"The best book on the American flag's origins. . . No one knows the ins and outs of the origins of the flag of the United States as well as Henry Moeller does. . . Highly recommended."
--Marc Leepson, author of Flag: An American Biography

With gorgeous four-color reproductions of an amazing array of art from diverse cultures and eras, Inventing the American Flag explores the symbolism of the flag and investigates why the founding fathers chose the images they did to represent the new nation. Art history sleuth Henry W. Moeller brings a breath of fresh air to our appreciation of the flag, blowing away the cobwebs left by antiquarians fixated on dusty records and Masonic conspiracies. Inventing the American Flag weaves together exotic and colorful strands of history to offer a new understanding of the forces that contributed to the flag flown by America's revolutionaries.

Henry W. Moeller's forty-year journey into the history of the symbols on America's early flags took him to libraries, museums, and private collections around the world. The deeper he dug, the further back in time he went. He pored over explorers' maps, medieval manuscripts, astronomers' charts, and ancient myths. Gradually, he was able to piece together the remarkable, constantly surprising, and often inspiring story of how, beginning in classical times, the stars and stripes acquired new meanings and were put to new uses until, at the birth of our nation, they became the symbols of that nation itself.

Susan Shillinglaw

A Journey into Steinbeck's California, Third Edition

$27.95

The third edition to A Journey into Steinbeck's California features new photographs plus updated sections to provide a closer look into one of the most important American literary figures.

Susan Shillinglaw takes the reader on a journey into Steinbeck's life, offering insight into how California influenced his creative process and how, in turn, his legacy has influenced modern California. Literary pilgrims will learn about the land's prominent role in Steinbeck's work; tourists can visit the same buildings that he lived in and wrote about; and history buffs will appreciate the engrossing perspective on daily life in early 20th-century California. Offering an entirely new perspective on Steinbeck and the people and places that he brought to life in his writing, this depiction of the symbiotic relationship between an author and his favorite places will delight readers.