THE WHIMS OF WAR is an historical novel taking place in Philadelphia between 1775 and 1780. Unlike other accounts of this period, it tells the story of a family businessman drawn reluctantly into taking sides in the Revolutionary War. In the process it explores both conflicts among family members and friendships between ideological foes.


Don Sampen is an appellate attorney in Chicago who writes for a living. He has written many articles, book chapters, and briefs in court on non-fiction topics. The WHIMS OF WAR is his debut novel of American historical fiction. Two considerations inspired Don to write the novel. One was an interest he developed to write the kind of historical novel he would want to read. The writing turned out to be a labor of love. He is convinced, moreover, that others will enjoy the final product as well. As a second reason, Don wanted to present a not-so-simple picture of the American Revolution, an event of huge historical significance that many people take for granted. He tells the story from the perspective of a business and family man, in a city, Philadelphia, whose citizens were conflicted over the prospect of independence.

Title: The Whims of War
Author: Don Sampen
Publisher: Adelaide Books
Publisher Website: https://adelaidebooks.org/
Publisher Email: [email protected]
ISBN: 978-1955196819
Price: $ 22.30
Page Count: 460 pages
Formats: paperback



Description of the company: ADELAIDE BOOKS LLC is a New York based independent company dedicated to publishing literary fiction and creative nonfiction. It was founded in July 2017 as an imprint of the Adelaide Literary Magazine, with the aim to facilitate publishing of novels, memoirs, and collections of short stories, poems, and essays by contributing authors of our magazine and other qualified writers.