The Journal of the American Revolution (https://allthingsliberty.com) is launching a new book series on the American Revolution in partnership with Westholme Publishing, LLC. The journal and Westholme will jointly serve as the editorial board of the series, known as Journal of the American Revolution Books. Two titles will serve as the inaugural volumes of the nonfiction series, both publishing in March 2016.
The first book, The Road to Concord: How Four Small Cannons Set Off the American Revolution, is authored by J. L. Bell. It’s a new look at the first battle of the Revolutionary War, tracing the genesis of the fateful British march in April 1775 to little-known events of the preceding September. Back in that month, a militia uprising in the Massachusetts countryside set off an “arms race” for artillery between provincial activists and Crown officials. Men on each side grabbed any cannons they could find in shore batteries, ships, and merchants’ stores. In the most daring and consequential operation of that autumn, Bostonians stole four small cannons from militia armories under redcoat guard, hid them in a public school, smuggled them into the countryside, and eventually moved them to Concord—where a spy located them for the royal governor, Gen. Thomas Gage. The Road to Concord will be the first book to tell the full story of those cannons.
The second title, Grand Forage 1778: The Revolutionary War’s Forgotten Campaign, is authored by Todd W. Braisted. The volume explores a crucial campaign of the Revolutionary War that has long been overlooked in history books. A sweep of the New York and New Jersey countryside by 8,000 British troops looking for fresh provisions triggered several major skirmishes that left scores dead, wounded and captured. An entire regiment of Continental cavalry would be surprised and bayoneted, with the remains of some of the slain discovered by accident nearly 200 years later. Braisted masterfully weaves together primary source research from the United States, Canada, United Kingdom and Germany to tell a riveting, complete story of Britain’s last great push around New York City.
Journal of the American Revolution began as a web-based publication in late 2012, but has since expanded and now provides impeccable historical information in three formats:
- Online magazine: The journal was first published on the web, affording broad access with a measure of interactivity. The website (https://allthingsliberty.com) features the writing of professional historians and experts, with more than 500 articles published since 2013.
- Annual volumes: Providing permanence and prominence to its most resourceful online articles, the journal publishes an annual hardcover volume, also with Westholme Publishing. Journal of the American Revolution Annual Volume 2015 will be available for sale in May 2015.
- Book series: Published and co-edited with Westholme Publishing, Journal of the American Revolution Books will present new, meaningful scholarship about America’s most important history. The first two books of the series will launch in March 2016.
“Our mission is to feature meticulous, ideally groundbreaking research and well-written narratives about unknown or lesser-known topics,” said Todd Andrlik, founder and editor-in-chief of Journal of the American Revolution. “That mission stretches across all three of our products – online magazine, annual volumes and book series.”
Stay tuned to https://allthingsliberty.com for the latest news about the forthcoming books.
7 Comments
I’m looking forward to this. Yet again, your work continues to push my interest in all things Revolutionary War.
This whole idea and mission just keeps getting better and better! Congratulations!
I totally agree with what John said, JAR keeps stepping up with great ideas!
Kyle, John and Brian: Thanks for the kind words! Kyle’s comment drives home our reason for existing — to further the study of (and interest in) all things Rev War. It has been a great team effort among readers, writers, advertisers, editors and publishers.
Todd: I am having such a grand time learning and re-learning all the history of the American Revolutionary War! I can’t tell you how much I appreciate all the hard work that goes into the Journal.
Question: As an Assistant Scoutmaster and a father of two boys, I do whatever I can to make history come alive. We’ve traveled to several forts and battlefields in the last two years and we are planning on traveling the Freedom Trail in Boston, going to Lexington and Concord park, and visiting the Adams homestead in Quincy. I am having trouble finding early-teen resources to keep them engaged outside of the travel. Do you recommend any particular resources or journals for 11-16 year olds related to the Revolutionary War?
Mickey,
Not to step on Todd’s toes, but I saw your reference to Freedom Trail, which piqued my interest because I have been involved with Freedom’s Way National Heritage Area, another important organization that pulls together many Massachusetts communities with interests in the Revolution time period.
I suggest you check out the Freedom Trail website, which has come instructional links for teens, as well as the Freedom’s Way site, which is also of interest:
http://www.thefreedomtrail.org/educational-resources/
http://www.freedomsway.org/index.html
Mickey: So glad to hear you’re enjoying JAR. Thanks for commenting. Regarding your question, I think you’ll find several articles on allthingsliberty.com that appeal to a younger audience. I recommend browsing our lists, shorts and columns for some lighter fare. The site is frequently identified as a trusted source by junior high and high school teachers as well as college professors and post-graduate scholars.
Colonial Comics is a great new graphic novel on early New England. I believe the series will tackle the Revolution era in its next edition in a few years. Another great read for younger audiences is The Real Revolution: The Global Story of American Independence by Marc Aronson.
There’s also a number of great movies and novels that help trigger and sustain interest in the era. Here is our top 10 list of movies and top 10 list of novels.
Other gems include Founding Myths by Ray Raphael, the Boston 1775 blog by J. L. Bell and those on this list of essential books.
I’ll conclude with a plug for my first title, Reporting the Revolutionary War. Students typically understand the power and influence of social media (Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube) in today’s world, so they can easily relate to the 18th century equivalent of social media — weekly newspapers, which were the only mass media of the day. By providing hundreds of HD color images of genuine Revolution-era newspapers, the book allows students to play the role of historian and critically evaluate the original source material. Plus, about three dozen modern historians puts the newspapers in context and help guide readers through the 240-year-old newspaper reporting. Plus, the book follows scores of key events of the Revolution in chronological order from the Sugar Act of 1764 through Washington’s 1796 Farewell Address, so it paints a fairly comprehensive picture.