Introducing the Emerging Revolutionary War Series!

Last month, we told you about our spring book releases for the Emerging Civil War Series. Well, that’s not the only thing up our sleeve. We’re excited to announce the launch of a sister line of books, the Emerging Revolutionary War Series!

“It’s really exciting to launch a series that gives introductory-level readers a gateway into the founding of America,” says Series Editor Hannah Gordon. “I wish I had something like this when I was in Advanced Placement U.S. History in high school. It would have drawn my interest and helped me really learn. I hope it can do that for other readers, as well.”

Like the Emerging Civil War Series, the Emerging Revolutionary War Series will be published by Savas Beatie, LLC. “The goal of the series is to transform grassy fields into hallowed ground as the reader embarks on both a narrative and historical tour that provides the foundation for further exploration into the American Revolutionary War era,” says Emerging Revolutionary War Editor-in-Chief Phill Greenwalt.

The series will kick off with a pair of books that feature two of the most high-profile events of the war: Victory or Death: The Battles of Trenton and Princeton by Mark Maloy and In a Single Blow: The Battles of Lexington and Concord and the Beginning of the American Revolution by ERW co-founders Phill Greenwalt and Rob Orrison.

About In a Single Blow (from Phill Greenwalt):

Lexington and Concord are synonymous in memory with the start of the American Revolutionary War. On April 19, 1775, British Regulars, from the army and marines, marched out to seize munitions of war that Massachusetts colonials had stockpiled. What was intended as a quick raid and strike, turned anything but, when shots were fired on Lexington Green, the open triangular patch of ground in the center of the town. The British ventured still west to Concord, where violence again erupted between Colonials and the Redcoats.

With the harrowing retreat back to Boston from Concord, over 20 miles by road network, the path was started for a rupture between Great Britain and her colonies. Starting with the build-up to that April day, continuing through the first shots, and ending with how both sides started to wrap their minds around it, In a Single Blow, aims to follow the suit of the publications in the Emerging Civil War Series to be both an accessible and also foundational book for exploration into the history of April 19, 1775.

About Victory or Death (from Mark Maloy):

When I was first approached by the Emerging Revolutionary War team to write a book about the battles of Trenton and Princeton, I was beyond excited. Ever since I was kid, there was something about the winter campaign of 1776-1777 that has always fascinated me. In the time span of ten days, the cause of American liberty was saved, and George Washington was immediately vaulted into the pantheon of American heroes. In my opinion, it is the most important military campaign in American history—and perhaps the greatest underdog story of all time. Just a few thousand starving, sick, outnumbered men, under Washington’s leadership, won three crucial battles and shifted the whole tide of the war. The story is the exception to the rule and an inspiring tale that gives hope to anyone facing seemingly insurmountable odds. I felt a great amount of responsibility to do justice to the men who fought and died in that campaign and hope the book Victory or Death provokes readers to learn more about the campaign and the war.

One of the aspects of the Emerging Civil War Series that I was enthusiastic to replicate for the Revolutionary War series was connecting the campaign to sites on the ground. I wanted to create a field guide in which readers could not only read about what happened, but use maps and coordinates to visit the locations where the actions actually occurred. Interest in the Revolutionary War is growing rapidly as evidenced by multiple events currently happening. There are two new museums focused on the war opening in Philadelphia and Yorktown; the Civil War Trust recently launched a new initiative (Campaign 1776) to preserve Revolutionary War battlefields; and the Broadway hit Hamilton has everyone talking about forgotten Founding Fathers. People want to know where the dramatic moments of this era played out and want to visit and see the sites where this history happened. The power of place makes the story that much more relevant. I think that readers of Victory or Death will find the book useful for exploring the area around Trenton and Princeton and exploring these battlefields too often overlooked and forgotten.

“I began working with Emerging Civil War just over a year ago; my experience with those projects has been perfect training to give me a feel for pulling this new series together,” adds Gordon as a postscript. “It’s always a challenge to get a new project moving from scratch, but it’s been really rewarding to see the efforts come to fruition.”

Both books will be available this summer.