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New England Bygones. E. H. Arr. Philadelphia: B. Lippincott Co. 1880.
     —  A nice reminiscence of farm life in the early 1800's. A good read...


Boston: A Guide Book. Edwin M. Bacon.  Illustrated.  Boston: Athenaeum Press. 1903 edition.
     —  A great guide book of Boston that takes you through the neighborhood historical points all across the City and the surrounding area.  Included are the cities of Salem, Wellesley, Newton, Quincy, Blue Hill Reservation, plus many others. Heavily illustrated.  Well written and reads like a walking tour of Boston, with lots of history thrown in.  Highly recommended!....


Boston Illustrated, by Edwin M. Bacon.  Illustrated.  Boston: Houghton, Mifflin and Co. 1886 edition.
     —  A great work on the history of Boston by the neighborhoods through the architecture of the period. Heavily illustrated.  Well written and reads like a walking tour of Boston, with lots of history thrown in.  Highly recommended!


Rambles Around Old Boston, by Edwin M. Bacon.  Illustrated by Lester G. Hornby. Boston: Little, Brown and Company. 1921 edition.
     —  This is an excellent work on the early history of Boston through the turn of the 20th Century.  Well written and reads like a walking tour of Boston, with lots of history thrown in.  Highly recommended!


District School As It Was, The.  Warren Burton. Edited and Illustrated by Clifton Johnson. Boston: Lee and Shephard. 1897.
     — A nice retrospective of life in a New England school right around 1800. A number of illustrations and an introduction added by Clifton Johnson...


Colonial Life in New Hampshire.  James H. Fassett. Boston: Athenaeum Press. 1899.
     —  A nice historical discussion of the early history of New Hampshire, up to and including roles of the state in the Revolutionary War. Sections include: Customs of the Settlers, Indians of New Hampshire, and the Beginnings of the Revolution.  Good for students and adults ...


Working Drawings of Colonial Furniture. Frederick J. Bryant. Peoria, Ill: The Manual Arts Press. 1922.
     —  A nice set of draft plans to make a range of New England Colonial and early American Furniture. From Sheraton, Hepplewhite and Tavern tables, chairs and work tables, there is a wide range of plans for the carpenter and DIYer. All diagrams based on original furniture from Maine...


Vacation Tramps in New England Highlands. Allen Chamberlain. NY: Houghton Mifflin Company. 1919
—  A nice book describing walking tours of New England, through Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. With a special chapter on a tramper's hiking kit.....



Cape Coddities,  by Dennis and Marion Chatham.  Illustrated by Harold Cue. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co. 1920.
     — A great little book filled with Cape Cod charm written when cars were just beginning to be used on the Cape. Nice watercolor touches on some of the illustrations done by a previous owner of the book...


Farming It. Henry A. Chute.  Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co. 1909.
     —  A humorous look at the lawyer from town who buys a farm and tries his hand at agriculture to 'relax'. A really good read and highly recommended!


American Gardener, The. William Cobbett. London: C. Clement. 1821.   
     — This is a classic how-to book for gardeners in the early decades of America.  Cobbett gives the reader the details needed to start a garden (including double-digging, times to plant, how to save seeds, building a hot bed, using a green-house, preparing beds, appropriate fencing, soil, etc.,) as well as detailed lists of Vegetables, Herbs, Fruits, and Flowers. A good read for any modern gardener........


Year's Residence in the United States of America, A, Volume 1. William Cobbett.  London: Sherwood, Neely and Jones. 1819.
     —  An earlier 'essay' by Cobbett of his experience in the U. S. in 1817, the basis of his later work, The American Gardener. ......


Year's Residence in the United States of America, A, Volume 2. William Cobbett.  London: Sherwood, Neely and Jones. 1819.
     —  An earlier 'essay' by Cobbett of his experience in the U. S. in 1817, the basis of his later work, The American Gardener. ......


Year's Residence in the United States of America, A, Volume 3. William Cobbett.  London: Sherwood, Neely and Jones. 1819.
     —  An earlier 'essay' by Cobbett of his experience in the U. S. in 1817, the basis of his later work, The American Gardener. ......


Passage of the Arnold Expedition Through Skowhegan. Louise Helen Coburn. 1922
     —  This is a readable history of  Benedict  Arnold and the military expedition to capture Quebec in the beginning of the Revolutionary War.  His route passed through Skowhegan, ME, and this work describes his expedition's time there...


New England Joke Lore. Arthur G. Crandall. Philadelphia: F. A. Davis Company. 1922.
     —  Here's a bit of that dry New England humor on display.  It may not make you laugh out load, but it will put a smile on your face........


Romance of Old New England Rooftrees, The. Crawford, Mary Caroline. Boston: L. C. Page and Company. 1902 (1908 edition).
     — This is a great source of New England history from its founding through the Revolution, through the unique view of New England's original buildings.  Nice source of historical information about Deborah Sampson Gannett  (a woman who disguised herself as a man and fought in the Revolutionary War), the time of the Salem Witch trials, The Fairbanks murder trial in Dedham, Mass. and Brook Farm in West Roxbury, Mass., among others...


St. Botolph's Town. Mary Caroline Crawford.  Illustrated with various etchings and photographs. Boston: L.C. Page & Co. 1908.
     —  This is a detailed look at the settling of Boston, MA, with information from original letters, diaries and documents.  Highly informative and enjoyable reading....


History of the Great Fire in Boston. Russell H. Conwell. Boston: B. B. Russell. 1873.
     —  Detailed description of the great fire of 1872, written  soon after the fire occurred.  Describes the fire as it swept through the City as well as the aftermath of destruction and rebuilding.......


Random Notes of Boston.  Henry P. Dowst.  Illustrated by John Albert Seaford. Publisher: Humphrey. N.D.: Library Book first stamped August 30, 1916.
     —  Great illustrations of Boston around 100 years ago.  Many of the buildings illustrated still exist today, but some have vanished since this work was done.  Nice history notes of Boston


Early American Craftsmen. Walter A Dyer. Illustrated with photographs. NY: The Century Company. 1915.
     — Everything you've ever wanted to know about early American craftsmen.  Chapters cover Furniture makers, Pewter craftsmen, Silver worker, Glass manufacture, Potters, Windsor Chair manufacture, and Architects.  All from around the Revolutionary War period.  (This book sponsored by Dragons Breath)


Customs and Fashions of Old New England. Alice Morse Earle. NY: Charles Scribner's Sons. 1893.
     —  A classic record of life in the Colonial days of America. Topics include: Courtship and Marriage customs, Domestic Service, Old Colonial Drinks and Drinkers, Doctors and Patients, Books and Bookmakers, Funeral and Burial Customs, Holidays and Festivals, and a whole lot more...


Romance of Old Philadelphia, The. John T. Faris. Illustrated with early etchings and photographs by Philip B. Wallace. Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott Company. 1918.
     — A great resource book with the earliest history of Philadelphia, from settlement through the Revolution and Washington's term in office as President.  Heavily illustrated with drawings, prints and original photographs....


Lake to Lake. Capt. Charles A. J. Farrar.  Jamaica Plain, Mass.: Jamaica Publishing Company. 1887.
     —  An interesting adventure in the wilds of Maine, aboard an early steamship venturing from lake to lake...


A Boy's Will. Robert Frost. NY: Henry Holt and Company. 1915.
     — One of the earliest series of poems by Frost, these early works show Frost in development.  A nice group of poems for the Frost fan......


North of Boston. Robert Frost. NY: Henry Holt and Company. 1917.
     —  Another in a series of poetry books by Frost.  Includes Mending Wall, Death of the Hired Man, The Wood-Pile, and many others.....


Mountain Interval. Robert Frost. NY: Henry Holt and Company. 1916.
     — Third book of poems published by Frost, these early works show Frost in development.  A nice group of poems for the Frost fan......


Dutch and English on the Hudson. Maud Wilder Goodwin.  New Haven: Yale University Press. 1919.
     — Textbook edition of the history of settlement of the New York area from the Dutch through English occupation. The time covered is from the 1630's through the 1700's. A nice work with a great bibliography..........


With Wolfe in Canada.  G. A. Henty. London: Blackie and Son Limited. ca. 1887
    —  A very readable Young Adult book from the late 1800s, this id packed with historical detail, seen through the eyes of a teenager in the British army. A fast read with plenty of historical information...


Grandmother's Story of Bunker Hill Battle, Oliver Wendell Holmes.  Illustrated by H. W. McVickar. NY: Dodd, Meade & Co. 1875.
     —  A wonderfully illustrated book of the Holmes Poem.  This is one of the earlier versions of illustrations done by McVickar. A nice read....


The Country of the Pointed Firs. Sarah Orne Jewett. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company. 1910 edition.
    Published in 1896, this 1910 edition has additional chapters not found in the original. The tale of a Boston writer spending their summer in a fishing village on the Maine coast, and capturing the lives of the aging residents in the fictional town of Dunnet Landing. Jewett is known for capturing local dialects in her writing, but don't let that put you off reading this book.  A good book to feel the aging of Maine, even at the turn of the previous century,  A trend that continues to this day...


