Samuel Adams, whose battle with the British began years before most colonists even thought of independence, was a hunted man. He burned his correspondence. He wrote under pseudonyms.

In “The Revolutionary,” Stacy Schiff presents an enthralling portrait of Samuel Adams, who, perhaps more than any other of America’s founders, set the country on its course toward independence.

In The Revolutionary: Samuel Adams, Schiff re-introduces readers to the founding father. ... carefully sifts through the remaining materials to build a robust portrait of an important patriot.