Books in Dover History Coloring Book series

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.

Over 350 million years, sharks have evolved into the most successful hunters to roam the seas. This educational and entertaining coloring book focuses on 25 species of shark, ranging in size from the relatively tiny cookiecutter shark (1-1/2 feet long) to the monstrous whale shark (up to 65 feet).Carefully researched and skillfully rendered line drawings depict such fascinating species as the snakelike frilled shark; the thresher shark with its long, scythe-shaped tail; the rare and bizarre goblin shark; the dreaded great white shark, one of the most fearsome predators in the sea, and the swift and graceful blue shark. Also depicted are some of the shark's closest relatives: the spotted ratfish, sting ray, common skate, Atlantic torpedo ray, Atlantic guitarfish and smalltooth sawfish.A fact-filled caption accompanies each of Llyn Hunter's vivid illustrations, providing the sharks' common and scientific names, habitat, behavior, size, color, distinguishing features and other information. Further enhancing the book are a general introduction and a dramatic double-page illustration showing all 25 sharks drawn to scale. Educational and informative, Sharks of the World Coloring Book doubles as an excellent and inexpensive source of royalty-free illustrations for artists and designers.

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.

Including the red-winged blackbird, painted bunting, wood duck, great blue heron, ruby-throated hummingbird, purple finch, and blue jay, 46 different species of birds from all parts of the United States are included in this book. The pictures have been faithfully redrawn by Paul E. Kennedy from originals by John James Aububon (1785–1851), the most famous American painter-naturalist. For each species, the caption supplies the modern common and scientific names and the current range (by general region). No distinction is made between breeding range and winter range. Only the area of the United States, exclusive of Alaska and Hawaii, is considered. The birds shown are usually adult males when the caption does not give the information on age and sex.Audubon's original plates, numbered to correspond to the pages of the book, have been reproduced in color on the covers. If you follow them, you will not only have a great deal of coloring pleasure, but you will also learn how to identify many important birds.

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.

Here’s a wonderful opportunity to learn about the splendid historic buildings that lend the New England landscape much of its fascination and charm. Noted illustrator A. G. Smith has rendered for coloring 43 extant structures (all open to the public at least part of the year) embracing a wide variety of architectural styles and historic periods.Detailed line illustrations depict these historic homes from all six New England states:Nathan Hale Homestead (Coventry, CT)Mark Twain House (Hartford, CT)Harriet Beecher Stowe House (Brunswick, ME)Winslow Homer Studio (Prouts Neck, ME)Emily Dickinson Homestead (Amherst, MA)Paul Revere House (Boston, MA)House of the Seven Gables (Salem, MA)Great Stone Dwelling (Enfield, NH)Robert Frost Place (Franconia, NH)The Breakers (Newport, RI)Gilbert Stuart Birthplace (Saunderstown, RI)Emma Willard House (Middlebury, VT)Coolidge Homestead (Plymouth Notch, VT)… and many more.For each dwelling, an informative caption accompanies the illustration, giving the background and significance of the house. The result is an educational and entertaining book that offers not only hours of coloring enjoyment but also an excellent inexpensive guidebook for the thousands of vacationers and tourists who visit the New England area each year.

Thirty striking works by noted female artists appear in this eclectic collection. They range from conventional portraits, such as Vanessa Bell's depiction of her sister, Virginia Woolf, to a pioneering abstract painting by Sonia Delaunay. Other landscapes, still lifes, and portraits include works by Frida Kahlo, Grandma Moses, Mary Cassatt, Berthe Morisot, and other distinguished artists. Colorists can rely upon their own imaginations or be guided by the original paintings, as shown in the reproductions on the front and back covers.

A Far Eastern design tradition symbolizing the universe and the movement of energy, mandalas feature symmetrically arranged patterns within their intriguing centers. This beautifully rendered book invites little artists to add their choice of colors to 30 large, simple re-creations of mystical mandala designs. Within each mandala's fascinating focal point are hearts, moons, suns, insects, unicorns, geometric designs, and much more. When complete, each beguiling illustration will surely dazzle the eye of every beholder!

Superbly rendered illustrations, adapted from Godey's Lady's Book, a rare nineteenth-century fashion magazine, provide authentic views of evolving Victorian modes of apparel — from lace-edged necklines and elongated bodices to fitted bonnets and extravagant bustles. Thirty ready-to-color illustrations depict lavish dresses and gowns of velvet and damask; smart riding outfits trimmed with braid and gilt; an elegant cashmere shawl, children's outfits; as well as hair ornaments, footwear, and other accessories. A lovely collection that offers an authentic glimpse of what well-dressed ladies and youngsters of the Victorian era were wearing, this is a must-have for coloring book fans, costume designers, and cultural historians.

Because the geography of North America encompasses such a broad range of climatic and environmental conditions, the dwellings of early Native Americans varied widely in appearance and constructions. Using materials taken from the surrounding physical environment, the builders constructed diverse lodgings — from adobe pueblos in the Southwest to birch bark wigwams in the Northeast. This carefully researched coloring book spotlights the wide array of Native American shelters.Thirty detailed illustrations depict, among other structures, the exterior of a Seminole chickee in Florida; a Mandan earth lodge on the Great Plains; an Iroquois longhouse in upstate New York; a Taos adobe pueblo in the Southwest; a Hopi food storage room in Arizona; an Anasazi Cliffside dwelling at Mesa Verde, Colorado; and an Inuit iglu in the Arctic.Extensive, fact-filled captions accompany the illustrations, making this fascinating portrayal of how the first Americans built and used their homes an excellent educational resource as well as an entertaining coloring book.

For centuries plants have been used to assuage or cure a wide variety of human ills. Even such familiar “weeds” as the dandelion have their palliative uses. This informative coloring book, featuring 44 accurate drawings by botanical illustrator Ilil Arbel, focuses on such medicinal plants from around the world as foxglove, belladonna, mayapple, valerian, dandelion, chamomile, quinine, arnica, burdock, tamarind, lobelia, and many more. Each illustration is accompanied by an informative caption outlining the plant's coloration and physical characteristics, geographic distribution, and medicinal uses. Invaluable as an identification guide and pictorial reference, this volume will appeal to colorists of all ages as well as to artists and crafters in need of royalty-free plant illustrations.