Penn History Professor Richard R. Beeman has written six books and several dozen articles on various aspects of America’s political and constitutional history in the 18th and 19th centuries, including a biography of American Revolution hero Patrick Henry and “Beyond Confederation: The Origins of the Constitution and American National Identity.”

“Plain Honest Men: The Making of the American Constitution,” Beeman’s latest book, is a comprehensive account of the 1787 Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia. The book takes readers behind the scenes and beyond the debates to show how the world’s most enduring constitution was forged through conflict, compromise and, eventually, fragile consensus. Beeman discusses the book on Aug. 25 at the Penn Bookstore.

In the 544-page book, Beeman captures the dynamic of the debate and the characters of the men who labored that summer, among them James Madison, who later served as the fourth President of the United States, Pennsylvania’s Gouverneur Morris, Maryland’s Luther Martin, Connecticut’s Roger Sherman and General George Washington, later elected the first American President.

The event takes place from 5:30 to 7 p.m. For more information, call 215-898-7595 or visit www.upenn.edu/bookstore.