This eye-opening tour of 40 stately 18th-century houses offers a fascinating look at the private lives of the men whose ideas ignited an insurrection against England, and who helped create the modern world. We see the mansions of legendary figures including Jefferson, Washington, Adams and Hamilton, along with the homes of many other signers of the Declaration of Independence or the Constitution. Houses in each of the 13 colonies, whether in busy townscapes, overlooking water, or atop mountains, reveal these patriots' tastes in architecture, furniture and horticulture. Tales of friends and enemies, murderous relatives, reluctant revolutionaries, adoring wives and runaway servants enliven this richly illustrated volume by historian Hugh Howard and photographer Roger Straus. Hardcover, 354 pages.