Liberty! The American Revolution [FIRST EDITION, FIRST PRINTING]

Fleming, Thomas

Published by Viking / Penguin Group, New York, 1997

About this Item

Fine unread condition navy blue cloth boards with gold spine lettering contained in a near fine condition non price-clipped color photographic dust jacket. Includes Introduction: Face to Face with History; Coda: Opening the Eyes of the World; Index; Picture Credits; Acknowledgments and A Note From the Executive Producer. Profusely illustrated with both black-and-white and color paintings and photographs. "Liberty! The American Revolution brings to life one of the most important and compelling stories in our country's history: the struggle for independence and the birith of the American nation. Historian and novelist Thomas Fleming's gripping narrative captures the high drama of the revolutionary years and the unyielding courage and political genius of the men and women who imagined a new set of political possibilities for mankind - laying the foundation for the identity and character of the American people in the process. The companion volume to the PBS television series of the same name, Liberty! is illustrated with more than 200 full color paintings and photographs, illuminating the revolutionary period as never before. Beginning in 1763, in the tranquil aftermath of the French and Indian War, and culminating in 1789 with the creation of a new nation, Fleming depicts these extraordinary times in all their intensity. The two-and-a-half decades of debate and rebellion included such seminal events as the Boston Massacre, the Declaration of Independence, the Battle of Yorktown, and the framing of the Constitution. Featured are the personal stories of many of the period's most influential and prominent individuals: the young King George III, who eolves from a callow youth into a stubborn and domineering menace to the liberty of both England and the American Colonies; a diffident George Washington, confronting the loneliness of leadership, discovering in the midst of defeat the strategy that rescues the collapsing cause; and the canny seventy-year-old Benjamin Franklin, who outwits the British secret service and the diplomats of France. Less well-known figures are also an important part of the narrative: Private Joseph Plumb Martin of Connecticut, who dines at Valley Forge on "a leg of nothing and no turnips:; and gifted women such as Abigail Adams and Eliza Pickney. In recounting their lives and contributions, Fleming provides a panoramic portrait of the times: daily life in colonial America; the political machinations of the British Parliament; the relationship between the colonists and the native tribes; the history of the slave trade; and the popular culture of the era. Most important, Liberty! traces the evolution of the ideals that inspired a generation of Americans to struggle against Britain - then the most powerful nation in the world - to establish the free society and democratic system that is so inherently and uniquely American. A remarkable work that surges with human drama, it is a book that every American family will read and treasure for decades to come." - from the inner front and rear jacket flaps. Seller Inventory # 008765

Bibliographic Details

Title: Liberty! The American Revolution [FIRST ...

Publisher: Viking / Penguin Group, New York

Publication Date: 1997

Binding: Hardcover

Illustrator: Miller, Jay (jacket design); Bauer, Jerry (author photograph)

Condition: Fine

Dust Jacket Condition: Near Fine

Edition: 1st Edition