Paul Revere's Ride

Book Description

Paul Revere's midnight ride looms as an almost mythical event in American history--yet it has been largely ignored by scholars and left to patriotic writers and debunkers. Now one of the foremost American historians offers the first serious look at the events of the night of April 18, 1775--what led up to it, what really happened, and what followed--uncovering a truth far more remarkable than the myths of tradition. In Paul Revere's Ride, David Hackett Fischer fashions an exciting narrative that offers deep insight into the outbreak of revolution and the emergence of the American republic. Beginning in the years before the eruption of war, Fischer illuminates the figure of Paul Revere, a man far more complex than the simple artisan and messenger of tradition. Revere ranged widely through the complex world of Boston's revolutionary movement--from organizing local mechanics to mingling with the likes of John Hancock and Samuel Adams. When the fateful night arrived, more than sixty men and women joined him on his task of alarm--an operation Revere himself helped to organize and set in motion. Fischer recreates Revere's capture that night, showing how it had an important impact on the events that followed. He had an uncanny gift for being at the center of events, and the author follows him to Lexington Green--setting the stage for a fresh interpretation of the battle that began the war. Drawing on intensive new research, Fischer reveals a clash very different from both patriotic and iconoclastic myths. The local militia were elaborately organized and intelligently led, in a manner that had deep roots in New England. On the morning of April 19, they fought in fixed positions and close formation, twice breaking the British regulars. In the afternoon, the American officers switched tactics, forging a ring of fire around the retreating enemy which they maintained for several hours--an extraordinary feat of combat leadership. In the days that followed, Paul Revere led a new battle-- for public opinion--which proved even more decisive than the fighting itself. When the alarm-riders of April 18 took to the streets, they did not cry, "the British are coming," for most of them still believed they were British. Within a day, many began to think differently. For George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, and Thomas Paine, the news of Lexington was their revolutionary Rubicon. Paul Revere's Ride returns Paul Revere to center stage in these critical events, capturing both the drama and the underlying developments in a triumphant return to narrative history at its finest.

Customer Reviews:

The Mercury of the American Revolution.......2007-09-20

Seldom does an academic book reach across the aisle and become a classic of popular history as well. Mr. Fischer's "Paul Revere's Ride" does just that. "Ride" captures the reader with incredible little known anecdotes as well as flawless research and a smooth narrative flow. The theme of Fischer's book was that Revere's ride far from being a singular achievement was in reality a collective effort of a multitude of revolulutionaries throughout the colony. Simply put, in reading history, Americans must sometimes put the proverbial `rugged individualist' on the shelf and look at history as how it developed, rather then how we would like to see it happen. What attracted me to this book in the first place was Malcolm Gladwell's "The Tipping Point" in which Mr. Fischer's book is cited. Revere was a man who knew everyone in Boston and moved in many different circles. We often forget that great changes are not accomplished by the sole recluse theorist writing in his study, but rather as Mr. Fischer points out by "collective responsibilities of the group dynamic." In this, Revere and his fellow Whigs rejected the sort of individualist credo that would later find it's prophet in Thomas Jefferson.

Another fascinating portrait is General Thomas Gage, the largely ineffectual and philosophical libertarian leader of the British in Boston. One is tempted to think if Gage had a little more command and control structure that he could have countered the quickness of Revere and the minutemen especially in the late night of April 18, 1775 and the early morning hours of the next day. Throughout the book, the reader may wonder why Gage chose not to have Revere and co. arrested, but Gage felt he was bound to the Constitution just as any British overseer would be. Of course, Thomas Gage did not know the ending to this story and neither did any of the Colonists. In this General Gage and his governance was just one in a long line of ineffectual imperial military forces brought to their knees by a united, close knit community. Fischer concludes his book with a variety of appendices and fascinating data about how the burgeoning revolutionaries really worked. Of note is the author's historiography of the "Ride" taking it from the Whig's attempt to suppress it for being against the myth of "national innocence" to the 1960's revisionists attempt to destroy the "Ride" as one of the most well known symbols of the dead white male. Perhaps, the last word should belong to that shining beacon of the American political landscape in the 1920's: Warren G. Harding who said: "I love the story of Paul Revere, whether he rode or not."

Everyone in America Should Read This Book!.......2007-06-14

I wish I could give it 10 'stars'! It is an entertaining read. It is unusual among history books in that the maps are actually useful, easy to understand and related to the text. The author writes the story so well, it almost reads like an entertaining novel. I definitely have a much greater appreciation of the events that sparked the American Revolution. I strongly urge everyone in America to read this book. It will change everything you never learned of American History in school.

