More than a decade ago, I challenged my wife to name as many signers of the Declaration of Independence as she could. We managed to name the five or so “big” ones—Franklin, Jefferson, Hancock, and the two Adamses, John and Samuel—but there were a ton of others we either forgot or never knew in the first place. In total, 56 men signed that document, and most of them never went on to do anything else of equal significance in American history.
That conversation inspired us to do a book called Signing Their Lives Away: The Fame and Misfortune of the Men Who Signed the Declaration of Independence, and a sequel of sorts, Signing Their Rights Away: The Fame and Misfortune of the Men Who Signed the U.S. Constitution.
The books have remained in hardcover all this time. Our publisher, Quirk Books, is finally releasing them in paperback this spring. The covers will be in sprightly red, white and blue, fireworks not included.
You can preorder copies at the links above. You can order signed copies from the bookstore in our hometown, Malaprop’s. (Best to phone directly to place those orders.) All pre-orders will go out as soon as they’re released April 30, 2019.
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