# History Book Festival (September 25–27, 2026) **URL:** \ **Category:** Announcements\ **Created:** [September 27, 2026, 10:02pm UTC](https://community.worldhistory.org/t/history-book-festival-september-25-27-2026/19165 "2026-09-27T22:02:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![heathermcadams](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/community.worldhistory.org/heathermcadams/32/52_2.png) [@heathermcadams](https://community.worldhistory.org/u/heathermcadams)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2026, 10:02pm UTC](https://community.worldhistory.org/t/history-book-festival-september-25-27-2026/19165/1 "2026-09-27T22:02:32Z")
I had the absolute pleasure of attending the History Book Festival in Lewes, Delaware, over the weekend. Of course, we were hit by a Nor’easter with gale-force winds and nonstop rain, but it actually made for a great weekend of reading and discussing historical fiction and nonfiction. The talks were spectacular! Here was my schedule for the weekend: ### Friday, September 25 **History Book Festival Keynote Event: Cold War Nexus: Iran** Ben Macintyre (_The Spy and the Traitor_) & Scott Anderson (_King of Kings_), moderated by Paul Sparrow ### Saturday, September 26 **8:30 AM — Victoria Johnson, _Glorious Country_** (in conversation with Molly Giordano, Executive Director of the Delaware Art Museum) Wonderful lecture about plein air painting and 19th-century patriotism! **10:00 AM — Ada Ferrer, _Keeper of My Kin_** A fascinating personal account of Cuban history. This book is a memoir, but Ferrer is also the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of _Cuba: An American History_. **11:30 AM — Cristin O’Keefe Aptowicz, _The Ballad of the Fugitive William Parker_** A high-octane talk that explored the layers of the Underground Railroad. **2:00 PM — Russell Shorto, _Taking Manhattan_** A look at New York’s Dutch history and the Dutch-English exchange of power more than 350 years ago. **3:30 PM — Eric Jay Dolin, _The Wreck of the Mentor_** Maritime nonfiction about a shipwreck and the extraordinary story surrounding it. **5:00 PM — Spirited Discussion at the Lewes Public Library** ### Sunday, September 27 **History Book Festival Closing Event: _A Pair of Aces_** Victoria Christopher Murray & Marie Benedict ### My Notes The authors were high-caliber: Pulitzer Prize winners, _New York Times_ bestsellers, and Good Morning America favorites. They were captivating, and the level of detail in their writing is awe-inspiring. I will say, **the women ruled!** —both in terms of the authors commanding the stage and the number of female readers in attendance. There was also such a fun mix of historical fiction and historical nonfiction. What struck me was how much research goes into both genres, even though the authors ultimately do very different things with it. ### My Recommended Reading List In order of personal preference and interest: 1. _ **The Personal Librarian** _ — historical fiction (I’m currently reading it!) 2. _ **Dr. Mütter’s Marvels** _ — historical nonfiction (perfect timing for spooky season) 3. _ **Glorious Country** _ — historical nonfiction 4. _ **A Pair of Aces** _ — historical fiction 5. _ **Keeper of My Kin** _ — historical nonfiction/memoir 6. _ **The Ballad of the Fugitive William Parker** _ — historical nonfiction With this list in mind, I have a question for our Community: **Should I start a World History Encyclopedia book club?** 📚 Anyone interested? ---
**Author:** ![jvdc](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/community.worldhistory.org/jvdc/32/28_2.png) [@jvdc](https://community.worldhistory.org/u/jvdc)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2026, 8:10am UTC](https://community.worldhistory.org/t/history-book-festival-september-25-27-2026/19165/2 "2026-09-28T08:10:28Z")
Thanks for the highlights. _The Personal Librarian_ sounds like a great book, I just looked it up as I had never heard of Belle da Costa Greene. ---
**Author:** ![lianamiate](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/community.worldhistory.org/lianamiate/32/49_2.png) [@lianamiate](https://community.worldhistory.org/u/lianamiate)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2026, 9:00am UTC](https://community.worldhistory.org/t/history-book-festival-september-25-27-2026/19165/3 "2026-09-28T09:00:43Z")
That sounds like an amazing event, Heather. And I absolutely love the idea of a WHE book club! ---
**Author:** ![fiona.richards](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/community.worldhistory.org/fiona.richards/32/366_2.png) [@fiona.richards](https://community.worldhistory.org/u/fiona.richards)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2026, 1:23pm UTC](https://community.worldhistory.org/t/history-book-festival-september-25-27-2026/19165/4 "2026-09-28T13:23:28Z")
Thanks for sharing Heather! I think a WHE bookclub sounds like a fab idea too!