The Best of American Literature, sold by a bookshop that believes in the values that made America great.
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America’s bestselling biographer reveals the origins of the most revolutionary sentence in the Declaration of Independence, the one that defines who we are as Americans—and explains how it should shape our politics today.
To celebrate America’s 250th anniversary, Walter Isaacson takes readers on a fascinating deep dive into the creation of one of history’s most powerful sentences: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.”
Drafted by Thomas Jefferson and edited by Benjamin Franklin and John Adams, this line lays the foundation for the American Dream and defines the common ground we share as a nation.
Isaacson unpacks its genius, word by word, illuminating the then-radical concepts behind it. Readers will gain a fresh appreciation for how it was drafted to inspire unity, equality, and the enduring promise of America. With clarity and insight, he reveals not just the power of these words but describes how, in these polarized times, we can use them to restore an appreciation for our common values.
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More from Walter Isaacson
Walter Isaacson writes the kind of biographies that remind America who it is—and who it strives to be.
Across his celebrated works, Isaacson returns again and again to a distinctly American ideal: that brilliance is most powerful when paired with curiosity, courage, and a willingness to build something that lasts. Whether he’s following Benjamin Franklin through the dawn of a new nation, walking beside Steve Jobs as he reshapes the digital world, or tracing Leonardo da Vinci’s relentless pursuit of truth, Isaacson captures the human beings behind the breakthroughs.
His books aren’t simply accounts of great lives; they are meditations on the spirit that pushes ordinary people to attempt the extraordinary. They celebrate the craftsman as much as the visionary, the disciplined mind as much as the dreamer, and the old-fashioned American belief that character is the true engine of innovation.
Isaacson’s biographies remind us that history’s most remarkable moments often begin with a single person asking a better question—or daring to take a harder path. In a world hungry for substance, his works stand as a testament to curiosity, integrity, and the enduring power of thoughtful ambition.
A Declaration of Literary Independence
When in the course of modern commerce, it becomes necessary for readers to reclaim the culture that shaped them, a decent respect for tradition compels us to speak plainly about the principles that guide our choices.
We hold these truths to be self-evident:
That books are not mere commodities;
That stories shape character, refine conscience, and carry the wisdom of generations;
That the act of purchasing a book is, itself, a statement of allegiance—either to distant corporations with no loyalty to our communities, or to a local shop that shares our values and strengthens our town.
That whenever giant online sellers become destructive to these ends—when they siphon earnings from our neighborhoods, disregard the heritage that made American literature great, or treat readers as commodities rather than citizens—it is the right of readers, indeed their duty, to withdraw their support and establish new habits grounded in loyalty, integrity, and self-reliance.
We therefore declare our intention to stand with a small bookseller who preserves the classics, uplifts the storytellers who built this nation, and keeps their earnings within the communities that cherish enduring American virtues.
To this end, we pledge ourselves to a renewed fellowship between reader and bookseller, founded not on convenience or cheap shipping, but on shared culture, mutual respect, and the belief that a strong nation begins with strong individuals choosing well.
The Classic American & English Authors Collection
The works of writers like Mark Twain and C. S. Lewis endure because they speak to something permanent in the human spirit. Twain captured the American character with unmatched clarity—its humor, its restlessness, its moral contradictions, and its unshakable belief in freedom. Tom Sawyer, Huckleberry Finn, and Twain’s essays continue to shape how generations understand courage, conscience, and the value of independent thought.
C. S. Lewis, in both fiction and nonfiction, wrote with rare moral imagination. From The Chronicles of Narnia to The Screwtape Letters and Mere Christianity, Lewis offered truths that comfort, challenge, and illuminate. His books give readers a sturdier moral framework and a deeper sense of wonder.
These authors matter because they still teach us how to think, how to question, how to aspire—and how to live lives rooted in curiosity, virtue, and meaning. Their stories remind us that character is destiny and that great books refine the soul.