"A handsome and well-illustrated book on a worthwhile subject at a reasonable price.... Graffagnino, Austin, Ptolemy and Dunnigan shed light on sixteen fascinating figures whose contribution to our understanding of American History is inestimable and often underrated.... I have a hard time finding fault with The Pioneer Americanists except to wish it were twice as long."
- William Butts, Manuscripts

The Pioneer Americanists is a captivating look at the lives and careers of eight generations of outstanding Americanists prior to 1900. Here are autobiographical and contemporary biographical sketches of White Kennett, Isaiah Thomas, James Lenox, Joseph Sabin, John Carter Brown, Lyman Copeland Draper, George Brinley, Jr., and the other noteworthy specialists who created and nurtured the Americana field from the late seventeenth through the nineteenth centuries. Illustrations from the remarkable collections of the William L. Clements Library and other leading institutional archives complement the texts to provide a panoramic window on the early story of Americana appreciation, collecting, and description. Anyone with a professional or avocational interest in antiquarian Americana will find The Pioneer Americanists a fascinating treasury of information, enlightenment, and inspiration.