News and Blog
(The World According to Carp?)
Upcoming Book Talks (second April posting)
Beyond spring break, here’s what my schedule looks like for the next two months. You can see fuller details for some of these on the events page, too.
April 27 (Tuesday), 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 5 (Friday), 4 to 5:30 pm, In Person, Joint Book Presentation, with David Waldstreicher, Graduate Center, CUNY, New York. RSVP here!
May 18 (Thursday), 6:30 pm, In Person, “Lost Stories: How the New York City Fire of 1776 Illuminates Unfamiliar Lives of the American Revolution,” sponsored by New York Genealogical and Biographical Society, Fraunces Tavern, New York. Please register using the link!
May 22, 7:30 pm (Monday), 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)
May 23 (Tuesday), 6 pm, In Person and Online, The Great New York Fire of 1776, General Society of Mechanics and Tradesmen of the City of New York, New York
May 30 (Tuesday), 7 pm, Online, “Benjamin L. Carp on Urban Geographies of the American Revolution,” Richard H. Brown Seminar on the Historical Geography of the American Revolutionary Era at the Norman B. Leventhal Map & Education Center at the Boston Public Library and the American Revolutionary Geographies Online (ARGO) project. Free and open to the public. Register here!
Talking about the Great Fire with John Batchelor
I had a great time talking about The Great New York Fire of 1776 with John Batchelor for his “Eye on the World” program. The first half aired on Friday, March 31. But all eight segments of the show appear in podcast form, and I’ll provide convenient links here:
Upcoming Book Talks (April posting)
It’s been a busy couple of months for public book talks! Things are slowing down a little bit, though I’ll have a couple more things to add in May. You can see fuller details for some of these on the events page, too.
April 3 (Monday), 12:50 pm to 2:05 pm, In Person, “The Great New York Fire of 1776,” with Barnet Schecter, Tanger Auditorium, Brooklyn College, Brooklyn, NY
April 4 (Tuesday), 7:30 pm, Online, “The Great New York Fire of 1776: A Lost Story of the American Revolution,” American Revolution Round Table of New York, New York [free and open to the public, but registration required 24 hours ahead]
April 27 (Tuesday), 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 5 (Friday), 4 to 5:30 pm, In Person, Joint Book Presentation, with David Waldstreicher, Graduate Center, CUNY, New York. RSVP here!
May 18 (Thursday), 6:30 pm, In Person, “Lost Stories: How the New York City Fire of 1776 Illuminates Unfamiliar Lives of the American Revolution,” sponsored by New York Genealogical and Biographical Society, Fraunces Tavern, New York. Please register using the link!
May 22, 7:30 pm (Monday), 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)
May 23 (Tuesday), 6 pm, In Person and Online, The Great New York Fire of 1776, General Society of Mechanics and Tradesmen of the City of New York, New York
JAR Review!
I just spent an enjoyable weekend at the Conference of the American Revolution in Williamsburg, where Westholme Publishing and the Journal of the American Revolution play a prominent role. How nice to wake up the next day to find this review by Gene Procknow, one of JAR’s most prolific and respected contributors!
With lawyer-like precision, Carp lays out his case, principally through first-hand accounts from British and Loyalist sources and alleged Rebel arsonists. Then, through meticulous research, he identifies over ten ignition points and many other locations where residents uncovered combustible materials. Finally, Carp provides a detailed street map supporting his thesis, identifying burned areas, ignition points, incendiaries, and witnesses.
. . . . .
I recommend Benjamin Carp’s book to aspiring historians and others as an example of challenging long-accepted interpretations to discover new insights and improved understandings.
Review of The Great New York Fire in the Washington Post
This is pretty exciting, so I'll share: my book got a really nice review in the Washington Post! https://www.washingtonpost.com/books/2023/03/15/1776-new-york-fire-book/
Upcoming Book Talks (March posting)
Another update about public book talks! You can see fuller details for some of these on the events page, too.
March 18 (Saturday), 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 (Tuesday), 5:30 pm to 9 pm, In Person, “The Great New York Fire of 1776: Private Exhibition Viewing and Panel Discussion,” New York City Fire Museum, New York. Register here!
