News and Blog
(The World According to Carp?)
David Grim's Fairy Tale
Here’s another article—just published today! “David Grim’s Fairy Tale: The New York City Fire in Myth,” Gotham: A Blog for Scholars of New York City History (Feb. 15, 2023)
Two Encounters: Captain Abraham Van Dyck, the "Negro Man," and Prince Pitkin
Oh, this is so exciting! The Journal of the American Revolution published my piece today on Capt. Abraham Van Dyck, an unnamed Black man in New York City, and Prince Pitkin of Connecticut. See how I connected the NYC Fire to some intriguing (and horrifying) stories about race and the American Revolution.
This story has a leopard, a freakishly large cow, a notorious Indian killer, a stoning, fat-shaming, a woman hiding a man in her bedroom closet, thoughts about eating one's dog, and six-foot snow drifts.
Return to the Alarmist Podcast
And...here we go! For all your podcast listening pleasure, The Alarmist Podcast invited me back to answer once and for all: Who is to Blame for the 1776 Great Fire of New York?
Upcoming Book Talks (reposted for February)
We’re now on the eve of a series of public book talks! You can see fuller details for some of these on the events page, too.
Feb. 10, 7 pm, Online: New York Military Affairs Symposium, New York
Feb. 14, 2 pm to 3 pm, Online: “The Great New York Fire of 1776” (the last of three “course” sessions), Roundtable by 92NY, 92nd Street Y, New York
Feb. 15, 6 pm, Online: “The Great Fire of 1776,” Green-Wood Cemetery, Brooklyn, NY [tickets $9]
Feb. 16, 7 pm, In Person: “The Great New York Fire of 1776,” Suffolk County Vanderbilt Museum, Centerport, NY
Feb. 23, 7 pm, Online, “Virtual Lecture: The Great New York Fire of 1776,” Putnam History Museum, Cold Spring, NY [must have tickets: free for members, $10 for non-members. Support history non-profits!]
March 2, 6:30 pm (Central), Online, Six Bridges Book Festival, Little Rock, AR
March 9, 4 pm (Pacific Time), In Person, register for pre-circulated material: “The Great New York Fire of 1776,” American Origins seminar, Early Modern Studies Institute, University of Southern California, Los Angeles
March 18, In Person, “‘Many Circumstances Lead to Conjecture That Mr. Washington Was Privy to This Villainous Act’: George Washington and the Great New York City Fire of 1776,” 10th Annual Conference on the American Revolution, America’s History, LLC, Williamsburg, VA (registration required)
March 21, 5:30 pm to 9 pm, In Person, Reception and Panel, New York City Fire Museum, New York
March 30, 6:30 pm to 8 pm, Online, “The Night Patriots Burned New York City Down,” with Russell Shorto, The Gotham Center for New York City History, CUNY Graduate Center, New York [registration required, free]
April 4, 7:30 pm, American Revolution Round Table of New York, New York [advance registration probably required]
April 27, 7 pm to 8 pm, Online and in person “The Great New York Fire of 1776,” Ford Evening Book Talk Series, George Washington’s Mount Vernon, Mount Vernon, VA [free]
May 22, 7:30 pm, In Person, “The Great New York Fire of 1776: A Lost Story of the American Revolution,” American Revolution Round Table of Philadelphia, Montgomery, PA (arrive an hour early for food and drink)
Video intro for the book!
Yale University Press has posted a video of my reading from the introduction to The Great New York Fire of 1776: A Lost Story of the American Revolution. I hope you enjoy this little preview!
Playlist for the Great New York Fire of 1776
Happy book release day, everyone! I’ve put together this music playlist for readers to enjoy while reading The Great New York Fire of 1776: A Lost Story of the American Revolution. The book has an introduction, fourteen chapters, and a conclusion, so the playlist has sixteen songs, one to go with each of those parts of the book. Click through and enjoy! Track list below.
Introduction, Was It Just the Wind?: “September,” Earth, Wind & Fire
Chapter 1, A Small City Still Standing: “Welcome to New York,” Taylor Swift
Chapter 2, Destroying Towns in a Civil War: “Fire,” Beth Ditto
Chapter 3, The Armies Approach New York: “Ain’t No Love in the Heart of the City,” Bobby “Blue'“ Bland
Chapter 4, The Rankled Rank and File: “MUTINY,” Neoni
Chapter 5, General Washington’s Bad Options: “Across 110th Street,” Bobby Womack
Chapter 6, The Loss of New York City: “Nowhere to Run,” Martha Reeves & The Vandellas
Chapter 7, The Great Fire: “Welcome to the Party,” Diplo, French Montana, Lil Pump, Zhavia
Chapter 8, Firebrands: “Fire Woman,” The Cult
Chapter 9, Surveying the Wreckage: “Ashes,” Céline Dion
Chapter 10, The Commandant’s Conundrum: “Fire for You,” Cannons
Chapter 11, The Story of the Fire Takes Shape: “Burn,” Bruce Cockburn
Chapter 12, The Fates of Three Captains: “Capital Punishment,” Big Pun, Prospect
Chapter 13, A War of Devastation and Restraint: “Setting Fires,” The Chainsmokers, XYLØ
Chapter 14, The Unresolved War: “My City of Ruins,” Bruce Springsteen
Conclusion, Forgetting the Fire: “Wake Me up When September Ends,” Green Day
Release Day Eve!
Q: Why did the hipster burn his mouth?
A: Because he had pizza before it was cool.
Today is the eve of my book's release date, so it's the last day you can be all hipster and say, "I pre-ordered that book *before* it was released."
January Fire Playlist, Day 30
We conclude our thirty-day journey prelude of songs about fire in anticipation of the release of my book, The Great New York Fire of 1776: A Lost Story of the American Revolution. Tomorrow, the sixteen-song playlist will be revealed!
Day 30: Jimi Hendrix, “Fire”
As a bonus, here’s the full January Fire Playlist for the last thirty days:
January Fire Playlist, Day 29
Almost at the end of our thirty-day prelude. This month, I’m posting songs about fire in anticipation of the release of my book, The Great New York Fire of 1776: A Lost Story of the American Revolution. On release day (January 31), I’ll share a playlist of sixteen songs—one for each of the book’s chapters plus the introduction and conclusion.
Day 29: The Prodigy, “Firestarter”
January Fire Playlist, Day 28
The weekend is here! This month, I’m posting songs about fire in anticipation of the release of my book, The Great New York Fire of 1776: A Lost Story of the American Revolution. On release day (January 31), I’ll share a playlist of sixteen songs—one for each of the book’s chapters plus the introduction and conclusion.
Day 28: Kid Cudi and Travis Scott, “Baptized In Fire”