Builders of Annapolis: Enterprise and Politics in a Colonial Capital [Paperback]

Norman K. Risjord (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 2, 1997

In 1700, Maryland’s new capital at Annapolis was a hamlet in a wilderness whose shoreline looked, according to one new arrival, "like a forest standing in water." By the middle of the 18th century a remarkable collection of men and women had made it into "one of the most sparkling communities in British America."

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

This brisk account of the founding and evolution of one of the liveliest of America's colonial capitals, interweaves brief biographies of seventeenth-century men and women who contributed mightily to building a colony, then a state. This lively and amusing book offers an account of cultural, architectural, commercial, and political life in Annapolis, interweaving biographies of several of its more enterprising residents, including two signers of the Declaration of Independence.

This lively account of the founding and evolution of one of the liveliest of the provincial capitals begins in the late seventeenth century with Francis Nicholson, first royal governor of Maryland, who coveted for his brand new city the baroque designs of European cityscapes. He executed his ideas with flair—and with some charming imperfections that are still visible in today's Annapolis (visitors discover that “radial” avenues are not radial after all). Then brief interwoven biographies of remarkable and enterprising Annapolitans of the eighteenth century—two signers of the Declaration of Independence, an entrepreneur, a physician, politicians, journalists, and artisans—provide a dramatic view of life in the bustling city as well as understanding of the deep cultural, commercial, maritime, political, and architectural influences of Annapolis on the American colonies and the emerging nation.

Norman K. Risjord is professor emeritus of American history at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. He is the author of Jefferson: A Biography, Jefferson's America, 1760–1815, and studies in an educational series of “Representative Americans.” He divides his time between Annapolis and his farm in Wisconsin.

Product Details

• Paperback: 198 pages
• Publisher: The Maryland Historical Society; 1st edition (December 2, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0938420615
• ISBN-13: 978-0938420613
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 1.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,889,061 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Builders of Annapolis, July 7, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Builders of Annapolis: Enterprise and Politics in a Colonial Capital (Paperback)

This book was extremely disappointing to me. I found so many incorrect statements that I wonder about the parts with which I am not familiar. Maryland history is of great interest to me, therefore I was anxious to read Builders of Annapolis. In the very beginning of the book it is written that settlers of Maryland were mostly Catholic. It takes very little research to determine that is an incorrect statement. The errors went on from there -- too numerous to enumerate. The author had such an interesting idea for writing about some of the early Annapolitians. Why didn't he do a better job with his research? I am sorry I bought this book.

1.0 out of 5 stars Doesn't even deserve one star, July 9, 2009

By 

Mattie - See all my reviews

This review is from: Builders of Annapolis: Enterprise and Politics in a Colonial Capital (Paperback)

The most carelessly researched books I have ever read. Some mistakes were insignificant and others were inexcusable.

Review written by an Annapolis Tour Guide