Patriarch

Smith takes a nearly exhaustive look at George Washington's day-to-day work as president and ex-president to preserve the country from the extremes of absolutism and Jeffersonian democracy. Runger's reading ranges from lively to formal. Sometimes entertainer and sometimes lecturer, he matches his tone to Smith's text, which is larded with interesting stories of political squabbling and family trivia. Recorded Books has put together another perfect match between text and reader. P.E.F. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine