2024 American Revolution Scholarship in Review

 

Eminent historian Gordon S. Wood lamented that “very few good books on the American Revolution were published this year due to declining scholarly interest in a recent Wall Street Journal article. As proof, Professor Wood cited a William & Mary forum that called for “an end to privileging U.S. independence in our history writing,” recognizing that colonialism and dispossession of Native Nations land continued after the Revolution. Neither Wood’s nor William & Mary forum’s views are represented in the numbers and types of books brought to market this year. American Revolutionary Era scholarship remains vibrant, with sixty-seven new books published this year, an increase of 20% over 2023. Academic presses increased their publishing by a whopping 73%. The growth is remarkable, given many authors and publishers intend to bring books to market during next year’s semiquincentennial year.
 
However, Professor Wood may have made an insightful point concerning media coverage of the American Revolution scholarship. The number of overall book reviews is down from last year. Bucking this trend, the number of reviews published by the “Big Three” reviewers (Journal of the American Revolution, Wall Street Journal, and Researching the American Revolution) remained relatively constant. Another measure of interest in the American Revolution is including new books on the top books of the year lists. Unlike last year, no books on the American Revolution made it to the New York Times or the Wall Street Journal’s lists of the top books of the year.
 
Biographies remain the top genre, with male founders dominating the category. Publishers brought to market an astonishing six books on Thomas Jefferson, reflecting the continuing fascination with his life, character, and contributions. American Revolution publishers experienced significant concentration in 2024, which last year was highly fragmented. The top seven publishers accounted for over 50% of the total market, with eighteen publishers dropping out of the industry.  Westholme Publishing remains the top publisher, with 16% of the market. While trade presses continue to dominate the market, academic presses made impressive gains this year. Authors remain predominately male, and the majority hold PhDs or JDs. However, several of the top scholarly volumes, such as John L. Smith’s biography of Abigail Adams and Gary Ecelbarger’s monograph on George Washington and the Philadelphia campaign were written by non-PhD historians.
 
The corpus of this scholarship review focuses on professionally researched and knowledgeably supported interpretations of American Revolution events and people during the last forty years of the eighteenth century. The sixty-three history books analyzed comprise only first hardback editions (or paperback if no hardback published) and exclude self-published volumes, children, and young adult books. Fine works of historical fiction and fantasy are also excluded. Printed volumes, book reviews, publishers, and Amazon listings are the principal sources for publishing information supplemented by author websites and other associated online information. Note one book with a 2023 publishing date is included in 2024, as it was only available to the public after the preparation of the 2023 scholarship review.
 
Below are more detailed data analytics on the American Revolutionary book publishing markets, including subjects, publishers, authors, and reviews. Following the book data analytics are listings of the books with links to associated book reviews. Readers are encouraged to respond to this post with any book omissions and suggestions.

What were the subjects?

  • Biographies remained the most substantial genre, representing over 30% of the books.
    • Only two of the biographies chronicled the lives of women
    • Founders comprised the most prominent group, with the second-highest category of military officers.
    • Thomas Jefferson continues to fascinate authors and the reading public with six new biographies.
  • “Campaigns and Battles” continue as the category with the second most published books.
    • The number of books on the Northern and Southern military theaters was roughly split
    • There was a new interest in books on the American Revolution in the West.
  • Interest waned on Loyalism, with only one book published in 2024 versus 7 in 2023.
  • Slavery and the Confederation Period books saw notable increases.

Who were the book publishers?

  • 31 professional publishers brought an American Revolutionary Era book to market in 2024
    • 11 trade presses (down from 21 in 2023)
    • 20 university presses (up from 9 in 2023)
  • 41% of books were published by university presses (up from 28% last year).
    • University of Virginia (4), Oxford University (3), Vernon Press (3), Yale University (2), LSU (2), Georgia (2), Harvard (2), and Oxford (2) published almost 80% of the university imprints.
    • Six other university presses published one volume each (Pluto, Cornell, Kansas, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Johns Hopkins).
  • 59% of the books were published by trade presses (down from 72% last year)
    • Westholme Publishing produced the most books (10), with McFarland in second place with 7.
    • The History Press and Sunbury Press shared third place with three newly published books.

