My Father's America ebook series (2 Viewers)

[Tom Servo]

Do we have a time frame for Vol 3?

 

[jamny]

OK, so I've run into a bit of a dilemma.

I had about 50 pages left to edit in Volume Three and I was checking the spelling on some towns when I noticed the exact order of the towns listed as coming from another book. Uh-oh. I look a little further and find small portions from a few other books, a couple of sentences here, a paragraph there. Nothing major, but enough to get me concerned. So I go back to Volume One and I find maybe 4 or 5 sentences, after doing Google search on literally hundreds of sections of the book, that are taken from other books. I'm a little relieved. I do Volume Two and find a few more, including one section of about three paragraphs in a row from another book.

Anyone who has read the books knows he quotes a lot of things. I was always concerned about the lack of footnotes but the quotations all seem to come from the original texts and fall into public domain. Some of these other things also seem to fall into public domain either directly, or from books that are using things from public domain. Others, I'm not so sure about. So I do some research into Copyright violation, plagarism, fair use, etc. There are so many fine points to the laws that I think it falls into fair use but I'm not sure. On one hand, there is so little of it compared to the full volume of text but on the other hand, how do I know where the rest comes from? Maybe other stuff hasn't been transferred to digital and isn't searchable yet. I just don't know.

So I call my mom and ask her if my dad ever mentioned wanting to get this stuff published. She said that he never mentioned it, that he was doing it for himself. Which just continues to baffle me. It's one thing to learn it but to write it out like this...I really wish I would've talked to him about it. This whole thing has been a bit of a rollercoaster of emotions at times.

Anyway, I'm not sure what to do at this point. My first thought was just to shut it all down, pull them from the market. Now I'm wondering if I just put them out without charging for them, it'll bypass any possible legal issues. I don't know what to do. Maybe some legal types here on FFA could give me some advice. I won't be putting out Volume Three until I make a decision. I was pretty excited about finishing it up and getting it out but I've just shelved it for a few weeks now because it's gotten me bummed out. If 95% of this is his own, I would hate for the other 5% to cause a problem.

 

[Bottomfeeder Sports]

OK, so I've run into a bit of a dilemma.

And I wanted to give you a hard time for wasting your time with all of your postings the past few weeks...

Anyway, I'm not sure what to do at this point. My first thought was just to shut it all down, pull them from the market. Now I'm wondering if I just put them out without charging for them, it'll bypass any possible legal issues. I don't know what to do. Maybe some legal types here on FFA could give me some advice.

I'm not much help here legally, but I doubt how much you are charging will matter. Think of how much mp3.com or Napster was charging. We do have lots of IP lawyers here, though I doubt many will give you much specific advice.

I won't be putting out Volume Three until I make a decision. I was pretty excited about finishing it up and getting it out but I've just shelved it for a few weeks now because it's gotten me bummed out. If 95% of this is his own, I would hate for the other 5% to cause a problem.

Completely understood. Hope it doesn't come to this, but if so hope my for the first two was enough to at least get you a .

 

[Tom Servo]

If you've got to work through legal issues, that's OK. If you were just being slow, that's not acceptable!

 

[jamny]

Some encouraging news, at least for me.

I've spent the past week or so going through Volume One, sentence after sentence, section after section. Outside of a couple of descriptive terms for some Indian tribes and a couple of accounts of Columbus that date back to the 1800's, I haven't found anything to concern me. It's a relief for me that I can put that book behind me and leave it as is without any fear that it's not 99.9% percent his own words.

On to Volume Two. Maybe I'm being too over-cautious but I couldn't promote these without feeling confident in their origins. Hopefully I can get on track to put out Volume Three by the end of the month.

 

[jamny]

OK, so clearly I was being paranoid. I've gone through the first two books and there's nothing that isn't either fair use or public domain. Sorry to doubt you dad. You knew what you were doing. All systems go for Volume Three.