March 25 (Saturday), 2 pm to 3:30 pm, In Person, “Reading: ‘The Great New York Fire of 1776’ by Benjamin L. Carp,” RECIRCULATION: A project of Word Up. Kid-friendly! With musical performance, fire=themed candy and treats, and scavenger hunt! Register here!
March 30 (Thursday), 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 3 (Monday), 12:50 pm to 2:05 pm, In Person, “The Great New York Fire of 1776,” with Barnet Schecter, Tanger Auditorium, Brooklyn College, Brooklyn, NY
April 4 (Tuesday), 7:30 pm, “The Great New York Fire of 1776: A Lost Story of the American Revolution,” American Revolution Round Table of New York, New York [free and open to the public, but registration required 24 hours ahead]
April 27 (Tuesday), 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 5 (Friday), 4 to 5:30 pm, In Person, Joint Book Presentation, with David Waldstreicher, Graduate Center, CUNY, New York. RSVP here!
May 18 (Thursday), 6:30 pm, In Person, “Lost Stories: How the New York City Fire of 1776 Illuminates Unfamiliar Lives of the American Revolution,” sponsored by New York Genealogical and Biographical Society, Fraunces Tavern, New York
May 22, 7:30 pm (Monday), 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)
May 23 (Tuesday), 6 pm, In Person and Online, The Great New York Fire of 1776, General Society of Mechanics and Tradesmen of the City of New York, New York
Reviews, interviews, and Rethinking
Greetings from Los Angeles! I wanted to tell everyone about some new publications!
Donald F. Johnson reviewedThe Great New York Fire for the Gotham Center blog
I received my copy of Rethinking American Disasters: New Essays in Cultural, Political, and Environmental History, which has a new essay by me: “An Incendiary War: Conspiracies, Disasters, and the American Revolution, 1775–1790.” Project Muse subscribers can check it out
I reviewed Serena Zabin’s The Boston Massacre: A Family History for the latest issue of the Journal of the Early Republic
You can also check out the conversation I had with Professor Vaughn Scribner, sponsored by the Central Arkansas Library System
Dispatches podcast appearance
We did a JAR Dispatches podcast about my recent article on Prince Pitkin, the "Negro man," and Capt. Abraham Van Dyck--give it a listen if you like!
Upcoming Book Talks (mid-February update)
We’re still in the midst of several public book talks! You can see fuller details for some of these on the events page, too.
Feb. 23 (Thursday), 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 (Thursday), 6:30 pm (Central), Online, Six Bridges Book Festival, Little Rock, AR
March 9 (Thursday), 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 (Saturday), 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 (Tuesday), 5:30 pm to 9 pm, In Person, Reception and Panel, New York City Fire Museum, New York
March 24 (Friday), 11 am to 12:30 pm, In Person, The Great New York Fire of 1776, CUNY Academy for the Humanities and Sciences, Graduate Center, New York (this has been postponed)
March 25 (Saturday), 2 pm, In Person, The Great New York Fire of 1776, at Recirculation (a project of Word Up Bookstore), 876 Riverside Drive, New York
March 30 (Thursday), 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 3 (Monday), 12:50 pm, In Person, “The Great New York Fire of 1776,” with Barnet Schecter, Tanger Auditorium, Brooklyn College, Brooklyn, NY
April 4 (Tuesday), 7:30 pm, American Revolution Round Table of New York, New York [advance registration probably required]
April 27 (Thursday), 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 5 (Friday), 4 to 5:30 pm, in person, Joint Book Presentation, with David Waldstreicher, Graduate Center, CUNY, New York
May 18 (Thursday), 6:30 pm, in person, unnamed talk, sponsored by New York Genealogical and Biographical Society, Fraunces Tavern, New York
May 22 (Monday), 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)
May 23 (Tuesday), 6 pm, In Person and Hybrid, The Great New York Fire of 1776, General Society of Mechanics and Tradesmen of the City of New York, New York
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)