Dear list members, I trust that everyone had a pleasant 4th of July. We have a book talk here at the Library of Virginia this Thursday, July 7, at noon, that ties in nicely with the holiday. Author Marc Leepson will speak on his new book Flag: An American Biography, followed by a book signing in the Virginia Shop. Copies of the book are now available, so if you haven't visited the shop since it reopened, please take this opportunity to do so. I also understand that C-Span will be joining us for this talk. Flag is a detailed and fascinating history of our nation's greatest icon. The timeless symbol of America and its legacy, the Stars and Stripes are able to evoke powerful emotions in every citizen. Leepson tracks how the flag itself has gone through countless phases and periods during its long life. From the June 14, 1777, first Flag Resolution, to crossing the Delaware with Washington, to F. Scott Key's "The Star-Spangled Banner," from the schoolhouse flag movement and the first flag-desecration laws in the 1890s, to becoming what is the present-day design in 1960. Famously raised at Iwo Jima, proudly displayed on the Moon, desecrated during Vietnam War protests, raised proudly again at the World Trade Center ruins, Old Glory's beacon has never darkened. Leepson's tribute to the flag debunks long-standing myths and reinforces proud historic narratives from a nation that at its conception needed a commanding emblem that was both unifying and representational. Marc Leepson has written for many publications and news outlets, including Smithsonian, The Washington Post, The New York Times, Christian Science Monitor, and USA Today. He is the author of the acclaimed book Saving Monticello and lives in Middleburg, Virginia. Let me also add a few brief notes about two other noontime talks in July. On Tuesday, July 12, our own Tracy Kamerer will discuss the art of Capitol Square in conjunction with the Library of Virginia's current exhibition Virginia Collects: Art from Capitol Square and the accompanying book, A Capital Collection. Tracy will discuss the more than two-hundred-year history of the Commonwealth of Virginia's commissioning and collecting of artworks. This presentation will introduce you to many of the treasures from this little-known but significant art collection. Also featured will be a preview of the new, searchable, online database of the collection. After the talk she and co-author Barbara Batson will sign copies of the latest Library publication, A Capital Collection, in the Virginia Shop. On Wednesday, July 20, professor and editor Edward G. Lengel will join us for a discussion of his new book, General George Washington: A Military Life. As an editor of George Washington's papers at the University of Virginia, Dr. Lengel has unprecedented daily access and an intimate knowledge of the thousands of pages of letters, essays, and diaries of George Washington. He has produced a definitive book on Washington as a military leader, judiciously examining the General's qualities and defects as a strategist, tactician, administrator, and leader of men. Lengel takes us from young Washington's controversial role in the French and Indian War through his leadership during the Revolutionary War, where his inexperience led to repeated defeats. Yet in circumstances where almost any other army would have collapsed, Washington's tenacity and conviction united the army and the nation, and ultimately won the war. You can find a full listing of events here at the Library by clicking on "News and Events" at: http://www.lva.lib.va.us <blocked::http://www.lva.lib.va.us> . Directions and parking information are also available at the Library's website. Gregg D. Kimball, Director Publications and Educational Services 804/692-3722 [log in to unmask] To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe, please see the instructions at http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-hist.html