America the Beautiful: The Stirring True Story Behind Our Nation's Favorite Song

It has been called a hymn, a prayer, our unofficial nat. anthem -- ''America the Beautiful,'' the song that has expressed the dreams of Americans from Ray Charles to Elvis Presley, from eager immigrants to hopeful graduates, from the battlefields of WW1 to the Super Bowl. In this first full biography of this song, Sherr reveals the dramatic story behind its unlikely creation. She profiles the poet, Katharine Lee Bates, who composed the verse after a trek to the top of Pikes Peak, CO. She introduces us to Samuel Augustus Ward, who conceived the melody in a moment of inspiration after a trip to Coney Island. Katharine & Sam never met or even communicated, but their creations seamlessly captured the American spirit. Beautifully designed & illustrated!