James Madison

A Biography

By: Ralph Ketcham

Narrated by: Bill Burrows

The best one-volume biography of Madison’s life, Ketcham’s biography not only traces Madison’s career, it gives listeners a sense of the man. As Madison said of his early years in Virginia under the study of Donald Robertson, who introduced him to thinkers like Montaigne and Montesquieu, "all that I have been in life I owe largely to that man." It also captures a side of Madison that is less rarely on display.

"Madison's personality comes alive in these pages, his strengths and weaknesses of mind and character clearly outlined. His great services in the Constitutional Convention of 1787 are graphically portrayed. The analysis of his political theory, and of the way in which he sought to apply it to the establishment of of government under the Constitution, is excellent. The depiction of Jeffersonian and Madisonian foreign policy up to the outbreak of the War of 1812 is clear and succinct. This is an excellent biography." (American Historical Review)

"Utilizing the vast amount of source material made available in the last 30 years, Ketcham has captured the essential man in his times and in doing so has made him understandable for us in our own day." (Los Angeles Times)

"This single volume has provided a penetrating and highly readable biography which merits distinction as the best one-volume life of Madison yet written." (Virginia Magazine of History and Biography)

©1990 The Rector and Visitors of the University of Virginia (P)2021 Upfront Books

Detailed but not edited

This will test your adderall Rx. Reads like it was written in Excel. Great detail. The audio is in raw draft form with mistakes and mid sentence restarts, particularly in Ch15

excellent single volume biography of Madison

very thorough, good balance of strengths and weaknesses, remarkable founding father of USA. Critical of Madison's failure to free slaves even upon his death

Academic & Apologist, Read by a Robot

First and foremost, the narration of this book is terribly boring and impersonal. This may be a book best read on paper.

The author himself writes quite academically, which was standard in the 60s & 70s for biographies, but feels outdated today. Combined with the narrator's poor reading, this book is difficult to listen to all the way through.

Moreover, Ketchum is often sidetracked by Jefferson and frequently justifies Madison's more reproachable actions poorly.

A great Book

I learned a lot about James Madison. An awesome book.he was an amazing man and an incredible president

Narrator Too Robotic

It’s an interesting story, but the gentleman reading it is very robotic and it becomes distracting.