Books & Media

Entertaining Ideas from Williamsburg

Virginia, of course, is famous for its hospitality. Drawing on that tradition, here's a treasure trove of ideas for celebrating special occasions throughout the year. From a winter anniversary to a spring wedding, a Fourth of July picnic to a children's...

The Journal of Major George Washington

In 1753, Virginia Governor Dinwiddie appointed 21-year-old Major George Washington to a delicate mission - deliver a letter to the local French commander demanding that he and his forces leave British Territory and bargain for support with the local...

The Rockefeller Family And Colonial Williamsburg DVD

Part 10 of The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation Archive Series: Early Stories of the Restoration This is a story of remarkable generosity and considerable personal participation, chronicled in 1992 through archival photos and film, a narrative drawn...

The Cabinetmaker DVD

Part 11 of The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation Archive Series: The Trades of Colonial Williamsburg The Cabinetmaker Crafting a Card Table Antique furniture produced in 18th-century Williamsburg serves as patterns for work produced today in Colonial...

Forged In Wood DVD

Part 9 of The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation Archive Series: The Trades of Colonial Williamsburg This 1987 documentary shows how re-creating James Anderson's blacksmith shop provided a challenge for The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation's architectural...

Silversmith Of Williamsburg DVD

Part 6 of The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation Archive Series: The Trades of Colonial Williamsburg The colonial silversmith produced items both functional and beautiful. In this 1971 docudrama, silver scraps are transformed into a magnificent new...

A Glorious System Of Things DVD

Part 8 of The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation Archive Series: Colonial Life through a Lens. The 18th century was an age marked by an upsurge of scientific curiosity, and this 1983 docudrama shows how early American colonists learned of such important...

The Music Of Williamsburg DVD

Part 2 of The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation Archive Series: Colonial Life through a Lens. Filmed in 1960, this docudrama explores how music in 18th-century Williamsburg was a ritual of everyday life—the accompaniment to everything from...

Gunsmith Of Williamsburg DVD

Part 4 of The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation Archive Series: The Trades of Colonial Williamsburg The gun was a vital part of life in 18th-century Williamsburg, and this 1965 docudrama demonstrates the expertise that went into the making of each...

The Colonial Naturalist DVD

Part 3 of The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation Archive Series: Colonial Life through a Lens. Filmed in 1965, this docudrama highlights Mark Catesby's first visit to the colonies, where the self-trained naturalist spent time observing his natural...

Recipes from the Raleigh Tavern Bake Shop

Gingerbread cookies and other goodies from the Raleigh Tavern Bake Shop bring back delicious memories for generations of Williamsburg visitors. In this cookbook, original recipes from rare 18th-century cookbooks are presented side-by-side with their...

The Williamsburg Cookbook

Once tasted, the food of Williamsburg is not forgotten. Visitors return again and again for Chowning Tavern's Brunswick Stew, Christiana Campbell's Spoon Bread, the Williamsburg Inn's Breast of Turkey Supreme and countless other delicacies. In this...

Quest for a Cure

Erected in 1773, burned in 1885, and now reconstructed, the Public Hospital was the first public facility in colonial America built for the treatment of the mentally ill. This highly readable account of Quest for a Cure gives an overview of the attitudes...

Amy, Ben and Catalpa the Cat

Great pictures and lots of action! In this full-color alphabet story in verse, Amy, Ben and Catalpa take children on a fun-filled day in 18th-century Williamsburg. No sooner does a fifer pass Amy and Ben's window than they are off to the fair! During...

I Am Murdered

George Wythe was Thomas Jefferson's mentor and friend, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, chief justice of the Virginia Supreme Court - and a victim of lethal poisoning. His murder and the trial of his nephew for the killing caused a sensation...

Colonial Williamsburg Hauntings

Based on the official Colonial Williamsburg ghost tours, this book features stories from employees, residents and guests. Here are tales of unexplained alarms, moving chairs and windows, even flying checkerboards - plus spooky images of scenes guests on...