 

[Bottomfeeder Sports]

OK, so clearly I was being paranoid. I've gone through the first two books and there's nothing that isn't either fair use or public domain. Sorry to doubt you dad. You knew what you were doing. All systems go for Volume Three.

Are you still 50 pages, a week or two from being ready to release?

 

[jamny]

OK, so clearly I was being paranoid. I've gone through the first two books and there's nothing that isn't either fair use or public domain. Sorry to doubt you dad. You knew what you were doing. All systems go for Volume Three.

Are you still 50 pages, a week or two from being ready to release?

Yeah, I still have about 50 pages left. I'll give it a once over again like I just did with the first two. I'll just still feel more comfortable doing that to all the books. I have the basic layout of the cover, just need to get the files over to the girl doing my covers. Should be out by the end of the month.Thanks for asking!

 

[Tom Servo]

OK, so clearly I was being paranoid. I've gone through the first two books and there's nothing that isn't either fair use or public domain. Sorry to doubt you dad. You knew what you were doing. All systems go for Volume Three.

Are you still 50 pages, a week or two from being ready to release?

Yeah, I still have about 50 pages left. I'll give it a once over again like I just did with the first two. I'll just still feel more comfortable doing that to all the books. I have the basic layout of the cover, just need to get the files over to the girl doing my covers. Should be out by the end of the month.Thanks for asking!

:thankyou:

 

[Uruk-Hai]

How did I miss this thread? 1st 2 volumes are on my wish list. Looks really cool and I'm interested in learning more about pre-Colonial America as that was always glossed over in school.

I'll put a review up on Amazon when I finish each. Good luck, Jam!

 

[apalmer]

Now that you're comfortable with the product again, I posted my review of Volume II at Amazon. Glad to know things are back on track.

 

[jamny]

Now that you're comfortable with the product again, I posted my review of Volume II at Amazon. Glad to know things are back on track.

Very cool review. I really appreciate it.Hope you don't mind if I post it here:

As he did in Volume I, the author provides an interesting look at not only the major events and people during the colonization period, but also delves into a myriad of lesser-known personalities and the "facts behind the facts" that provided the impetus for the colonization and set the stage for the revolution. His approach is reminscent of Paul Harvey's "The rest of the story", resulting in repeated "so that's why..." reactions from the reader. I'm looking forward to Volume III to see how little I actually know about the Revolutionary War.

Thanks!

 

[jamny]

How did I miss this thread? 1st 2 volumes are on my wish list. Looks really cool and I'm interested in learning more about pre-Colonial America as that was always glossed over in school.I'll put a review up on Amazon when I finish each. Good luck, Jam!

Thank-you!Hope you like them. Look forward to the reviews. They really do help to motivate me.

 

[Tom Servo]

Bumpy-bump bump.

 

[Redwes25]

OK, so clearly I was being paranoid. I've gone through the first two books and there's nothing that isn't either fair use or public domain. Sorry to doubt you dad. You knew what you were doing. All systems go for Volume Three.

Great news. If you do find anything else when doing your double check I would just footnote the source.

 

[jamny]

For those who might be interested, I've posted an update on a new page I've created for the books. My Father's America. No release date yet for Volume Three but the first two are now downloadable for free on the site.

For the update, click the Read More link next to the pic of me and my dad.

 

[Bottomfeeder Sports]

For those who might be interested, I've posted an update on a new page I've created for the books. My Father's America. No release date yet for Volume Three but the first two are now downloadable for free on the site.

For the update, click the Read More link next to the pic of me and my dad.

I was worried since the links for the first two went dead on Amazon. (At least they were.)

 

[jamny]

For those who might be interested, I've posted an update on a new page I've created for the books. My Father's America. No release date yet for Volume Three but the first two are now downloadable for free on the site.

For the update, click the Read More link next to the pic of me and my dad.

I was worried since the links for the first two went dead on Amazon. (At least they were.)

