Paul Revere's Ride

Paul Revere's Ride

4.14 of 5 stars 4.14  ·  rating details  ·  899 ratings  ·  102 reviews
Paul Revere's midnight ride is a legendary event in American history - yet it has been largely ignored by scholars, and left to patriotic writers and debunkers. Now one of the foremost American historians offers the first serious study of this event - what led to it, what really happened, what followed - uncovering a truth more remarkable than the many myths it has inspire...more
Paperback, 464 pages
Published April 19th 1995 by Oxford University Press, USA (first published December 31st 1993)
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Mike
I read this book in graduate school quite some time ago, but I still remember it as being one that I was fascinated with. It is amazing how little we actually know about Paul Revere. His importance to the Revolution goes far beyond the Midnight Ride. He was a major player in the Boston rebellion and one of the great organizers of the Committees of Correspondence. This book details Revere's life and also goes into the specifics of the Midnight Ride and the entire events around Lexington and Conco...more
Ben
The book itself is fast-paced, engaging, and written in an almost novelesque form. Even if you are one of those people who don't like nonfiction, you'll still find something to enjoy in this book.

The main reason I liked the book so thoroughly is that it enlightened me about a time and place in American history that I am now realizing I was almost completely ignorant about prior to reading this book. I was taught in school the general reasons for the revolution, as everyone most likely is, but I...more
David Nichols
This is a thoughtful, lavishly detailed, and very deeply researched book that performs several functions. It's a halfway-decent biography of Revere himself, and of his principal adversary, Thomas Gage. More importantly, the author maps out the network of Revolutionary societies to which Revere belonged, and which helped sustain the imperial resistance movement in Boston. Fischer also describes the system of communications and alarms which connected the rebels in occupied Boston to the rebel-cont...more
Elizabeth K.
Jul 31, 2009 Elizabeth K. rated it 5 of 5 stars
Recommended to Elizabeth by: Melissa
Shelves: 2008-new-reads
I love it when a book is well-organized. This one started with some brief background on Paul Revere and General Gage, and then went through an extremely detailed (yet not at all tiresome) play-by-play of the ride of April 18, 1775. Then, an interlude for some information about the state of the militias at that time, followed by another extensive outline, this time of the Lexington and Concord battles, and retreat to Boston on April 19. You get a great sense of Paul Revere's personality: the man...more
Christopher
Absolutely, without a doubt, my favorite history book of all time. (Part of that is nostalgic, I admit, but it's a fine book on its own, too.) Besides being a fantastic story teller, Fischer is a solid researcher, so his conclusions are at worst defensible. But the story is so well told, and the characters so compelling you can easily forget you are reading history. If you have ever read and hated history, open your mind and give this book a try. You could be very pleasantly surprised.
Jemas Thamos
Revere's Ride reads more like an adventure novel, as opposed to what it really is; an historically accurate, densely footnoted textbook designed to resurrect truths regarding the American Revolution. Dozens of people were involved in the Midnight Ride. The story centers on General Gage and Paul Revere--individuals who were polarized in every way imaginable. Gage being the military lifer and Revere being a native of Boston from a solid French pedigree (who also smelted silver for a living). The s...more
Philip Boling
I am glad to have read the book. There are some mental images associated with the folk lore of Paul Revere which the book helped correct for me. "The British are coming" as it turns out is a meaningless expression for that era and was probably never expressed.

Based on this tale I might also pass on reading a biography of John Hancock, certainly it has dropped low on my list.

General Gage and Lord Percy (Loyalists) were both favorably depicted in the telling of this story which I appreciated; I a...more
Bliss Tew
I read this book at a time that I had time to enjoy it as I was home on doctor's orders in 1999. This is a scholarly work that delves into the opinions, thinking, historical documents, actions, etc. of the American people and leaders during the build up towards war with Great Britain, what became a war for independence. The book isn't just a stiring account of Paul Revere's ride, but so much more. I highly recommend this book to anyone seeking better understanding of the forces and heroic people...more
Sean Yunt
While I'm a fan of history, I never expected to be so thoroughly entertained while reading a book in this genre. This book is not an enumeration of events, rather it describes the context in which the events took place.