Oh, by the way, I liked the book!

1st rate history that separates fact from the myth.......2007-04-21

David Hackett Fisher should be praised for his mid 1990s work on Paul Revere. The book was written years before "Founding Brothers" and bios of John Adams and George Washington made it acceptable again to study and revere our nations' founders. During the 1960-1990s most university historians focused on debunking any patriotic constructions of the American Revolution. and instead focused on the underlying social and economic factors that drove the conflict.

The author bravely presents a rebuttal that individuals do matter in the course of history. While Paul Revere's role clearly became an iconic symbol of American independence following the war, his actual contributions should not be tossed aside as pure myth. By ignoring most original scholarship and instead relying mainly on hundreds of original accounts of the events of 1775, the author presents a vivid and analytical retelling of the opening shots of the American Revolution and the intimate role of Paul Revere.

While Paul Revere did not lead the Revolution, he did do more than ride a horse late one night. The complex layers of the American insurgency against British occupation are wonderfully described. In, addition to the telling of Paul Revere's ride, the book contains a lengthy discussion of the Battles of Lexington and Concord from both the British and American perspective.

While this is not "thee" book on the American Revolution, it never tries to be. Instead it is a deeply researched, highly readable narrative of the early days of the American Revolution and the actual events of the famous midnight ride. Well worth you time for anyone who enjoys American history.

Evocative, interesting... but.......2007-03-29

To begin, I think that Fischer has very few superiors among historians for assembling material, and composing a story. Besides providing a detailed account he enriches it with cultural sidebars and descriptions of conditions and terrain that create an incredibly evocative text. the book was so visual i have no doubt it will stay in my memory long after ive forgotten better books. I definitely recommend it.
that being said I have a few criticisms I have not seen in other reviews. First I wish to address Fischer's theories of history which he perpetually attempts to budge into the narrative in an attempt at achieving the big idea. He maintains the importance of contingency in history and the impact of individual choice. the reader instinctively agrees but Fischer undercuts his thesis in this particular work by stressing the importance of collective action and communal responsibility. In fact the story is primarily one of community action and hence the irrelevance of his theory here. It comes across as forced.
More jarring is his dwelling on the virtues of his idealized revolutionaries vis a vis the degenerates of the modern world. The author quaintly and crotchedly flails at modern humanity in absurd generalized statements claiming we have no morality, thoughts of mortality, respect for ancestors, courage in warfare or communal responsibilty.
Finally, his historiagraphy section, while as an overview is helpful has irrelevant individual examples. He repeatedly uses non historians work to describe trends in the field. the obvious reason is so better to vent his spleen and hence make his point stronger. A dramatist and a novelist are his only examples for post vietnam history. He decries vietnam veteran Tim O'Brien for having the effrontery to identify with the British troops and thier quagmire, accusing him of "self pity." If only we had strong, patriotic men like Fischer over there we would have won handily! He also states that TWO textbooks in thirty years didnt even mention Paul Revere. Shocking! The implication seems to be that his work is a needed antidote to two centuries of misguided reporting, and that he, Fischer, will save us with the perfect synthesis of all that was good before.
Don't get me wrong I liked the book.

Another Brilliant History by David Hackett Fischer.......2006-12-12

This is brilliant book! It is, like any history written by David Hackett Fischer, extremely well researched and written and a tremendously compelling read.

Fischer focuses this history of the opening days of the American Revolutionary War on two figures; American Paul Revere and British General Thomas Gage. These individuals are used to examine the attitudes and culture of both sides as the war prepares to unfold and then explodes with a fury and intensity neither expected.

Fischer shows convincingly that the Americans were better prepared for the war than their British counterparts. Unlike the British, most Colonial military leaders and many of their soldiers were more experienced in warfare, having fought against the French and their indian allies in the Seven Years War, which preceded the Revolutionary War.

Fischer also dispels the myth of individual minutemen marching, fighting, and winning the first battle at Lexington and Concord. Instead, relatively well trained and drilled milita formations and regiments, alerted by a practiced system of riders, alert bells and musket and cannon shot, arrived in strength throughout the British march from Lexington and Concord back to Boston, inflicting a stinging defeat on Gage's men.

That luck had little to do with this was proven at the Battle of Bunker and Breed's hill, where well led militia inflicted more than a thousand casualties on the British. That battle prompted the British to send more troops and better commanders to America to pursue the war with increased intensity.