Yeah, I pulled them from all the sites. They're available to put back up as is but that would take sitting with a lawyer and getting assurances that everything's cool. I'm positive I could make it work but we live in such a litigious society that I won't ever know for sure unless the whole thing is analysed by a professional. I'll definitely look into it eventually but for now, this is it.

 

[Tom Servo]

Thanks for the update GB. I'll drop a donation on you when I do the bills later this weekend.

BTW, is "Inglishe" a typo or is it intentional?

 

[jamny]

Thanks for the update GB. I'll drop a donation on you when I do the bills later this weekend.BTW, is "Inglishe" a typo or is it intentional?

I appreciate that but the comments and encouragement I've gotten from you and others in this thread have been payment enough. In reality, while I will give any donations to her, it's really there so I can give her money without her thinking it's just from us. She doesn't accept money easily. and the Inglishe actually isn't a typo. It comes from a quote by Sir Walter Ralieigh about the colonization of America, "I shall yet live to see it an Inglishe nation"

 

[Tom Servo]

Thanks for the update GB. I'll drop a donation on you when I do the bills later this weekend.BTW, is "Inglishe" a typo or is it intentional?

I appreciate that but the comments and encouragement I've gotten from you and others in this thread have been payment enough. In reality, while I will give any donations to her, it's really there so I can give her money without her thinking it's just from us. She doesn't accept money easily. and the Inglishe actually isn't a typo. It comes from a quote by Sir Walter Ralieigh about the colonization of America, "I shall yet live to see it an Inglishe nation"

I started reading Volume 1 & it is a very enjoyable read. Your dad put a lot into it and it shows. It has the ability to hold you and not let you put it down. His writing is good; you are justified in being proud of his work.

 

[jamny]

Thanks for the update GB. I'll drop a donation on you when I do the bills later this weekend.BTW, is "Inglishe" a typo or is it intentional?

I appreciate that but the comments and encouragement I've gotten from you and others in this thread have been payment enough. In reality, while I will give any donations to her, it's really there so I can give her money without her thinking it's just from us. She doesn't accept money easily. and the Inglishe actually isn't a typo. It comes from a quote by Sir Walter Ralieigh about the colonization of America, "I shall yet live to see it an Inglishe nation"

I started reading Volume 1 & it is a very enjoyable read. Your dad put a lot into it and it shows. It has the ability to hold you and not let you put it down. His writing is good; you are justified in being proud of his work.

Thanks!The first one will always be my favorite for sentimental reasons as it was my first exposure to what he wrote. But it is also more close to what I'm into. I'm still not that much into American history, as much as I try to be. It doesn't grab me as much as things like Egypt, Rome, biblical history, archaoelogy and astronomy. I did well enough in school to get by but didn't retain much. These are like my history lessons. There are 8 of them and the 9th is unfinished. It's gonna be sad to get to that point.Here's a little tidbit, I just remembered. My dad's cancer was a tumor on his spine. He lost feeling in his left arm, he was left handed, and the doctors insisted it was muscle related. After a year of steroids, muscle therapy, etc. he got a second opinion and they found the tumor. I don't know how much of the books were typed this way but for the last year or so he typed with just his right hand. What really bummed me out was seeing his handwriting using his right hand. He always had this amazing handwriting/penmanship. I was always so sloppy.

 

[jamny]

Free downloads of Volume Three - The World Turned Upside Down are now available

Link

 

[Bottomfeeder Sports]

 

[jamny]

No, thank you!

 

[apalmer]

No, thank you!

No, thank you for the nice Christmas present.

 

[Maelstrom]

Been interested in reading more about the early years of America lately, this looks like as good a place to start as any. Apparently I missed this thread when it was originally posted/bumped.

 

[jamny]

Been interested in reading more about the early years of America lately, this looks like as good a place to start as any. Apparently I missed this thread when it was originally posted/bumped.

Hope you enjoy them.

 

[jamny]

No, thank you!

No, thank you for the nice Christmas present.

