Vignettes of Colonial Virginia
Remarkable Stories from the Founding of America
Brent Tarter
imprint:
Illuminating stories of colonial life from the dean of Virginia history
How did ordinary people experience life in the colonial era, from the humdrum happenings of the day-to-day to the extraordinary events still familiar to millions? In his latest book, renowned historian Brent Tarter paints a vibrant, colorful portrait of the Old Dominion in the era before the Revolution, presenting a new collection of stories culled from the depths of his unparalleled career in archival research. Using the language of his historical subjects, Tarter brings the experience of the past to life in his own inimitable but readily accessible style.
Vignettes of Colonial Virginia encompasses thirty-three episodes in total, ranging chronologically from 1607 to the eve of the War for Independence, and features stories of Virginians of all backgrounds and stripes, told with startling immediacy. With the 250th anniversary of the declaration of American independence upon us, this book situates the reader among the ordinary people who lived on the eve of those extraordinary times.
Tarter is currently the premier historian of Virginia history from its beginning to the present, blessed with a prose style that is distinctive, fluid, and lively.- Warren M. Billings, University of New Orleans, author of Statute Law in Colonial Virginia: Governors, Assemblymen, and the Revisals That Forged The Old Dominion
The nearly three dozen stories that comprise historian Brent Tarter’s Vignettes of Colonial Virginia shatter the old myth that history is the product of dry-and-dusty research in libraries and archives. Drawn from half a century’s exploration of primary sources, this book introduces us to a vast and populous supporting cast whose lives add depth, character, and variety to the tragedies and comedies of the Old Dominion’s first two centuries.- Jon Kukla, author of Patrick Henry: Champion of Liberty
Tarter has humanized Virginia’s history in his telling of the lived, relatable experiences of its people, injecting empathy and immediacy into what is far too often relegated to memorized dates and events. He writes in a way that, for many stories we know, feels like we’re seeing friends in a new light, and for stories we don’t, has us on the edge of our seats.- Kate Egner, American Battlefield Trust
Brent Tarter, retired historian and a founding editor of the Library of Virginia's Dictionary of Virginia Biography project, is the author of many books, including Virginians and Their Histories.
