"Valiant Ambition is a complex, controversial, and dramatic portrait of a people in crisis and the war that gave birth to a nation. The focus is on loyalty and personal integrity, evoking a Shakespearean tragedy that unfolds in the key relationship of Washington and Arnold, who is an impulsive but sympathetic hero whose misfortunes at the hands of self-serving politicians fatally destroy his faith in the legitimacy of the rebellion. As a country wary...

"From the perilous ocean crossing to the shared bounty of the first Thanksgiving, the Pilgrim settlement of New England has become enshrined as our most sacred national myth. Yet, as author Philbrick reveals, the true story of the Pilgrims is much more than the well-known tale of piety and sacrifice; it is a 55-year epic. The Mayflower's religious refugees arrived in Plymouth Harbor during a period of crisis for Native Americans, as disease spread...

"In a narrative that moves from Washington's headquarters on the Hudson River, to the wooded hillside in North Carolina where Nathanael Greene fought Lord Cornwallis to a vicious draw, to Lafayette's brilliant series of maneuvers across Tidewater Virginia, Philbrick details the epic and suspenseful year through to its triumphant conclusion. A riveting and wide-ranging story, full of dramatic, unexpected turns, In the Hurricane's Eye reveals that the...

Recounts the events of the Boston battle that ignited the American Revolution, tracing the experiences of Patriot leader Dr. Joseph Warren, a newly recruited George Washington, and British General William Howe.

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Book Preview: #1 The Mayflower had set sail with three pregnant mothers: Elizabeth Hopkins, Susanna White, and Mary Allerton. They had endured long delays, seasickness, and cold weather, but they had helped the carpenter repair the ship's fractured beam. #2 The English Puritans who founded the colony of Virginia Company in 1607 were a very different sort of group than the typical...

Summary of Nathaniel Philbrick's Valiant Ambition focuses on the treachery of Benedict Arnold as it plays out against the wider panorama of the American Revolution. Benedict Arnold was a courageous officer who was responsible for a number of crucial American victories during the Revolution. His brilliant conduct of the Battle of Valcour Island at Lake Champlain in 1776 delayed British forces and prevented them from reaching the Hudson River valley....

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Book Preview: #1 The South Sea, or the Pacific Ocean, was named after Vasco Núñez de Balboa, who first crossed it in 1513. It was James Cook who first crossed the Pacific, discovering islands at almost every turn. #2 The city's wealthiest merchant, John Jacob Astor, had made his fortune with these ships. American China traders, many of them from Boston and Salem, set out around...

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Book Preview: #1 On September 15, 1779, the French minister to the United States, Chevalier de la Luzerne, arrived at Fishkill, New York, to meet with George Washington. Washington was the one steering the boat. #2 When Washington was 11 years old, his brother offered him a way out. He could be appointed to a British naval vessel and escape the possessive clutches of his widowed mother. #3...

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Book Preview: #1 The Essex was one of a fleet of more than seventy Nantucket whaleships in the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans in 1819. With whale-oil prices steadily climbing, the village of Nantucket was on its way to becoming one of the richest towns in America. #2 The Essex was a ship that had a reputation for being lucky. In July 1819, a comet appeared in the night sky, and islanders...

Filmmaker David Shaerf takes us on a journey into the world of "Moby-Dick". On the way he meets artists, musicians and fans who introduce him to the "Great American Novel."