Discovering American History in EnglandAn Illustrated Traveler’s Guide
Published by GILES
Publish Date — February 2008 (UK and USA)
Dimensions — 296 pages, 241 x 160mm (6 ¼ x 9 ½ in.), portrait
Illustrations — 250 colour illustrations including 2 maps
Hardback price — UK£19.95/US$39.95
ISBN — 1-904832-38-5
ISBN — 978-1-904832-38-6
Book Details (pdf) — Discovering_American_History_ai.pdf
Sales Points
A widely-researched combination of historical biography, tour guide and reference book featuring both subject-specific chapters and a Gazetteer
Focuses on real people and real places, and why they are important in American history
Will particularly appeal to American tourists and Americans expatriates in the U.K. (currently over 224,000 resident)
About the Book
Many of America’s most notable citizens have spent substantial amounts of time in England, and yet the traces of their lives are widely overlooked by travellers. Thomas Paine, author of Common Sense, which helped incite revolt in the American Colonies, was born in Thetford, Norfolk, where he lived until the age of 19. Benjamin Franklin’s home at 36 Craven Street in London served as the de facto American embassy, where he first articulated his argument disputing the right of the British Parliament to tax the American colonies without representation.
Historic figures like Paine and Franklin fascinate author and historian Catherine Leitch, an American who has lived in England for 12 years. During this time she has compiled anecdotes, maps and descriptions of the often-surprising connections between English and American culture.
This brand new book opens with an historical overview of England and America, before presenting chapters which cover Colonial Settlers in the New World, the birth of American Independence, military connections, politicians, American ladies in England, artists, musicians, poets and writers. Each section contains illustrated entries for key people, together with a list of places connected to the person that can be visited. These places are listed in the Gazetteer of London and England which follows. Special “side-bars” also feature information on major buildings and cities with notable connections to America.
With its lively and informative text and beautiful colour images, this book will inspire readers to learn about the Britons who have had a defining influence on America, and also about those Americans who travelled eastward across the Atlantic to make a lasting contribution to the culture of Britain.