Country School, The. Clifton Johnson. NY: Thomas Y. Crowell & Co. 1907.
  — A great look at a time long gone for most of us: the one-room country schoolhouse in the United States. Johnson describes schools from the post-Revolutionary days, up to the late 1800's. Nice descriptions of teachers' lives and the students they taught.  Includes games and recess activities by the children. Good for students and adults ...


Farmer's Boy, The. Clifton Johnson.  NY: D. Appleton and Company. 1894.
     —  The seasons on a farm seen through a child's eyes.  Nicely illustrated with photos and drawings by Clifton Johnson.............


From St. Lawrence to Virginia. Clifton Johnson.  Photographs by Clifton Johnson.  NY: Macmillan & Co. 1913
     —  The author is a writer and photographer who was unknowingly an ethnographer of his time, recording vanishing cultures at the turn of the last century.  This book deals with vignettes of rural life from New York Adirondacks to the mountains of West Virginia. Profusely illustrated with the author's original photographs...


New England and Its Neighbors. Clifton Johnson.  Photographs by Clifton Johnson.  NY: Macmillan & Co. 1902.
     —  The author is a writer and photographer who was unknowingly an ethnographer of his time, recording vanishing cultures at the turn of the last century.  This book deals with vignettes of rural life from Maine to Delaware. Profusely illustrated with the author's original photographs...


New England Country, The. Clifton Johnson.  Photographs and Illustrations by Clifton Johnson.  Boston: Lee & Shephard. 1893.
     —  Quiet reflection in words, photographs and illustrations, regarding daily life in rural New England at the end of the 1800's. Profusely illustrated with the author's original photographs...


Picturesque Hudson, The. Clifton Johnson.  Photographs by Clifton Johnson.  NY: Macmillan & Co. 1915.
     —  The author is a writer and photographer who was unknowingly an ethnographer of his time, recording vanishing cultures at the turn of the last century.  This book deals with vignettes of the length of the Hudson River, from Glens Falls to New York City.  It includes the early history of the area during early settlement through the Revolution. Profusely illustrated with the author's original photographs...


Unredeemed Captive, An. Clifton Johnson. Holyoke, MA: Griffith, Axtell & Cady Company. 1897.
     —  The tale of Indian captives from early settlement times in western Massachusetts; the story of Eunice Williams, Deerfield, MA., and King Philip's War...


What They Say in New England. Clifton Johnson.  Boston: Lee and Shepard. 1896.  
     —  A great compilation of old sayings from New England - from Luck, Odds, Marriage, Friends, Love and Sentiment, to Old Songs and Old Stories.....


The Village Blacksmith. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. London. N.D. Illustrated.
— Multi-page, heavily illustrated copy of the classic poem. Printed in Bavaria. A fun read!...


Park Street and Its Vicinity. Lawrence, Robert Means. Illustrated. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co. 1922.
     —  This is a nicely written and readable history of Park Street, in the heart of Boston.  From the settlement of Boston, Park Street has always been part of the boundary of the Boston Commons, and many of the buildings described in this book still stand.  Defined at one end by the State House and at the other by Park Street Church, this short street has seen a lot of history.....


The Algonquin Legends of  New England. Charles G. Leland. London: Sampson, Low, Marston, Searle & Rivington. 1884.
   A treasure trove of Native American myths and folk tales from New England, compiled by Leland in the 1880's. These tales are from the broader Algonquin-speaking groups from Canada and New England.  Leland tries to make connections from these tales to Norse legends, trying to prove contact between Norse and Native Americans. While this book was written well before the discovery of a Norse settlement from @1000 A.D. at  L'Anse aux Meadows, Newfoundland, Canada, the proof of Norse influence on Native American culture is just not there. Read these for the tales, but take the comparisons to Norse tales with a hefty grain of salt. Enjoy!...



New England Traits. George Lunt.  NY: Hurd & Houghton. 1873.
     — A nice reminiscence of Early New England life in the Newburyport area of Massachusetts spanning the Revolution through the early 1800's.  A good look at some of the 'traits' of New Englanders from someone who saw it first-hand...


Voyages from Montreal through the Continent of North America, Vol 1. Alexander MacKenzie. NY: New Amsterdam Book Company. 1902.
    — A first-hand account of the earliest cross-continental trip from Montreal, Canada, to the Pacific ocean, a full ten years before the Lewis and Clark Expedition.  Well-written account of the Native Americans encountered along the way.  Three detailed maps, as well as a section on the history of the Fur Trade in Canada and detailed descriptions of some of the tribes encountered.  A nice book for the 'other story' of trans-continental exploration....



Voyages from Montreal through the Continent of North America, Vol 2. Alexander MacKenzie. NY: New Amsterdam Book Company. 1902.
    — A first-hand account of the earliest cross-continental trip from Montreal, Canada, to the Pacific ocean, a full ten years before the Lewis and Clark Expedition.  Well-written account of the Native Americans encountered along the way.  Three detailed maps, as well as a section on the history of the Fur Trade in Canada and detailed descriptions of some of the tribes encountered.  A nice book for the 'other story' of trans-continental exploration....



Trail of the Maine Pioneer, The. Maine's Women's Clubs. Lewiston, ME: Lewiston Journal Company. 1916.
     —  An interesting series of stories originally published in the Lewiston Journal newspaper.  This is a limited-edition publication, written and compiled by members of the Maine Federation of Women's Clubs.......


Voyage of the Mayflower, The. McManus, Blanche. Illustrated by Blanche McManus. New York: E. R. Herrick & Co. 1897.
     —  An interesting 'history' of the Pilgrims, from London, through Holland, to Plymouth.  Profusely illustrated by Blanche McManus.  Suitable for children and adults....


Birds of Lewiston-Auburn [Maine] and its Vicinity.  Carrie Ella Miller.  Lewiston, Maine: Lewiston Journal Co. 1918.
     — A concise summary guide to the birds present in Maine in the turn of the last century.  Includes a season guide when to expect migratory birds in the area.


Old Furniture Book, The. N. Hudson Moore. NY: Frederick A. Stokes Company. 1903.
     —  A great resource book for anyone interested in early American furniture and design.  Information on Dutch furniture, designs by Chippendale, Sheraton, Adam, Hepplewhite, French Empire, musical instruments, clocks and furniture hardware....


Old Home Week. James Ball Naylor. Boston: C. M. Clark Publishing Co.  1907.
     —  This is a wonderfully illustrated book for the poem, Old Home Week.  Lots of sentimental reminiscences of life in rural New England....


Maine Beautiful. Wallace Nutting. Framingham, MA: Old America Company. 1924.
     —  With over 250 photoraphs and illustrations, this is a great collection of essays and images about living in Maine 100 years ago.  Part of the States Beautiful series Nutting began but did not complete. A nice read.....


Massachusetts Beautiful. Wallace Nutting. Framingham, MA: Old America Company. 1923.
     —  With over 250 photoraphs and illustrations, this is a great collection of essays and images about living in Massachusetts 100 years ago.  Part of the States Beautiful series Nutting began but did not complete. A nice read.....


Young Ice-Whalers, The.  Winthrop Packard.  Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co. 1903.
     — A nice young adult book with interesting observations of the declining whaling industry and of the Innuit (Eskimo) lifestyle along the edges of the Arctic Circle...


 White Mountain Trails.  Winthrop Packard. With numerous photographs.  Boston: Small, Maynard and Company. 1917.
     —  This is a nice description of the trails of the White Mountains of New Hampshire by New England naturalist, Winthrop Packard.  Great photographs of views from the mountains and Appalachian Mountain Club huts and lean-tos built to accommodate hikers on the trail....


Boston Tea Party, The. Text by Josephine Pollard. Illustrated by H. W. McVickar. NY: Dodd, Mead & Co. 1882    
     —   A companion book to Grandmother's Story of Bunker Hill Battle, this is a wonderfully illustrated, whimsical look at the Boston Tea Party, December, 1773.  A fun read......


Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin, The.  Edited by Frank Woodworth Pine. Garden City, NY: Garden City Publishing Co., Inc. 1916.
     —  This is an illustrated version of Franklin's autobiography.  Note that this book edited out 3 paragraphs where Franklin referred to his youthful dalliances, which I have edited back in with notes where added.  This edition also includes an Appendix of four articles: Electrical Kite, The Way to Wealth, The Whistle, and A Letter to Samuel Mather.  Also includes a Bibliography.....


Historic Towns of New England. Lyman P. Powell. NY: G. P. Putnam's Sons. 1898.
     —  A revealing look at the history of 14 towns in the New England area, including: Boston, Salem, Hartford, Providence, Cambridge, Deerfield, Newport, New Haven, Rutland, MA., Concord, Plymouth, Cambridge, and Cape Cod towns.  Many, many drawings, maps and photographs.  Great historical information......