Who were the authors?

  • 85% Men and 15% Women, almost the exact percentages as last year.
  • PhDs and JDs published over half of the books, up 6 percentage points from last year.
    • Over 40% work in Academia (3 in High School and 22 active full-time professors), similar to last year.
    • Public history and journalism are the second most common occupations with 6% each.
  • Do you need a Ph.D. for a university press to publish your book?
    • All but one of the twenty-four academic press authors possessed a PhD.
  • What is the educational background of authors published by a trade press?
    • Almost 22% of the trade press books published were authored by PhD’s, down from 40% last year.
  • M. Andrew Holowchak published an impressive three books, with three other writers authoring two books.

How did professional reviewers receive the books?

  • The number of book reviews declined from 50 in 2023 to 37 this year.
  • The largest reviewers continued to dominate the market
    • The Journal of the American Revolution published eight fewer reviews this year
    • The Wall Street Journal published six more reviews
    • The Researching the American Revolution website published four more reviews.

List of 2024 American Revolution Books

Book reviews are noted where available. The Journal of the American Revolution (JAR), the Researching the American Revolution website, the Wall Street Journal, Kentucky’s H-Net, and the New York Times are principal reviewers.

Biographies (21)

Anderson, Jason Edwin. General David Wooster: Hero of the American Revolution, 1710-1777. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Company, 2024.

Branson, Douglas M. Southern Brigadier Generals in the Revolutionary War: Eighteen Commanders Instrumental in American Victory. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 2024.

Brookheiser, Richard. Glorious Lessons:  John Trumbull, Painter of the American Revolution. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2024.

Calvert, Jane E. Penman of the Founding: A Biography of John Dickinson. New York: Oxford University Press, 2024.

Cherry, Jason A. William Trent: Factor of Ambition. Sunbury, PA: Sunbury Press, 2024.

Chervinsky, Lindsay M. Making the Presidency: John Adams and the Precedents That Forged the Republic. New York: Oxford University Press, 2024.

Cogliano, Francis D. A Revolutionary Friendship: Washington, Jefferson and the American Republic. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2024.

Graffagnino, J. Kevin. Ira Allen: A Biography. Barre, VT: Vermont Historical Society, 2024.

Harvey, Douglas. Conscience As A Historical Force: The Liberation Theology of Herman Husband. New York: Routledge Publishing, 2024.

Holowchak, M. Andrew. Thomas Jefferson and Maria Cosway: A Gordian Love Affair.  Wilmington, DE: Vernon Press, 2024.

Holowchak, M. Andrew. The Disease of Liberty: Thomas Jefferson, History, & Liberty: A Philosophical Analysis. Wilmington, DE: Vernon Press, 2024.

Holowchak, M. Andrew. Thomas Jefferson on American Indians. Wilmington, DE: Vernon Press, 2024.

Klotz, Martin. Robert Rogers, Ranger: The Rise and Fall of an American Icon. Yardley, PA: Westholme Publishing, 2024.

Macpherson, Jamie. The Friendships of John Adams, 1774-1801: The Art of Politics. New York: Routledge, 2024.

Munson, Richard. Ingenious: A Biography of Benjamin Franklin, Scientist. New York: W. W. Norton, 2024.

Parry, Nathaniel. Samuel Adams and the Vagabond Henry Tufts: Virtue Meets Vice in the Revolutionary Era. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Company, Inc., 2024.

Rogers Stevens, Cara. Thomas Jefferson and the Fight Against Slavery. Lawrence, KS: University Press of Kansas, 2024.

Smith, John L. The Unexpected Abigail Adams: A Woman “Not Apt to be Intimidated.” Yardley, PA: Westholme Publishing, 2024.

Tesiero, Donna. A Revolutionary Woman: Elizabeth Freeman and the Abolition of Slavery in the North. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Company, 2024.

Weiner, Eric. Ben and Me: In Search of a Founder’s Formula for a Long and Useful Life. New York: Simon & Shuster, 2024

Wiggins, Kennard R. Delaware Patriot Heroes: Robert Kirkwood and Peter Jaquett. Charleston, SC: The History Press, 2024.

