First FamilyBy: Joseph J. Ellis In this rich and engrossing account, John and Abigail Adams come to life against the backdrop of the Republics tenuous early years. Drawing on over 1,200 letters exchanged between the couple, Ellis tells a story both personal and panoramic. We learn about the many years Abigail and John spent apart as Johns political career sent him first to Philadelphia, then to Paris and Amsterdam; their relationship with their children; and