Take an unconventional look at our first president, deified for more than 200 years, yet a man few Americans really understand. George Washington: The Man Who Wouldn't Be King is the story of a man who grew into greatness by accepting the challenge of leading a fractious, rag-tag army in a historic struggle against the British government. As a young man, Washington was a social climber, a land-hungry Virginia surveyor and self-conscious military officer who often blamed others for his own mistakes. He gradually built a reputation as a gentleman by educating himself in the classics and sciences, entering politics and marrying one of the wealthiest women in Virginia. His limited military experience as a revolutionary leader led to one crushing defeat after another--until the battle of Trenton. The brilliance of the attack was in the timing, on Christmas night. Trenton was a psychological victory for America and for Washington himself. From then on, because of his growing skill at leading men and his personal bravery, Washington came to symbolize the Revolutionary War. When he led his army to the final victory at Yorktown, his officers, unpaid and distrustful of Congress, wanted him to assume greater--possibly dictatorial--power. Through the use of impressionistic photography and a rare and revealing collection of paintings, etchings and prints from museums, libraries and private collections, George Washington: The Man Who Wouldn't Be King goes beyond the standard textbook portrait to uncover the real George Washington.