Leyburn Library’s Author Talk Series Kicks Off Sept. 21

By Erica Turman
August 17, 2017

The Anne and Edgar Basse Jr. Author Talk Series, presented by the Leyburn University Library at Washington and Lee University, will begin this academic year with a talk by W&L Associate Professor of History Barton Myers and Brian McKnight, a history professor at U.Va.-Wise, on Tuesday, Sept. 21, at 5 p.m.

The authors will discuss their newest book, “The Guerrilla Hunters: Irregular Conflicts during the Civil War,” in the Book Nook on the main floor of Leyburn Library.

Providing new interpretations of the long-misconstrued aspect of warfare, the authors go beyond the conventional battlefield to examine the stories of irregular combatants across all theaters of the Civil War, bringing geographic breadth to what is often treated as local and regional history. “Guerrilla Hunters” shows that instances of unorthodox combat, once thought isolated and infrequent, were numerous, and many clashes defy easy categorization.

“Working alongside Brian McKnight on this book has been a true joy,” Myers said. “Rarely does one find a collaborator who is equally passionate about the same set of scholarly issues and yet can display excellent editorial judgment and solid gentlemanly criticism without losing sight of the end goal, a groundbreaking scholarly product.”

At the end of the talk, Myers and McKnight will field audience questions. Hard copies of the book will be available for purchase.

The event is free and open to the public, and refreshments will be provided.

Talks are sponsored by the library’s Anne and Edgar Basse Jr. Endowment. This fund was created in 1988 to support the varied activities of the university’s Special Collections and Archives, including book signings. All books published by W&L faculty are housed in the library’s Special Collections and Archives.