Glad to get it finally done in time for Christmas.

 

[Bottomfeeder Sports]

Link[/URL]I hope to continue on with Volume Four"] this[/URL].

 

[Tom Servo]

How did I miss this? I have to go get Volume 3 now.

 

[jamny]

Link[/URL]I hope to continue on with Volume Four"] this[/URL].

It's funny you mention how he downplays some of the more known stories. I noticed it as well, most notably with the first Thanksgiving in the second book and Paul Revere in this one. I was actually hoping for a little more insight and was surprised how little attention was paid to them. I guess, as you say, there is enough mythology surrounding some of these things that he decided to acknowledge them but keep them in the context of the greater picture. Vol. 4 is on hold probably until the summer. At the least what I hope to do is to continue putting them out as I am now, even getting rid of the donation if needed, just to get them out. My preference would be to have a professional review them, giving credit where due, maybe doing some additional edits and release them like I originally intended so more people can find them. I just don't know how expensive that will be. It's something I'll look seriously into once the summer comes and work slows down.Meanwhile, since you're into it, here's a snippet from Volume 4 (which ends in 1815) you'll enjoy:

Well pleased by their easy success at Washington, Ross and Cochrane had meanwhile allowed Cockburn to persuade them to attack Baltimore as well. Again it was to be a joint land-water attack. The British regulars under Ross were to land at North Point and assault the city from the east, while Cochrane and his fleet would reduce Fort McHenry, guarding the inner harbor, and then bombard the city itself into submission.But Baltimore was not about to repeat the mistakes of Washington. More than 10,000 men were scraped together to man the strong positions where General Ross intended to make his attack. The defenses of Fort McHenry were strengthened, and a number of boats were sunk at the entrance of the harbor to block the passage of the British fleet. And a brigade of nearly 1,000 sailors did much to quiet the fears of the citizens of Baltimore.On Sunday, September 11, word reached Baltimore that the British were on their way up the bay with the obvious intention of attacking the city. The Sabbath services were interrupted by this news, and the minister dismissed his congregation with the prayer: “May the Lord bless King George, convert him, and take him to Heaven, as we want no more of him.” At the same time, there were two incidents that did much to make the coming battle a moment forever memorable in the American mind. A young Georgetown lawyer named Francis Scott Key had gone out to the British to try to arrange the release of an American being held by them. He was politely received by Admiral Cochrane, but was then detained so he could not carry back some word of the British plan of attack, and Key was forced to watch the coming events from aboard one of the British ships. And a year earlier, when Fort McHenry was being refurbished, it had been decided that there also would be “a flag so large that the British will have no difficulty in seeing it from a distance.” The task was handed to a young widow, whose specialty was making flags; 400 yards of cloth were used in making the huge flag - 15 stars, each two feet across, and 13 stripes, alternately red and white, two feet in width. The flag was now raised on its towering pole, and it could indeed be seen miles away.General Ross, with 4,700 overconfident redcoats looking for more action, landed at North Point early in the morning of September 12, and were immediately met by 1,500 grim and determined militiamen, who held them off for more than an hour, inflicting serious casualties, including General Ross himself. And when the British navy tried to come to their countrymen's aid by sending out another 1,200 men in barges, they too were driven back by the defenders of Fort McHenry. The fort would have to be silenced, and the British began to rain bombs, shrapnel shells and red-glaring incendiary rockets on the garrison, hoping to set fire to anything combustible. The flight time of a bomb was calculated by the officer in charge, and the fuse was cut to the proper length to have the bomb explode just before impact, throwing its deadly shrapnel far and wide. It was a crude and unreliable method at best, and many of the bombs exploded too soon, others after impact, and some not at all; the famous “bombs bursting in air” was thus an appropriate description of many such shells.Hour after hour, all through the day and the following night, the bombardment continued without any sign that the fort was being substantially weakened. The British fleet threw nearly 1,800 missiles at Fort McHenry, but the next morning, by the dawn's early light, Francis Scott Key, still aboard one of the British ships, saw that the Star-Spangled Banner was still there. Key was a man of Federalist inclinations and was by no means a supporter of Mr. Madison's War; he also deplored Baltimore's reputation as a mob city. But his experiences with the British officers had been disillusioning. He found them “ignorant and vulgar . . . filled with a spirit of malignity against everything American.” On this morning of September 13, 1814, he now sat down and wrote a poem for the occasion on the back of a letter he found in his pocket.The British had meanwhile reconsidered their plans of attacking the city of Baltimore. The commanders had been informed that 15,000 Americans were dug in behind strong fortifications, supported by 120 guns. 15,000 Americans seemed rather a large number for 4,500 British soldiers to engage, even if they were Wellington's veterans. And now that General Ross was dead, it was decided that discretion was indeed the better part of valor, and the British troops and navy prepared to withdraw. The militiamen, too, went home, properly pleased with themselves, and the war on the Chesapeake had come to an end.

