The History and Culture of Washington, DC: A Reading List

Here at Georgetown University Press we are proud to publish important books across many different aspects of the rich history and culture of Washington, DC. Use code TGUF on our website to save 30% on books on topics as varied as jazz, urbanism, sports, and labor history.

Empanadas, Pupusas, and Greens on the Side by American University professor Amelia Tseng presents a new framework for understanding how language and identity intersect in ever-evolving America.

"My Name Is Not Tom" by historian Susan Cooke Soderberg is the first biography to rescue the true story of Reverand Josiah Henson, restoring to history his role in the Underground Railroad.

Nannie Helen Burroughs by Rutgers University professor Danielle Phillips-Cunningham tells the story of one of the most influential labor leaders of the twentieth century, revealing powerful lessons that still resonate today.

Rhythms of Resistance and Resilience by Georgetown University professor Maurice Jackson shines a light on the stories of the Black men and women who combated racial prejudice in Washington, DC, through sports and music.

Under the Dome by former Architect of the Capitol Alan Hantman is an inside account of politics, crisis, and architecture on Capitol Hill.

Hidden Alleyways of Washington, DC by Kim Prothro Williams tells the remarkable architectural and social history of an oft-overlooked feature of the city.

When Washington Burned by Lynn University professor Robert Watson is an insightful re-examination of one of the most dangerous moments in US history, the British assault on Washington, DC.

The Black Side of the River by University of Tennessee, Knoxville professor Jessi Grieser is an insightful exploration of the impact of urban change on Black culture, identity, and language.

Of the Land: The Art and Poetry of Lou Stovall presents a series of prints and accompanying poems that showcase the artist’s work during the 1970s, when he was developing the silkscreen technique that he is known for and exploring both natural and abstract elements.

Black Georgetown Remembered tells the story of how Georgetown's little-known Black heritage shaped Washington, DC, a community long associated with white power and privilege.

Sixteenth Street NW by John DeFerrari and Douglas Peter Sefton is a richly illustrated architectural “biography” of one of DC’s most important boulevards.

Facing Georgetown's History, edited by Adam Rothman and Elsa Barraza Mendoza, is a compilation of documents that, taken together, provides essential insight into Georgetown University's involvement in the slave trade—and how we can reckon with that history today.

Between Freedom and Equality tells the story of Captain George Pointer, a man who was born enslaved and found his way to freedom, and six generations of his family in Washington, DC.

A Georgetown Life by Grant Quertermous is an annotated edition of the memoirs of nineteenth-century Georgetown socialite Britannia Wellington Peter Kennon of Tudor Place.

In George Washington’s Final Battle, historian Robert Watson tells the little-known story of George Washington’s key role in the establishment of Washington, DC as the US capital.

The Capital of Basketball by John McNamara is a celebration of DC area high school hoops that uncovers the turmoil in the lives of the players and area residents as they dealt with prejudice, educational inequities, and politics.

The familiar history of jazz music in the United States begins with its birth in New Orleans, moves upstream along the Mississippi River to Chicago, then by rail into New York before exploding across the globe. That telling of history, however, overlooks the pivotal role the nation's capital has played for jazz for a century. DC Jazz by Maurice Jackson and Blair Ruble and spotlights that little-known history, bringing the people, places, and the music to life.

A Song to my City by former dean of Georgetown University's Walsh School of Foreign Service Carol Lancaster takes readers on a tour of the nation's capital from it's swamp-infested beginnings to the present day with an insider’s view of the gritty politics, environment, society, culture, and larger-than-life heroes that characterize her beloved hometown.