The Fabulous History of the Dismal Swamp Company by Charles Royster - ISBN: 9780679753056
Paperback
Greed, folly, and venture capitalism fuel a revolutionary swamp scheme.

The Fabulous History of the Dismal Swamp Company

A Story of George Washington's Times

$39.00

  • Paperback

    640 pages

  • Release Date

    15 January 2001

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Summary

From historian Charles Royster–winner of the Francis Parkman, Bancroft, and Lincoln prizes–comes the history of one of eighteenth-century America’s most fantastic land speculation deals: William Byrd’s scheme to develop 900 square miles of swamp on the Virginia-North Carolina border and create fabulous wealth for himself and other shareholders, including George Washington.

Royster scrupulously follows the paper trail through the byways of transatlantic deal-cutting, providing a rare v…

Book Details

ISBN-13:9780679753056
ISBN-10:0679753052
Author:Charles Royster
Publisher:Random House USA Inc
Imprint:Vintage Books
Format:Paperback
Number of Pages:640
Release Date:15 January 2001
Weight:576g
Dimensions:202mm x 132mm x 31mm
Series:Vintage
What They're Saying

Critics Review

“Here is a narrative history of scope and of abundance, a fascinating story.” –The Washington Times

“Vivid… . plunges readers into the rough world of colonial capitalism–a world swarming with adventurers, aristocrats, fools, rogues and visionaries all wearing masks of gentility.” –The News & Observer (Raleigh)

“A veritable encyclopedia of early American get-rich-quick schemes.” –Men’s Journal

”[Royster] is a seasoned stylist, and tells this colorful story in rich detail.” –The Washington Post

“Imagine Barbarians at the Gate with lace cuffs.” –Wilton Barnhardt

About The Author

Charles Royster

Charles Royster is Boyd Professor of History at Louisiana State University. His previous books include A Revolutionary People at War: The Continental Army and American Character, 1775-1783, which won the Francis Parkman Prize, and The Destructive War: William Tecumseh Sherman, Stonewall Jackson, and the Americans, which won a Bancroft Prize and the Lincoln Prize.

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