Robert J. Brugger has taught at the universities of Maryland and Virginia and in 1978-79 was an Andrew W. Mellon Faculty Fellow in the Humanities at Harvard. His previous books include Beverly Tucker: Heart over Head in the Old South and Our Selves/Our Past: Psychological Approaches to American History, the latter available from Johns Hopkins.

[An] altogether exemplary history. In following the middle course, Maryland has chosen the American way; this, it seems to me, is the deepest and most important truth in Robert J. Brugger's thoroughly admirable book. -- Jonathan Yardley Washington Post Book World The most comprehensive and readable history of the Free State ever published. It's absolutely the only account I've ever seen that makes almost all our state history seem important or entertaining or both. It will doubtless be used for generations as the most reliable reference work on its subject. -- John Goodspeed Evening Sun It is comprehensive in scope yet concise in treatment, scholarly in content yet engaging in prose, cautious in judgement yet adventurous in interpretation. Maryland's historical record has been both controversial and proud; now, in Brugger's volume, its people have a history of that experience of which they can, without controversy, be very proud. Maryland Historical Magazine This is the best single-volume history of Maryland in print. Maryland Historian