Nathaniel Philbrick's Blog, page 2

VALIANT AMBITION one of WSJ’s “Hottest Spring Books”

The Wall Street Journal has named VALIANT AMBITION: George Washington, Benedict Arnold, and the Fate of the American Revolution to its list of “The Hottest Spring Nonfiction Books.”  My new book will be in stores May 10, 2016.

 

PW calls VALIANT AMBITION “another triumph”

The Publishers Weekly review of my new book VALIANT AMBITION: George Washington, Benedict Arnold, and the Fate of the American Revolution is in and it’s a rave. The starred review says: “Philbrick’s deep scholarship, nuanced analysis, and novelistic storytelling add up to another triumph.” The new book will be in stores on May 10, 2016.

USS BUNKER HILL

With the help of the good folks at Viking, I was able to send signed copies of my latest to the officers of the USS BUNKER HILL, a 567-foot CG 52 currently in the Middle East.  Here I’m holding a copy of my book that was signed by all the officers.  Underneath the book is a U.S. flag that was flown in my honor on Feb. 17, 2015 in the Arabian Gulf.  Needless to say, I am humbled and greatly gratified that Captain Sterling Dawley and his officers enjoyed BUNKER HILL.

Bunker Hill is out in paperback

Today’s the day. BUNKER HILL: A City, A Siege, A Revolution is now available in trade paperback.

I’m heading out on a book tour to support the paperback publication. You can see my full tour schedule here. I hope to see some of you at my events.

One Book, One Town—New Canaan

I’m in New Canaan to talk about In the Heart of the Sea as part of the “One Book, One Town” program.  After a walk in Waveny Park I stopped by at Elm Street Books, a terrific independent store right in the middle of town. A couple of days ago I had a fun Skype session with a group of students from the New Canaan High School.

History Quiz Bowl at the Nantucket Whaling Museum

I won’t be able to attend this year’s History Quiz Bowl at the Nantucket Whaling Museum on March 8, but will definitely be there in spirit. I hear most of the questions will be pulled from my book Away Off Shore. It’s really great to have WCAI-FM’s Mindy Todd serving as Quizmaster and Harvey Young of Young’s Bicycle Shop as Audience Ambassador. Nantucket Historical Association always does an amazing job and the event could not be in better hands. For more information, visit: http://www.nha.org/programs/index.html

 

E-mail Contact Form

It has come to my attention that the e-mail form on the “Contact Us” page of my website was not working properly over the past month or so. Any messages that were sent during that time were not received and are not retrievable. The problem has been rectified. If you were trying to reach us in January via the website’s contact form and did not get a reply, please try again. Apologies for any inconvenience.

Moby on Nantucket

It was another great Moby-Dick Marathon, jointly sponsored by the Nantucket Atheneum and Nantucket Historical Association.  Here’s a pic of David Lazarus, island artist and actor extraordinaire, reading the final chapter in the Great Hall of the Atheneum, approximately 25 hours after I kicked things off by reading the first two chapters.  David’s sketch of a whale ramming a ship graces the title page of In the Heart of the Sea.

Artist and actor David Lazarus, reading the final chapter of Moby-Dick

Research Trip, Part 3

During the homeward swing of our trip to the Hudson River and Staten Island, we stopped at the Submarine Force Museum in Groton, Connecticut. Here’s a pic of a lifesize replica of where it all started:  the Turtle built in nearby Saybrook during the Revolution.

Bushnell’s Turtle, Submarine Force Museum, Groton, Connecticut

Tomorrow (Saturday, February 1) I look forward to beginning Nantucket’s Moby-Dick marathon at 9 am at the Atheneum by reading the immortal words, “Call me Ishmael.”

Conference House

Our Hudson River research tour took us to Staten Island on Saturday.  Here’s a pic of Melissa and myself at the Conference House at the southwestern tip of the island, directly across from Perth Amboy, N.J.  Thanks to our daughter Jennie for taking the photo. Thanks also to all of you who posted the very helpful Hudson River info/advice on my Facebook page!

Me and my wife Melissa at Conference House in Staten Island, NY on Sat 1/25/14