Globe Pequot / Lyons Press
Pages: 232
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Trim: 5¾ x 8¾
978-1-4930-4232-6 • Hardback • August 2020 • $24.95 • (£18.99)
978-1-4930-6920-0 • Paperback • August 2022 • $19.95 • (£14.99)
978-1-4930-4233-3 • eBook • August 2020 • $19.00 • (£14.99)
Paul Aron is an editor and writer for The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation. Previously he was a reporter for The Virginia Gazette, an executive editor at Simon and Schuster, and an editor at Doubleday.
His previous books are Unsolved Mysteries of American History (Wiley, 1997), Unsolved Mysteries of History (Wiley, 2000), Count The Ways (Contemporary, 2002), More Unsolved Mysteries of American History (Wiley, 2004), Did Babe Ruth Call His Shot (Wiley, 2005), Mysteries in History (ABC-Clio, 2006), We Hold These Truths (Rowman & Littlefield, 2008), Why The Turkey Didn’t Fly (University Press of New England, 2013), and Founding Feuds (Sourcebooks, 2016).
He lives in Williamsburg, VA.
“American Stories is fascinating and entertaining. Paul Aron traces the hoariest and often false stories about our past not so much to debunk them as to use them to understand why people created them, why we believe them, and what this tells us about ourselves.”--Richard White, author of The Republic for Which It Stands: The United States during Reconstruction and the Gilded Age, 1865-1896 “Paul Aron’s delightful romp through American mythology reminds us that story-telling always has, and always will, define us as people.”--Edward G. Lengel, author of Inventing George Washington “Paul Aron’s new book is a gem. It’s engagingly written, deeply researched, and an eye-opening look at look at long-cherished American history myths, how they were born, and how they came to accepted in popular culture—and even in some history books. Highly recommended.”--Marc Leepson, author of Flag: An American Biography. “America’s founding myths are a mix of fact and bunkum. With characteristic wit and erudition, Paul Aron unravels where these myths came from, which have solid evidence, and which need to be abandoned. A perfect gift for the uncle who peddles stories he learned from his coach in grade school.”--Scott Reynolds Nelson, author of Steel Drivin’ Man: John Henry, the Untold Story of An American Legend“An entertaining ride through five centuries of exaggerated claims, ungrounded ‘truths,’ and historic hokum.”--Howard Means, author of Johnny Appleseed: The Man, the Myth, the American Story “Paul Aron is a connoisseur of fakery, more amused than irked whenever a false note has been struck in the history of our credulous nation. In American Stories he serves up a banquet of bunk and balderdash, all with a wink, a nod, and an abiding faith in our preference for myth over mere fact. I loved this book!”--John Thorn, Official Historian of Major League Baseball Praise for Unsolved Mysteries of American History:
"Stimulating and pleasurable, fair and objective . . . recommended for both the history buff and the fan of true-life mysteries."--Kirkus Reviews
"Everyone loves a mystery and a history mystery best of all. Aron has assembled an impressive array of 'whodunits.'" --Ivor Noel Hume, former director, Department of Archaeology, Colonial Williamsburg author of The Virginia Adventure
"A welcome gateway for historical exploration." --Booklist
"Aron performs something of a minor miracle: He zeroes in on the very core of historical mysteries and provides new insights for reconsidering mystifying events." --Allan W. Eckert, author of Sorrow in Our Heart
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Praise for Founding Feuds:
"In lively prose and with keen understanding Paul Aron sets forth the personal animosities and grudges that drove politics in the new nation." - Robert Gross, Bancroft Prize winning historian and author of The Minutemen and Their World
"With the verve of a storyteller and the precision of a historian, Paul Aron shows us how American politicians have been battling and backstabbing since the days when talking heads wore powdered wigs. Huzzah!" - Gerard Helferich, author of the New York Times bestseller Theodore Roosevelt and the Assassin
"By focusing on the internal conflicts that nearly tore the fledging United States to shreds, Paul Aron provides an excellent entrée into the world of the Founding Fathers. He strips these stories to their essentials without dumbing them down. And by summing up each struggle as a contest between two outsized 18th century characters, he draws us readers right into the fray. As the sparks fly, they light up the scene." - Woody Holton, author of Abigail Adams
"If you are a reader of history that enjoys being in the thick of the exact feelings and experiences people may have had in past days, this is the book for you. " - C.J. Leger
"Even George Washington had a feud, so there's something for everyone. The book is perfect for lounging at the beach or pool, or even in a classroom. One of the best parts is Paul included endnotes complete with all of his sources, so if you want to learn more about a particular subject, he lets you know where to look." - Making History
"The lively Founding Feuds should reassure readers that the political stridency of the present is an essential part of our tradition." - Richard Buel, author of America on the Brink
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