Along New England Roads. W. C. Prime, LL. D. Illustrated. New York: Harper & Brothers Publishers. 1892
— An interesting perspective of travel through New England. Travel the dirt roads and meet the people of a region that that has nearly disappeared 100 years on....



Boston: Its Byways & Highways. Written and illustrated by John Albert Seaford. Le Roy Phillips: Publisher.  Boston. No publication date. [ca. 1914]
     — A great little book with wonderful sepia-tone sketches of Boston at the turn of the 20th Century.


History of Chesterville, Maine. Oliver Sewall. Farmington, ME: J. S. Swift. 1875.  
    —  Detailed description of the start of the town of Chesterville, Maine, its early settlers, mills, stores, and life in general in the late 1700s and early 1800's.  An interesting read.......


Book of Boston.  by Robert Shackleton. Illustrated by R.L. Boyer. Philadelphia: Penn Publishing Co. 1916.
     — An interesting look at Boston at the turn of the 20th century, along with a lot of historical information for New England. Nicely illustrated also....


Bundle of Yarn, A.  Fred W. Shibley.  Providence, RI: H. Gregory.1899.
     — An odd and unique 'bundle' of short stories, some written in the first person  other in the third-person. They tell of life in Rhode Island from the early to late 1800's. Written in  the vernacular of New England speech, it makes for an interesting read....


Myths and Legends of Our Own Land, Volume 1.  Charles M. Skinner.  4 Photographs. Philadelphia: J. B Lippincott. 1896.
     —  This is the first volume of a 2 volume set, containing a wonderful compilation of 'modern' myths and legends from Native Americans and early European settlers, through the Civil War. As Skinner states, "It is where myth and history combine that legend is most interesting and appeals to our fancy or our sympathy most strongly; and it is not too early for us to begin the collation of those quaint happenings..."  A great read....


Myths and Legends of Our Own Land, Volume 2.  Charles M. Skinner.  4 Photographs. Philadelphia: J. B Lippincott. 1896.
     —  This is the second volume of a 2 volume set, containing a wonderful compilation of 'modern' myths and legends from Native Americans and early European settlers, through the Civil War. As Skinner states, "It is where myth and history combine that legend is most interesting and appeals to our fancy or our sympathy most strongly; and it is not too early for us to begin the collation of those quaint happenings..."  A great read....


Some Events of Boston and Its Neighbors. State Street Trust Company. Boston, Mass. 1917
     —  A nice, large-size pamphlet of bits and pieces of Boston history.  A  fun read.....


Some Merchants and Sea Captains of Old Boston. State Street Trust Company. Boston, Mass. 1918.
     —  A nice, large-size pamphlet of bits and pieces of Boston maritime history.  A  fun read.....


Busy Year at the Old Squire's, A.  C. A Stephens. Boston: The Youth's Companion. 1922.
     — A nice series of stories covering one year in time, through the eyes of one of the children who come to stay at the Old Squire's farm in Maine during the Civil War....


Camping Out. C. A. Stephens. NY: Hurst and Company. [n.d.: ca. 1910]
     —  A very interesting tale of 4 young men in search of the 'mother lode' in the wilderness of Maine, on the heights of Mt. Katahdin! First in a series if adventure books.....


Great Year of Our Lives at the Old Squire's, A. C. A. Stephens.  Illustrated. Boston: The Youth's Companion. 1912.
     —  Another in a series of short stories of young cousins growing up on their grandparents' farm in Maine after the Civil War. A nice read; many tales of rural schoolhouses, farms, woodlore....


Left On Labrador. C. A. Stephens.  NY: Hurst and Co. [ca. 1870's]
     —  A continuation of tale of 4 young men in Camping Out; they buy their boat and become stranded in Labrador! Second in a series if adventure books.....


Off to the Geysers. C. A. Stephens. Illustrated NY: Hurst & Company. 1873.
     —  Volume 3 of the Camping Out series; an interesting fictional story of four young adventurers travelling through Iceland in the late 1800's. A great young adult book     —  readers should plan to explore further on the true geology of geysers and volcanoes.  This book was written in the infancy of modern geological sciences....


When Life Was Young At the Old Farm in Maine. C. A. Stephens. Boston: The Youth's Companion. 1912. 
    —  Another in the series of "Old Squire" series; a number of short stories chronicles the lives of young cousins who's fathers die in the Civil War and come to live with their grandparents in Maine.  Excellent read for young adults of all ages to discover life on a Maine farm in the late 1800s....


Stories of Maine. Sophie Swett.   NY: American Book Company. 1899.
     —  A nice series of histories from the earliest settlement of Maine to its participation in the Civil War.  A nice collection for the student and historian.....


Among the Isles of Shoals. Celia Thaxter. Illustrated. Boston: Houghton, Mifflin and Company. 1901 
     — An interesting history and reminiscence of the Isles of Shoals, of the New Hampshire/Maine coasts.  From first settlement to shipwrecks, ghosts, pirates and surviving against the stormy sea, it's all here. A nice read.......


Island Garden, An. Celia Thaxter. Illustrated by Childe Hassam. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co. 1894.
     —  This is a wonderful book, well-written and beautifully illustrated.  One woman's struggle to grow a flower garden year after year, on Appledore Island (the Isles of Shoals) and the constant battle with slugs, birds and weather —  all worth it in the end......


Maine Woods, The. Henry David Thoreau. Boston: Ticknor and Fields. 1864.
     —  The classic by Thoreau, detailing his adventures through the Maine regions of Katahdin, Chesuncook and the Alagash. Hard to find, complete with Appendix, in etext on the web....


Birds In The Bush  Bradford Torrey. Boston: Houghton, Mifflin & Company. 1895.   
     — Excellent nature book, easy reading with descriptions of an obsessive birder from 100 years ago.  Covers his travels, and birding, in New England.  A must read for today's birders...


Clerk of  the Woods, The.  Bradford Torrey. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company. 1903.    
     —  Excellent nature book, easy reading with descriptions of an obsessive birder from 100 years ago.  Covers his travels, and birding, in New England.  A must read for today's birders...


Everyday Birds. Bradford Torrey.  Illustrations. Boston: Houghton, Mifflin and Company. 1901.   
     — A nice book for young bird lovers.  Teachers:  This is a good book to use with young students.  Nicely illustrated.......


Footpath Way, The. Bradford Torrey.  Boston: Houghton, Mifflin and Company. 1892.  
     —  This is another nice book by nineteenth century writer and enthusiastic birder, Bradford Torrey, as he roams through New England in search of his favorite hobby.  Nice description also of the local region and the people he meets. A must read for any birder today!.............


Nature's Invitation. Bradford Torrey. Boston: Houghton, Mifflin Company. 1904.
     —  Excellent nature book, easy reading with descriptions of an obsessive birder from 100 years ago.  Covers his travels, and birding, in New Hampshire, Florida, Texas and Arizona.  A must read for today's birders...


Rambler's Lease, A. Bradford Torrey. Boston: Houghton, Mifflin and Company. 1896 edition.
     —  Another in the series of early environmental/nature study of New England.  Highly descriptive of the birds seen along the way. Highly recommended!....


Sand Dunes and Salt Marshes. Charles Wendell Townsend. Illustrated with Photographs. Boston: Dana Estes & Co. 1913. 
   —  This is a nice early environmental book, describing in detail the various sand dune and salt marshes, and the flora and fauna found there.  The area of  Ipswich, Massachusetts.......


In The Wilderness. Charles Dudley Warner.  Houghton, Osgood and Company. 1878.
    —   An early 'environmentalist' look at the Adirondacks and wilderness living, as well as reflections on life in New England  in the late 1800's......


Webster's First Bunker-Hill Oration. edited by Louise Manning Hodgkins.  Boston: Leach, Shewell and Sanborn. 1889.
    —  A nice student book with a guide in the study of oration, biography of Daniel Webster, Notes to the Address, and of course the Address Webster delivered on the setting of the cornerstone to the Bunker Hill Monument......


Rambles in Colonial Byways. Rufus Rockwell Wilson. William Lincoln Hudson, Illust. Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott Company. 1901
—  This is an interesting 2 volume set of the author's wanderings in various parts of the mid-Atlantic, visiting colonial and Revolutionary War era remnants by 1900...


Tales of Old Times in Rhode Island.  Martha C. Wood. Los Angeles: George Rice & Sons. 1903.
     — A series of poems originally published in the late 18th-early 19th century, with nice woodcuts and additional photos in the 1903 edition...


The New England Cook Book. Unknown Author. New Haven, CT: Hezekiah Howe  & Co. 1836.
   —  From the early years of American history, here are over three hundred recipes from New England. Many would have had their basis in Colonial cooking. These are tried-and-true recipes in their original style, with measurements in "teacups," "size of an egg," or cooking in a "quick oven."  Whether it's how to cook Beef Steak or Goose, Gingerbread or New Year's Cookies, or just how to clean Carpets or make Soap, you'll find it here!


