Overview

Relive the chaos, courage, and color of the American Revolution’s capital city while meeting those who led the fight in the nation’s War of Independence. Features nine immersive walking tours on seven period-style maps— plus 45 historical images! Welcome to Revolution City—where the air smells of tar, booze, gunpowder . . . and rebellion. In Boston, 1776, author J. D. Dickey leads us through the turbulent streets, tub-thumping taverns, and radical strongholds of a town at war with an empire. Far from the powdered wigs and genteel debates of history textbooks, this book guides us through the real Boston of the American Revolution: frenzied, dangerous, and fiercely alive. Join the crowds in taprooms where rebel plots were hatched. Witness mobs rise up over the price of bread. Stand with patriots as they sharpen bayonets on Bunker Hill, and watch as Loyalists get tarred and feathered. Drink the rum made on the town docks, sample the sinful in the city’s back alleys, and gaze at John Hancock’s mansion gleaming above gritty streets filled with the almshouse, workhouse, and jail. From the harbor wharves and seedy brothels to renowned assembly halls like Old South Meetinghouse and Faneuil Hall, Boston, 1776 leads us on a vivid tour of the vital hub of the Revolutionary War. At every stop along the way, we encounter iconic names like Revere and Adams, but also the forgotten men and women who bled and brawled for freedom in every corner of Boston. Upon America’s 250th anniversary, Boston, 1776 portrays the Cradle of Liberty and the American Revolution as never before: raw, radical, and roaring with life.

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Table of Contents

Reviews

Praise for Rising in Flames “A page-turning and highly original account, one of the best . . . ‘Sherman’s March’ books. . . . Absolutely spellbinding.” -Wall Street Journal “This superlative, impeccably researched account of Sherman’s march through Georgia in 1864–1865 brings to life Civil War history through personal accounts and vivid descriptions of military strategy. Dickey tells the story of Sherman’s march unforgettably, with power on every page.” -Publishers Weekly, Starred Review   For American Demagogue “Dickey’s book contemplates the curious tendency of populism to veer off in radical directions that its originators . . . do not intend. A sprightly, engaging narrative.” -Wall Street Journal “Dickey tells us in graceful prose how 18th century American evangelists held their audiences spellbound—the same techniques employed by one demagogue after another. Masterful.” -The New York Review of Books   Praise for Empire of Mud “[A] bracing and graceful read. . . . If you can stomach how our beautiful, vexed city became a cat toy for national politicians and an ongoing rebuke of democracy, this is as good a place as any to start.” -Washington Post “[An] eye-opening, in-depth look at the history of America’s capital city in the 19th century. . . . [F]lowing style and knowledgeable approach.” -Publishers Weekly   Praise for Republic of Violence “A new history of the 1830s anti-slavery movement and the unprecedented violence with which it was met. . . . A fascinating look at a slice of history that may be unfamiliar to many general readers.” -Kirkus Reviews “Meticulously revisits one of the ugliest times in American history, when violence was commonplace during the early days of the abolition movement. . . . Dickey’s fascinating history reminds readers how crucial social movements take extreme courage, persistence, and adaptability.” -Booklist

Praise for Boston, 1776: “A comprehensive Rick Steves-like travel guide—with its own wicked sense of place. . . . Explores the rowdy taverns, famous assembly halls, secret meeting places, bookshops, brothels, and scenes of disease, destruction, and rebirth. . . . Whigs and Tories, smugglers and insurgents, agitators and clergy, as well as citizen soldiers, and . . . key battles and setbacks. . . . Three books’ worth of facts, reflections, and anecdotes . . . street maps, period engravings, and other artwork. . . . A lively, immersive sojourn.” —Kirkus Reviews Praise for Rising in Flames “A page-turning and highly original account, one of the best . . . ‘Sherman’s March’ books. . . . Absolutely spellbinding.” -Wall Street Journal “This superlative, impeccably researched account of Sherman’s march through Georgia in 1864–1865 brings to life Civil War history through personal accounts and vivid descriptions of military strategy. Dickey tells the story of Sherman’s march unforgettably, with power on every page.” -Publishers Weekly, Starred Review For American Demagogue “Dickey’s book contemplates the curious tendency of populism to veer off in radical directions that its originators . . . do not intend. A sprightly, engaging narrative.” -Wall Street Journal “Dickey tells us in graceful prose how 18th century American evangelists held their audiences spellbound—the same techniques employed by one demagogue after another. Masterful.” -The New York Review of Books   Praise for Empire of Mud: “[A] bracing and graceful read. . . . If you can stomach how our beautiful, vexed city became a cat toy for national politicians and an ongoing rebuke of democracy, this is as good a place as any to start.” -Washington Post “[An] eye-opening, in-depth look at the history of America’s capital city in the 19th century. . . . [F]lowing style and knowledgeable approach.” -Publishers Weekly   Praise for Republic of Violence “A new history of the 1830s anti-slavery movement and the unprecedented violence with which it was met. . . . A fascinating look at a slice of history that may be unfamiliar to many general readers.” -Kirkus Reviews “Meticulously revisits one of the ugliest times in American history, when violence was commonplace during the early days of the abolition movement. . . . Dickey’s fascinating history reminds readers how crucial social movements take extreme courage, persistence, and adaptability.” -Booklist

Praise for Rising in Flames ""A page-turning and highly original account, one of the best . . . 'Sherman's March' books. . . . Absolutely spellbinding."" -Wall Street Journal ""This superlative, impeccably researched account of Sherman's march through Georgia in 1864-1865 brings to life Civil War history through personal accounts and vivid descriptions of military strategy. Dickey tells the story of Sherman's march unforgettably, with power on every page."" -Publishers Weekly, Starred Review For American Demagogue ""Dickey's book contemplates the curious tendency of populism to veer off in radical directions that its originators . . . do not intend. A sprightly, engaging narrative."" -Wall Street Journal ""Dickey tells us in graceful prose how 18th century American evangelists held their audiences spellbound--the same techniques employed by one demagogue after another. Masterful."" -The New York Review of Books Praise for Empire of Mud ""[A] bracing and graceful read. . . . If you can stomach how our beautiful, vexed city became a cat toy for national politicians and an ongoing rebuke of democracy, this is as good a place as any to start."" -Washington Post ""[An] eye-opening, in-depth look at the history of America's capital city in the 19th century. . . . [F]lowing style and knowledgeable approach."" -Publishers Weekly Praise for Republic of Violence ""A new history of the 1830s anti-slavery movement and the unprecedented violence with which it was met. . . . A fascinating look at a slice of history that may be unfamiliar to many general readers."" -Kirkus Reviews ""Meticulously revisits one of the ugliest times in American history, when violence was commonplace during the early days of the abolition movement. . . . Dickey's fascinating history reminds readers how crucial social movements take extreme courage, persistence, and adaptability."" -Booklist

Author Information

J. D. Dickey is an author of narrative nonfiction about American history, society, and culture. His book Empire of Mud, covering the troubled landscape of 19th century Washington, DC, was a New York Times bestseller, and his Civil War book Rising in Flames was praised by the Wall Street Journal as “absolutely spellbinding.” Dickey has written articles on a broad range of historical, political, and travel-related topics for TIME, the Wall Street Journal, LitHub, and more, and he has appeared in media from C-SPAN’s Book TV to Public Radio International’s The Takeaway. He has lectured for the New-York Historical Society, the Pritzker Military Museum and Library, the Atlanta History Center, and the US Army War College.

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