Ray Raphael: 11 books

“The best single-volume history of the Revolution I have read.” —Howard Zinn Upon its initial publication, Ray Raphael’s magisterial A People’s History of the American Revolution was hailed by NPR’s Fresh Air as “relentlessly aggressive and unsentimental.” With impeccable skill,...

First published ten years ago, award-winning historian Ray Raphael’s Founding Myths has since established itself as a landmark of historical myth-busting. With Raphael’s trademark wit and flair, Founding Myths exposed the errors and inventions in America’s most cherished tales, from Paul Revere’s...

“Those who stand for nothing fall for anything.” —Alexander Hamilton   An illegitimate child, born in the Caribbean, who arrived in America as a near-penniless teenager, Alexander Hamilton did not seem to have much in common with the rest of the Founding Fathers. But the audacious young immigrant...

The little-known story of the dramatic political maneuverings and personalities behind the creation of the office of the president, with ramifications that continue to this day.   On June 1, 1787, when the Federal Convention first talked of establishing a new executive branch, James Wilson moved...

Americans on both sides of the aisle love to reference the Constitution as the ultimate source of truth. But which truth? What did the framers really have in mind? In a book that author R.B. Bernstein calls “essential reading,” acclaimed historian Ray Raphael places the Constitution in its historical...

Politicians come and go, but the Constitution stands as the supreme law of the land. Setting forth the workings of our democracy, it is the bedrock document from which we derive our policies on topics as diverse and galvanizing as immigration, gun ownership, voting rights, taxation, policing, civil...

More Tree Talk is an insightful and compelling look at the human dimension of the challenges facing forestry. First published in 1981, Tree Talk was widely hailed as the meven-handed and well-written introduction to forestry issues available. More Tree Talk is an entirely revised edition of that classic...

How ordinary people went from resistance to revolution: “[A] concise, lively narrative . . . the authors expertly build tension.” —Publishers Weekly Americans know about the Boston Tea Party and “the shot heard ’round the world,” but sixteen months divided these two iconic events,...

Essential reading for anyone interested in the leaders who shaped our nation Popular interest in the Founding Fathers has surged over the past decade and is beginning to rival interest in the Civil War. People are increasingly looking back to the generation that invented this country's political...

The original rebels: “Brings into clear focus events and identities of ordinary people who should share the historic limelight with the Founding Fathers.” —Publishers Weekly According to the traditional telling, the American Revolution began with “the shot heard ’round the world.”...

This book is a walk into the inner lives of our military personnel where fear, pain, and anxiety are intermingled with intense love and a sobering dedication to the protection of our nation. Issues like these are personal, at times full of hurt turning a normal life into a frightening, sleep deprived...