 

[jamny]

How did I miss this? I have to go get Volume 3 now.

 

[Tom Servo]

How did I miss this? I have to go get Volume 3 now.

One question I do have...volume one was what? 300-400 pages (per my Nook). When I downloaded Volume 2 I was as it was 1100 pages. Volume 3 is around 350 pages. Any reason for the vast discrepancy? I haven't got to Volume 2 yet but wouldn't have been easier to break that down into 2 or 3 parts? Just curious.

 

[jamny]

How did I miss this? I have to go get Volume 3 now.

One question I do have...volume one was what? 300-400 pages (per my Nook). When I downloaded Volume 2 I was as it was 1100 pages. Volume 3 is around 350 pages. Any reason for the vast discrepancy? I haven't got to Volume 2 yet but wouldn't have been easier to break that down into 2 or 3 parts? Just curious.

I'll have to look at why that happened to you. Vol 2 is around 300 pages as well.

 

[Tom Servo]

How did I miss this? I have to go get Volume 3 now.

One question I do have...volume one was what? 300-400 pages (per my Nook). When I downloaded Volume 2 I was as it was 1100 pages. Volume 3 is around 350 pages. Any reason for the vast discrepancy? I haven't got to Volume 2 yet but wouldn't have been easier to break that down into 2 or 3 parts? Just curious.

I'll have to look at why that happened to you. Vol 2 is around 300 pages as well.

And I'll double check when I get home today.

 

[apalmer]

How did I miss this? I have to go get Volume 3 now.

One question I do have...volume one was what? 300-400 pages (per my Nook). When I downloaded Volume 2 I was as it was 1100 pages. Volume 3 is around 350 pages. Any reason for the vast discrepancy? I haven't got to Volume 2 yet but wouldn't have been easier to break that down into 2 or 3 parts? Just curious.

I'll have to look at why that happened to you. Vol 2 is around 300 pages as well.

And I'll double check when I get home today.

FWIW, Volume 2 is 421 pages on my Nook.

 

[jamny]

How did I miss this? I have to go get Volume 3 now.

One question I do have...volume one was what? 300-400 pages (per my Nook). When I downloaded Volume 2 I was as it was 1100 pages. Volume 3 is around 350 pages. Any reason for the vast discrepancy? I haven't got to Volume 2 yet but wouldn't have been easier to break that down into 2 or 3 parts? Just curious.

I'll have to look at why that happened to you. Vol 2 is around 300 pages as well.

And I'll double check when I get home today.

FWIW, Volume 2 is 421 pages on my Nook.

does that change as you alter the font size?

 

[apalmer]

How did I miss this? I have to go get Volume 3 now.

One question I do have...volume one was what? 300-400 pages (per my Nook). When I downloaded Volume 2 I was as it was 1100 pages. Volume 3 is around 350 pages. Any reason for the vast discrepancy? I haven't got to Volume 2 yet but wouldn't have been easier to break that down into 2 or 3 parts? Just curious.

