Washington's crossing
David Hackett Fischer
Picks up the same desperate months McCullough covers and goes deeper into Trenton and Princeton, with the same focus on leadership, ordinary soldiers and how chance shaped the war's turning point.
12 books to read next
Books Like Seventeen Seventy-six
If you loved Seventeen Seventy-six by David McCullough
Readers love 1776 for the way David McCullough turns a single pivotal year into a gripping, character-driven narrative. He follows George Washington and William Howe, as well as ordinary soldiers on both sides, through the siege of Boston, the disastrous New York campaign and the desperate winter crossing to Trenton. The book reads like a story, relies on letters and diaries, and shows how close the Revolution came to failing. It is vivid, humane and accessible to readers who are not specialists.
More Revolutionary War narrative
Paul Revere's Ride
David Hackett Fischer
A richly detailed, story-driven account of Lexington and Concord. It covers the opening of the conflict that sets the stage for 1776, written with the same narrative energy.
The British Are Coming
Rick Atkinson
A sweeping recent narrative of the war's first years, including 1776. It offers vivid battlefield detail and a strong sense of British commanders, which suits readers who enjoyed McCullough's balanced view.
Washington up close
Washington
Ron Chernow
If McCullough's portrait of a fallible, determined Washington drew you in, this full biography shows how the man you met in 1776 grew into the leader of a nation.
His Excellency
Joseph J. Ellis
A compact, insightful biography that explains Washington's character and judgment, the very qualities McCullough shows being tested in Boston, New York and New Jersey.
George Washington's secret six
Brian Kilmeade
A brisk, popular account of the spy ring Washington built after the losses in New York that McCullough describes. It is an easy, story-first follow-on read.
More from McCullough
John Adams
David McCullough
Shows the political side of 1776 that unfolded in Philadelphia while Washington fought. It brings the same warm, letter-based storytelling to Adams and his remarkable marriage.
Founding Brothers
Joseph J. Ellis
Short, readable chapters on the revolutionary generation after independence. It is ideal if you liked McCullough's character focus and want to see what the founders did with their hard-won victory.
Alexander Hamilton
Ron Chernow
Hamilton served as a young artillery officer during the campaign McCullough chronicles. This vivid biography follows him from those battles to the heart of the new government.
The wider revolution
American scripture
Pauline Maier
Explores how the Declaration of Independence was actually written and adopted in 1776. It is a thoughtful companion to McCullough's military story.
The glorious cause
Robert Middlekauff
A respected single-volume history of the whole Revolution. It places the year McCullough covers within the full arc of the war and its politics, for readers who want the bigger picture.
Scars of independence
Holger Hoock
A recent history focused on the violence and human cost of the war. It extends McCullough's attention to soldiers' suffering to civilians, Loyalists and prisoners.
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