
This engaging, story-filled history of “The Star-Spangled Banner” by musicologist Mark Clague explores the meanings and traditions of the national anthem across more than two centuries of American history.
The book is available from your local bookseller, as well as online retailers such as Barnes and Noble & Amazon. Audio recordings that illustrate the book are available on our recording Poets & Patriots and can be heard here for free. Musical scores to perform many of these songs and anthem variants are available in our Star Spangled Songbook.
See the recent reviews of O Say Can You Hear? below:
- New York Times, by Peter Sagal
- Washington Post, by Colin Woodard
- Detroit Free Press, by Neal Rubin
- Washington Review of Books, by Peggy Kurkowski
- Star Tribune, by Glenn C. Altschuler
- The Economist
- Publisher’s Weekly
- Kirkus Reviews
- Library Journal
Interviews
- PBS Books (Youtube & Facebook) with Heather-Marie Montilla and Lynette Clemetson
- NPR 1A – O Say Can You Hear
- C-Span Q&A with Susan Swain
- ABC News with Linsey Davis
- WNYC “All of It” with Alison Stewart
- KQED Forum with Alexis Madrigal
- Michigan Today with Deborah Holdship
- Michigan News (video)
- CS Monitor with Randy Dotinga
- BYU Radio, Constant Wonder
- Greg Berg on WGTD (Milwaukee)
- Creative:Impact with Deb Polich (WEMU)
- American Antiquarian Society, conversation with Scott Casper (coming soon)
Presentations and Concerts
- U.S. National Archives
- Poets and Patriotism with Thomas Hampson at the Library of Congress—July 3, 2014
- 200th Anniversary Anthem Recital, Sept. 14, 2014 (Hatcher Library, Ann Arbor)
- Proudly We Hail! Michigan Marching Band Halftime Show, Sept. 13, 2014 (Ann Arbor)
- Poets and Patriots Live, Feb. 17, 2014 (University of Michigan)
Upcoming Events
- Clements Library Bookworm Talk, Friday, Sept. 16, 2022 at 10 a.m. (Eastern)
- “Patriotism & Dissent” 4-session class for 92nd Street Y (New York), Thurs.@7pm, 9/ 29, 10/6,13,20
- Plymouth (Michigan) Book Fair, Sunday, Oct. 2, 2022 at 1 p.m. (Eastern)
- New York State Library Talk, Thursday, Oct. 6, 2022 at 1 p.m. (Eastern)