George Sperryhawke, the bombastic rogue and forgotten founding father, chronicles life in 18th century America as he clambers and swindles his way up the social ladder. After running away from home and being expelled from the seminary, Sperryhawke went to sea, and would go on to become one of the wealthiest men in the colonies by the age of 25, and a pivotal figure in the founding of the Republic. A thoroughly unreliable and mostly unlikeable figure, the discovery of the Sperryhawke manuscripts has given students of American history great cause for rejoicing.