Mystery
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Old Man in the Corner, The. Baroness Emma Orczy.  London: Hodder & Stoughton. 1908.
     —  An interesting armchair detective series if stories, a fun read!....



Experiences of Loveday Brooke, Lady Detective, The. Catherine Louisa Pirkis. London: 
Hutchinson & Co. 1894.
    — A fascinating series of tales from the author who created the "female Sherlock Holmes." Pirkis wrote a series of short stories and novels with a mystery detective bent. A nice read....



Angel Esquire. Edgar Wallace. NY: Henry Holt and Company. 1908.

     — First in a series of detective mystery books by prolific English author edgar Wallace, it's an interesting read. A side note on Wallace - He was writing the scripts for King Kong when he passed away from undiagnosed diabetes...


The Daffodil Mystery. Edgar Wallace. London: Ward, Lock & Co., Limited. 1920.
— Another mystery from the prolific English writer Edgar Wallace. Who is Thornton Lyne and why is he wrongly accusing beautiful Odette Rider of embezzelment? When Lyne is found dead with daffodils on his chest, Detective Jack Tarling investigates. Read on...



Fourth Plague, The. Edgar Wallace.  Ward Lock & Co., London, 1913.
     —  Another in the series of mysteries by English author, Wallace.  A fun read!...


Grey Timothy. Edgar Wallace. Ward Lock & Co. London. 1913.
     —  Another book from prolific author Wallace, covering shady dealings on the stock market and the racing circles. An interesting read...

 

A Bird Calendar for Northern India.  Douglas Dewar. London: W. Thacker & Co. 1916.
    — A month-by-month review of th birds of northern India. A glob-trotting birder's must-have book from the turn of the last century. A nice read....



A Year With the Birds, by Alice E. Ball.  Illustrated by Robert Bruce Horsfall. NY: Gibbs & Van Vleck, Inc. 1916.
     —  This is a wonderful look at birds of North America in a seasonal retrospective, in poetry and art.  The illustrations are
very natural and Ms. Ball uses her own poetry as well as other writers from the 19th and 20th centuries to describe birdsong and behavior.  I recommend this book to bird lovers of all ages, especially as Ms. Ball intended this book to be used in schools as well as by adults.


American Birds. William Lovell Finley. NY: Charles Scribners' Sons. 1907.
     —  This is a wonderful book, covering Kingfishers, Hummingbirds, Crows, Sparrows, Orioles, Sea Gulls, and many more.  Profusely illustrated with photographs taken in the wild.  Nice photos also of the photographers in action - 50 feet in the air with the old-style bellows cameras the size of suitcases! No little digital cameras used here.....


Birds Every Child Should Know.  by Neltje Blanchan. NY: Grosset & Dunlap.  1907.
     — A nice book to introduce children to the world of birds. Photo illustrated with well-written information....


How to Attract the Birds. Neltje Blanchan. Numerous photographs.  NY: Doubleday, Page & Company. 1916 edition.
     —   A great book for all ages with descriptions for birdhouses, how to make your own birdseed mixes to attract different birds and general information on bird behavior. Profusely illustrated with photographs from nature....


Travels of Birds, The. Frank M. Chapman. New York: D Appleton & Company. 1916.
     —  Nice edition for children and adults describing the different migrations of birds.  Maps and illustrations show the distinct  paths of different bird groups, as well as describing day and night migrations. Interesting commentary of the dangers to migrating birds from storms and lighthouses.......


Pepacton. John Burroughs. Boston: Houghton, Mifflin and Company. 1898 edition.
     —  Another in a series of books by naturalist and early environmentalist, Burroughs. A blend of nature walks weaving observation and poetry at times, a nice read for a rainy Sunday....


Nature Near London.  Richard Jeffries. London: Chatto & Windus. 1913.
     —  Another excellent nature book by the author of After London.  A nice take of the wildlife and natural wonders around London...


Birds of Lewiston-Auburn [Maine] and its Vicinity.  Carrie Ella Miller.  Lewiston, Maine: Lewiston Journal Co. 1918.
     — A concise summary guide to the birds present in Maine in the turn of the last century.  Includes a season guide when to expect migratory birds in the area.


With the Birds in Maine.  Olive Thorne Miller. Boston: Houghton, Mifflin and Company. 1904.
     —  a series of nature stories ideal for bird watchers! Ms. Miller explored many areas around the state, and wrote a number of essays....


Birds' Calendar, The.  H. E. Parkhurst. NY: Charles Scribner's Sons. 1894.
     — A nice look at birds in the Eastern U.S. through the seasons. A pleasant read on a rainy day....



Island Garden, An. Celia Thaxter. Illustrated by Childe Hassam. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co. 1894.
     —  This is a wonderful book, well-written and beautifully illustrated.  One woman's struggle to grow a flower garden year after year, on Appledore Island (the Isles of Shoals) and the constant battle with slugs, birds and weather —  all worth it in the end......


Birds In The Bush  Bradford Torrey. Boston: Houghton, Mifflin & Company. 1895.   
     — Excellent nature book, easy reading with descriptions of an obsessive birder from 100 years ago.  Covers his travels, and birding, in New England.  A must read for today's birders...


Clerk of  the Woods, The.  Bradford Torrey. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company. 1903.   
     —  Excellent nature book, easy reading with descriptions of an obsessive birder from 100 years ago.  Covers his travels, and birding, in New England.  A must read for today's birders...


Everyday Birds. Bradford Torrey.  Illustrations. Boston: Houghton, Mifflin and Company. 1901.    
     — A nice book for young bird lovers.  Teachers:  This is a good book to use with young students.  Nicely illustrated.......


Field-Days in California. Bradford Torrey.  Boston: Houghton, Mifflin and Company. 1913.  
     —  This is the last book by  Bradford Torrey, published posthumously weeks after he passed away at the age of 69. This book chronicles his last few years as a resident of California, pursuing his favorite hobby: admiring nature and bird-watching.  Nice description also of the local region and the people he meets. A must read for any birder today!.....


Footpath Way, The. Bradford Torrey.  Boston: Houghton, Mifflin and Company. 1892.  
     —  This is another nice book by nineteenth century writer and enthusiastic birder, Bradford Torrey, as he roams through New England in search of his favorite hobby.  Nice description also of the local region and the people he meets. A must read for any birder today!.............


Footing it in Franconia. Bradford Torrey.  Boston: Houghton, Mifflin and Company. 1901.
     —  a nice book by nineteenth century writer and enthusiastic birder, Bradford Torrey, as he roams through the Franconia Notch, NH, area in search of his favorite hobby, birds and observing nature.  Nice description also of the local region and the people he meets. A must read for any birder today!.............


Nature's Invitation. Bradford Torrey. Boston: Houghton, Mifflin Company. 1904.
     —  Excellent nature book, easy reading with descriptions of an obsessive birder from 100 years ago.  Covers his travels, and birding, in New Hampshire, Florida, Texas and Arizona.  A must read for today's birders...


Rambler's Lease, A. Bradford Torrey. Boston: Houghton, Mifflin and Company. 1896 edition.
     —  Another in the series of early environmental/nature study of New England.  Highly descriptive of the birds seen along the way. Highly recommended!....


Spring Notes from Tennessee. Bradford Torrey. Boston: Houghton, Mifflin and Company. 1896.    
     —  Another in a series of books by Torrey, this edition describes his travels through Tennessee and the birds he sees and counts along the way.  He also describes a number of Civil War battlefield parks 30 years after the end of the War....


World of Green Hills, A. Bradford Torrey.  Boston: Houghton, Mifflin and Company. 1898.    
     —  This is another nice book by nineteenth century writer and enthusiastic birder, Bradford Torrey, as he roams the hills of North Carolina and Virginia in search of his favorite hobby.  Nice description also of the local region and the people he meets. A must read for any birder today!............


Familiar Studies of Wild Birds. F. N. Whitman. Boston: The Gorham Press. 1920.
     —  This is a nice book of a photographer's study of wild birds he found around the area in the 1900's. Kingbirds, Owls, Wrens, and many other birds are written about here, and more importantly, photographed in their natural environments.  This nature photographer also gives detailed information to the photographer just trying their hand at bird photography and how to go about it. Information that works well today in the digital world.....


 
Nature/Naturalists
(Early Environmental Writings)
[top of page]
 
Travels in a Tree-top. Charles Conrad Abbott. NY: B. B. Lippincott Company.   1894.
—  Interesting naturalist essays from turn of the last century. Amusing observations of travels in New Jersey, New York and Maryland. A good read....



Across Mongolian Plains.
Roy Chapman Andrews. NY: D. Appleton and Company. 1921.