Rivers and Roads: Transportation in Early America

In an era when no corner of the globe has been left unexplored, and people commute hundreds of miles every day in cars, trains and buses, it's easy to lose track of how different life would be without these modes of transportation. Travel back to a time...

The Art of Quilting: A Coloring and Pattern Book

Both coloring and quilting tap into creativity within disciplines defined by lines, borders, and structure. The patterns in this book, all of which are taken from quilts in Colonial Williamsburg's extraordinary collection can be used not only for...

The American Flag: A Handbook of History & Etiquette

A perfect patriotic gift, this handsome guide to the American flag is a concise collection of the history and etiquette of the U.S. flag. The book, bound in hardcover in a distinctive blue leatherette with gold stamping, includes details of the laws...

The Bookbinder in Eighteenth-Century Williamsburg

Illustrated in the style of the period, each softbound booklet in this series describes a trade of eighteenth-century Williamsburg and the lives and times of the artisans who practiced it. Features An Account of the Life, Times, & Craft of a...

Williamsburg Watercolor Note Cards

These reproductions of original watercolor paintings of Historic Area scenes capture the look and feel of historic Colonial Williamsburg long after your visit has ended. Painted by Williamsburg artist Marcia Long, each notecard features a different...

Ghosts Amongst Us

Based in part on Colonial Williamsburg's popular evening programs "Cry Witch" and "Ghosts Amongst Us"—and also including stories that have never been performed—here are the tales that chilled and amused Virginians over two hundred years ago...

Colonial Williamsburg Decorates for Christmas

The beauty of a Williamsburg Christmas can be yours every year with this how-to book. Directions for making 42 gorgeous decorations, including 249 step-by-step drawings and 35 color illustrations, will help you create the perfect holiday atmosphere in...

Early Upholstery Seating

Watch a feature about our restoration expert, Leroy Graves, on CBS Sunday Morning. Leading Colonial Williamsburg conservator Leroy Graves has changed the way collectors and museums regard historic upholstery. Little upholstery from the eighteenth and...

Four Centuries of Quilts: The Colonial Williamsburg Collection

Grand in scope and gorgeous to look at, Four Centuries of Quilts is one of the most important references on quilts and quilting available. Quilts are among the most utilitarian of art objects, yet the best among them possess a formal beauty that rivals...

Thomas Jefferson Art of Power

A No. 1 New York Times Bestseller, Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power has been named one of the best books of the year by The New York Times Book Review, The Washington Post, Entertainment Weekly, and more. Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jon Meacham once...

Plants of Colonial Williamsburg

This guide to the plants in Colonial Williamsburg's gardens describes and discusses two hundred flowers, trees, herbs, and shrubs. The historical background of each plant links it with the colonial period. Brief biographies of early plantsmen explain the...

The Art and Soul of African American Interpretation

The Art and Soul of African American Interpretation is the first book in which African American interpreters themselves reflect on their profession. Six experienced interpreters discuss how they research historical figures and create characters, often...

Organic Fiber Dyeing

Traditional Dyes for Modern Fabric Lovers. Color, color, and more color-dyeing fabric was just as important to the citizens of 18th-century America in places such as Williamsburg, Virginia, as it is to today's quilters and fabric artists. Using...

The Leatherworker in Eighteenth-Century Williamsburg

Illustrated in the style of the period, each softbound booklet in this series describes a trade of eighteenth-century Williamsburg and the lives and times of the artisans who practiced it. Features An Account of the Nature of Leather, & the Trades...

Revolutionary Mothers: Women in the Struggle for America's Independence

The American Revolution was a home-front war that brought scarcity, bloodshed, and danger into the life of every American, and Carol Berkin shows us that women played a vital role throughout the struggle. Berkin takes us into the ordinary moments of...

Flowers and Herbs of Early America

Rediscover our American botanical heritage with this chronicle of the history and cultivation of 56 species of colonial flowers and herbs. Researched and written by master gardener Lawrence Griffith, curator of plants for The Colonial Williamsburg...

Reproduction Colonial Money - Set B

This set of reproduction Colonial and Revolutionary currency includes various denominations and sizes. Set B includes 1 each of the following notes: 20 Dollars - United States 1778,  4 Dollars - North Carolina 1778, 8 Dollars - Massachusetts Bay...