I'll have to look at why that happened to you. Vol 2 is around 300 pages as well.

And I'll double check when I get home today.

FWIW, Volume 2 is 421 pages on my Nook.

does that change as you alter the font size?

No--changing font size only changes the number of screens per page.

 

[jamny]

No--changing font size only changes the number of screens per page.

yeah, I'm not sure what it is. Maybe something in how I formatted it. Vol 2 is 311 pages.

 

[Bottomfeeder Sports]

Link[/URL]I hope to continue on with Volume Four"] this[/URL].

It's funny you mention how he downplays some of the more known stories. I noticed it as well, most notably with the first Thanksgiving in the second book and Paul Revere in this one. I was actually hoping for a little more insight and was surprised how little attention was paid to them. I guess, as you say, there is enough mythology surrounding some of these things that he decided to acknowledge them but keep them in the context of the greater picture. Vol. 4 is on hold probably until the summer. At the least what I hope to do is to continue putting them out as I am now, even getting rid of the donation if needed, just to get them out. My preference would be to have a professional review them, giving credit where due, maybe doing some additional edits and release them like I originally intended so more people can find them. I just don't know how expensive that will be. It's something I'll look seriously into once the summer comes and work slows down.Meanwhile, since you're into it, here's a snippet from Volume 4 (which ends in 1815) you'll enjoy:

Well pleased by their easy success at Washington, Ross and Cochrane had meanwhile allowed Cockburn to persuade them to attack Baltimore as well. Again it was to be a joint land-water attack. The British regulars under Ross were to land at North Point and assault the city from the east, while Cochrane and his fleet would reduce Fort McHenry, guarding the inner harbor, and then bombard the city itself into submission.But Baltimore was not about to repeat the mistakes of Washington. More than 10,000 men were scraped together to man the strong positions where General Ross intended to make his attack. The defenses of Fort McHenry were strengthened, and a number of boats were sunk at the entrance of the harbor to block the passage of the British fleet. And a brigade of nearly 1,000 sailors did much to quiet the fears of the citizens of Baltimore.On Sunday, September 11, word reached Baltimore that the British were on their way up the bay with the obvious intention of attacking the city. The Sabbath services were interrupted by this news, and the minister dismissed his congregation with the prayer: “May the Lord bless King George, convert him, and take him to Heaven, as we want no more of him.” At the same time, there were two incidents that did much to make the coming battle a moment forever memorable in the American mind. A young Georgetown lawyer named Francis Scott Key had gone out to the British to try to arrange the release of an American being held by them. He was politely received by Admiral Cochrane, but was then detained so he could not carry back some word of the British plan of attack, and Key was forced to watch the coming events from aboard one of the British ships. And a year earlier, when Fort McHenry was being refurbished, it had been decided that there also would be “a flag so large that the British will have no difficulty in seeing it from a distance.” The task was handed to a young widow, whose specialty was making flags; 400 yards of cloth were used in making the huge flag - 15 stars, each two feet across, and 13 stripes, alternately red and white, two feet in width. The flag was now raised on its towering pole, and it could indeed be seen miles away.General Ross, with 4,700 overconfident redcoats looking for more action, landed at North Point early in the morning of September 12, and were immediately met by 1,500 grim and determined militiamen, who held them off for more than an hour, inflicting serious casualties, including General Ross himself. And when the British navy tried to come to their countrymen's aid by sending out another 1,200 men in barges, they too were driven back by the defenders of Fort McHenry. The fort would have to be silenced, and the British began to rain bombs, shrapnel shells and red-glaring incendiary rockets on the garrison, hoping to set fire to anything combustible. The flight time of a bomb was calculated by the officer in charge, and the fuse was cut to the proper length to have the bomb explode just before impact, throwing its deadly shrapnel far and wide. It was a crude and unreliable method at best, and many of the bombs exploded too soon, others after impact, and some not at all; the famous “bombs bursting in air” was thus an appropriate description of many such shells.Hour after hour, all through the day and the following night, the bombardment continued without any sign that the fort was being substantially weakened. The British fleet threw nearly 1,800 missiles at Fort McHenry, but the next morning, by the dawn's early light, Francis Scott Key, still aboard one of the British ships, saw that the Star-Spangled Banner was still there. Key was a man of Federalist inclinations and was by no means a supporter of Mr. Madison's War; he also deplored Baltimore's reputation as a mob city. But his experiences with the British officers had been disillusioning. He found them “ignorant and vulgar . . . filled with a spirit of malignity against everything American.” On this morning of September 13, 1814, he now sat down and wrote a poem for the occasion on the back of a letter he found in his pocket.The British had meanwhile reconsidered their plans of attacking the city of Baltimore. The commanders had been informed that 15,000 Americans were dug in behind strong fortifications, supported by 120 guns. 15,000 Americans seemed rather a large number for 4,500 British soldiers to engage, even if they were Wellington's veterans. And now that General Ross was dead, it was decided that discretion was indeed the better part of valor, and the British troops and navy prepared to withdraw. The militiamen, too, went home, properly pleased with themselves, and the war on the Chesapeake had come to an end.