     — A naturalist's adventure through Mongolia and China; photographs by his wife, Yvette Borup Andrews.  Detailed description of their trip, collecting animal specimens for American Museums.  Yes, this was a time when stuffed specimens were all the rage and Asia was newly opened to the Westerner interested in the natural sciences.  An interesting read....


Alaska Days With John Muir. S. Hall Young. NY: Fleming H. Revell Company.
A first-hand account of the budding days of John Muir's naturalist writings,by his friend S. Hall Young. Documents their adventures around the coast and among the glaciers of Alaska. A nice read...


A Year With the Birds, by Alice E. Ball.  Illustrated by Robert Bruce Horsfall. NY: Gibbs & Van Vleck, Inc. 1916.
     —  This is a wonderful look at birds of North America in a seasonal retrospective, in poetry and art.  The illustrations are very natural and Ms. Ball uses her own poetry as well as other writers from the 19th and 20th centuries to describe birdsong and behavior.  I recommend this book to bird lovers of all ages, especially as Ms. Ball intended this book to be used in schools as well as by adults.


American Birds. William Lovell Finley. NY: Charles Scribners' Sons. 1907.
     —  This is a wonderful book, covering Kingfishers, Hummingbirds, Crows, Sparrows, Orioles, Sea Gulls, and many more.  Profusely illustrated with photographs taken in the wild.  Nice photos also of the photographers in action - 50 feet in the air with the old-style bellows cameras the size of suitcases! No little digital cameras used here.....


Log of the Sun, The. William Beebe.  Garden City, NY: Henry Holt and Company. 1906.
     —  Fascinating book of Nature through the year, with poetry....



Inca Land.  by Hiram Bingham. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company. 1922.
     — A wonderful, detailed narrative of Bingham's travels around Peru in 1915, funded by Yale University and The National Geographic Society.  Bingham is best known as the discoverer of the ruins of Machu Picchu, and he describes this find toward the end of this book. Interesting anthropological information of the native Peruvians as well as detailed history of the last years of the Inca Empire....


Birds Every Child Should Know.  by Neltje Blanchan. NY: Grosset & Dunlap.  1907.
     — A nice book to introduce children to the world of birds. Photo illustrated with well-written information....


How to Attract the Birds. Neltje Blanchan. Numerous photographs.  NY: Doubleday, Page & Company. 1916 edition.
     —   A great book for all ages with descriptions for birdhouses, how to make your own birdseed mixes to attract different birds and general information on bird behavior. Profusely illustrated with photographs from nature....


Fresh Fields. John Burroughs.   Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company. 1904. Photographs by various artists.
    —  Part of  the 23 Volume Riverby Edition series; a wonderful collection of essays regarding  nature in England....


Locusts and Wild Honey. John Burroughs. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company. 1907.
     —  Part of  the 23 Volume Riverby Edition series; a wonderful collection of essays about bees, fishing, rain and Canada....


Pepacton. John Burroughs. Boston: Houghton, Mifflin and Company. 1898 edition.
     —  Another in a series of books by naturalist and early environmentalist, Burroughs. A blend of nature walks weaving observation and poetry at times, a nice read for a rainy Sunday....


Signs and Seasons.  John Burroughs. Boston: Houghton, Mifflin and Company. 1895 edition
     — Another in the series of publications by naturalist, John Borroughs.  Chapters include: Phases of Farm Life, A Spring Relish, Winter Neighbors, A Snow-Storm, and many more....


Squirrels and Other Fur-Bearers. John Burroughs.  Illustrated. 1901.
     —  A nice naturalist's book regarding squirrels, mice, woodchuck, skunk, mink and many others.....


Under The Apple-Trees. John Burroughs. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company. 1916.
     —  Another in a series of books written by the naturalist, John Burroughs. Here with an added twist: his musings on creationist thought and Scientific evidence for Evolution presented by Darwin.  Added here as part of Kellscraft Studio's Naturalist Writer's Series...


Ways of  Nature. John Burroughs. Boston: Houghton, Mifflin and Company. 1905.
    —  This is a nicely written series of commentaries discussing the new naturalists who overly humanize the natural world, vs those that use scientific thought and evolutionary theory to understand the world around us....


Winter Sunshine. John Burroughs.   Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company. 1904 Photographs by various artists.
    —  Part of  the 23 Volume Riverby Edition series; a wonderful collection of essays about the wonders of winter ....


Travels of Birds, The. Frank M. Chapman. New York: D Appleton & Company. 1916.
     —  Nice edition for children and adults describing the different migrations of birds.  Maps and illustrations show the distinct  paths of different bird groups, as well as describing day and night migrations. Interesting commentary of the dangers to migrating birds from storms and lighthouses....... 


Cape Coddities,  by Dennis and Marion Chatham.  Illustrated by Harold Cue. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co. 1920.  
     — A great little book filled with Cape Cod charm written when cars were just beginning to be used on the Cape. Nice watercolor touches on some of the illustrations done by a previous owner of the book...


Nomads of the North. James Oliver Curwood.  Illustrated by Charles Livingston Bull. NY: Grosset & Dunlap. 1919.
     —  An interesting story of a bear and a dog, and their adventures in the Canadian wilderness. Villians, heros and life in the camps of the North.  Very similar to "Call of the Wild".....


On the Origin of Species. Charles Darwin. 1859. 1st edition.
     — In honor of the wise decision in Kitzmiller et al. v. Dover Area School District to finally, and clearly, show 'intelligent design' for what it is  —  a continuation of the attempt to teach creationism in the classroom, Kellscraft Studio is proud to list the 1st edition copy of Charles Darwin's On the Origin of Species here at our site. Students of America: take this opportunity to understand how important this decision is and always remember:  we adults aren't always right.  Read your Darwin and open your mind to what the scientific world has to offer.  Just because over 80% of Americans believe in creationism over Evolution doesn't make them right.  Read on!!


Voyage of the Beagle. Charles Darwin. R. T. Pritchet, Illustrator. London: John Murray. 1890.
     —  In celebration of the 200th birthday of Darwin (2/12/1809) and the 150th anniversary of the publication of Origin of Species (1859), we offer here the journey that led to Darwin's seminal work on Evolution.


Romance of the Beaver. Radclyffe Dugmore. Philadelphia: J.B. Lippincott Company. 1914.
     —  This is a nice look at the daily lives of beavers. Lots of specific information on the life cycle of beaver dams, beaver ponds and beaver meadows.  Lots of photographs, but please note this edition was processed from a DJVU edition and the photographs did not scan well originally...


Some Fish and Some Fishing. Frank Gray Griswold. NY: John Lane Co. 1921.
     —  A fascinating book on ocean and river fishing, in Florida, California, and the Mediterranean.  Also includes sea fishing with kites and sleds.  An interesting book of  the period...


Nature Near London.  Richard Jeffries. London: Chatto & Windus. 1913.
     —  Another excellent nature book by the author of After London.  A nice take of the wildlife and natural wonders around London...


From St. Lawrence to Virginia. Clifton Johnson.  Photographs by Clifton Johnson.  NY: Macmillan & Co. 1913
     —  The author is a writer and photographer who was unknowingly an ethnographer of his time, recording vanishing cultures at the turn of the last century.  This book deals with vignettes of rural life from New York Adirondacks to the mountains of West Virginia. Profusely illustrated with the author's original photographs...


Highways and Byways of the Pacific Coast. Clifton Johnson. Photographs by Clifton Johnson. NY: MacMillan Company. 1915 edition.
     —  One of a series of books written by Johnson of a vanishing America: Rural life. He specifically visited rural towns, villages and farms across the country at the turn of the twentieth century to document what he felt was a way of life that was disappearing 100 years ago.  In this volume, he travels through Arizona, Nevada, California, Washington, Oregon and a special trip through Yosemite National Park.  As in all of his books, Johnson lets the people he meets tell their own stories.  Colorfully written in the dialects of the region, it makes for interesting reading......


Land of Heather, The. Clifton Johnson. Illustrated by Johnson (drawings and photographs).  New York: MacMillan Company  1904.
     —  Another in Johnson's travel books, this is a nice journal of his journey around Scotland.  A nice read.....


New England and Its Neighbors. Clifton Johnson.  Photographs by Clifton Johnson.  NY: Macmillan & Co. 1902.
     —  The author is a writer and photographer who was unknowingly an ethnographer of his time, recording vanishing cultures at the turn of the last century.  This book deals with vignettes of rural life from Maine to Delaware. Profusely illustrated with the author's original photographs...


Picturesque Hudson, The. Clifton Johnson.  Photographs by Clifton Johnson.  NY: Macmillan & Co. 1915.
     —  The author is a writer and photographer who was unknowingly an ethnographer of his time, recording vanishing cultures at the turn of the last century.  This book deals with vignettes of the length of the Hudson River, from Glens Falls to New York City.  It includes the early history of the area during early settlement through the Revolution. Profusely illustrated with the author's original photographs...


