The Fabulous History of the Dismal Swamp Company

About The Fabulous History of the Dismal Swamp Company

From historian Charles Royster–winner of the Francis Parkman, Bancroft, and Lincoln prizes–comes the history of one of eighteenth-century America’s most fantastic land speculation deals: William Byrd’s scheme to develop 900 square miles of swamp on the Virginia-North Carolina border and create fabulous wealth for himself and other shareholders, including George Washington.

Royster scrupulously follows the paper trail through the byways of transatlantic deal-cutting, providing a rare view of early American economic culture.  Elegantly written and impressively researched, The Fabulous History of the Dismal Swamp Company is an eye-opening account of greed, folly, and venture capitalism in the revolutionary era.