Popular culture has distorted the events of April 1775 a great deal. Some of our assumptions about our rights and motivations for maintaining them are a bit different today from how they were originated.

These brave people did not set out to be independent from Britain, or to divor...more
Patrick
I am beginning to think that I should read everything written by David Hackett Fischer. He makes history look so easy to write. This book, like his Pulitzer winning Washington's Crossing is an engaging, thoughtful and grander viewing of a small event in a particular time. What makes Fischer's work so great is his ability to show the reader the backdrop of historical events, while at the same time creating a compelling narrative that makes for an enjoyable read. The strange thing is, is that one...more
Daniel
This book dispelled a lot of myths surrounding Paul Revere's ride and the whole battle of Lexington and Concord that signaled the beginning of the Revolutionary War. For instance: No one ever cried "The British Are Coming" as the colonists considered themselves British. The colonists were not a bunch of rag torn, last minute soldiers, who picked up the guns they used to kill varmints, and somehow repelled the British Regulars. Instead, they were well prepared, trained, and organized, as they cam...more
Neil
damn! just wrote a long review and computer froze, losing it all!!

short version:
I've never been a fan of historical non-fiction, but a buddy essentially made me read this....and i'm glad he did!
fascinating story of the months leading up to the start of the american revolution, particularly the battles of lexington and concord, and the critical roles played by american silversmith paul revere, and the british commander john gage.
reads like a great novel!
but of course, is all true...
learned alo...more
Marie Smith
Very interesting. I don't normally like non-fiction/history, but this book was very engaging. I especially liked all the references that were provided in a many page footnote section at the end. It was clearly very well researched. For example, to prove his point that Paul Revere was very well connected, he had a spreadsheet of the men the belongs to ~16 Boston meeting societies. Many were just members of 1, some were members of 2, and so on. The most that any one person belonged to was 6 societ...more
Bob
One of the finest descriptions of pre-war Massachusetts and the beginnings of the Revolutionary War that I have ever read. Do not be intimidated by its length, author/historian Fischer is one historian who can write without boring the reader. I read this book over ten years ago, and it still resonates with me. It still sits in my bookcase because I do not plan to part with it. Fischer is very adept at including so much information without it bogging down the pace of the story. Ditto for his desc...more
Jean
This book sets the record straight of the historical events of the midnight ride and the battle of Lexington and Concord. This book is a history book and not a biography.
I enjoyed reading the facts about what occurred in 1775 here in Massachusetts. I am glad that the city of Worcester, where I grew up, was mentioned several times, as it is often left out in accounts of the founding of our country.
I did not like the fact the author referred to how Paul Revere was feeling or thinking. I feel th...more
Brian
Before David Hackett Fischer wrote his Pulitzer Prize winging book Washington's Crossing he authored this historical masterpiece. Paul Revere's Ride takes readers through the early stages of the revolution at a point when conflict is all but inevitable. The book frames these early moments through Paul Revere's life but is really an overview of the people and the times that afflicted the country in the weeks and months before Lexington and Concord. Fischer breaks down the myth of the lone rider a...more
Melissa
wow i haven't been on here so long i couldn't remember my password :)

this book definitely qualifies as a "good read." i really enjoyed fischer's writing style. the book was exciting and easy to follow.

i had no idea how ubiquitous paul revere was in the revolutionary movement. this book dispels the myths and legends surrounding paul revere and reveals the remarkable man behind them. it also takes you through the battles of lexington and concord in an exciting play by play. i really really enjoye...more
Lora Innes
I wish that David Hackett Fisher wrote a book about every subject I was interested in. He writes the way my mind works--following every rabbit down its hole and yet finds a way of not loosing track of what he's talking about in the midst of all that exploration. He flushes out his subjects and events so completely that you can see them from angles you've never looked at them before, which makes his approach holistic in a way very few history books are.

Paul Revere's Ride is no exception to this a...more
Eric_W
David Hackett Fischer strips myth from history in Paul Revere's Ride. All sorts of fables, poems, and stories have been written about the event, which has become embedded in American culture. Any school child can tell at least something of the midnight ride and the lanterns. Fischer's book is the first scholarly treatment in two hundred years. He has discovered all sorts of information that make Revere a much more seminal participant in the Revolution than had previously been suspected.