"Paul Revere's Ride" is recommended for any student - new or old - of the American Revolutionary War, especially for those who plan on visiting Lexington or Concord, where it all began.

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Brought the poem to life
Makes History Fun!
An amazingly beautiful and creative book.
What a treasure!
My four-year-old son loves this book!

The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Manufacturer: Handprint
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1929766130

Book Description

In his magnificent interpretation of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow s poem, Christopher Bing seamlessly weaves history and imagination into a rich portrait of an American hero. A meticulous researcher, Bing includes material that provides texture to history, maps that follow the British campaign to quell the rebellious citizenry, as well as the patriot s ride into the Massachusetts night of April, 1775. Documents firmly affixed into the book, including the British general s orders to his troops and Revere s own deposition relating the events, give the reader not only a visual experience but a tactile one as well. Far more than a brilliantly presented history lesson, this book represents a tour de force of coherent artistic vision. In an extraordinary series of rich and moody engravings, from the mysteriously shimmering rigging of the British sloop, The Somerset, looming in a moonlit Boston harbor to the taut urgency of a man and his horse galloping at a combustible moment in the American experience, this book illuminates our country s past unlike any other.

Customer Reviews:

Brought the poem to life.......2006-04-14

This is my child's oppinion of the book."I recently memorized this poem for school and found it quite boring and I did not want to learn it at all. But then after I learned it I read this book and saw all the pictures and I really started to appreciate that I learned it. The pictures really made the poem come to life and I really wish I had the book while learning it. Now I have it memorized and I am hoping to get a copy of the book!"

Makes History Fun!.......2005-09-24

This book is a gift for a home schooling mom like me, who frequently fell asleep in my history classes in school! It really evokes the excitement, mixed with fear that must have been present at that time in history. Longfellow perfectly captures the passion and determination that gripped these "patriots". In addition, the illustrations are fantastic - true art.

An amazingly beautiful and creative book........2004-01-03

This book comes alive when you open it and are allowed to step back in time with the wonderful backbeat of Longfellow's great American poem about the "the British are coming", and awakening of the people from Boston to Concord by Paul Revere. This is the beginning of America! Right before the "shot heard round the world" folks. A poem that shaped America not only in the eyes of Americans, but the rest of the world. Longfellow's poetry was simple genius. The art of Christopher Bing is outstanding. This exceptional book has the kind of creativity I would like to see more of in Children's Literature. A unique book that can be found on adult bookshelves as well.

What a treasure!.......2003-02-20

You know this book is special as soon as you touch it. You realize that the look of leather on the cover is just that, a look. You flip through the pages and find a scrapbook, complete with worn and mildewed pages, enhanced with token mementos that look so three-dimensional you must trace them with a tentative finger. A letter from Thomas Gage to Lieutenant Colonel Smith is tucked inside the front cover; the Deposition of Paul Revere is stuck in the back. We find a map of the British plan and a corresponding map of the Middlesex Alarm, including Revere's actual route. This is *not* just a casual recitation of the classic poem. The words proceed on faded sheets while Bing's illustrations hint at period woodcuts. No explanations are necessary within the text. Notes are saved for the end, and they reveal the minor inaccuracies in the Longfellow version (one of the biggest being that Paul Revere was captured outside of Lexington and that his companion Dr. Samuel Prescott was the one who made it all the way to Concord). A gift for any age ... especially for those of us who can chime off part of the rhyme but forget the whole story.

My four-year-old son loves this book!.......2003-02-01

Despite the "age" recommendation, I purchased this book for my four-year-old son. We've been reading it outloud for almost a year. He absolutely loves it! It's so hard to find books for children with classic authors' words presented, without apology, in their original form. And the drawings and details in this book are outstanding. My son loves to open and refold the reproductions of letter and newspaper in the front and back, and he loves to trace Paul Revere's ride on the map with his finger. A beautiful book, with much to teach any reader, of any age. This book should be declared a national treasure.

