President's Day Sale

The effective end of the American Civil War on April 9, 1865, had hardly sunk in when, only five days later, another disaster stunned the battered and bloodied nation. On the night of April 9, Pres. Abraham Lincoln was assassinated. There would be time for vengeful thoughts later, but first the Great Emancipator was going to get a royal send-off. At the center of what would become a three-week national funeral was a spectacular train that would carry Lincoln’s remains, and those of his deceased son, from Washington, DC, to Springfield, Illinois. “The Lincoln Special” steamed slowly out of spring mists, allowing thousands of mourners lining the tracks a lingering view. It was a logistics miracle; a romantic pageant of sorrow and wonder, carried off flawlessly. Through the tears, however, was a sense that America’s identity had turned a corner and was about to enter a dynamic and hopeful future.

Author of nine books, Michael Leavy is an avid Civil War and railroad historian. Leavy has searched through archives to locate rare photographs and new details and dispel some lingering myths surrounding this tragic but formative American event.

When Washington set the world on fire...

George Washington has frequently been criticized for his first military campaign, which sparked the French and Indian War. This backwoods campaign between British and French colonials eventually grew into the Seven Years' War, a global conflict between these European empires. In 1754 Washington was an ambitious yet inexperienced young officer, eager to carry out his orders and mission on behalf of Virginia and the British king. While his campaign failed to meet its objectives, Washington experienced his first taste of military command, dealing with situations that ultimately proved beyond his control, and learned lessons that made him into the man who led the Continental Army to victory in the Revolutionary War.

Historian Scott Patchan delves deep into Washington's correspondence to tell the story of his training as an officer. 

During the winter of 1753, George Washington accepted the first, and potentially most dangerous, mission of his life, at only twenty-one. Through trial and triumph, a man was defined, and a legend was born.

The resulting tale is one of international intrigue and heartbreaking disappointment that set the stage for the French and Indian War and forever changed Washington's destiny. The untried major faced a daunting task and was twice nearly killed, first by a treacherous guide and later as he tried to cross the icy Allegheny River. Using firsthand accounts, including the journals of George Washington himself, historian Brady Crytzer reconstructs the complex world of eighteenth-century Pittsburgh, the native peoples who inhabited it and the empires desperate to control it.

The Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC, is a monument to the nation’s 16th president, a commemoration of the country’s post–Civil War reunification, and a setting for national events and quiet visits.

Demands for a national memorial to Abraham Lincoln began shortly after his 1865 assassination but produced nothing substantial until the early 20th century. Elevation of Lincoln to legendary status and an extended debate over location and design finally led Congress in 1913 to approve a memorial at the west end of the National Mall. Construction took another eight years. Since its dedication in 1922, the Lincoln Memorial has hosted civil rights demonstrations, presidential events, national celebrations, and day and night visits by millions of people who come to reflect upon one of the most consequential leaders in American history.

Kevin S. Schindler is a historian at Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona, and has written six books about science and history. Brian Anderson is a Washington, DC, lawyer and Ford’s Theatre Society trustee who previously wrote a book about the history of Ford’s Theatre. Drawing upon Washington-area museums and research libraries, Schindler and Anderson have assembled a rich collection of historical images to tell the fascinating story of this American landmark.

Originally named Shangri-La by Franklin D. Roosevelt, today’s Camp David was a well-guarded secret until its existence was revealed after World War II. A US Naval facility set on a mountaintop, Camp David’s tight security has piqued the curiosity of Americans and foreigners. Prior to the outbreak of war, Roosevelt had access to the nearby presidential yacht as a “getaway” to escape the pressures of life in the White House. After a brief search of nearby locations, a site on Catoctin Mountain in Maryland was chosen as the place for the presidential retreat. It remained Shangri La until President

Eisenhower said the name was “just a little fancy for a Kansas farm boy” and renamed it Camp David after his father and grandson in 1953. It has served as retreat for each succeeding president and, in addition to providing rest and relaxation, has been the setting of several historic meetings.

Robert P. Savitt writes and lectures on a variety of historical subjects. He holds a doctoral degree from Georgetown University, served in the Departments of Defense and State, and was legislative director for a US senator. Savitt has authored three previous Arcadia Publishing titles.

Newly elected president George Washington set out to visit the new nation aware that he was the singular unifying figure in America.

The journey's finale was the Southern Tour, starting in March 1791. The long and arduous trek from the capital, Philadelphia, passed through seven states and the future Washington, D.C. But the focus was on Virginia, the Carolinas and Georgia. The president kept a rigorous schedule, enduring rugged roads and hazardous water crossings. His highly anticipated arrival in each destination was celebrated with countless teas, parades, dinners and dances. Author Warren Bingham reveals the history and lore of the most beloved American president and his survey of the newly formed southern United States.

Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt changed America with a government on the side of the people that put Americans back to work and inspired confidence that the nation could overcome the Great Depression.  This is the story of their progressive legacy when FDR was Governor during the era of Prohibition and the advent of radio in the Roaring Twenties, a decade that ended with the Great Depression upending life for most Americans. This is the story of how as Governor of New York he tried the programs that became the New Deal that transformed America. It was the place where his warm, easily relatable voice heard on the radio for the first time created a bond of trust with the public that inspired confidence at a time of great fear.Author Michael J. Burgess reveals the often overlooked history of Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt in Albany at the helm of the Empire State.

Ford's Theatre in downtown Washington, DC, is best known as the notorious scene of Pres. Abraham Lincoln's assassination on April 14, 1865.

It is among the oldest and most visited sites of national tragedy in the United States. First constructed in 1833 as a Baptist church, the property was acquired by John T. Ford and converted into a theater in 1861.  Presenting almost 500 performances before the assassination, Ford afterward sold the building to the federal government. A century later, the National Park Service reconstructed the theater, and Ford's Theatre Society began presenting live performances there in 1968. Since then, the two organizations have partnered to offer more than 650,000 annual visitors an array of quality programming about Lincoln's presidency and legacy. Today, patrons can explore the Tenth Street campus, consisting of the theater, interactive museum galleries, the house where Lincoln died, and the Center for Education and Leadership.

John F. Kennedy International Airport opened in 1948, after the realization set in that the newly built LaGuardia Airport was unable to handle the volume of air traffic for New York City.

Pushed through by New York's Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia, the airport was to be located 14 miles from Manhattan, in Jamaica Bay, Queens, on the site of the old Idlewild Golf Course. For its first years, Idlewild Airport, as it was originally known, consisted of a low-budget temporary terminal and a series of Quonset huts. A major new building program began in the mid-1950s, and the airport rapidly changed from a ramshackle series of buildings into a glamorous-looking city. Renamed John F. Kennedy International Airport in 1963, it has now grown to cover 5,000 acres.

The timeless home of our 28th president, perfectly preserved from the 1920s, serves as an unforgettable backdrop for learning about our past as Americans. The Trust opened the doors of the museum in 1963 for visitors to explore this significant site with over 8,400 one-of-a-kind historic artifacts. The book boasts a treasure trove of images from the Trust museum’s archives, offering a visually stunning journey through history. 

On March 4, 1921, Woodrow and Edith Wilson moved from the White House into their new home – just a mile and a half away – at 2340 S Street NW in Washington, DC’s Kalorma neighborhood. The former president lived here until his death in 1924. Edith called it home until her passing in 1961, at which time she bequeathed the house and its furnishing to the National Trust for Historic Preservation to serve as a monument to President Wilson. A century after Woodrow Wilson left office, his policies and legacy continue to animate our national conversations about American foreign policy, race relations, and the meanings of progressivism and democracy. 

The President Woodrow Wilson House’s executive director, Elizabeth A. Karcher, presents a meticulously researched and engaging narrative that illuminates the house’s evolution from private residence to a dynamic cultural institution. The National Trust for Historic Preservation, a private, nonprofit organization that works to save America’s historic places, owns and operates the Woodrow Wilson House.

It has been four centuries since the first Roosevelt arrived in New Amsterdam as a humble farmer.

The Roosevelts became one of America’s most distinguished families—one with ties to many sites in New York City. A brownstone on East 20th Street where Theodore Roosevelt was born and developed his love of nature. A twin brownstone next door where his uncle Robert instilled in the future president an interest in conservation, while having multiple affairs and even starting a second secret family with a mistress. And the double townhouse on East 65th Street built by Sara Delano Roosevelt so the growing family of her son, Franklin, would have a suitable place to live while she meddled in their lives. Historian Bill Bleyer details the unique places in the city where family members lived and worked and unveils the private interactions behind this famous American family.

George Washington and Alexandria recounts and celebrates the life, legacy, and leadership of the city's hometown hero and the father of the nation.

No other city in America had the impact that Alexandria had on George Washington’s personal life and professional career. From his first job as surveyor until the last day of his life, Washington was supported by his neighbors, friends, and family from Alexandria. Alexandrians helped make him the father of our nation. In return, Washington helped shape the city and, by extension, the new American nation.

Washington’s half brothers were the first landowners and trustees to the city of Alexandria, and prominent local families like the Fairfaxes were influential in Washington’s life. Alexandria merchants, John Carlyle, John Dalton, and William Ramsay, did business with Washington and supported him during the French and Indian War and Revolutionary War. During the Revolutionary War, other citizens like John Fitzgerald and Robert Harrison served as his aides de camp, and doctors like James Craik and William Brown served Washington and his family. After the war, Washington helped start the Alexandria Academy and the Potomac Company, and he was a shareholder in the Bank of Alexandria. He was an active member in Alexandria’s Christ Church.

While Washington’s home was Mount Vernon, his hometown was Alexandria. It was fitting that the city would celebrate his return from the Revolutionary War, see him off as president, and build enduring memorials to his legacy.