海角大神

We鈥檒l never know as much about Michelle and Barack Obama as we do about Abigail and John Adams.

Though the current US president and first lady live in a world of up-to-the-second news distribution, with paparazzi and over-sharing in abundance everywhere, the public has no keyhole to the inner workings of the couple鈥檚 marriage (nor should we).

We do, however, for the Adams鈥�, in the form of roughly 1,200 preserved letters between the two.

In his most recent feat, 鈥�First Family: Abigail & John Adams,鈥� distinguished historian Joseph Ellis gives readers an intimate look at one of America鈥檚 greatest partnerships, based on those letters.

Ellis has penned several notable histories, including the Pulitzer Prize-winning 鈥淔ounding Brothers鈥� and 鈥淎merican Creation鈥� 鈥� both books which also feature John Adams. However, at a talk sponsored by the Massachusetts Historical Society at Boston-area Brookline Booksmith last week, Ellis named "First Family," over all of his others, his favorite to write.

鈥淓arly in the process I realized that I had a great story, both a love story 鈥� which I鈥檇 never written before 鈥� and a story of the making of American history, all rolled into one,鈥� he said.

The likes of Abigail and John will never come again, says Ellis.

鈥淧artly because of the literary quality of their letters, their intellectual and emotional honesty, [and] partly because we鈥檙e not going to have letters,鈥� he explained.

Historians and readers are lucky (though the Adams children were not so much) that the husband and wife were apart so often. It left ample opportunity to write the revealing letters. When President Obama is away, he may jot a quick e-mail to Michelle, but more than likely he speaks to her on the phone. Back in the 18th century, couples had no choice but to pull out a pen and paper.

We鈥檙e also lucky that the Adams saved their correspondence. Why did they?

鈥淛ohn would say 鈥榃e鈥檙e living through a historic time. For our family, our descendants, we need to keep a record,鈥欌�� said Ellis. 鈥淗e meant us. He meant posterity. He also believed that the letters would be his ticket to immortality.鈥�

Via letter, the couple discussed details of their relationship and family, and also public affairs. In Abigail鈥檚 famous 鈥淩emember the Ladies鈥� letter, she urges John to consider women鈥檚 rights in his political proceedings. Though she was uneducated, Abigail was an avid reader and artful writer, and had a personality John thought intoxicatingly 鈥渟aucy.鈥�

During the Adams鈥� time, letters took a long time to travel. When John was in Philadelphia and Abigail home in Braintree, Mass., it took two weeks for a letter to go from one to the other. That made it difficult for the couple to communicate time sensitive news, pregnancy for example.

Still, Abigail and John relied on those letters, and so do historians today, for a window into a marriage and a time period.

Nora Dunne is a Monitor contributor.

Join the Monitor's book discussion on and .