Isle of the Shamrock. Clifton Johnson.  Photographs by Clifton Johnson.  NY: Macmillan & Co. 1901.
     —  The author is a writer and photographer who was unknowingly an ethnographer of his time, recording vanishing cultures at the turn of the last century.  This book deals with vignettes of rural life from Ireland. Profusely illustrated with the author's original photographs...


Beasts of the Field. Long, William J.  Illustrated by Charles Copeland. Boston: The Athenæum Press. 1901.
     —  A turn-of-the Twentieth Century naturalist tales, told through a native American naming convention for the animals met along the way.  A nice read, reminiscent of the Adirondack camp tales...


Reading the Weather.  T. Morris Longstreth. Outing Publishing Company. 1915.
     —  Excellent book on scientifically reading weather signs; as practical today as it was when written.  Excellent information for campers as well....


The Life of the Bee.  Maurice Maeterlinck. Translated by Alexander Teixeira Mattos. New York: Dodd, Mead and Company. 1910.
     — A scientific and philosophical discussion on  the life cycle of the bee and life in the hive.   With, of course, Maeterlinck's perspective on how this relates to human life....


The Double Garden. Maurice Maeterlinck. Translated by Alexander Teixeira Mattos. New York: Dodd, Mead and Company. 1911
     — Philosopher, naturalist, and essayist - this book is a collection of his writing from the turn of the century (1900). Essays cover the following topics: Dogs, Bees, old flowers, early automobiles, suffrage, and much more!


Old Fashioned Flowers. Maurice Maeterlinck. NY: Dodd, Mead & Co. 1905.
     —  Another in a series of books by Maurice Maeterlinck, Nobel prize winner for Literature. A wonderful philosophical look at nature and flowers. A nice read....


Familiar Features of the Roadside.  F. Schuyler Mathews.  New York: D Appleton and Company. 1897.
     —  This is a wonderful nature book, easily read, that details the types of plants and animals found along the roadside of the more rural areas of the U.S. Ever wonder what an owl's  hoot looks like in a musical score?  How about a Bluebird's? And what are the different varieties of ragweed?  Roses?  It's all here!.....


Birds of Lewiston-Auburn [Maine] and its Vicinity.  Carrie Ella Miller.  Lewiston, Maine: Lewiston Journal Co. 1918.
   — A concise summary guide to the birds present in Maine in the turn of the last century.  Includes a season guide when to expect migratory birds in the area.


With the Birds in Maine.  Olive Thorne Miller. Boston: Houghton, Mifflin and Company. 1904.
     —  a series of nature stories ideal for bird watchers! Ms. Miller explored many areas around the state, and wrote a number of essays....


Wild Life on the Rockies. Enos A. Mills. Illustrated with photographs. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company. 1909.    
   —  A great book from an environmentalist perspective. Mills was hired for a time as the "State Snow Observer of Colorado" for three years, for which he was instructed: "...to make notes on 'those things that are likely to be of interest or value to the Department of Agriculture or the Weather Bureau,' — and to be careful not to lose my life." Enough said. An enjoyable read...


Wasps and Their Ways. Margaret Morley. NY: Dodd, Mead and Company. 1911.
     —  This is a great book, packed with information about wasps.  Not my favorite insect before reading this book, I now have a great respect for these fascinating insects.  Excellent for children and adults to learn about wasps...


My First Summer In The Sierra. John Muir. Boston. Houghton Mifflin Company. 1916.
     —  This is a great diary of John Muir's travels into the Sierras, with notes on Yosemite and the surrounding area.  A nice read.... 


Story of My Boyhood and Youth, The. John Muir. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company. 1913.
     —  This is an interesting autobiography of John Muir, from his youngest days in Scotland, his trip to America, his farm life in Wisconsin to his days at University. An interesting insight into a great naturalist......


Florida Trails. Winthrop Packard. Many Photographs. Boston: Small, Maynard and Co. 1910.
     —  This is a nice book on the musings of the author as he wandered the trails of Florida during the winter months..  A nice book for any naturalist, young or old, looking for an escape from the colder northern climes.  By the same author of Woodland Paths...


He Dropped Into Poetry. Winthrop Packard.  Canton, Mass: Winthrop Packard. 1940.
     —  The naturalist, Winthrop Packard, tries his hand at poetry, some serious, some humorous. A nice read....


Literary Pilgrimages of a Naturalist. Winthrop Packard. Small, Maynard & Company. 1911.
     —  A great book for the literary person with a naturalist bent.  Packard visits the homes of great authors and describes the natural world that influenced the authors in their writing.  Naturally included in Thoreau, but also includes Wordsworth, Emerson, Hawthorne, Thaxter, and Whittier, among others....


Modern Steerage  Winthrop Packard.  With photographs. The World Today. June, 1904.
     —  This is an interesting look at third-class steerage passage on the newest liner of the time, sailing from England to New York City. Illustrates the strides made to make a safer journey for imigrants sailing the Atlantic at the turn of the 20th Century.  An article from a monthly magazine...


Old Plymouth Trails. Winthrop Packard. Many Photographs. Boston: Small, Maynard and Co. 1920. 
     —  This is a nice book on the musings of the author as he wandered the trails southeastern Massachusetts through the year.  A nice book for any naturalist, young or old..  By the same author of Woodland Paths...

 
White Mountain Trails.  Winthrop Packard. With numerous photographs.  Boston: Small, Maynard and Company. 1917.
     —  This is a nice description of the trails of the White Mountains of New Hampshire by New England naturalist, Winthrop Packard.  Great photographs of views from the mountains and Appalachian Mountain Club huts and lean-tos built to accommodate hikers on the trail....


Wood Wanderings. Winthrop Packard. Illustrated by Charles Copeland. Boston: Small, Maynard and Co. 1910.
     —  This is a nice book on the musings of the author as he wandered the trails of eastern Massachusetts, especially the Blue Hill Reservation, in Canton, Mass., just south of Boston.  This book covers the Fall months at the Reservation. A nice book for any naturalist, young or old....


Woodland Paths. Winthrop Packard. Illustrated by Charles Copeland. Boston: Small, Maynard and Co. 1910.  
     —  This is a nice book on the musings of the author as he wandered the trails of eastern Massachusetts, especially the Blue Hill Reservation, in Canton, Mass., just south of Boston.  This book covers the spring months at the Reservation. A nice book for any naturalist, young or old.


Wild Pastures. Winthrop Packard. Illustrated by Charles Copeland. Boston: Small, Maynard and Co. 1909.  
     —  This is a nice book on the musings of the author as he wandered the trails of eastern Massachusetts, especially the Blue Hill Reservation, in Canton, Mass., just south of Boston. This book covers the summer months at the Reservation.  A nice book for any naturalist, young or old...


Wildwood Ways. Winthrop Packard. Illustrated by Charles Copeland. Boston: Small, Maynard and Co. 1909.  
     —  This is a nice book on the musings of the author as he wandered the trails of eastern Massachusetts, especially the Blue Hill Reservation, in Canton, Mass., just south of Boston. This book covers the winter months at the Reservation.  A nice book for any naturalist, young or old...


Young Ice-Whalers, The.  Winthrop Packard.  Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co. 1903.
     — A nice young adult book with interesting observations of the declining whaling industry and of the Innuit (Eskimo) lifestyle along the edges of the Arctic Circle...


Birds' Calendar, The.  H. E. Parkhurst. NY: Charles Scribner's Sons. 1894.
     — A nice look at birds in the Eastern U.S. through the seasons. A pleasant read on a rainy day....



First Through The Grand Canyon. John Wesley Powell. Edited by Horace Kephart.  NY: Outing Publishing Company. 1915.
     — A real-life adventure story! The diary of John Wesley Powell's trip through the entire length of the Grand Canyon.  His was the first known party to explore the entire canyon length.  Contains a map of the journey and daily logs.....


Biography of a Grizzly.  by Earnest Seton-Thompson. The Century Co. 1912.
     — An interesting book on the hard life of a grizzly, especially with the the settling of the West.  Sad at times, and nicely illustrated by the author...


Little Gardens. Charles M. Skinner. New York: D. Appleton & Co. 1904.
     —  A nice Arts and Crafts look at small-scale gardens!  Perfect for the smaller urban gardens...


Dutch Bulbs. Una Silberrad and Sophie Lyall.  Illustrations by Mima Nixon.  London: Adam and Charles Black. 1909.
     — Beautifully illustrated with wonderful watercolors by artist Mima Nixon, this book covers the history and commercial growing of bulbs in Holland at the turn of the 20th century. ...


Among the Isles of Shoals. Celia Thaxter. Illustrated. Boston: Houghton, Mifflin and Company. 1901
     — An interesting history and reminiscence of the Isles of Shoals, of the New Hampshire/Maine coasts.  From first settlement to shipwrecks, ghosts, pirates and surviving against the stormy sea, it's all here. A nice read.......


