William and Mary Bookstore to Host Book Signing for Local Author

WILLIAMSBURG, Va. - Dec. 11, 2018 - PRLog -- The Barnes & Noble at The College of William & Mary will be hosting a local author book signing on Saturday, December 29th at 2:00 p.m. Local author Chris Dickon will be available to sign copies of his history books. Stop by to get your copies signed!

The College of William and Mary
By the time of the American Revolution, the College of William and Mary was already into its eighth decade as the academic source of what the new nation would become and how it would relate to the larger world. Its land had been surveyed by George Washington, and its first honorary degree had been given to Ben Franklin. It would go on to educate two signers of the Declaration of Independence, three American presidents, and three justices of the Supreme Court. Chartered by British royalty in 1693, the college retains that connection to its roots into the 21st century. Remarkably through history, the College of William and Mary was, and remains, a public university—one of 16 in the Commonwealth of Virginia. At a time in American history when the 18th-century thought and practice of Thomas Jefferson has become part of the contemporary conversation, the college from which he graduated in 1762 continues to pursue his simple notion that "worth and genius [be] sought from every condition of life."

Chesapeake Bay Steamers
Since English settlers first touched the shore of the new country in 1607, the Chesapeake Bay has been a multifaceted engine of American history and commerce. The body of inland tidal water between the largest bay cities, Norfolk and Baltimore, was large enough to be the setting of adventure and close enough to allow smaller towns and cities to grow up on its shores. The common community came to life with the technologies of steamboats that could cover the long distances between North and South relatively quickly. Steamers filled in the nooks and crannies of the bay's geography, and by the mid-19th century, the skies over the bay were lined with dark, waterborne contrails in all directions. Strong machines built to master rough seas while moving gently enough for small harbors, many steamers had life spans that crossed whole eras in American history. Some were drafted into distinguished service in domestic and foreign wars. The steamers plied the bay and its rivers with a feminine grace well into the mid-20th century, when they were overtaken by the rush of modern times. The last steamer sailed into oblivion exactly 150 years after the first of them appeared in Baltimore harbor.

The Enduring Journey of the USS Chesapeake
"Fight 'til she sinks, boys. Don't give up the ship! Burn her."
James Lawrence's command, spoken as his final fighting words in the historic 1813 battle between the USS Chesapeake and the HMS Shannon, would endure as the motto of the U.S. Navy. He lost the battle, however, and a large portion of the Chesapeake was recycled by the ship breakers of Portsmouth, England, until her timbers gave form and size to a new water mill in the village of Wickham. Almost two hundred years later, the old mill sat derelict, an eyesore. What was it made of? Where had it come from? Why should it be preserved? It was then that the sails of a long-forgotten fighting ship were seemingly unfurled along the Meon River in the County of Hampshire, and the old navy frigate—having crossed the waters of America, Canada and England—set off on the third century of her enduring journey.

About the Author:
Author Chris Dickon is a writer, historian, and Emmy-winning television producer. His work has been broadcast and published internationally, much of it derived from Virginia's rich past as the original source of American history. Chesapeake Bay Steamers brings together the photograph archives of the Library of Congress and 10 libraries, museums, and historical societies, large and small, from Norfolk to Baltimore.

Join the author for a signing:
Where:  Barnes & Noble
345 Duke of Gloucester Street
Williamsburg, VA 23185
When:  Saturday, December 29th, 2018 at 2:00 p.m.

Available at area bookstores, independent retailers, and online retailers, or through Arcadia Publishing at (888)-313-2665 or online.

The combination of Arcadia Publishing & The History Press creates the largest and most comprehensive publisher of local and regional content in the USA. By empowering local history and culture enthusiasts to write local stories for local audiences, we create exceptional books that are relevant on a local and personal level, enrich lives, and bring readers closer - to their community, their neighbors, and their past. Have we done a book on your town?  Visit www.arcadiapublishing.com