The Education of Henry Adams

by Henry Adams

"The Education of Henry Adams" by Henry Adams is an autobiography privately circulated in 1907 and published commercially in 1918. Written in the third person, it chronicles Adams's struggle to understand the rapidly changing 20th century—so different from his 19th-century upbringing. Despite his privileged background as descendant of two presidents, Adams concludes his traditional education failed him. He critiques educational theory while meditating on technological revolutions, scientific breakthroughs, and political transformations that bewildered him, driving his lifelong quest for self-education through experience and reflection.