Ken Burns is exploring the moment that started it all.
Just before Burns’The American Revolution documentary series debuts in November, the celebrated historical filmmaker will release a companion book by the same name. A joint effort with his longtime collaborator Geoffrey C. Ward, The American Revolution, out Nov. 11 from Knopf, will bring together artifacts from the era alongside essays from historians and newly commissioned art and maps to enrich and expand upon the series.
Penguin Random House
Both the documentary and the book, of which PEOPLE can exclusively share the cover, are set to debut within the 250th anniversary of the start of the war — in the spring of 1775, over a year before the Declaration of Independence was signed.
“The American Revolution has always been surrounded by myth that keeps us from seeing the real picture,” said Ken Burns of the project. “The story of the birth of this country is at once devastating and inspiring.”
Michael Avedon 2022
He added, “It was a bloody civil war that divided families and communities, displaced native nations, both challenged and protected the institution of slavery, while also proclaiming the noblest aspirations of humankind.”
Goverdhan Singh Rathore 2012
Historians, including Vincent Brown, Maya Jasanoff and Alan Taylor, all contributed essays to the book, which will include prints, drawings, paintings, texts and pamphlets from the era, as well as new art and maps. The book’s text explores “a nation still grappling with the questions that fueled its remarkable founding.”
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The documentary will span six parts, airing for six straight nights from Sunday, Nov. 16 to Friday Nov. 21st on PBS. The production process took eight years, a press release states, and sees Burns collaborate with Sarah Botstein and David Schmidt.
American Revolution by Ken Burns and Geoffrey C. Ward will be available Nov. 11, 2025 and is available to preorder now, wherever books are sold.
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