The Dawn's Early Light (Maryland Paperback Bookshelf) [Paperback]

Walter Lord (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 1994 | Series: Maryland Paperback Bookshelf

Walter Lord—author of such best-sellers as A Night to Remember and A Day of Infamy—brings to life the remarkable events of what we now call The War of 1812—including the burning of Washington and the attack on Baltimore's Fort McHenry that inspired the Francis Scott Key to write what would become our national anthem. Lord gives readers a dramatic account of how a new sense of national identity emerged from the smoky haze of what Francis Scott Key so lyrically called "the dawn's early light."

Editorial Reviews

Review

Still the best account available of the two key battles of the War of 1812... Popular historian Walter Lord, a Baltimore native, also wrote the bestsellers A Night to Remember and A Day of Infamy. In The Dawn's Early Light he brings the 1814 battles around Washington and Baltimore to life, making them seem terrifying and critical, as they must have seemed to Marylanders at the time.

(Baltimore City Paper )

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: The Johns Hopkins University Press (April 1, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0801848644
• ISBN-13: 978-0801848643
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #787,282 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Walter Lord's A Night to Remember is a minute-by-minute account of the Titanic's final hours. Lord wrote 12 books, honing an eye-witness approach to history whether it was Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor (Day of Infamy) or the defense of the Alamo (A Time to Stand) or the Battle of Midway (Incredible Victory). In The Way It Was, he tells his own story, about his life and books.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars finest book on the subject, March 30, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Dawn's Early Light (Maryland Paperback Bookshelf) (Paperback)

I have read "Dawn's Early Light" several times and have found it to be the single most readable and understandable writing on a subject that is suprisingly not well known to most American readers. Lord uses numerous primary sources- diaries, letters, and memoirs of the participants, as well as thorough research and a tightly written narrative to tell the story of the British invasion of 1814. Especially effective are his characterizations of the British and American leadership. Walter Lord has managed to convey effectively the professionalism and cockiness of the British forces and the hopelessly chaotic and desperate American defense. It reads very much like a novel.

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Concise & interesting account of this campaign., November 5, 1998

By 

Aussie Reader ""Rick"" (Canberra, Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Dawn's Early Light (Maryland Paperback Bookshelf) (Paperback)

This book is the first I have read concerning the War of 1812. In this book the author covers the period from August 1814 with the British marching onto Washington. Walter Lord offers a spendid account of the fighting at Bladensburg, the burning of Washington and the subsequent campaign against the British. The use of first hand account offers a splendid insight into the people, soldiers, sailors and politicians caught up during this period of history. A well researched and finely told account of this dramatic time in America's past. An excellent story!

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Detailed & Exciting Account, December 1, 2004

By 

Jason J. Pedone (Atlanta, GA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Dawn's Early Light (Maryland Paperback Bookshelf) (Paperback)

This is the first book I have read on the War of 1812 and I found it to be an excellent refresher. The book presents the battles and troop movements with striking detail. The author manages to avoid boring the reader with cumbersome details. His mixture of personal accounts & interesting details results in an enjoyable read. For a history book, it is rather exciting. I highly reccommend this book to any history buff.