Average customer rating:

Beautifully Illustrated
It DOES contain the whole thing...
Great for Kids
Great book for teaching history to young children
used it for a report

Paul Revere's Ride
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Manufacturer: Puffin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0140556125

Amazon.com

"Listen, my children, and you shall hear/Of the midnight ride of Paul Revere ..." So begins one of the most stirring poems in American literature. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote "Paul Revere's Ride" in 1861, nearly 100 years after the actual midnight ride that began on April 18, in 1775. The poem creates a suspenseful story as American colonist Paul Revere decides with his friend Robert Newman and others to avert a British attack on Concord, Massachusetts. The British had come from Boston in search of the colonists' arms supply. What Revere and his friends didn't know was whether the Redcoats would come by land (around the mouth of the Charles River) or by sea (across the river). Newman spotted the British "by sea" and signaled from the Old North Church tower to Revere, who was "Ready to ride and spread the alarm/Through every Middlesex village and farm,/For the country folk to be up and to arm." And, by morning, the country folk were ready, indeed. "Chasing the red-coats down the lane,/Then crossing the fields to emerge again/Under the trees at the turn of the road,/And only pausing to fire and load." This battle, the first of the American Revolution, drove the British back to Boston.

Ted Rand--well-loved illustrator of The Hullabaloo ABC, Mailing May, Knots on a Counting Rope, and many other critically acclaimed titles--masters the mood and movement of the famous midnight ride, and children will love the power and drama of this historic American event. (Great read-aloud, ages 4 to 8)

Customer Reviews:

Beautifully Illustrated.......2007-03-09

The text is the classic Henry Wadsworth Longfellow poem, and the paintings give it new life for the visually-oriented kids of today. This book will help them visualize what the poem is talking about, which becomes more important as time passes and kids are less accustomed to reading the words of older poems. If you want kids to really appreciate this famous poem, this book should help them connect with it.

It DOES contain the whole thing..........2003-12-07

Just a point of correction on the review given by Seidur above--the Ted Rand illustrated edition not only contains the complete Longfellow poem, it is also correctly titled (contrary to two erroneous criticism made by Seidur). It is, I think, the best edition of this wonderful poem.

Great for Kids.......2003-11-15

A great introduction to Longfellow and the roots of this great Country. The artwork is beautiful. A good book for young children learning to read.

Great book for teaching history to young children.......2002-09-20

For the last two days I have read Paul Revere's Ride by Longfellow to my 4 and 7 year old. We have learned the history, vocabulary words, the different methods the artist used to illustrate the poem, and many other interesting facts. They are begging for more! What are great book! Longfellow makes history come to life. You can just feel the night air in Revere's face as he so courageously warns the people.

used it for a report.......2002-06-06

It had good information for my report in the back of the book. It had true history of the ride. I liked the illustrations. My moms friend did the design layout.

Average customer rating:

The story of Paul Revere's ride that is both informative and entertaining

Paul Revere's Ride (Step into Reading)
Shana Corey
Manufacturer: Random House Books for Young Readers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0375828362
Release Date: 2004-10-26

Book Description

The Redcoats are coming! The Redcoats are coming! Every second counts as patriot Paul Revere rides into the night to warn the colonists. Will he make it? Young readers will find out all about this real-life American hero in this fun, action-packed Step 3 reader.
“History and biography are also successful topics for level three readers. Random’s Step into Reading has the best offerings for the reading level. . . . They are high in kid appeal”—Booklist
Shana Corey was a Publishers Weekly Flying Start Author in 2000 and is also a Random House editor. She lives in Brooklyn, NY.

Customer Reviews:

The story of Paul Revere's ride that is both informative and entertaining.......2005-08-12

When I was a child what we learned about Paul Revere came from a few lines in our American history books and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's poem about his famous midnight ride. There is also the painting by Grant Wood that made an impression on me, but I only stumbled across that in one of my father's art books, which I would think is atypical for somebody in elementary school. However, all of those sources put together are not as engaging, and probably not as informative, as this story of "Paul Revere's Ride" written by Shana Corey and illustrated by Chris O'Leary.

Paul Revere did more than ride to warn the minutemen that the British were coming, and Corey and O'Leary work in lots of details that will appeal to young readers. Revere was a silversmith and while he made buckles, bowls, teapots, and trays it is the chain he made for someone's pet squirrel that serves as the first illustration in the book. From that engaging start young readers learn that Revere was also a dentist who made false teeth out of hippo tusks. After that we learn that at night Revere went out to meetings of the Sons of Liberty and find out about the Boston Tea Party and the events that led to the British marching on Concord and Lexington to arrest Sam Adams and John Hancock, two key colonial leaders.

