When Britain Burned The White House (Thorndike Press Large Print Nonfiction) - Hardcover

Snow, Peter

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1410474852 ISBN 13: 9781410474858

Publisher: Thorndike Press, 2014

Synopsis

Chronicles the burning of Washington, DC at the hands of the British during the War of 1812, documenting the escape of the first family and the Battle of Fort McHenry.

About this title

About the Author:

PETER SNOW is a highly respected British journalist, author, and broadcaster. He was ITN's diplomatic and defence correspondent from 1966 to 1979 and presented "Newsnight" from 1980 to 1997. An indispensable part of election nights, he has also covered military matters on and off the world's battlefields for forty years. Peter is married and has six children.

Review:

"Peter Snow's account of this extraordinary event in British-American relations reads like a military thriller, each chapter raising the tension with a mass of detail and a kaleidoscope of characters who transform this book from what could have been a dry, chronological account into a riveting romp. . . . Snow adds an extra ingredient--a boyish enthusiasm for his subject . . . a meticulous and fascinating account." --"The Times" (UK)

"Snow builds his account on the voices of those who fought and witnessed the campaign, from nervous U.S. militiamen to Ross, Cockburn, and Dolley Madison, the president's resourceful wife. Written with verve and insight, this is a fitting reminder of a remarkable interlude in a war that deserves to be better known." --"BBC History Magazine"

"The result is superb. "When Britain Burned the White House" is an exemplary work of history--lucid, witty, and humane, with terrific pace, and so evenhanded that it will surely be received as well in America as here." --"The Spectator" (UK)

"Never before has this story been told more fully or more engagingly, with greater empathy for both sides, or with greater balance...Snow dug deeply into records and reminiscences and, especially for the British side, brought the combatants, simple and august, alive. The pace is brisk, the characterizations sure, the judgments done with a light touch. The book distinguishes itself by rounding off the story of Washington with the subsequent Baltimore attack--both part of the larger British Chesapeake campaign. For the story of that campaign, this is now the narrative to read."--"Publishers Weekly

""With ample quotes from English letters and diaries, Snow ably brings out the humanity of his subjects."--"Kirkus Reviews

""A well-done chronicle of an episode of the war that helped to shape the 'special relationship' between the U.S. and Britain."--"Booklist

""Peter Snow's account of this extraordinary event in British-American relations reads like a military thriller, each chapter raising the tension with a mass of detail and a kaleidoscope of characters who transform this book from what could have been a dry, chronological account into a riveting romp. . . . Snow adds an extra ingredient--a boyish enthusiasm for his subject . . . a meticulous and fascinating account." --"The Times" (UK)

"Snow builds his account on the voices of those who fought and witnessed the campaign, from nervous U.S. militiamen to Ross, Cockburn, and Dolley Madison, the president's resourceful wife. Written with verve and insight, this is a fitting reminder of a remarkable interlude in a war that deserves to be better known." --"BBC History Magazine

""The result is superb. "When Britain Burned the White House" is an exemplary work of history--lucid, witty, and humane, with terrific pace, and so evenhanded that it will surely be received as well in America as here." --"The Spectator" (UK)

About this edition

• Publisher: Thorndike Press
• Publication date: 2014
• ISBN 10: 1410474852
• ISBN 13: 9781410474858
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 497