BOOK TOUR

Check Back for More Dates and Locations Soon!

Check Back for More Dates and Locations Soon! –

May 27, 2026
White Horse Village • Newtown Square, PA

3:00 pm
535 Gradyville Road, Newtown Square, PA
For Residents


May 28, 2026
Christ Church • Philadelphia, PA

6:30–8:00 pm
20 N American Street, Philadelphia, PA
Free, Click to Register


May 30, 2026
New Rochelle Public Library • New Rochelle, NY

2:00–3:00 pm
Ossie Davis Theater1 Library Plaza, New Rochelle, NY
Free, Click to Register


May 31, 2026
Fort Plain Museum & Historical Park • Johnstown, NY

American Revolutionary War Conference
8:15–9:15 am
Fulton-Montgomery Community College2805 NY-67, Johnstown, NY
Click for More Information


June 1, 2026
Massachusetts Historical Society • Boston, MA • Hybrid

Drafting Independence: Declaration to Constitution, in conversation with Sara Georgini and Mary Sarah Bilder
6:00–7:00 pm
1154 Boylston Street, Boston, MA
In-Person Tickets $10, Click to Register


June 2, 2026
Athenaeum of Philadelphia • Philadelphia, PA

6:00 pm
219 S 6th Street, Philadelphia, PA
Pay What You Wish, Click to Register


June 9, 2026
Carpenter’s Hall • Philadelphia, PA

A Conversation on the Declaration of Independence, with Michael Auslin
5:30–7:00 pm
320 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA
Tickets $5, Click to Register


June 10, 2026
Schwenkfelder Library and Heritage Center • Pennsburg, PA

Brown Bag Lecture
12:00 pm
105 Seminary Street, Pennsburg, PA
Free, Click for More Information


June 10, 2026
Harriton House • Bryn Mawr, PA

6:00 pm
500 Harriton Road, Bryn Mawr, PA
Tickets $10, Click for More Information


June 12, 2026
Free Library of Philadelphia • Philadelphia, PA

11:00 am
Room 131, Parkway Central Library1901 Vine Street, Philadelphia, PA
Free, Click for More Information


June 13, 2026
York County History Center • York, PA

11:00–12:30 pm
121 North Pershing Ave, York, PA
Free, Click for More Information


June 14, 2026
Historic Rock Ford • Lancaster, PA

2:00–3:30 pm
Langmuir Education Room, Historic Rock Ford881 Rockford Road, Lancaster, PA
Tickets $5–10, Click to Register


June 17, 2026
Willard Library • Battle Creek, MI

6:00–7:00 pm
7 West Van Buren Street, Battle Creek, MI
Free, Click for More Information


June 20, 2026
Shenandoah County Historical Society • Woodstock, VA

Shenandoah County Celebrates 1776!
12:00 pm
103 North Main Street, Woodstock, VA
Click for More Information


June 22, 2026
American Revolution Round Table of Philadelphia • Fort Washington, PA

7:00 pm
MaGerk’s582 S Bethlehem Pike, Fort Washington, PA
Click for More Information


June 23, 2026
Boylston Public Library • Boylston, MA

6:30–7:30 pm
695 Main Street, Boylston, MA
Click for More Information


June 24, 2026
Boston Public Library • Boston, MA

Central Library Author Talk Series
6:00–7:30 pm
Central Library in Copley Square700 Boylston Street, Boston, MA
Free, Click to Register


June 25, 2026
Acton Memorial Library • Acton, MA

6:00 pm
Meeting Room, Acton Memorial Library486 Main Street, Acton, MA
Click for More Information


June 29, 2026
The Philadelphian • Philadelphia, PA

7:30 pm
2401 Pennsylvania Avenue, Philadelphia, PA
For Residents


July 2, 2026
Reddit AskHistorians • Virtual

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July 3, 2026
Washington Adventist University • Takoma Park, MD

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July 8, 2026
St. David’s Episcopal Church • Wayne, PA

7:00 pm
St. David’s Episcopal Church763 S Valley Forge Road, Wayne, PA
Free, Click to Register


July 9, 2026
George Washington Presidential Library • Mount Vernon, VA

Ford Evening Book Talk
7:00 pm
George Washington Presidential Library3600 Mount Vernon Memorial Highway, Mount Vernon, VA
Click for More Information


July 13, 2026
Hatfield250 • Hatfield, PA

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July 19, 2026
Morven Museum & Garden • Princeton, NJ

2:00 pm
Morven Museum & Garden55 Stockton Street, Princeton, NJ
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July 23, 2026
Chester County Library • Exton, PA

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July 27, 2026
William & Mary • Williamsburg, VA

We the Teachers 2026 Congress of Educators Summit
6:00 pm
Phi Beta Kappa Memorial Hall601 Jamestown Road, Williamsburg, VA
Check Back for More Information


July 28, 2026
National Archives • Washington, D.C.