Glad to read that volume 4 may exist at some point. Thanks for the tease.

 

[jamny]

Glad to read that volume 4 may exist at some point. Thanks for the tease.

Eventually they'll all exist. Even if I'm just emailing them to people.

 

[Redwes25]

Free downloads of Volume Three - The World Turned Upside Down are now availableLink

Nice, looking forward to reading this.ETA - How do I get this on my kindle? Never put a book on it except from Amazon.

 

[Rohn Jambo]

"Click, click, click, click…ding! Ziiiiip.". How can I order these books?

 

[jamny]

"Click, click, click, click…ding! Ziiiiip.". How can I order these books?

I put a link in the OP

 

[jamny]

Free downloads of Volume Three - The World Turned Upside Down are now availableLink

Nice, looking forward to reading this.ETA - How do I get this on my kindle? Never put a book on it except from Amazon.

Not really sure how that works. I never played around with a kindle. Do they have usb?

 

[Tom Servo]

How did I miss this? I have to go get Volume 3 now.

One question I do have...volume one was what? 300-400 pages (per my Nook). When I downloaded Volume 2 I was as it was 1100 pages. Volume 3 is around 350 pages. Any reason for the vast discrepancy? I haven't got to Volume 2 yet but wouldn't have been easier to break that down into 2 or 3 parts? Just curious.

I'll have to look at why that happened to you. Vol 2 is around 300 pages as well.

And I'll double check when I get home today.

FWIW, Volume 2 is 421 pages on my Nook.

What I found is that every time I swipe for another section, I get a page. Normally it's around 3 swipes per page. This is 1 per page. Weird.

 

[Tom Servo]

I'm getting close to being ready for Volume 4. Any word?

 

[Bottomfeeder Sports]

Link[/URL] I hope to continue on with Volume Four"] this[/URL].

It's funny you mention how he downplays some of the more known stories. I noticed it as well, most notably with the first Thanksgiving in the second book and Paul Revere in this one. I was actually hoping for a little more insight and was surprised how little attention was paid to them. I guess, as you say, there is enough mythology surrounding some of these things that he decided to acknowledge them but keep them in the context of the greater picture. Vol. 4 is on hold probably until the summer. At the least what I hope to do is to continue putting them out as I am now, even getting rid of the donation if needed, just to get them out. My preference would be to have a professional review them, giving credit where due, maybe doing some additional edits and release them like I originally intended so more people can find them. I just don't know how expensive that will be. It's something I'll look seriously into once the summer comes and work slows down. Meanwhile, since you're into it, here's a snippet from Volume 4 (which ends in 1815) you'll enjoy:

Well pleased by their easy success at Washington, Ross and Cochrane had meanwhile allowed Cockburn to persuade them to attack Baltimore as well. Again it was to be a joint land-water attack. The British regulars under Ross were to land at North Point and assault the city from the east, while Cochrane and his fleet would reduce Fort McHenry, guarding the inner harbor, and then bombard the city itself into submission. But Baltimore was not about to repeat the mistakes of Washington. More than 10,000 men were scraped together to man the strong positions where General Ross intended to make his attack. The defenses of Fort McHenry were strengthened, and a number of boats were sunk at the entrance of the harbor to block the passage of the British fleet. And a brigade of nearly 1,000 sailors did much to quiet the fears of the citizens of Baltimore. On Sunday, September 11, word reached Baltimore that the British were on their way up the bay with the obvious intention of attacking the city. The Sabbath services were interrupted by this news, and the minister dismissed his congregation with the prayer: May the Lord bless King George, convert him, and take him to Heaven, as we want no more of him. At the same time, there were two incidents that did much to make the coming battle a moment forever memorable in the American mind. A young Georgetown lawyer named Francis Scott Key had gone out to the British to try to arrange the release of an American being held by them. He was politely received by Admiral Cochrane, but was then detained so he could not carry back some word of the British plan of attack, and Key was forced to watch the coming events from aboard one of the British ships. And a year earlier, when Fort McHenry was being refurbished, it had been decided that there also would be a flag so large that the British will have no difficulty in seeing it from a distance. The task was handed to a young widow, whose specialty was making flags; 400 yards of cloth were used in making the huge flag - 15 stars, each two feet across, and 13 stripes, alternately red and white, two feet in width. The flag was now raised on its towering pole, and it could indeed be seen miles away. General Ross, with 4,700 overconfident redcoats looking for more action, landed at North Point early in the morning of September 12, and were immediately met by 1,500 grim and determined militiamen, who held them off for more than an hour, inflicting serious casualties, including General Ross himself. And when the British navy tried to come to their countrymen's aid by sending out another 1,200 men in barges, they too were driven back by the defenders of Fort McHenry. The fort would have to be silenced, and the British began to rain bombs, shrapnel shells and red-glaring incendiary rockets on the garrison, hoping to set fire to anything combustible. The flight time of a bomb was calculated by the officer in charge, and the fuse was cut to the proper length to have the bomb explode just before impact, throwing its deadly shrapnel far and wide. It was a crude and unreliable method at best, and many of the bombs exploded too soon, others after impact, and some not at all; the famous bombs bursting in air was thus an appropriate description of many such shells. Hour after hour, all through the day and the following night, the bombardment continued without any sign that the fort was being substantially weakened. The British fleet threw nearly 1,800 missiles at Fort McHenry, but the next morning, by the dawn's early light, Francis Scott Key, still aboard one of the British ships, saw that the Star-Spangled Banner was still there. Key was a man of Federalist inclinations and was by no means a supporter of Mr. Madison's War; he also deplored Baltimore's reputation as a mob city. But his experiences with the British officers had been disillusioning. He found them ignorant and vulgar . . . filled with a spirit of malignity against everything American. On this morning of September 13, 1814, he now sat down and wrote a poem for the occasion on the back of a letter he found in his pocket. The British had meanwhile reconsidered their plans of attacking the city of Baltimore. The commanders had been informed that 15,000 Americans were dug in behind strong fortifications, supported by 120 guns. 15,000 Americans seemed rather a large number for 4,500 British soldiers to engage, even if they were Wellington's veterans. And now that General Ross was dead, it was decided that discretion was indeed the better part of valor, and the British troops and navy prepared to withdraw. The militiamen, too, went home, properly pleased with themselves, and the war on the Chesapeake had come to an end.

Hope you don't mind that I posted this in the Defender's Day thread.

 

[Redwes25]

Any ETA on volume 4? I have really enjoyed the first 3 and would like to be able to continue reading the series.