Island Garden, An. Celia Thaxter. Illustrated by Childe Hassam. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co. 1894.
     —  This is a wonderful book, well-written and beautifully illustrated.  One woman's struggle to grow a flower garden year after year, on Appledore Island (the Isles of Shoals) and the constant battle with slugs, birds and weather —  all worth it in the end......


Maine Woods, The. Henry David Thoreau. Boston: Ticknor and Fields. 1864.
     —  The classic by Thoreau, detailing his adventures through the Maine regions of Katahdin, Chesuncook and the Alagash. Hard to find, complete with Appendix, in etext on the web....


Walden. Henry David Thoreau. Boston: Ticknor and Fields. 1854.  
     —  The classic of naturalist writing.  Added here as part of Kellscraft Studio's Naturalist Writer's Series...


Birds In The Bush  Bradford Torrey. Boston: Houghton, Mifflin & Company. 1895.     
     — Excellent nature book, easy reading with descriptions of an obsessive birder from 100 years ago.  Covers his travels, and birding, in New England.  A must read for today's birders...


Clerk of  the Woods, The.  Bradford Torrey. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company. 1903.    
     —  Excellent nature book, easy reading with descriptions of an obsessive birder from 100 years ago.  Covers his travels, and birding, in New England.  A must read for today's birders...


Everyday Birds. Bradford Torrey.  Illustrations. Boston: Houghton, Mifflin and Company. 1901.     
     — A nice book for young bird lovers.  Teachers:  This is a good book to use with young students.  Nicely illustrated.......


Field-Days in California. Bradford Torrey.  Boston: Houghton, Mifflin and Company. 1913.     
     —  This is the last book by  Bradford Torrey, published posthumously weeks after he passed away at the age of 69. This book chronicles his last few years as a resident of California, pursuing his favorite hobby: admiring nature and bird-watching.  Nice description also of the local region and the people he meets. A must read for any birder today!.....


Florida Sketch-Book, A. Bradford Torrey.  Boston: Houghton, Mifflin and Company. 1894.
     —  This is another nice book by nineteenth century writer and enthusiastic birder, Bradford Torrey, as he roams through Florida in search of his favorite hobby.  Nice description also of the local region and the people he meets. A must read for any birder today!.............
 
Footpath Way, The. Bradford Torrey.  Boston: Houghton, Mifflin and Company. 1892.  
     —  This is another nice book by nineteenth century writer and enthusiastic birder, Bradford Torrey, as he roams through New England in search of his favorite hobby.  Nice description also of the local region and the people he meets. A must read for any birder today!.............


Footing it in Franconia. Bradford Torrey.  Boston: Houghton, Mifflin and Company. 1901.
     —  a nice book by nineteenth century writer and enthusiastic birder, Bradford Torrey, as he roams through the Franconia Notch, NH, area in search of his favorite hobby, birds and observing nature.  Nice description also of the local region and the people he meets. A must read for any birder today!.............


Nature's Invitation. Bradford Torrey. Boston: Houghton, Mifflin Company. 1904.
     —  Excellent nature book, easy reading with descriptions of an obsessive birder from 100 years ago.  Covers his travels, and birding, in New Hampshire, Florida, Texas and Arizona.  A must read for today's birders...


Rambler's Lease, A. Bradford Torrey. Boston: Houghton, Mifflin and Company. 1896 edition.
     —  Another in the series of early environmental/nature study of New England.  Highly descriptive of the birds seen along the way. Highly recommended!....


Spring Notes from Tennessee. Bradford Torrey. Boston: Houghton, Mifflin and Company. 1896.     
     —  Another in a series of books by Torrey, this edition describes his travels through Tennessee and the birds he sees and counts along the way.  He also describes a number of Civil War battlefield parks 30 years after the end of the War....


World of Green Hills, A. Bradford Torrey.  Boston: Houghton, Mifflin and Company. 1898.     
     —  This is another nice book by nineteenth century writer and enthusiastic birder, Bradford Torrey, as he roams the hills of North Carolina and Virginia in search of his favorite hobby.  Nice description also of the local region and the people he meets. A must read for any birder today!............


Sand Dunes and Salt Marshes. Charles Wendell Townsend. Illustrated with Photographs. Boston: Dana Estes & Co. 1913. 
   —  this is a nice early environmental book, describing in detail the various sand dune and salt marshes, and the flora and fauna found there.  The area of  Ipswich, Massachusetts.......


Days Off.  Henry Van Dyke. NY: Charles Scribner's Sons. 1907.     
     — One of a series to be added here, this volume is a series of short stories on the benefits (and pitfalls) of taking days off from the regular grind... even a day off from a vacation!


Fisherman's Luck. Henry Van Dyke.  NY: Charles Scribner's Sons. 1913.
     — Ever wander along a willow-lined stream bank and wonder how the fishing would be? How many types of open fires can there be?  More than you think....  A wonderful, meandering stream of thought about fishing and lovers, mountains and strawberries, I highly recommend this book and author.


In The Wilderness. Charles Dudley Warner.  Houghton, Osgood and Company. 1878.
    —   An early 'environmentalist' look at the Adirondacks and wilderness living, as well as reflections on life in New England  in the late 1800's........


Butterflies. Clarence Weed.  Garden City, NY: Doubleday, Page & Company.
     —  A well-written and understandable book for beginners and advanced students of butterfly studies.  Nicely illustrated, although some of the photographs of butterflies are not as clear as they could be.....


Familiar Studies of Wild Birds. F. N. Whitman. Boston: The Gorham Press. 1920.
     —  This is a nice book of a photographer's study of wild birds he found around the area in the 1900's. Kingbirds, Owls, Wrens, and many other birds are written about here, and more importantly, photographed in their natural environments.  This nature photographer also gives detailed information to the photographer just trying their hand at bird photography and how to go about it. Information that works well today in the digital world.....


My Garden.  Louise Beebe Wilder.  Illustrated by Will Simmons. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, Page & Company. 1920.
     —  This is a wonderful book for the intellectual gardener.  Latin plant names abound, as well as common names.  Lists are provided in each chapter for roses, irises, lilies, shrubs, trees and herbs. A nice book for any gardener....


 
 Musée de l'Armée. Hôtel des Invalides. [N.D.] Ca. 1920.
     —  French photo pamphlet souvenir showing a small portion of the Museum's collecting just after WWI, including a photo of the railroad car where the Armistice was signed, ending the war....


Across Mongolian Plains. Roy Chapman Andrews. NY: D. Appleton and Company. 1921.
     — A naturalist's adventure through Mongolia and China; photographs by his wife, Yvette Borup Andrews.  Detailed description of their trip, collecting animal specimens for American Museums.  Yes, this was a time when stuffed specimens were all the rage and Asia was newly opened to the Westerner interested in the natural sciences.  An interesting read....



Boston: A Guide Book. Edwin M. Bacon.  Illustrated.  Boston: Athenaeum Press. 1903 edition.
     —  A great guide book of Boston that takes you through the neighborhood historical points all across the City and the surrounding area.  Included are the cities of Salem, Wellesley, Newton, Quincy, Blue Hill Reservation, plus many others. Heavily illustrated.  Well written and reads like a walking tour of Boston, with lots of history thrown in.  Highly recommended!....


Boston Illustrated, by Edwin M. Bacon.  Illustrated.  Boston: Houghton, Mifflin and Co. 1886 edition.
     —  A great work on the history of Boston by the neighborhoods through the architecture of the period. Heavily illustrated.  Well written and reads like a walking tour of Boston, with lots of history thrown in.  Highly recommended!


Rambles Around Old Boston, by Edwin M. Bacon.  Illustrated by Lester G. Hornby. Boston: Little, Brown and Company. 1921 edition.
     —  This is an excellent work on the early history of Boston through the turn of the 20th Century.  Well written and reads like a walking tour of Boston, with lots of history thrown in.  Highly recommended!.


Inca Land.  by Hiram Bingham. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company. 1922.
     — A wonderful, detailed narrative of Bingham's travels around Peru in 1915, funded by Yale University and The National Geographic Society.  Bingham is best known as the discoverer of the ruins of Machu Picchu, and he describes this find toward the end of this book. Interesting anthropological information of the native Peruvians as well as detailed history of the last years of the Inca Empire....


Among the Tibetans. Isabella L. Bishop. London: The Religious Tract Society. 1894.
     —  This is an interesting travel book describing travel through Tibet in the late 1800's.  Nice descriptions of the people and land, but a little too focused on  the christian missionary mentality.  Worth the read though....


Locusts and Wild Honey. John Burroughs. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company. 1907.
     —  Part of  the 23 Volume Riverby Edition series; a wonderful collection of essays about bees, fishing, rain and Canada....


Winter Sunshine. John Burroughs.   Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company. 1904 Photographs by various artists.
    —  Part of  the 23 Volume Riverby Edition series; a wonderful collection of essays about the wonders of winter ....


