| Book Review | The Journal of American History, 88.2

You have not been recognized as a subscriber to JAH online. About 149 words from this article are provided below; about 334 words remain.

If you are a individual member of the Organization of American Historians, you may:: • login here if you have already registered for online access.; • Or if you're already logged in register your subscription.
• Set up your online account for the first time.
If you are not a member of the Organization of American Historians, you can:: • Join the OAH and receive many member benefits including print and electronic issues of the Journal of American History.
• Purchase a research pass to gain two-hour access to the entire History Cooperative web site. You will have full access to current issues of the Journal of American History (86.1-present). Note: the Research Pass does not provide access to JSTOR's holdings of the Journal of American History.
Instititutions can:: • Subscribe to this journal and receive print and electronic issues.
• Activate your existing subscription so that we recognize your IP number ranges.

| Book Review | The Journal of American History, 88.2 | The History Cooperative

Book Review

The Fabulous History of the Dismal Swamp Company: A Story of George Washington's Times. By Charles Royster. (New York: Knopf, 1999. xii, 622 pp. $35.00, ISBN 0-679-43345-7.)

Charles Royster's sprawling saga of transatlantic greed consists of many stories, told in extraordinary detail and with ironic gusto. The cast of characters features George Washington, one of the original company shareholders at its organization in 1763, and many other familiar and not-so-familiar figures from the late colonial and revolutionary eras (including a certain Charles Royster, signer of a 1774 Mecklenburg County petition calling for the expulsion of "all Scotchmen"). The company itself, a dismal failure through most of its half century of existence, serves as a narrative vehicle for the many sordid tales Royster tells about sharp dealing and speculation in everything from land to slaves to insurance underwriting. The large canvas is not a pretty one. . . .

There are about 334 more words in this article. Please log in (or, if you are not yet an authorized user, please go to the User Setup page) to gain full access rights. Or if you're already logged in register your subscription.