Pulitzer Prize winning author and historian Rick Atkinson will appear at Washington Crossing Historic Park on Friday, May 31, at 7:30 PM for a lecture, Q&A, and signing of his new book, The British Are Coming: The War for America, Lexington to Princeton, 1775-1777.

This special event is co-hosted by the non-profit Friends of Washington Crossing Park and The David Library of the American Revolution, both of which will receive a portion of the proceeds from ticket sales.

About the Book

Atkinson’s latest book recounts the first twenty-one months of America’s violent war for independence. From the battles at Lexington and Concord in spring 1775 to those at Trenton and Princeton in winter 1776-1777, American militiamen and then the ragged Continental Army take on the world’s most formidable fighting force. Atkinson is returning to Washington Crossing to recount these dramatic events after completing some of his research for this book in the area.

It’s a gripping saga alive with astonishing characters: Henry Knox, the former bookseller with an uncanny understanding of artillery; Nathanael Greene, the blue-eyed bumpkin who becomes a brilliant battle captain; Benjamin Franklin, the self-made man who proves to be the wiliest of diplomats; and George Washington, the commander in chief who learns the difficult art of leadership when the war seems all but lost. The story is also told from the British perspective, making the mortal conflict between the redcoats and the rebels all the more compelling.

At the request of the publisher, the author will only sign books purchased through this event, from the gift shop in the Washington Crossing Historic Park Visitor Center (receipt required), or from Farley’s Bookshop in New Hope, PA (receipt required).

Frequently Asked Questions

What’s included with my ticket?
Each ticket provides one or two guests with admission to Rick Atkinson’s lecture and a Q&A session. Guests who purchase a ticket that includes a book will receive one free copy of The British Are Coming. Light refreshments will be served.

Can I buy a ticket at the door?
No tickets will be sold at the door. Online ticket sales will close on May 27.

Are tickets refundable?
All sales are final; no refunds will be given for any reason, no exceptions.

Do I have to bring my printed ticket to the event?
You may print out your ticket or show us your ticket on your phone screen.

Is my ticket transferable?
You may give your hard copy ticket(s) to someone else. The recipient must bring the ticket(s) with them to the event, as their name will not be on our list of registered attendees.

Can I bring a pre-ordered copy of the book? Can I bring my copy of another Rick Atkinson book for the author to sign?
At the request of the publisher, the author will sign books purchased only through this event, from the gift shop at Washington Crossing Historic Park (receipt required), or from Farley’s Bookshop in New Hope, PA (receipt required).

Where can I park?
Washington Crossing Historic Park’s Visitor Center (1112 River Road, Washington Crossing, PA) has ample parking that will be clearly marked.

Is the Visitor Center wheelchair accessible?
Yes, the Washington Crossing Historic Park Visitor Center and auditorium are wheelchair accessible. Individuals who need special assistance or accommodations to attend should call 215-493-4076.

I have another question. How can I get in touch?
Please call the Washington Crossing Historic Park Visitor Center at 215-493-4076.

About the Author

Rick Atkinson is author of The British Are Coming: The War for America, Lexington to Princeton, 1775-1777, the first volume of his intended Revolution Trilogy, a history of the American rebellion through 1783.

He is also author of the Liberation Trilogy, a narrative history of the liberation of Europe in World War II. The first volume, An Army at Dawn: The War in North Africa, 1942-1943, received the Pulitzer Prize and was acclaimed by the Wall Street Journal as “the best World War II battle narrative since Cornelius Ryan’s classics, The Longest Day and A Bridge Too Far.”

The second volume, The Day of Battle: The War in Sicily and Italy, 1943-1944, drew praise from the New York Times as “a triumph of narrative history, elegantly written…and rooted in the sight and sounds of battle.”

The final volume of the Liberation Trilogy, The Guns at Last Light: The War in Western Europe, 1944-1945, published in May 2013, ranked #1 on the New York Times bestseller list. The Wall Street Journal called it “a magnificent book,” and the New York Times Book Review described it as “a tapestry of fabulous richness and complexity…The Liberation Trilogy is a monumental achievement.”

Atkinson is also the best-selling author of The Long Gray Line, a narrative saga about the West Point class of 1966, and Crusade, a narrative history of the Persian Gulf War. He also wrote In the Company of Soldiers, an account of his time with General David H. Petraeus and the 101st Airborne Division during the invasion of Iraq in 2003; the New York Times Book Review called the book “the most intimate, vivid, and well-informed account yet published” about that war, and Newsweek cited it as one of the ten best books of 2004. He is the lead essayist in Where Valor Rests: Arlington National Cemetery, published by National Geographic in 2007.

Atkinson’s awards include the 2003 Pulitzer Prize for history; the 1982 Pulitzer Prize for national reporting; and the 1999 Pulitzer Prize for public service, awarded to the Washington Post for investigative articles directed and edited by Atkinson on shootings by District of Columbia police officers. He is winner of the 1989 George Polk Award for national reporting, the 2003 Society for Military History Distinguished Book Award, the 2007 Gerald R. Ford Award for Distinguished Reporting on National Defense, the 2010 Pritzker Military Library Literature Award for Lifetime Achievement in Military Writing, the 2013 New York Military Affairs Symposium award for lifetime achievement, and the 2014 Samuel Eliot Morison Prize for lifetime achievement from the Society for Military History. In December 2015 he received the Peggy V. Helmerich Distinguished Author Award, previously given to Saul Bellow, Toni Morrison, and David McCullough. Atkinson has served as the Gen. Omar N. Bradley Chair of Strategic Leadership at the U.S. Army War College, where he remains an adjunct faculty member. He is a Presidential Counselor at the National World War II Museum in New Orleans, a member of the Society of American Historians, and an inductee in the Academy of Achievement, for which he also serves as a board member. He serves on the governing commission of the National Portrait Gallery.

Atkinson worked as a reporter, foreign correspondent, and senior editor for two decades at the Washington Post. His last assignments were covering the 101st Airborne during the invasion of Iraq in 2003, and writing about roadside bombs in Iraq and Afghanistan in 2007. Previously he served as the assistant managing editor for investigations. Atkinson’s journalism career began at the Pittsburg (Kansas) Morning Sun in 1976; in 1977, he moved to the Kansas City Times, before going to the Washington Post in 1983. Among other assignments, he served as the Post’s Berlin bureau chief, covering not only Germany and NATO, but also spending considerable time in Somalia and Bosnia.

Born in Munich, Germany, Atkinson is the son of a U.S. Army officer and grew up on military posts. He holds a bachelor of arts degree from East Carolina University and a master of arts degree in English literature from the University of Chicago. He and his wife, Dr. Jane Chestnut Atkinson of Lawrence, Kansas, a researcher and clinician at the National Institutes of Health, live in the District of Columbia.