Check Back for More Information


August 6, 2026
Acalanes Chapter, NSDAR • Lafayette, CA

6:00 pm Pacific
Lafayette Public Library 3491 Mount Diablo Boulevard, Lafayette, CA
Free, Click for More Information


August 9, 2026
Santa Rosa Chapter, NSDAR • Santa Rosa, CA

Check Back for More Information


August 11, 2026
Historic Annapolis • Virtual

7:30 pm
Click to Register


August 13, 2026
New Castle Court House Museum • New Castle, DE

Check Back for More Information


September 2, 2026
Northeast Philadelphia History Network • Philadelphia, PA

7:00 pm
Pennepack Baptist Meetinghouse8732 Krewstown Road, Philadelphia, PA
Check Back for More Information


September 10, 2026
Murray State University • Murray, KY

Easley Lecture
Check Back for More Information


September 19, 2026
Milford Readers & Writers Festival • Milford, PA

Click for More Information


October 17, 2026
Avalon Free Public Library & History Center • Avalon, NJ

Check Back for More Information


October 27, 2026
Marian University • Indianapolis, IN

Lugar Speaker Series
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November 20, 2026
Museum of the American Revolution • Philadelphia, PA

Check Back for More Information


December 1, 2026
Library Company of Philadelphia • Virtual

Check Back for More Information


December 3, 2026
American Philosophical Society • Philadelphia, PA

12:00–1:00 pm
Benjamin Franklin Hall427 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA
Free, Click to Register


Older Events

April 16, 2026
Tarrant County College • Virtual


April 18, 2026
Book Launch Celebration at Historic Trappe • Trappe, PA


April 20, 2026
Organization of American States • Washington, D.C.


April 21, 2026
American Revolution Institute of the Society of the Cincinnati • Washington, D.C. • Hybrid


April 22, 2026
Oxford University Press • Virtual

April 22, 2026
Institute for Thomas Paine Studies • New Rochelle, NY • Hybrid

Quaff & Quill Series

April 24, 2026
Pennsylvania Antiques Show • Valley Forge, PA


April 25, 2026
The Pursuit of History • Philadelphia, PA


April 28, 2026
Lorenzo Cultural Center, Macomb Community College • Clinton Township, MI


April 29, 2026
Washington Crossing Historic Park • Washington Crossing, PA • Hybrid

America250PA Lecture250 Series

April 30, 2026
Greater Cape May Historical Society • Cape May, NJ


May 4, 2026
Rhode Island Historical Society • Providence, RI

May 5, 2026
Newport Historical Society • Newport, RI

Tavern Talk

May 7, 2026
John Carter Brown Library • Providence, RI • Hybrid


May 12, 2026
DAR Museum • Virtual

Tuesday Talk

May 12, 2026
Valley Forge Park Alliance • Valley Forge, PA

May 13, 2026
U.S. Army Heritage & Education Center • Carlisle, PA • Hybrid

Perspectives Lecture Series

May 15, 2026
Essex Historical Society • Essex, CT


May 17, 2026
Northern Neck 250 • Warsaw, VA

May 18, 2026
Historic Yellow Springs • Chester Springs, PA


May 19, 2026
Historical Society of Fort Washington • Blue Bell, PA

May 21, 2026
Historical Society of Haddonfield • Haddonfield, NJ

May 22, 2026
Kennett Library • Kennett Square, PA

Schedule a Speaking Event

$20.99 + shipping (30% off!) when you use code AAFLYG6
Offer only available through when ordering through OUP website

Support local bookstores!

Available April 15 in the U.S.
and July 16 everywhere

Publishing for the 250th anniversary of the United States, When the Declaration of Independence Was News focuses on the nation’s founding document at the moment of its creation in 1776, before anyone knew what the legacy of the Declaration would be or if the United States would win the war against Great Britain. It explores how the Declaration was communicated to people in the new nation and around the Atlantic world and reveals the stories of the many people involved in the process of declaring independence, from printers to soldiers to diplomats to translators.

As the United States celebrates its 250th birthday, When the Declaration of Independence Was News offers the perfect opportunity to reconsider our origins. Emily Sneff reminds us that the nation’s beginning was contested, debated, and squabbled over from the start. Thoughtfully written, full of colorful personalities, and teeming with ground-breaking scholarly research, Sneff achieves something rare—she brings new life to an old story. A must-read for anyone interested in the Founding Era
— Lindsay Chervinsky, The George Washington Presidential Library at Mount Vernon and author of Making the Presidency: John Adams and the Precedents That Forged the Republic
How did it feel to experience the Declaration’s epic rollout in real time? Moving through diverse audiences and navigating dense archives, Emily Sneff reimagines the pivotal moment in a clear and compelling narrative. She shows how early Americans encountered and interacted with new ideas of liberty, identity, and rights. Declaring independence, as Sneff illustrates, was a complex cultural process that defined the emerging nation’s realm of political participation.
— Sara Georgini, author of Household Gods: The Religious Lives of the Adams Family
In Emily Sneff’s fascinating history, readers will find themselves transported back in time to 1776, when Congress voting on the Declaration of Independence was a current event and the future of the new United States of America was both unknown and unsure. Sneff’s timely, lively book will change the way you think about the history of the American Revolution and its most famous founding document.
— Zara Anishanslin, University of Delaware

An enjoyable, behind-the-scenes account of an iconic American document” Kirkus Reviews