I have always done prodigious amounts of reading and even dabbled in writing at a few points in my life, but discovering and subsequently devouring Ron Chernow's books has put me in a quandary. Mr. Chernow is such an outstanding writer, I can only conjure up a couple of other authors who can somewhat match his writing brilliance. Any time I pick up a new book, I can't help judging it by Ron's awesome tomes.

To be sure, I'm not referring to the quality of his analysis or research; those, no doubt great, are attainable by other authors. It's his ability to masterfully articulate his thoughts in the most eloquent English language I had ever before encountered and, I now fear, ever will.

I have looked for authors with similar writing styles, and although my search has so far produced meager results, I have come across a few names I consider comparable to Mr. Chernow. One that immediately comes to mind is that of Doris Kearns Goodwin whose "Team of Rivals" I am currently reading. Ms. Goodwin, albeit a towering writer in her own right, isn't quite as good as Chernow, but I do believe that her political insight into the events of the day is more incisive and, in my opinion, more thoroughly researched.

It is my search for what now appears to be peerless writing prowess of Ron Chernow that has brought me here. So I would like to hear this community's recommendations.

Disclaimer: My judgement of writing style and quality is a simple matter of opinion, not in any way meant to degrade any one author.

I can't answer your question, never having read one of his bios. I'm slightly embarrassed to admit that. I suppose everyone would tend to gravitate towards Hamilton, thanks to Lin-Manual Miranda. What would be your recommendation for a first-read of Chernow?

If I were to pick one of his books to re-read, it would be a tossup between Hamilton and Grant. Both are exceptional.