PATRIOTS The Men Who Started the American Revolution <i> by A.J. Langguth (Touchstone/Simon & Schuster: $10.95) </i>

This history of the American Revolution focuses on the great men and decisive acts that are part of our national mythology. The author undertakes to make the historical figures appear human, neither glorifying heroes nor dismissing traitors. His conversational style and simple presentation bring the issues alive. Of John Adams, he writes: “When the debate over the Articles of Confederation moved from committee to the floor of the Congress, John Adams joined those delegates who assailed Dickinson’s one-state, one-vote provision. Now that his hard work had brought him wealth and eminence, he couldn’t agree that property should count for nothing.” Although the breadth of material may lead some to dismiss the book as superficial, Langguth has produced a history exciting enough to interest teenagers and a treatment of the idea of heroism serious enough to engage history buffs. “For those who have decried the mushification of American history,” wrote Jody Powell in his review of “Patriots” in these pages, “A. J. Langguth has provided a spicy, toothsome respite.”