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February 16, 2005

From British colony to business and industrial giant, new book chronicles Virginia's history

Author Lisa Antonelli Bacon will sign her book, “Virginia, A Commonwealth Comes of Age: An Illustrated History,” 3-5 p.m. Feb. 19 at Williamsburg Booksellers, located at Colonial Williamsburg’s Visitor Center.

Bacon re-creates the life of Virginia’s distant and recent past, and gives a glimpse of its future. In “Virginia, A Commonwealth Comes of Age: An Illustrated History,” readers will:

  • Learn how those first settlers originally sought to trade and plunder, not settle, but were captivated by the land’s unspoiled beauty;
  • Find how its citizenry went from being traders and gentlemen farmers to become titans of canals, railroads and ironworks;
  • Discover how slavery, and the ensuing Civil War, forever changed the politics, the economy and the very way of being for this Commonwealth; and
  • See how after four centuries, Virginia has evolved from a fragile agricultural-based colony, neighboring a hostile new world, into a region that is enthusiastically on the cutting edge of telecommunications, software programming and aerospace.

    Bacon is a free-lance writer living in Richmond, Va. While living in Los Angeles in 1981, she worked for Professional Writers Network, research and writing stories for foreign markets. After returning to her hometown of Richmond, she worked on the staffs of Virginia Business and Style Weekly. Her work appears frequently in the New York Times, as well as in national and international magazines, including Interior Design and on CNN Traveller.

    Published by American Historical Press, “Virginia, A Commonwealth Comes of Age: An Illustrated History” retails for $34.95 and can be purchased at Williamsburg Booksellers.

    Media Contact:
    Penna Rogers
    (757) 220-7121



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