The Kent Family Chronicles (also known as The American Bicentennial Series) is a series of eight novels by

John Jakes John William Jakes (born March 31, 1932) is an American writer, best known for American historical and speculative fiction. His Civil War trilogy, ''North and South'', has sold millions of copies worldwide. He is also the author of The Kent Fam ...

written for

Lyle Engel Lyle Kenyon Engel (c.1915 - August 10, 1986) was an American magazine publisher and book producer. Taking over the family business after his father's death, Engel made the company the largest publisher of lyric magazines in the country. He later fo ...

of Book Creations, Inc. to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the

Declaration of Independence A declaration of independence or declaration of statehood or proclamation of independence is an assertion by a polity in a defined territory that it is independent and constitutes a state. Such places are usually declared from part or all of th ...

of the United States. The books became

best seller A bestseller is a book or other media noted for its top selling status, with bestseller lists published by newspapers, magazines, and book store chains. Some lists are broken down into classifications and specialties (novel, nonfiction book, cookb ...

s, with no novel in the series selling fewer than 3.5 million copies.Mary Ellen Jones
"John Jakes"
''Dictionary of Midwestern Literature,'' pp. 286-288 With '' The Rebels,'' ''

The Seekers The Seekers were an Australian folk-influenced pop quartet, originally formed in Melbourne in 1962. They were the first Australian pop music group to achieve major chart and sales success in the United Kingdom and the United States. They were ...

,'' and ''

The Furies The Erinyes ( ; sing. Erinys ; grc, Ἐρινύες, pl. of ), also known as the Furies, and the Eumenides, were female chthonic deities of vengeance in ancient Greek religion and mythology. A formulaic oath in the ''Iliad'' invokes ...

,'' Jakes became the first author to have three books on the ''New York Times'' bestseller list in a single year, 1975.Kay Kipling
"The John Jakes Chronicles"
''Sarasota Magazine,'' November 2006. The books feature different members of the Kent family, connecting them with historical events at the time of the

American Revolution The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revoluti ...

. The first novel begins just before the American Revolution, with

Frenchman The French people (french: Français) are an ethnic group and nation primarily located in Western Europe that share a common French culture, history, and language, identified with the country of France. The French people, especially th ...

Phillipe Charboneau, who travels to

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

and later to the

New World The term ''New World'' is often used to mean the majority of Earth's Western Hemisphere, specifically the Americas."America." ''The Oxford Companion to the English Language'' (). McArthur, Tom, ed., 1992. New York: Oxford University Press, p. ...

, changing his name to Philip Kent along the way and meeting several key figures of the Revolution, including the Marquis de Lafayette,

Benjamin Franklin Benjamin Franklin ( April 17, 1790) was an American polymath who was active as a writer, scientist, inventor, statesman, diplomat, printer, publisher, and political philosopher. Encyclopædia Britannica, Wood, 2021 Among the leading inte ...

Samuel Adams Samuel Adams ( – October 2, 1803) was an American statesman, political philosopher, and a Founding Father of the United States. He was a politician in colonial Massachusetts, a leader of the movement that became the American Revolution, an ...

Paul Revere Paul Revere (; December 21, 1734 O.S. (January 1, 1735 N.S.)May 10, 1818) was an American silversmith, engraver, early industrialist, Sons of Liberty member, and Patriot and Founding Father. He is best known for his midnight ride to a ...

Joseph Warren Joseph Warren (June 11, 1741 – June 17, 1775), a Founding Father of the United States, was an American physician who was one of the most important figures in the Patriot movement in Boston during the early days of the American Revolution, ...

, and others. The saga ends some generations later in 1890, with the death of Gideon Kent in ''

The Americans ''The Americans'' is an American period spy drama television series created by Joe Weisberg that aired on the FX television network for six seasons from January 30, 2013, to May 30, 2018. Weisberg and Joel Fields also serve as showrunners a ...

.'' The series was originally intended to continue until 1976, covering 200 years.Mary Ellen Jones
"Part Two: The Kent Family Chronicles
''John Jakes: A Critical Companion,'' Greenwood Press, 1996, p. 29. The first two novels in the series were made into

telefilms A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made for ...

in 1978 and 1979, both starring Andrew Stevens as Philip Kent, with the third adapted as a 1979 telefilm starring

Randolph Mantooth Randolph Mantooth (born Randy DeRoy Mantooth, September 19, 1945) is an American actor who has worked in television, documentaries, theater, and film for more than 40 years. A graduate of the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, he was discovere ...

as the son, Abraham Kent. "Operation Prime Time" premiered in syndication with the first of these.

Novels

* '' The Bastard'' (1974) * '' The Rebels'' (1975) * ''

'' (1975) * ''The Furies'' (1976) * ''The Titans'' (1976) * ''The Warriors'' (1977) * ''The Lawless'' (1978) * ''The Americans'' (1979)

Footnotes

External links

John Jakes Official Homepage''The Bastard''
on IMDb
''The Rebels''
on IMDb
''The Seekers''
on IMDb Family saga novels Novels by John Jakes American historical novels Novels set during the American Civil War Fictional families 1970s novels United States Bicentennial {{AmericanCivilWar-novel-stub