Books with author Peter F. Copeland

Join the defenders of the Alamo and relive a heroic struggle against overwhelming odds. The defense of the Alamo has become an American legend, and the building is a shrine to Texas liberty. These 30 carefully researched drawings chronicle events leading up to the fall of the 18th-century mission and the last stand of Davy Crockett, Jim Bowie, and many others who fought bravely for independence. Captioned scenes include the Mexican advance halted by rebels firing from behind earthworks; Texans of Mexican descent in revolt against the dictator Santa Anna; raising the flag of the Texas rebels; the arrival of Davey Crockett at the Alamo; a meeting under a flag of truce; and much more.

On April 30, 1803, the Louisiana Purchase Agreement between France and the United States was formally signed. President Thomas Jefferson paid the French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte approximately 18 cents per square mile for a vast wilderness territory (more than 825,000 square miles) stretching from New Orleans to the Canadian border and west from the Mississippi River to the Rocky Mountains. The Purchase effectively doubled the size of the young United States.On May 14, 1804, Captains Meriwether Lewis and William Clark — accompanied by an intrepid band of skilled hunters, carpenters, gunsmiths, and blacksmiths — sailed up the Missouri River with a small fleet of three vessels. For the next two years, this dauntless team navigated insect- and snake-infested waterways, crossed scorching plains, scaled frigid mountain passes, battled hostile Indians, and faced near-starvation—all the while charting a vast wilderness never before glimpsed by white men.By the time of their return to civilization in September of 1806, Lewis and Clark had brought back a large collection of important scientific information, opened the unknown East to American exploration and settlement, and added credibility to the U.S. claim to the Oregon Territory. Distinguished artist Peter F. Copeland recaptures the high points of this mighty expedition. Forty-five historically accurate, precisely drawn illustrations for coloring retrace the nearly 8,000 miles of the perilous trek. Captions identify the action in each plate, provide background information, and link the plates in a continuous and informative narrative.

One of the crucial phases of the Civil War centered on the two Confederate invasions of the North undertaken by Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia. The first invasion ended at the battle of Antietam (Sharpsburg), fought on September 17, 1862. The second came to a halt at the decisive battle of Gettysburg (July 1-3, 1863), after which the Confederate forces retreated into Virginia.This unique coloring book focuses on the two campaigns, allowing colorists to bring their own sense of color and design to various aspects of the momentous struggle. Noted illustrator Peter Copeland has provided 45 precise black-and-white illustrations, based on extensive research, that document the great clash of armies: cavalry charges, raids, counterattacks, artillery barrages, ruined cities and devastated countryside, tending the sick and wounded, quiet moments in camp, and more. Civil War buffs, colorists, and students of American history will appreciate the accuracy and drama of these illustrations, which offer not only an enjoyable coloring experience but an attractive and valuable learning tool for anyone seeking a deeper understanding of the nation's past.

All the excitement of westward expansion and life on the American frontier are vividly depicted in this carefully researched coloring book.Artist Peter Copeland has rendered 36 finely detailed illustrations portraying the dramatic rescue of the Donner party (1847), a keelboat approaching a thriving river town, a wagon train attacked by Indians, prospectors in the Rockies, a Mormon handcart company going West, a section gang laying railroad tracks (1860s), workmen erecting the first transcontinental telegraph lines (1861), stagecoach robbers at work in the early 1880s, and much more.Well-written descriptive captions accompany this excellent selection of ready-to-color illustrations that will appeal to lovers of western lore and coloring book fans of all ages.

Thirty-one lively drawings reproduce with complete authenticity uniforms from the American Revolution — British, French, German, and American. Each regiment is described briefly, with complete instructions for accurately coloring the buckskin, fur, and feathered clothing of common soldiers as well as the distinctive hues of the officers' uniforms. Peter Copeland, historical artist and consultant, has reconstructed these uniforms from early descriptions and other source material, illustrating many for the first time.

All the drama of shipwrecks and the excitement of discovering valuable treasures come vividly to life in 39 educational and entertaining illustrations. Ready-to-color scenes include divers gathering large jar-like containers on the site of an ancient Greek shipwreck; a Roman merchant ship in a storm; the remains of a ninth-century Viking ship; a German U-boat sinking an English freighter in 1917; the sunken Titanic; and historic diving suits, scuba-diving equipment, and more.

