The Dawn's Early Light is a 1972 non-fiction book by Walter Lord about the War of 1812 Battle of Baltimore and the events leading up to it. Lord said he wrote the book because of the event's significance in American history. It is one of his 13 bestsellers.
First edition dustcover (1972)
A contemporary drawing of the bombardment of Fort McHenry, one of the illustrations reproduced in The Dawn's Early Light
John Walter Lord Jr. was an American author, lawyer, copywriter and popular historian best known for his 1955 account of the sinking of the RMS Titanic, A Night to Remember.
Lord in 1958
Memorial bench engraved with Lord's book titles
Lord's grave in the family plot at Green Mount Cemetery