Campaigns and Battles (14)

Alexander, Robert. Seizing the Ohio Country: The Expulsion of Native Populations Under the Northwest Ordinance, 1787-1794. Jefferson, NC: McFarland and Company, 2024.

Cecere, Michael. Spark of Independence: The American Revolution in the Northern Colonies, 1775–1776 (Journal of the American Revolution Books). Yardley, PA: Westholme Publishing, 2024.

Crawford, Alan Pell. This Fierce People: The Untold Story of America’s Revolutionary War in the South. New York: Knopf, 2024.

Dacus, Jeff. Perceptions of Battle: George Washington’s Victory at Monmouth. Havertown, PA: Brookline Books, 2024.

Ecelbarger, Gary. George Washington’s Momentous Year: Twelve Months that Transformed the Revolution, Vol. I: The Philadelphia Campaign, July to December 1777. Yardley, PA: Westholme Publishing, 2024.

Hagist, Don N, ed. Waging War in America, 1775-1783: Operational Challenges of Five Armies. Warwick, England: Helion & CO. Ltd, 2023 (available in 2024).

Jones III, Keith Marshall. The Battle of Ridgefield. Ridgefield Historical Society. Ridgefield, CT: Ridgefield Historical Society, 2024.

Kidder, William L. Defending Fort Stanwix: A Story of the New York Frontier in the American Revolution. Ithaca, NY: Three Hills, 2024.

Smith, Steven D. The Battles of Fort Watson and Fort Motte, 1781 (Small Battles Series).  Yardley, PA: Westholme Publishing, 2024.

Sterner, Eric. Till the Extinction of This Rebellion: George Rogers Clark, Frontier Warfare, and the Illinois Campaign of 1778-1779. Yardley, PA: Westholme Publishing, 2024.

Tucker, Phillip Thomas. Kings Mountain: America’s Most Forgotten Battle That Changed the Course of the American Revolution. New York: Skyhorse Publishing, 2024.

Reardon, Matthew E. The Traitor’s j: Benedict Arnold’s Raid on New London, Connecticut, September 4-13, 1781. El Dorado Hills, CA: Savas Beatie, 2024.

Waters, Andrew. Backcountry War: The Rise of Francis Marion, Banastre Tarleton, and Thomas Sumter. Newtown, PA: Westholme Publishing, 2024.

Williams, Gary S. Washington’s Western Department: Fort Pitt and the American Revolution. Jefferson, NC: McFarland and Company, 2024.

Loyalism (2)

Brookings, Greg. From Empire to Revolution: Sir James Wright and the Price of Loyalty in Georgia. Athens, Georgia: University of Georgia Press, 2024.

Petty, Ross D. Titus Simons: Father and Son Loyalists Who Fought in the American Revolution and the War of 1812. Oakville, Ontario: Rock’s Mills Press, 2024.

Social/Economic/General History (9)

Farrell, Joe, Knorr, Lawrence, and Joe Farley. Graves of Our Founders, Vol. 3, Their Lives, Contributions, and Burial Sites. Sunbury, PA: Sunbury Press, 2024.

Hagist, Don N., ed. Journal of the American Revolution: Annual Volume 2024. Yardley, PA: Westholme Publishing, 2024.

  • The tenth annual printed compendium of online JAR articles published by Westholme. An eleventh volume is anticipated in 2025.

Hattem, Michael D. The Memory of ’76: The Revolution in American History. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2024.

Jortner, Adam. A Promised Land: Jewish Patriots, the American Revolution, and the Birth of Religious Freedom. New York: Oxford University Press, 2024. 

McCurdy, John Gilbert. Vicious and Immoral: Homosexuality, the American Revolution, and the Trials of Robert Newburgh. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2024.

Parkinson, Robert G. Heart of American Darkness: Bewilderment and Horror on the Early Frontier. New York, NY: W. W. Norton & Company, 2024.

Pearl, Christopher R. Declarations of Independence: Indigenous Resilience, Colonial Rivalries, and the Cost of Revolution (The Revolutionary Age).  Charlottesville, VA: University of Virginia Press.

