Author Eric Jay Dolin to Speak at Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library on his book Rebels At Sea: Privateering in the American Revolution
Ann Arbor, MI, August 19, 2026 – The Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library is pleased to
welcome author Eric Jay Dolin, who will present a one-hour program on his book Rebels at Sea:
Privateering in the American Revolution on September 3 at 6:30 p.m. at the Library, 1000 Beal
Ave., Ann Arbor, MI.
Rebels at Sea tells the story of the daring sailors who proved essential to winning the
Revolutionary War. The heroic tale of the founding of the U.S. Navy during the Revolution has
been told before, yet missing from most maritime histories is the ragtag fleet of private vessels
that truly revealed the new nation’s character of ambition and entrepreneurial ethos. Dolin
corrects that omission, contending privateers (often seen as profiteers at best and pirates at worst)
were in fact critical to the Revolution’s outcome.
“Given President Ford’s service in the U.S. Navy, we are truly looking forward to hosting
Mr. Dolin as part of our Semiquincentennial commemorations,” said Brooke Clement,
Director of the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library and Museum.
Eric Jay Dolin is the author of seventeen books, many of which have won awards including the
John Lyman Award for U.S. Maritime History; Fraunces Tavern Museum Book Award; National
Society Daughters of the American Revolution Excellence in American History Book Award for
Adult Nonfiction; Samuel Eliot Morison Book Award for Naval Literature; James P. Hanlan
Book Award; and the Outdoor Writers Association of America Book Award. Other honors
include being chosen as a finalist for the Kirkus Prize, and as one of the best books of the year by
The Los Angeles Times, The Boston Globe, The Washington Post, Kirkus Reviews, the Library
Journal, and Booklist.
Following the program, there will be a book signing and dessert reception.
The event is free and open to the public. Registration is encouraged:
