The Old Lion: A Novel of Theodore Roosevelt
(St. Martin’s Press, 2023)

Saturday, September 30
3:30 p.m.
Bethel United Methodist Church Fellowship Hall

About the book
This is the story of a man who both defined and created the modern United States. From his upbringing in the rarefied air of New York society in the late 19th century to his time in the rough-and-tumble world of the badlands in the Dakotas; from his rise from political obscurity to the position of assistant secretary of the navy; from being hailed as a national hero as the leader of the Rough Riders in the Spanish-American War to his accidental rise to the presidency itself, Theodore Roosevelt embodied both the myth and reality of the country he loved and led.

About the author
Jeff Shaara is the award-winning, bestselling author of 17 novels, including Gods and Generals and The Last Full Measure, which completed the Civil War trilogy that began with his father’s Pulitzer Prize–winning classic, The Killer Angels. The Eagle’s Claw: A Novel of the Battle of Midway was featured at the 2021 History Book Festival.

Shaara will be in conversation with Paul Sparrow at the event.

Paul Sparrow, a writer and historical consultant, is the former director of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum. Previously, he was deputy director and senior vice president for broadcasting and new media at the Newseum in Washington, D.C.

Purchase the book
Please help support local independent bookstores by purchasing this book at Browseabout Books, official bookseller of the History Book Festival. Online sources and digital versions are tempting; however, supporting local brick and mortar shops helps to preserve our vibrant main streets. Drop by Browseabout, order books online, or call the store at 302-226-2665. You also may purchase a copy at biblion in Lewes.

About the Festival
The History Book Festival is the first and only book festival in the United States devoted exclusively to history. With the help of our presenting funding partners — Delaware Humanities and The Lee Ann Wilkinson Group, Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices I PenFed Realty — as well as our program and community partners, volunteers, and donors, the 2023 History Book Festival will be full of great discussions with authors of newly published narrative nonfiction and historical fiction. Our Keynote Address is presented by Sally Mott Freeman and John K. Freeman, and our Closing Address is presented by Dogfish Head Beer & Benevolence.

Special thanks to our program partners for their continuing support: the Lewes Public Library for event promotion and venue; Browseabout Books in Rehoboth Beach, official bookseller of the History Book Festival; Lewes Chamber of Commerce for event promotion, and the Cape Gazette and Delmarva Public Media, our media partners.

Additional thanks to our community partners: ACLU Delaware, Beebe Healthcare, CAMP Rehoboth, Historic Lewes Farmers Market, Lewes Historical Society, Rehoboth Art League, Rehoboth Beach Historical Society & Museum, Seaside Jewish Community, and Southern Delaware Alliance for Racial Justice (SDARJ).