The American consulate has compiled a special book to celebrate Bermuda's 400th birthday.

'Four Centuries of Friendship' will be a 150-page, full-color hardback edition, published by Bermuda Maritime Museum Press.

Due to be released next year, it will contain many articles, historical colour and black and white images, as well as maps from various collections and was brought to reality by Consul General Gregory Slayton and wife Marina, who edited the book.

They worked in partnership with Dr. Edward Harris, Director of the Bermuda Maritime Museum and Paul Shapiro and Rosemary Jones, of Brimstone Media Ltd.

"It has been a great privilege to work with the Slaytons and the many fine professionals who have contributed to this groundbreaking book," said Dr. Harris.

"Our nations' bilateral history is a story worth telling, and I think there will be something for everyone in this book.

"It lays out in an easily-read format the overwhelmingly positive history that our two nations have shared for 400 years, as well as some of the difficulties that we have had to work through.

"There is no other such partnership in all of the 'New World'. We all hope that this book will strengthen and enhance the USA-Bermuda relationship going forward," he added.

'Four Centuries of Friendship' was the brainchild of Mrs. Slayton who wanted to put together something to commemorate the American Consulate's work in Bermuda since being set up here in 1812. "With the selling of the US Consul General's official home 'Chelston', on Grape Bay Drive, in Paget, and the closing of the military bases, the mission in Bermuda here has been in a state of flux," said Mrs. Slayton.

The book has been written with the support of Dr. Douglas Kraft, Middle East and the Americas Division Chief, in the Historian Office at the US State Department.

"The US State Department did run the topic through the Library of Congress and no one had ever written a book about US Bermuda history from an American perspective," Mrs. Slayton told The Royal Gazette. "Every book ever written has been by a Bermudian."

She said many similar books about consulates in other countries were either fluff pieces or diplomatic manuals.

"I thought we could go somewhere in the middle," said Mrs. Slayton, a Russian studies major at Amherst College, who also has dual degrees from Columbia University.

"Through that, I have written several long pieces of work, but the writing really went to other people," said Mrs. Slayton. "We were working with a lot of good material. And Rosemary Jones worked with a lot of the editing.

"So this was definitely a collective labour of love. We want to be very clear about that. Collaborative efforts like this make better pieces."

The book is actually a compilation of chapters by many different locals including Dr. Harris, Ms Jones, Roger Crombie, Jonathan Land Evans, Dr. Clarence Maxwell, Dr. Duncan McDowall, Don Grearson, Kevin Grigsby, Jennifer Hind, and Ralph Richardson.

There are also chapters written by the US State Department and Mr. Slayton.

There were also a number of organisations involved such as the St. George's Foundation, the Bermuda National Trust, the Bermuda Maritime Museum, the Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Library, the Georgia O'Keefe Museum, the Bermuda Archives and more.

"Bermuda Archives director Karla Hayward was just so generous with her time," said Mrs. Slayton. "They all gave their time very generously."

Mrs. Slayton said the timing of the book was "brilliant" because it coincided with Bermuda's 400th anniversary next year. "We were able to attract a lot of interest," said Mrs. Slayton.

"We didn't go out with a broad appeal," said Mr. Slayton. "I went to friends of mine.

"We talked with people who have been helpful in our work and people who have done a lot for US Bermuda relations in their way.

"I was really overwhelmed by the positive response. It really shows that the business community understands the importance of strong US Bermuda relations, especially, in these difficult economic times."

During Mrs. Slayton's research she uncovered many interesting things, such as 290 boxes of consular diplomatic dispatches between Bermuda and the United States.

"Someone else will have to go through that material," she said. "The State Department, and the Library of Congress, and Karla Hayward have the dispatches up to 1906. The correspondence between the post and Washington has been published.

"There are some really interesting things. For example, the first consular officer, William R. Higginbothom, wrote a lot of letters to John Quincy Adams who after he left the presidency became the Secretary of State.

"There are a lot of fun letters back and forth between them. Although a lot of them were based on commercial interests such as shipping."

The last chapter of the book is written by Mr. Slayton and looks towards the future rather than the past.

"It is micro and macro perspective," said Mrs. Slayton. "It looks at where US-Bermuda relations are going in the next century, and also where US diplomacy is going."

Mrs. Slayton said in earlier times US diplomacy was more cloak and dagger. Today, the consulate is more concerned with the image of the United States in other countries.

Mrs. Slayton said that although the book looks at a number of historical periods, it is not meant to be an academic tome.

"The images will make it seem lively and dynamic," she said. "We have been working very hard to have great images."

The Slaytons are now installing a special historical exhibit in the waiting room at the US Consulate to honour the Bermuda-America friendship.

But with a new president about to take office in the United States, the Slaytons future in Bermuda is unknown.

"We aren't sure if we are moving on yet," said Mr. Slayton. "I serve at the pleasure of the president. The administration is in transition right now, so we will see."

Mr. Slayton said it had been a real pleasure working in Bermuda.

"Our hope is that the book will lead to continued improvement in the relationship between us.

"It is a little bit like what President Harry Truman said. Those who do not understand history are doomed to repeat it."

He said that while writing his chapter for the book, he looked at the highs and lows between Bermuda and America.

"We have tried to understand the drivers of times that United States-Bermuda relations were getting better and also what were the pitfalls that historically have led to less good relationships," he said. "In 400 years there are a lot of lessons to be learned.

He said the book would be beautiful and a real keepsake.

Four Centuries of Friendship was sponsored by the HSBC Bank of Bermuda and Bank of Bermuda Foundation and the Slayton Family Foundation, and also Allied World Assurance Company, Argo Group, Bacardi, Butterfield Bank;

Chubb Atlantic Indemnity Ltd, Fidelity International, Investors Guarantee Foundation, Maybury Family Foundation, Montpellier Re, Renaissance Re, Validus Re, Westbury (Bermuda) Ltd and XL.

The book, which will only be available in Bermuda, will be released next year. There will be a launch here in Bermuda, a launch in Washington DC, and possibly in London.