History buffs and mystery fans alike will enjoy a June 15 presentation by Andrew Lawler, author of a critically acclaimed book that explores America’s oldest unsolved mystery – the fate of 115 men, women and children who vanished from their settlement on North Carolina’s Roanoke Island in 1587.

The event, jointly sponsored by the History Book Festival and the Lewes Public Library, begins at the library at 1 PM. Admission is free.

Copies of his book will be available for sale by Browseabout Books and Mr. Lawler will sign copies.

Registration is requested. Sign up online, by calling the Library at 302-645-2733, or stop by the Circulation Desk. Walk ins are welcome.

The Secret Token
The settlers’ disappearance and the lone clue they left behind – a “secret token” carved into a tree – have baffled historians and amateur sleuths for centuries. Following a chance encounter with a British archaeologist, Lawler discovered that solid answers to the mystery were within reach. He set out to unravel the enigma of the lost settlers and documented his work in “The Secret Token: Myth, Obsession, and the Search for the Lost Colony of Roanoke” (Random House, 2019).

Describing “The Secret Token” as “part detective novel, part historical reckoning,” Publisher’s Weekly concluded that “Lawler’s engrossing book traces the story of – and the obsessive search for – the lost colony of Roanoke … [l]eading to a thoughtful and timely discourse about race and identity…. Lawler makes a strong case for why historical myths matter.”

Andrew Lawler is the author of the highly acclaimed “Why Did the Chicken Cross the World?”. He is a contributing writer for Science, a contributing editor for Archaeology magazine, and has written for The New York Times, The Washington Post, National Geographic, Smithsonian and Slate.