On the road...day 2 in Philadelphia, PA

Day 2 in Philly. We signed today at the Independence Visitor Center Store in a facility managed by the National Park Service. We’ve been at this spot numerous times before, and it’s always a great day. Our thanks to gift shop manager Tom Curry and staff for putting this one together.

Some hilarity ensued thanks to the addition today of our pal, actor Scott Sowers, who read quotes of the signers while attired in colonial gear.

With actor Scott Sowers.

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On the road...in Philadelphia, PA

A short ride to Philly from DC last night put us right where we needed to be for the two-day, back-to-back signings in the city of the Declaration’s birth. 

John Hopkins.

We did two signings today. The first was at the Christ Church Burying Ground where Ben Franklin and four other signers are buried. We hung out for a few hours with the docents, including our friend and favorite, John Hopkins (right), who is very knowledgeable about the signers, their resting places, and their association with remarkable Christ Church in Philly. 

The second signing was just outside the walls of the Church itself, where two of the signers were buried. There, we got to hang out with the church’s historian, Neil Ronk. Our thanks to Neil and Anne McLaughlin for making this event happen.

Some other highlights today:

• We got to meet Chris Johnson, a local actor who has portrayed numerous historic figures, including Declaration signer Francis Hopkinson. We have no photo of Chris in his regalia, but hope to post one in the future.

• We guzzled some of this excellent beverage, Dr. Physick’s Black Cherry soda, which is reputed to be the first soda pop crafted in the U.S. by Dr. Philip Syng Physick, a Philly physician, in 1807. The good doctor’s descendants make the soda with pure sugarcane, no high fructose corn syrup. And it’s darn tasty.

Neil Ronk.

Historian Ronk showed us an old bell that Christ Church will ring on Fourth of July. The bell’s history is described below. It’s a good launching point to discuss the fact that there were multiple “Liberty Bells” that tolled the nation’s independence.

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On the road...in Washington, DC

We just wrapped up our first Fourth of July weekend signing at the National Archives in Washington, DC, where the Declaration of Independence, Constitution, and Bill of Rights are preserved.

We enjoyed getting to see some of our friends from the National Archives gift shop, including gentlemanly bookseller Dennis Braden, who presented us with this box of snacks, which was lovingly inscribed with a reference to Beat writer, Jack Kerouac.

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Advance copy: Signing Their Rights Away!

After some long months of waiting, our publisher, Quirk Books, sent us an advance copy of our next book in our Signer series, Signing Their Rights Away: The Fame & Misfortune of the Men Who Signed the U.S. Constitution.

The book tells brief, personal stories about the 39 men who signed this historic and durable document. The book cover unfolds into a copy of the doc itself, complete with all the signatures of the men. It will only be available in hardcover and ebook formats. No paperbacks for a while. Nice for gift-giving, blah blah blah, $19.95.

So you want a copy, you say? Well, so do we, but this precious display copy will have to do until the book debuts post Labor Day, September 6, 2011. 

A few websites — and you know who they are — are already offering pre-order options. If you think you want us to autograph  your copy, contact our local bookstore and order one now.

What the heck. It’s America, dammit, and Article VII.I of the U.S. Constitution guarantees your right to buy a book 2 months before it’s out.

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