One reaso...more
Douglas Audirsch
I first heard about this book after attending a rifle training camp that also teaches this portion of American Colonial history. Project Appleseed (www.appleseedinfo.org) uses this book as a way of demonstrating the huge impact that American marksmanship had in the history of our nation. After hearing the retelling of some of the events of Revere's ride at an Appleseed event, I bought the book and had three of my children read it with me a chapter at a time. We would discuss each day's reading o...more
Bob
The first 50 pages or so were tedious, but the narrative became quite compelling and difficult to put down! It was easy to feel empathy for all sides in this historical turning point and founding of our country. It would be instructive for all to read and remember how we started. The Appleseed.org events are a great credit and dedication to this story. Revere's role was so much more than just a ride, and the ride/alarms were so much more than one person. Excellent job David Fischer!
Heloyce
It should be given the title Paul Revere's RIDES since he was an active member of the Sons of Liberty and made many daring rides during the time leading up to the Revolutionary War. He was a man of integrity and honor and able to influence and organize others in the battle for independence. I also appreciated the insight regarding General Gage who was also a man of integrity but on the side of the British.
Mac
Thank God Mr. Fischer wrote this book, so few people know the story of the all the midnight riders on that April morning. Thank God for Longfellow for writing the poem. Was it due to the poem that we remember the event and Paul Revere at all, maybe, but reading the poem as "Listen my children and you shall hear of the Midnight ride of...Joseph Warren" just doesn't work. Long live the Sons of Liberty!
Timeglider
As old as this story is, Mr. Hackett Fisher fills out and clarifies matters even more. Paul Revere is on the one hand over-glorified for a single great act that he didn't do alone, and on the other hand under-appreciated for the broader role he played as a connector, communicator, and real doer in the build-up to the revolution. The fine details of the ride itself are given a definitive account.
Mary Pellecchia
Nov 04, 2007 Mary Pellecchia rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Anyone who thinks they know the history behind Patriots' Day
I really liked this book and thought it did a superb job of explaining just what happened before, on the night of, and after Paul Revere's ride. It gives you a much broader perspective than you would have if you just relied on Longfellow's poem and folk beliefs. (Revere never shouted, "The British are coming!" He thought of himself as British, although the awareness of the possibility of independence was growing.) The actual truth is much more complex and just as compelling. You get almost an ho...more
Marilee
I LOVED this book! I read it after a "British Re-enacter' told me that anything I ever wanted to know about 1775 and the beginning of the Revolutionary war, can be found in this book. I found Paul Revere's life amazing (16 kids!) and he truly was a Patriot who knew everybody. If alive today, he'd know 100's of people on Facebook!
Roger Prather
This is one of the best narratives of the early American Revolution I've ever read. I found out about this book through Project Appleseed, and Appleseeders will recognize many of the stories.

It was a refreshing read because it's a traditionalist retelling of Revolutionary events written by a New England academic. A must read fir all Americans.
Michael
More Revolutionary War goodness. Fascinating how a silversmith could do so much. I really enjoyed reading all the details of his involvement, what really happened on his ride and the "one if by land two if by see" thing etc. Author did a good job.
Emily
I read this in college and loved it! You learn a lot more about Paul Revere than you thought there was to know. Let's face it, when we were kids, all we heard was "The Red Coats are Coming, The Red Coats are Coming!" You learn that he was definitely not alone in that feat, and that it was not just a spontaneous thing he did, but something he planned and organized with numerous people, including women. You also learn that that was not exactly what they said! Furthermore, he argues that many of th...more
Julia
This book was fascinating from start to finish. If you thought that the midnight ride was just one guy shouting "The British are coming" I highly recommend you read this interesting piece of history. You'll learn so much about this important time.
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David Hackett Fischer is University Professor and Earl Warren Professor of History at Brandeis University. His major works have tackled everything from large macroeconomic and cultural trends (Albion's Seed, The Great Wave) to narrative histories of significant events (Paul Revere's Ride, Washington's Crossing) to explorations of historiography (Historians' Fallacies, in which he coined the term H...more
More about David Hackett Fischer...
Washington's Crossing Albion's Seed: Four British Folkways in America Champlain's Dream Historians' Fallacies: Toward a Logic of Historical Thought The Great Wave

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