The rest of the book tells the story of Revere's midnight ride, adding details that will particularly appeal to young children, and then covering what happened to Revere afterwards, ending with how Longfellow's poem, written in 1860, finally made him famous. The only fault on content that I find in the book is that while it mentions the name of Robert Newman, the man who would hang the one or two lanterns in the steeple of Christ Church (known today as Old North Church), it does not mention William Dawes, another Son of Liberty rider who actually left Boston by the southern route across Boston Neck to warn Adams and Hancock a half hour before Dr. Joseph Warren asked Revere to make his journey. If you ever do the Freedom Trail in Boston (highly recommended), you can visit the graves of Revere at the Old Granary burying ground (when Adams, Hancock and the victims of the Boston Massacre are also buried) and Dawes at the cemetery at King's Chapel.

This is a Step 3 book in the Step into Reading series, which is the Reading on Your Own level, appropriate to Grades 1-3 (these grade levels are only guides since children learning to read can progress through these steps at their own speed regardless of grade). If you child is comfortable tackling new words and likes to read on their own then they are ready for Step 3, which provides engaging characters, easy-to-follow plots, and popular topics, as "Paul Revere's Ride" amply proves. In helping children take their first steps towards independent reading there are also Step into Reading Sticker Books, Step into Reading Math Readers, Step into Reading Writer-In Readers, Step into Reading Phonic Readers, and Step into Reading Phonics First Steps. So there is a complete literacy program available.

The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere Poster: Handprint Books

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The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere Poster: Handprint Books
Christopher Bing
Manufacturer: Hand Print
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Poster
ASIN: 1929766378

Book Description

A poster celebrating the crowning moment of Longfellowâ€™s poem, illuminating Revereâ€™s ride on a muddy road to Lexington on that cold April night, and the parallel, almost mythic ride into the American imagination. The poster is printed on high-quality stock, spans over three feet wide, and includes the last stanza of the poem.

Paul Revere's Ride (Graphic Library: Graphic History)

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Paul Revere's Ride (Graphic Library: Graphic History)
Xavier Niz
Manufacturer: Capstone Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0736862099

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History come alive

Paul Revere's Ride: The Landlord's Tale
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Manufacturer: HarperCollins
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0688165524
Release Date: 2003-02-18

Book Description

Listen, my children, and you shall hear
Of the midnight ride of Paul Revere....

So begins Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's stirring tale of Paul Revere's ride and the first battle cry for American independence. Written over a century ago, the words still resonate today.

Now acclaimed artist Charles Santore has turned his attention to this historic event, immortalized in Longfellow's poem. Paul Revere, his horse, the Old North Church, the lantern, Lexington and Concord -- all spring from these pages, and make that famous race against time live once again.

Customer Reviews:

History come alive.......2004-03-08

When I first saw this book I was drawn to it. Longfellow's poem can be found anywhere, but Santore's illustrations certainly cannot! The illustrations in this book are beautiful, by far better than any other book on Revere's ride - the colors, the accuracy, the sheer brilliance - amazing work!

Paul Revere's Ride (Wonder Books Level 3 U S History)

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Paul Rever's Ride

Paul Revere's Ride (Wonder Books Level 3 U S History)
Cynthia Fitterer Klingel , and Robert B. Noyed
Manufacturer: Child's World
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Library Binding

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Book Description

A phonics-based nonfiction book for level-three beginning readers, providing information about Paul Revere's role in the events of the Revolutionary War. Includes a glossary, map, and a list of books and Web sites for further study.

Customer Reviews:

Paul Rever's Ride.......2001-08-24

Authors Cynthia Klingel and Robert Noyed have teamed up to bring an excellent resource for very young children to explore history at a level they can understand. Paul Revere's Ride is beautifully written for beginning readers. Paul Revere's Ride examines Paul Revere, including the significant events from his life and the role he played during the Pre Revolutionary war. The book, in a short span, encompasses these significant details of his life. Contrary to what the title suggests, it speaks little of the famous ride. However, it is a great introduction to Paul Revere and his place in history. Written in a lively style, it is clear and concise. It contains excellent illustrations including paintings and photographs that represent Paul Revere's life. It also contains, in the opening pages, a small map of the general area Mr. Revere operated within. This provides the young readers with an excellent initial feel for where the events described took place. An added bonus to this book is the high quality index, glossary, bibliography, and recommended web sites to further enhance knowledge of Paul Revere. This book is only one in a series of books that include other historical events and places written at reading levels appropriate for young children. This will make an excellent addition, especially to elementary schools.

The true story of Paul Revere,: His midnight ride, his arrest and court-martial, his useful public services,

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The true story of Paul Revere,: His midnight ride, his arrest and court-martial, his useful public services,
Charles Ferris Gettemy
Manufacturer: Little, Brown, and Co
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

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Paul Revere's Ride
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Manufacturer: Crowell
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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