Greetings, I signed up for this list about eight years ago when I began research on a biography of one of Cumberland County's favorite sons--Philip Vickers Fithian. Through the years, the members of the list have been very helpful to me as I have set out to write the only full-length biography of Fithian ever published. Many of you have answered my queries and have been more than gracious with your knowledge of Cumberland County history and geneaology. I have also enjoyed my conversations with many of you off the list. Please forgive the shameless self-promotion, but the project is finally complete! *The Way of Improvement Leads Home: Philip Vickers Fithian and the Enlightenment in Early America* will hit bookstores on February 29, 2008. It will be published by the University of Pennsylvania Press. I think the people who regularly read and contribute to this list will find the book useful and entertaining. It describes Philip's life growing up in Greenwich, his upbringing in the Presbyterian Church, his love affair with Elizabeth "Betsy" Beatty, his journeys to Virginia and Pennsylvania, and his tragic death as a chaplain in George Washington's army at the Battle of Long Island. The central thesis of the book centers around Fithian's deep and abiding love for his "beloved Cohansey" and the homesickness that came when he was forced to leave Cohansey for what he believed to be God's call on his life and his pursuit of ambition. Would Philip's "way of (self) improvement" eventually "lead him home?" Read the book and find out!! As I said, the book will be available on February 29th, but it is available for pre-order on Amazon.com. http://www.amazon.com/Way-Improvement-Leads-Home-Enlightenment/dp/0812241096/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1202009461&sr=8-1 If you are interested in purchasing a copy directly from the publisher, drop me an e-mail at jfea@messiah.edu and I will be happy to forward you an order form that offers a 20% discount on the book. (Please respond to me privately rather than to the entire list). Again, I know that many of you have e-mailed privately about this book and have asked me to announce when it will be available, so here it is! I thank you so much for your interest in this project over the years. All the best, John Fea P.S. I will be giving a book talk at the Salem County History Society on April 8, 2008 and speaking on Fithian at the Cumberland County Historical Society on November 1, 2008. I may also be doing a few more in the region--please check my web page: www.messiah.edu/~jfea for updates. I hope to meet some of you at these events and will be happy to sign any and all copies of *The Way of Improvement Leads Home*. John Fea Associate Professor of American History Messiah College Box 3051 One College Avenue Grantham, PA 17027 717-766-2511 jfea@messiah.edu www.messiah.edu/~jfea