bring aboard reluctant revolutionaries, and his popularity in the Boston area lasted for years. This fascinating biography also brings us a lot of information about Boston and Massachusetts, including the background of the Boston Tea Party, smuggling in the colonial period, and details of the revoution we don't usually hear. Harvard University Press. 2023. Hb, Dj. NEW. $25.00