The magnificent age of sail lives again in this distinctive collection of ready-to-color American sailing ships. In a pictorial display spanning over 200 years of maritime history, artist and avid sailor Peter Copeland meticulously depicts vessels ranging from small, shallow-draft topsail schooners of Colonial times and early sail-and-steam powered ships to modern reconstructions of classic 17th-century vessels. Forty-five exciting, ready-to-color illustrations include the privateer frigate Bethel (1748), a colonial sloop (1760), the Andrew Doria (1776), the U.S.S. Constitution (1812), the paddle steamer Savannah (1819), the clipper ship Helena (1849), a Nantucket whaler (1850), and more.Complementing well-researched and accurately rendered drawings are informative captions which describe each ship — dates, types of vessel, construction, historical background, distinguishing characteristics, brief anecdotes, and more. Educational and entertaining, this impressive, fact-filled volume will delight colorists of all ages, students, teachers, as well as anyone captivated by the romance and adventure of the high seas.

Early American craftsmen made a vital contribution to the development of this country, and they are still a very important part of our heritage. This book provides illustrations, rendered for coloring, of 22 crafts that were once widespread in America but are now rarely seen. Wigmakers, farriers (horse shoers), glassblowers, hatters, a whitesmith (tinsmith), cutlers, coopers, cabinetmakers, a coppersmith, and other tradesmen are shown in period costume at work, often in groups of two or more. On facing pages are illustrations of tools and products associated with each trade — such as the whitesmith's anchored shears, flatting hammer, tin snips, tin candlestick, tin lantern, soldering iron, etc. A caption provides basic information on the craft.

The man most responsible for settling Kentucky, frontiersman Daniel Boone (1734–1820) spent most of his life in the wild, exploring unmapped spaces. This collection of 30 captioned, realistic drawings depicts, among other scenes, the famous American pioneer captured by Shawnees (1769), blazing a trail known as the "Wilderness Road" (1775), leading settlers to Kentucky (1779), serving in the Virginia Assembly (1791), traveling with his extended family to Spanish-held Missouri (1799), and volunteering to serve in the War of 1812.

When the first European explorers and settlers landed on the southeastern shores of North America, they encountered natives with the richest and most advanced levels of culture north of Mexico. Over time the descendants of these ancient peoples formed such famous nations as the Creek, Choctaw, Cherokee, and Seminole. The native population also included lesser-known tribes, among them the Timucuas, Quapaws, Catawbas, and the Chitimachas — many of which are extinct today.Artist Peter F. Copeland documents the remarkable, and often tragic, history of these people in this carefully researched coloring book. Thirty-seven excellently rendered illustrations depict ancient burial platforms, the funeral of a Choctaw chief, Natchez warriors of 1758, Seminole women preparing a meal, Chickasaw warriors serving the Confederacy (1862), a modern Mikawuki Seminole alligator wrestler, and more.Of great interest to young students of Native American history, this excellently rendered volume will entertain and inform coloring book enthusiasts of all ages.

Travel back in time to celebrate the culture and lifestyle of the North American woodlands Indians with this carefully researched and accurately rendered coloring book. Artist Pete Copeland has skillfully reconstructed 41 finely detailed scenes that span more than four centuries of tribal life.Here are realistic views of hunters of the Pequot and Massachuset tribes in the early 1600s, a Passamaquoddy man spearing fish (1604), Virginia Algonquians meeting Europeans (1635), a French missionary among the Illinois Indians (1735), Ottawa warriors of the 17th and 19th centuries and Penobscot basket weavers (1937). A number of other tribes are represented as well — among them the Miami Kickapoo, Fox, Sauk, Winnebago, Shawnee, Menominee, and Western Delaware.An entertaining collection of ready-to-color drawings — complete with fact-filled captions — this book will not only intrigue anyone interested in Native American cultures but will also serve as an important classroom teaching tool.

Even though they fought on opposing sides, most soldiers in the Civil War were similarly educated, came from rural backgrounds, spoke the same language, and knew the same songs. They also shared the same hazards and hardships of an enlisted man's life. In this informative coloring book artist Peter Copeland dramatically captures the danger, tedium, and even lighter moments of a soldier's life — from initial recruitment to the "Grand Review" in Washington at war's end.Forty-five realistically rendered illustrations depict experiences common to both Union and Confederate soldiers — new recruits saying good-bye to loved ones, trying on uniforms, learning the care and use of muskets, spending a relaxed evening in camp, making a sick call at the infirmary, posing for a photographer, waiting expectantly for mail, facing a cavalry attack, paying last respects to fallen comrades, and much more.Informative captions complete this well-researched, skillfully illustrated book, certain to find eager fans among coloring book enthusiasts, Civil War buffs, and anyone interested in American history.