Revolution: Mapping the Road to American Independence, 1755- 1783

Press Release (ePRNews.com) - LITCHFIELD, Conn. - Mar 22, 2017 - Few wars in history have such a rich literary and cartographic heritage as that of the Revolutionary War. The high skills of the surveyors, artists, and engravers who delineated the topography and fields of battle allow us to observe the unfolding of events that ultimately defined the United States.

When warfare erupted between Britain and her colonists in 1775, maps provided graphic news about military matters. A number of the best examples are reproduced here, including some from the personal collections of King George III, the Duke of Northumberland, and the Marquis de Lafayette. In Revolution, these and other maps from institutional and private collections are published for the first time.

At the Treaty of Paris, the French and Indian War ended, and King George III gained clear title to more territory than had ever been exchanged in any other war before or since. The British military employed its best-trained    artists and engineers to map the richest prize in its Empire. They would need those maps for the fratricidal war that would begin twelve years later. Their maps and many others make up the contents of this fascinating and beautiful book.

Revolution: Mapping the Road to American Independence 1755-1783, identifies and illustrates the works that best reveal the unfolding of events that resulted in the establishment of the United States.

Filmmaker Ric Burns called the book “a GPS to the American Revolution” and described it as “ravishingly beautiful.”  Harvard historian Jane Kamensky praised it for casting “new light” on the subject as well as inviting “fresh thinking about the founding of the United States.” An Amazon reviewer wrote:  “The provenance of the maps is almost as fascinating as the history they tell. To look at these maps is to see history as the contemporary map makers saw it.”

Richard H. Brown is a collector of maps and views of the French and Indian War and American Revolution. He is vice chairman of the Norman B. Leventhal Map Center where he has been instrumental in the creation of We Are One, a Revolutionary War era map exhibition that will travel from Colonial Williamsburg to the New York Historical Society in the fall of 2017. Richard also serves as a member of the Madison Council of the Library of Congress and a councilor of the American Antiquarian Society.

Paul E. Cohen is the co-author of Manhattan in Maps, which received the New York City Book Award in 1997. He is also the author of Mapping the West and the co-editor of American Cities. He has published numerous articles on various cartographic subjects appearing in publications including the New England Quarterly and The Magazine Antiques. He is a partner in Cohen & Taliaferro LLC, New York City, dealers in rare books and antique maps.

A wine and cheese reception will follow the event. The author will provide books for signing and for purchase. All Oliver Wolcott Library events are free and open to the public. Space is limited. Registration is required and can be done by calling 860-567-8030 or logging onto http://www.owlibrary.org and clicking on Programs/Adult Programs.