Journal of the American Revolution Review – https://allthingsliberty.com/2024/12/declarations-of-independence-indigenous-resilience-colonial-rivalries-and-the-cost-of-revolution/

Scribner, Vaughn. Under Alien Skies Environment, Suffering and the Defeat of the British Military in Revolutionary America. Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina Press, 2024.

Slonimsky, Nora, Boonshoft, Mark, and Wright, Ben, eds. American Revolutions in the Digital Age, Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 2024.

Local Histories (6)

Aubrecht, Michael. Thomas Jefferson and the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom, Faith & Liberty in Fredericksburg. Charleston, SC: The History Press, 2024.

Fryar, Jack E. When the British Came: Revolution in the Cape Fear, 1765-1782. Wilmington, NC: Dram Tree Books, 2024.

Garlock, Michael. Revolutionary War Forts: New York. Havertown, PA: Casemate Publishers, 2024.

Smith, Derek. Revolutionary Camden, SC, Bloody Epicenter in the War of Independence. Jefferson, NC: McFarland Press, 2024.

Turnbell, Frances Kolb. Spanish Louisiana: Contest for Borderlands, 1763–1803. Baton Rouge, LA: LSU Press, 2024.

Wilson, Thomas. Concord’s Wright Tavern: At the Crossroads of the American Revolution (Landmarks). Charleston, SC: The History Press, 2024.

Politics (4)

Farrell, Joe, Farley, Joe, and Knorr, Lawrence. Before George: The Presidents of Congress. Sunbury, PA: Sunbury Press, 2024.

Green, Steven K. The Grand Collaboration: Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and the Invention of American Religious Freedom (Religious Freedom and Public Dialogue: A … Series: A Robert Nusbaum Center Series). Charlottesville, VA: University of Virginia Press, 2024.

McGhee, Shawn David. No Longer Subjects of the British King: The Political Transformation of Royal Subjects to Republican Citizens, 174-1776. Journal of the American Revolution Books. Yardley, PA: Westholme Publishing, 2024.

Rosen, Jeffrey. The Pursuit of Happiness – How Classical Writers on Virtue Inspired the Lives of the Founders and Defined America. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2024.

African American views/Slavery (4)

Corbett, Theodore. The Promise of Freedom for Slaves Escaping in British Ships: The Emancipation Revolution, 1740-1807. Barnsley, UK: Pen and Sword Press, 2024.

Messer-Kruse, Timothy. The Patriots’ Dilemma. London, UK: Pluto Press, 2024.

Messer-Kruse, Timothy. Slavery’s Fugitives and the Making of the United States Constitution. Baton Rouge, LA: LSU Press, 2024.

Whiting, Gloria McCahon. Belonging: An Intimate History of Slavery and Family in Early New England. Philadelphia, PA: The University of Pennsylvania Press, 2024

Atlantic View (1)

Chavez, Thomas E. The Diplomacy of Independence: Benjamin Franklin Documents in the Archives of Spain. Philadelphia, PA: The American Philosophical Society Press, 2024.

Confederation Period/Pre-1800 (4)

Hogeland, William. The Hamilton Scheme: An Epic Tale of Money and Power in the American Founding.  New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2024. 

Myrsiades, Linda. Backcountry Democracy and the Whiskey Insurrection: The Legal Culture and Trials, 1794-1795. Athens, GA: University of Georgia Press, 2024.

Schoenfield, Rick M. The Soldiers Fell Like Autumn Leaves: The Battle of the Wabash, The United States’ Greatest Defeat in the Wars Against Indigenous Peoples. Yardley, PA: Westholme Publishing, 2024.

Spero, Patrick. The Scientist Turned Spy: André Michaux, Thomas Jefferson, and the Conspiracy of 1793 (Jeffersonian America). Charlottesville, VA: University of Virginia Press, 2024.

Primary Sources (2)

Adams, John and Sara Georgini, Sara Martin, R. M. Barlow, Gwen Fries, Hobson Woodward, Amanda M. Norton, and Miriam Liebman. Papers of John Adams, Volume 22: February 1797 – February 1798. Cambridge, MA: The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 2024.

Washington, George, and Washington Papers Editors. The Papers of George Washington 5 July-7 September 1781 – Revolutionary War Series, Volume 33. Charlottesville, VA: University of Virginia Press, 2024.

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