Revolutionary Holiday Gift Guide: Museum of the American Revolution Books

by the Museum of the American Revolution
135 pages, $18.00

Richard Mansergh St. George is a name found in few histories of the American Revolution. Yet, the dramatic journey of this artistic Irish officer in the British Army is one of the most visually rich stories of a person who was not a statesman, a nobleman, or a high ranking military officer during the Revolutionary era. Presented together for the first time in the Cost of Revolution: The Life and Death of an Irish Soldier book and special exhibition are the 22 surviving works of art, now spread out across the globe, that Richard Mansergh St. George is known to have posed for, created, or helped create. When considered together, this art documents a 20-year period in St. George’s life in which he fought against two revolutions — one in America and another in Ireland — losing his health and ultimately his life in the process. The art St. George left behind allows us to face the personal cost of revolution and discover the entangled histories of the American Revolution of 1776 and the Irish Revolution of 1798.

by the Museum of the American Revolution
120 pages, $60.00

Among His Troops is a full-color catalog based on our January-February 2018 exhibit of the same name. This limited-run book includes two full-size pull-out prints of the of the West Point watercolor (from Library of Congress) and the Verplanck’s Point watercolor (from our collection), both originally from 1782. The exhibit and book are inspired by the Verplanck’s Point watercolor, which includes the only known war-time image of Washington’s marquee.

by the Museum of the American Revolution
92 pages, $21.99

This official commemorative guide includes historic artifacts and art, a detailed timeline, fascinating facts, brief biographies, and compelling quotes. With colorful images and engaging text, the book captures both the famous and the lesser-known stories of the American Revolution. Located in the heart of Philadelphia's historic district, the Museum of the American Revolution inspires curiosity about the American Revolution and the Revolutionary generation. 

by Rebecca Yamin
160 pages, $19.95

When the Museum of the American Revolution acquired the land at Third and Chestnut streets in Old City, Philadelphia, it came with the condition that an archaeological investigation be conducted. The excavation that began in the summer of 2014 yielded treasures in the trash: unearthed privy pits provided remarkable finds from a mid-eighteenth-century tavern to relics from a button factory dating to the early twentieth century. These artifacts are described and analyzed by urban archaeologist Rebecca Yamin in Archaeology at the Site of the Museum of the American Revolution.Yamin, lead archaeologist on the dig, catalogues items — including earthenware plates and jugs, wig curlers, clay pipes, and liquor bottles — to tell the stories of their owners and their roles in Philadelphia history. As she uncovers the history of the people as well as their houses, taverns, and buildings that were once on the site, she explains that by looking at these remains, we see the story of the growth of Philadelphia from its colonial beginnings to the Second World War.

The 2014 archaeological excavation prior to construction at the site of the Museum of the American Revolution in Philadelphia yielded treasures in the trash. Unearthed privy pits provided remarkable finds from a mid-18th-century tavern to relics from a button factory dating to the early 20th century. Urban archaeologist Rebecca Yamin documents her findings and the stories from the nearly 82,000 pieces of artifacts found during the dig in Archaeology at the Site of the Museum of the American Revolution. Pieces of the “Success to the Triphena” punch bowl were found in a privy pit from what was an unlicensed tavern on Carter’s Alley. The Tryphena was a merchant ship that sailed across the Atlantic in 1765 from Philadelphia carrying a message asking England to reconsider the Stamp Act. Our Triphena Bowl is a 1:1 scale ceramic reproduction of a Museum Collection object. Paired together, the reproduction Triphena Bowl and Archaeology at the Site of the Museum of the American Revolution by Rebecca Yamin make the perfect gift for the Revolutionary history buffs in your life.