Author James Swanson to keynote History Book Festival Oct. 6 in Lewes

James Swanson will be the keynote speaker for the debut of the History Book Festival in Lewes. His presentation about his New York Times bestseller, "Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln's Killer," will take place at 7 p.m., Friday, Oct. 6, at Bethel United Methodist Church in Lewes. Tickets are $10. A free program featuring 20 authors will take place Saturday, Oct. 7. To purchase tickets and for more information about the free program, go to www.historybookfestival.org.

Swanson's book is a gripping blow-by-blow account of how John Wilkes Booth was able to murder President Abraham Lincoln in a packed theater, and the chaos around his brazen escape and excruciatingly delayed capture. In addition to amassing amazing information and insights about Lincoln's death, it paints a fascinating picture of the assassin's personality and obsessions.

After the famous actor's bizarre plot to kidnap Lincoln collapsed into failure, his chance to avenge the South and gain notoriety in what he saw as his greatest role came by happenstance. As he sat reading a letter on the steps of Ford's Theatre, he overheard the news that the Lincolns would attend that night's performance. He then set into motion a most painful chapter in the country's history.

The book draws the reader through nerve-wracking twists and turns as Booth evades a manhunt backed by a large financial reward through the streets of Washington, and the towns, swamps and backwoods of Maryland and Virginia. It lays out the role of Booth's many Confederate accomplices, including a former secret agent who, despite legal threats and financial incentives, kept the mystery behind Booth's notorious lost week a secret for nearly 20 years. Among the many surprises the book reveals is the botched job by the Union officers and detectives responsible for the assassin's capture and death.

"Manhunt" earned Swanson an Edgar Award, named after Edgar Allan Poe and presented by the Mystery Writers of America. Swanson serves on the advisory council of the Ford's Theatre Society and is a member of the Lincoln Bicentennial Commission. His most recent book is "End of Days: The Assassination of John F. Kennedy."

The author's keynote will be accompanied by The Federal City Brass Band. Dressed in Union Civil War attire and playing period music on historic instruments, the band re-creates the sound and appearance of a regular U.S. Army regimental brass band of the 1860s. Its members represent some of the finest brass and percussion players in the field of Civil War music. The band was founded by Director Jari Villanueva. Villanueva retired from the U.S. Air Force where he spent 23 years with The United States Air Force Band in Washington, D.C.

The History Book Festival, the first of its kind in the nation, is organized by local volunteers through the Greater Lewes Foundation. The authors participating write about a wide range of subjects including the Civil War and both World Wars, racial justice, religious history, sex and the Constitution, art, music, baseball, gardening and local history. The festival will also feature local authors, historical fiction, mysteries and books for young adults.

All Saturday events and the shuttle bus are free. The four host venues are Lewes Presbyterian Church, Margaret H. Rollins Community Center Community Room, Lewes Public Library and St. Peter’s Episcopal Church. Attendees may park at the library and ride the complimentary shuttle bus between venues. The History Book Festival events for Saturday, Oct. 7, are grouped by location.

Lewes Presbyterian Church

 9-10 a.m. “A World Ablaze: The Rise of Martin Luther and the Birth of the Reformation,” Craig Harline, author (nonfiction).

 10:30-11:30 a.m. “Bunny Mellon: The Life of an American Style Legend,” Meryl Gordon, author; Holly Shimizu, interviewer (nonfiction).

 1:30-2:30 p.m. “America and the Great War: A Library of Congress Illustrated History,” Margaret Wagner, author; Laurie Fulton, interviewer (nonfiction).

 3-4 p.m.”Olive Rush: Finding Her Place in the Santa Fe Art Colony,” Jann Haynes Gilmore, author (nonfiction).

 4:30-5:30 p.m.”Six Encounters with Lincoln: A President Confronts Democracy and Its Demons,” Elizabeth Brown Pryor, author; Beverly Brown, presenter (nonfiction).

Margaret H. Rollins Community Center Community Room 

9-10 a.m. “Revolutionary Delaware,” Kim Rogers Burdick, author, and “Delaware’s Destiny Determined by Lewes,” Randy J. Holland, author; Mike DiPaulo, interviewer (nonfiction).

10:30-11:30 a.m. “The Babe Ruth Deception, David O. Stewart, author (fiction). 

3-4 p.m. “Suspect Red,” L. M. Elliott, author (fiction). 

4:30-5:30 p.m. “Lilli De Jong: A Novel,” Janet Benton, author (fiction).

Lewes Public Library

9-10 a.m.The Pirate Next Door: The Untold Story of Eighteenth Century Pirates’ Wives, Families and Communities, Daphne Palmer Geanacopoulos, author (nonfiction).

10:30-11:30 a.m. “Sex and the Constitution: Sex, Religion, and Law from America’s Origins to the Twenty-First Century,” Geoffrey Stone, author; Thomas Ambro, interviewer (nonfiction).

3-4 p.m. “The German Girl: A Novel,” Armando Lucas Correa, author (fiction).

4:30-5:30 p.m. “Bop Apocalypse: Jazz, Race, the Beats and Drugs,” Martin Torgoff, author (nonfiction); co-sponsored by the Rehoboth Beach Jazz Festival.

St. Peter’s Episcopal Church

 9-10 a.m. “The Jersey Brothers: A Missing Naval Officer in the Pacific and His Family’s Quest to Bring Him Home,” Sally Mott Freeman, author; Edwin S. Grosvenor, interviewer (nonfiction).

10:30-11:30 a.m. “Racing the Devil: An Inspector Ian Rutledge Mystery” and “A Casualty of War: A Bess Crawford Mystery,” Caroline and Charles Todd, authors (fiction).

Noon-1 p.m. “Allegiance,” Kermit Roosevelt III, author (fiction).

1:30-2:30 p.m. “42 Faith: The Rest of The Jackie Robinson Story,” Ed Henry, author (nonfiction).

3-4 p.m.”The Making of Black Lives Matter: A Brief History of an Idea,” Christopher Lebron, author (nonfiction).