Signers

The Signers: The 56 Stories Behind the Declaration of Independence by Dennis Brindell Fradin, with Michael McCurdy's signature scratchboard illustrations, profiles the 56 men who made the document. The handsomely designed volume organizes the brief biographies by colony, showing its territory at the time of the signing, and lists the names of the men hailing from each, along with their vital statistics (birth and death dates, wife, children, age at signing, etc.). A reproduction of the original Declaration, alongside a transcript that's easier on the eyes, draws the presentation to a close.