The thirteen-stripe, fifty-star flag is as familiar an American icon as any that has existed in the nation's history. Yet the history of the flag, especially its origins, is cloaked in myth and misinformation. Flag: An American Biography rectifies that situation by presenting a lively, comprehensive, illuminating look at the history of the American flag from its beginnings to today.
Journalist and historian Marc Leepson uncovers scores of little-known, fascinating facts as he traces the evolution of the American flag from the colonial period to the twenty-first century. Flag sifts through the historical evidence to---among many other things---uncover the truth behind the Betsy Ross myth and to discover the true designer of the Stars and Stripes. It details the many colorful and influential Americans who shaped the history of the flag.
"Flag," as the novelist Nelson DeMille says in his preface, "is not a book with an agenda or a subjective point of view. It is an objective history of the American flag, well researched, well presented, easy to read and understand, and very informative and entertaining."
"Our love for the flag may be incomprehensible to others, but at least we now have a comprehensive guide to its unfolding."
---The Wall Street Journal
"The fascination of history is in its details, and the author of Flag: An American Biography knows how to find them and turn them into compelling reading.... This book brings out the irony, humor, myth, and behind-the-scenes happenings that make our flag's 228-year history so fascinating."
---The Saturday Evening Post
"Timely and insightful."
---The Dallas Morning News
“This is one of those books that seem as though someone should have written it years ago---but better late than never.
Flag: An American Biography is a must-read for scholars, history buffs, patriotic organizations, flag wavers, flag burners, or anyone who owns an American flag or has seen one in the last forty-eight hours.
“This iconic symbol of the nation, which is so ubiquitous in our lives, needs a history, and this is the definitive history of the flag of the United States of America. Marc Leepson has done a wonderful job of making this inanimate object come alive and speak to us.”
---from the preface by Nelson DeMille
“No other country worships its flag with quite the intensity of the people of the United States of America. It is a rallying symbol for all of us, whether we’re cheering or protesting, during good times and bad. To understand the U.S.A. and her citizens, it is necessary to understand the origins, the legends, and the meaning of our flag. Marc Leepson’s
Flag is a grand book, worthy of its grand subject.”
---Homer Hickam, author of
Rocket Boys/October Sky and
The Keeper’s Son|
“This is one of those books that seem as though someone should have written it years ago---but better late than never. Flag: An American Biography is a must-read for scholars, history buffs, patriotic organizations, flag wavers, flag burners, or anyone who owns an American flag or has seen one in the last forty-eight hours.
“This iconic symbol of the nation, which is so ubiquitous in our lives, needs a history, and this is the definitive history of the flag of the United States of America. Marc Leepson has done a wonderful job of making this inanimate object come alive and speak to us.”
---from the preface by Nelson DeMille
“No other country worships its flag with quite the intensity of the people of the United States of America. It is a rallying symbol for all of us, whether we’re cheering or protesting, during good times and bad. To understand the U.S.A. and her citizens, it is necessary to understand the origins, the legends, and the meaning of our flag. Marc Leepson’s Flag is a grand book, worthy of its grand subject.”
---Homer Hickam, author of Rocket Boys/October Sky and The Keeper’s Son
