New Releases by Ted Widmer

All-ages anthology comic book of superhero stories, set in and around Boston.

WINNER OF THE LINCOLN FORUM BOOK PRIZE “A Lincoln classic...superb.” u00ad—The Washington Post “A book for our time.”—Doris Kearns Goodwin Lincoln on the Verge tells the dramatic story of America’s greatest president discovering his own strength to save the Republic. As a divided nation plunges into the deepest crisis in its history, Abraham Lincoln boards a train for Washington and his inauguration—an inauguration Southerners have vowed to prevent. Lincoln on the Verge charts these pivotal thirteen days of travel, as Lincoln discovers his power, speaks directly to the public, and sees his country up close. Drawing on new research, this riveting account reveals the president-elect as a work in progress, showing him on the verge of greatness, as he foils an assassination attempt, forges an unbreakable bond with the American people, and overcomes formidable obstacles in order to take his oath of office.

An eloquent illustrated history of one of America''s greatest universities Founded in 1636, essentially as a refuge for outcasts from Massachusetts, the colony of Rhode Island was unusually open-minded, leading Massachusetts Puritan Cotton Mather to refer to it as “the latrina [or sewer] of New England.” The sixth of the Ivy League universities to be founded, in 1764, Brown accepted students early on regardless of religious affiliation, and in 1969 adopted a student-proposed “New Curriculum,” allowing students to structure their education with relative freedom. Over the last two and a half centuries, the university and its graduates have played a notable role in numerous defining moments in the American story, from the legacy of slavery (one of the founding Brown brothers was a leading abolitionist, the other an “ardent defender and slave trader”), to the Industrial Revolution and education reform. Although there are plenty of prominent names—among them Horace Mann, John D. Rockefeller, Jr., Janet Yellen, and Edwidge Danticat—woven throughout, Widmer’s is a more ambitious account that weaves its threads into a variegated history of how a university can both mirror and spur the wider culture around it.

In a sweeping history of centuries, Ted Widmer''s Ark of the Liberties recounts America''s ambition to be the world''s guarantor of liberty. The United States stands at a historic crossroads; essential to the world yet unappreciated. America''s decline in popularity over the decades has been nothing short of astonishing. With wit, brilliance, and deep affection, Ted Widmer, a scholar and a former presidential speechwriter, reminds everyone why this great nation had so far to fall. It is a success story that America, and the world, forgets at its peril. From the Declaration of Independence to the Gettysburg Address to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the United States, for all its shortfalls, has been by far the world''s greatest advocate for freedom. Generations of founders imbued America with a surprisingly global ambition that a series of remarkable presidents, often Democratic, advanced through the confident wielding of military and economic power. Ark of the Liberties brims with new insights: America''s centuries-long favorable relationship with the Middle East; why Wilson''s presidency deserves reappraisal; Bill Clinton''s underappreciated achievements; how America''s long history of foreign policy immediately touches on the choices we face. Fully addressing America''s disastrous occupation of Iraq, Ark of the Liberties colorfully narrates America''s long and laudatory history of expanding world liberty.

The first president born after America''s independence ushers in a new era of democracy Dive deep into the political life of the first president born after America''s independence. Martin Van Buren, skillfully crafted by Ted Widmer, a veteran of the Clinton White House, brings to life an era of no-holds-barred democracy. The story unfolds with the rise of Martin Van Buren, characterized as the first ''professional politician,'' a man with stark contrast to his rugged and democratic champion predecessor, Andrew Jackson. From his role as a U.S. senator to secretary of state, and then vice president under Jackson, his path to the Oval Office seems inevitable. Van Buren''s presidency, however, is a stark shift from his political victories, marred with conflicts and the undeniable impact of the great banking panic of 1837. This deep look into one of America''s most contentious political eras will offer an enlightening insight into the power of democracy. Whether you''re a history enthusiast or a student of political science, this narrative offers an invaluable perspective into our democratic roots.