George Washington's America: A Biography Through His Maps

by Barnet Schecter

From his teens until his death, the maps George Washington drew and purchased were always central to his work. After his death, many of the most important maps he had acquired were bound into an atlas. The atlas remained in his family for almost a century before it was sold and eventually ended up at Yale University's Sterling Memorial Library.
Inspired by these remarkable maps, historian Barnet Schecter has crafted a unique portrait of our first Founding Father, placing the reader at the scenes of his early career as a surveyor, his dramatic exploits in the French and Indian War (his altercation with the French is credited as the war's spark), his struggles throughout the American Revolution as he outmaneuvered the far more powerful British army, his diplomacy as president, and his shaping of the new republic. Beautifully illustrated in color, with twenty-four of the full atlas maps, dozens more detail views from those maps, and numerous additional maps (some drawn by Washington himself), portraits, and other images-and produced in an elegant large format- George Washington's America allows readers to visualize history through Washington's eyes, and sheds fresh light on the man and his times.

Genres: History, Geography, Nonfiction, Biography

304 pages, Hardcover

First published November 9, 2010

About the author

Barnet Schecter is an independent historian, He holds a B.A., magna cum laude, from Yale University and an M.F.A. from Queens College, CUNY.

Reviews

[UChicagoLaw]

George Washington’s America: A Biography Through His Maps by Barnet Schecter is essential reading—and, with pages of full-color eighteenth-century maps and prints, it’s also a visual delight—for anyone interested in Washington, British imperial warfare in North America, or the Revolution. See especially the Yorktown battlefield maps—can you spot Redoubt 10 (stormed by Lt. Col. A. Hamilton in October 1781)? —Alison L. LaCroix

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Only during a pandemic (2020) would I sit down every evening with what looks like a coffee-table book and follow the path of G. Washington through the lens of his maps. Incredible journey--and not a simple battlefield tour. In this time of questioning slave-owning and Indian killing Founding Fathers, I read this biography to judge the man.

[Glenn Wachter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super granular, but highly enjoyable!

[Matthew Kutilek · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent period maps with quality and appropriate narrative. Essential book for the personal library to consult when studying Washington, the Revolution and the founding of the United States.

[Rebecca L · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was very informative. I love the American Revolution, its my favorite subject in history and when I saw the cover of this and read the synopsis I was hooked and ordered it from my library. A great read this book is so full of information about the first and best president of our country the great George Washington. I loved it. Four stars for being great and informative.

[Bill Daniels · Rating 5 out of 5]

Marvelous esoteric compendium of early American maps. As a young surveyor, Washington developed an innate skill as a mapmaker to a high degree.

Maps of the 18th Century are from a different planet.

[Robert Muller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely wonderful maps, decent walk through Washington's life but not a lot of new information. The maps are worth far more than the price of the book, though.