Reproduction Colonial Money - Set A

This set of reproduction Colonial and Revolutionary currency includes various denominations and sizes. Set A includes various denominations and sizes of Colonial Money, including one each of the following: $10 New York 1776, $8 Maryland 1774, 15s...

Holiday Fare Cookbook

Hot Cranberry Wassail! Cheese and Chive Crisps! Buttery Rum Pumpkin Pie! Sixty easy-to-follow recipes from Executive Chef John Gonzales Holiday-Fare Cookbook update the favorite delicious tastes of Colonial Williamsburg's recipes. Features •60+...

Melody Harp Christmas Songs

Twelve carols children can play instantly of Christmas Melody Harp Songs: Angels We Have Heard On High, Deck the Halls, Go Tell It On the Mountain, God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen, Hark the Herald Angels Sing, Jingle Bells, Jolly Old St. Nick, Joy to the...

Folk Melody Harp Songs

Twelve traditional folk melody harp songs young ones - or adults - can play instantly: Blue Tail Fly, Buffalo Gals, Clementine, Cripple Creek, Down In The Valley, Drink to Me Only With Thine Eyes, I've Been Working On The Railroad, Little Brown Jug,...

Children's Melody Harp Songs

Twelve traditional children's songs young ones can play instantly: A Hunting We Will Go, A Tisket, A Tasket, Are You Sleeping?, Baa Baa Black Sheep, Froggie Went A Courtin', Hickory Dickory Dock, I'm A Little Teapot, Mary Had A Little Lamb, Polly Wolly...

Melody Harp

This finely crafted wood zither, or melody harp, is one of the easiest instruments a child can play. Simply slide one of 12 song sheets under the strings and follow the "dots" with the pick. A great way to start a child onto a lifetime of music. 14 1/2"...

Grand Illumination Christmas Cards

These festive Grand Illumination Christmas Cards feature a scene of fireworks bursting in the air above the Governor's Palace in the background, amidst the snow, with cressets burning and decorated homes in Colonial Williamsburg's Historic Area...

Botany - A Naturalist's Notebook

Whether you make observations close to home (how does your garden grow?) or keep detailed, accurate field notes for your Journal of Researches (like Darwin!), take along this Botany - A Naturalist's Notebook. Make at least one discovery every day! 48...

Norfolk Naval Shipyard

Norfolk Naval Shipyard has a long history that predates the United States of America. Founded in 1767 as the Gosport Shipyard, it has been burned and rebuilt three times, once to prevent it from getting into the hands of the newly independent state of...

Yorktown, Virginia: A Brief History

Yorktown's history is often overshadowed by its pivotal role in the Revolutionary War. The site of the British surrender has held several victory commemorations over the past two hundred years. Yorktown also was a thriving colonial port and the site of...

Historic Trades

With more than 90 color photos, this charming hardcover book celebrates Colonial Williamsburg's Historic Trades in vivid detail. Colonial Williamsburg's Historic Area is home to the largest, most diverse museum-operated trades program in the world. Here...

The Idea of America: Our Values, Our Legacy, Our Future

"The Idea of America backs us out of current conflicts and gives insight into the values that have made our country such a shining light to others. Now, more than ever, we need to revisit these values and the tensions they create - and work to fulfill...

Holiday Pineapple Christmas Cards

While colonists in the 18th century did not decorate their doors and homes with expensive fruits during Christmas, the tradition of decorating the Historic Area of Williamsburg with elaborate and fresh floral and fruit arrangements during the holiday...

Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Museum Booklet

Revolution & Evolution: Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Museum is a catalog of the 2017 Winter Antiques Show loan exhibit which is also an introduction to the extraordinary treasures of the Abby Aldrich Folk Art Museum and to the rich variety of...

Down On The Farm: A Sticker Adventure With Prince

Down on the Farm follows the adventures of Prince, a dog who explores the countryside and along the way meets various friends who, like Prince himself, are based on works of art at the museum. Rooster weather vanes roost on walls, toy sheep graze, and...