Romance of Old Japan. by Elizabeth and Frère Champney. 90 Illustrations.. New York: The Knickerbocker Press. G. P. Putnam's Sons. 1917. 
    —  A nice series of stories from Japan from early mythology through contact with the west in the 1860's.  Heavily illustrated with drawings, prints and original photographs....


Cape Coddities,  by Dennis and Marion Chatham.  Illustrated by Harold Cue. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co. 1920.
     — A great little book filled with Cape Cod charm written when cars were just beginning to be used on the Cape. Nice watercolor touches on some of the illustrations done by a previous owner of the book...


Indian Life in Town and Country. Herbert Compton. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons. 1904.
     — This is an interesting look at life in India at the height of British control.  Written by a British writer, there is of course the western European bias present in early 20th century writings of colonial life.  That being said, it is a fascinating view of India of the turn of the last century.........


Romance of Old New England Rooftrees, The. Crawford, Mary Caroline. Boston: L. C. Page and Company. 1902 (1908 edition).
     — This is a great source of New England history from its founding through the Revolution, through the unique view of New England's original buildings.  Nice source of historical information about Deborah Sampson Gannett  (a woman who disguised herself as a man and fought in the Revolutionary War), the time of the Salem Witch trials, The Fairbanks murder trial in Dedham, Mass. and Brook Farm in West Roxbury, Mass., among others...


Voyage of the Beagle. Charles Darwin. R. T. Pritchet, Illustrator. London: John Murray. 1890.
     —  In celebration of the 200th birthday of Darwin (2/12/1809) and the 150th anniversary of the publication of Origin of Species (1859), we offer here the journey that led to Darwin's seminal work on Evolution.


Random Notes of Boston.  Henry P. Dowst.  Illustrated by John Albert Seaford. Publisher: Humphrey. N.D.: Library Book first stamped August 30, 1916.
     —  Great illustrations of Boston around 100 years ago.  Many of the buildings illustrated still exist today, but some have vanished since this work was done.  Nice history notes of Boston also....


A Thousand Miles Up The Nile. Amelia B. Edwards. NY: A. L. Burt Company. ca 1888. 
   —  Reporter, novelist, Egyptologist, Amelia Edwards has been called the basis of the fictional Victorian Egyptologist, Amelia Peabody. Edwards describes here a trip up the Nile she and a female traveling companion took with other friends, stopping at many well-known ancient sites. The original trip occurred in the 1870's.  A fun read.....


Loch Lomond and the Trossachs. George Eyre-Todd. Ilustrated by E.W. Haslehust R.B.A. London: Blackie and Son Limited. No Date.  (ca. 1900)
     —  Nicely Illustrated book, part of the Blackie & Son's 'Beautiful' Series. 12 wonderful color illustrations by E. W. Haslehust......


Romance of Old Philadelphia, The. by John T. Faris. Illustrated with early etchings and photographs by Philip B. Wallace. Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott Company. 1918.
     — A great resource book with the earliest history of Philadelphia, from settlement through the Revolution and Washington's term in office as President.  Heavily illustrated with drawings, prints and original photographs....


A Residence Among The Chinese. Robert Fortune. London: John Murray. 1857.
     —  Another book from Robert Fortune, as he travelled China purchasing tea.  A wonderful incite into the daily lives of the Chinese of the time.  A pleasant read with a cup of loose-leaf tea. No teabags allowed....



Yedo and Peking. Robert Fortune. London: John Murray. 1863.
     —  By the author of 'A Journey to the Tea Countries of China', this is a fascinating look at Japanese culture just after the opening of the country to the West. The author also visits Peking, rarely visited at the time by foreigners.  A great read......


History of the Babylonians and Assyrians, A. George Stephen Goodspeed, PhD. NY: Charles Scribners' Sons. 1921.
     —  Detailed history of the archaeological investigations in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, as well as the history known at the time of the Babylonians and Assyrians. Nice map of the Middle East, showing the locations of Nineveh, Ur, Babylon and other cities, as well as the Babylonian names of Egypt, Saudi Arabia, etc.  A nice read for the student of ancient history......


Nooks and Corners of Old London. Charles & Marie Hemstreet.  Illustrated by Photographs. NY: James Pott & Company. 1910.
     —  A nice reminiscence of Old London; each paragraph is a unique view of a certain part of the City.  Nice photographs also.....


Along French Byways. Clifton Johnson.  Illustrated. NY: The MacMillan Company. 1900.
     —  a nice look at rural and village life in France around 1900, from the perspective of a wandering American.  Johnson was a keen observer, writer and photographer; this book is a companion to his other books on life in Europe (such as Isle of the Shamrock) and add wonderful insight into life 100 years ago.....


From St. Lawrence to Virginia. Clifton Johnson.  Photographs by Clifton Johnson.  NY: Macmillan & Co. 1913
     —  The author is a writer and photographer who was unknowingly an ethnographer of his time, recording vanishing cultures at the turn of the last century.  This book deals with vignettes of rural life from New York Adirondacks to the mountains of West Virginia. Profusely illustrated with the author's original photographs...


Highways and Byways of the Mississippi Valley, by Clifton Johnson. Photographs by Clifton Johnson. NY: MacMillan Company. 1906.
     —  One of a series of books written by Johnson of a vanishing America: Rural life.  He specifically visited rural towns, villages and farms across the country at the turn of the twentieth century to document what he felt was a way of life that was disappearing 100 years ago.  These works are a wonderful resource of information about life in America outside of the growing cities.  This book pertains to life in America from Mississippi to Minnesota along the Mississippi River.  Note that this book contains strong language and racist thoughts expressed by the people interviewed.  Please read my COMMENTARY to this web edition which describes why you should read this book but keep in mind I don't recommend this book for young children.  More importantly, this book requires a lot of discussion.  Read it carefully and wisely.......


Highways and Byways of the Pacific Coast. Clifton Johnson. Photographs by Clifton Johnson. NY: MacMillan Company. 1915 edition.Folk-Lore of the Noongahburrahs. Collected by Mrs. K. Langloh Parker. London: Melville, Mullen & Slade. 1897.
—  A series of stories from the First Peoples of Australia put down in writing by Catherine "Katie" Langloh Parker (1 May 1856 – 27 March 1940). She lived in northern New South Wales in the late nineteenth century. A fascinating read....

     —  One of a series of books written by Johnson of a vanishing America: Rural life. He specifically visited rural towns, villages and farms across the country at the turn of the twentieth century to document what he felt was a way of life that was disappearing 100 years ago.  In this volume, he travels through Arizona, Nevada, California, Washington, Oregon and a special trip through Yosemite National Park.  As in all of his books, Johnson lets the people he meets tell their own stories.  Colorfully written in the dialects of the region, it makes for interesting reading......


Land of Heather, The. Clifton Johnson. Illustrated by Johnson (drawings and photographs).  New York: MacMillan Company  1904.    
     —  Another in Johnson's travel books, this is a nice journal of his journey around Scotland.  A nice read.....


New England and Its Neighbors. Clifton Johnson.  Photographs by Clifton Johnson.  NY: Macmillan & Co. 1902.
     —  The author is a writer and photographer who was unknowingly an ethnographer of his time, recording vanishing cultures at the turn of the last century.  This book deals with vignettes of rural life from Maine to Delaware. Profusely illustrated with the author's original photographs...


New England Country, The. Clifton Johnson.  Photographs and Illustrations by Clifton Johnson.  Boston: Lee & Shephard. 1893.
     —  Quiet reflection in words, photographs and illustrations, regarding daily life in rural New England at the end of the 1800's. Profusely illustrated with the author's original photographs...


Picturesque Hudson, The. Clifton Johnson.  Photographs by Clifton Johnson.  NY: Macmillan & Co. 1915.
     —  The author is a writer and photographer who was unknowingly an ethnographer of his time, recording vanishing cultures at the turn of the last century.  This book deals with vignettes of the length of the Hudson River, from Glens Falls to New York City.  It includes the early history of the area during early settlement through the Revolution. Profusely illustrated with the author's original photographs...


Country School, The. Clifton Johnson. NY: Thomas Y. Crowell & Co. 1907.
     —  A great look at a time long gone for most of us: the one-room country schoolhouse in the United States. Johnson describes schools from the post-Revolutionary days, up to the late 1800's. Nice descriptions of teachers' lives and the students they taught.  Includes games and recess activities by the children. Good for students and adults ...


Isle of the Shamrock. Clifton Johnson.  Photographs by Clifton Johnson.  NY: Macmillan & Co. 1901.
     —  The author is a writer and photographer who was unknowingly an ethnographer of his time, recording vanishing cultures at the turn of the last century.  This book deals with vignettes of rural life from Ireland. Profusely illustrated with the author's original photographs...


Wayfarer in China, A. Elizabeth Kendall. Illustrated with photographs by author. Boston: Houghton, Mifflin Company. 1913.
     —  A travelog of the author's time travelling through China and Mongolia; a single, older woman faces the adventure of travel in a foreign land when such was difficult for any foreigners.  Here are her observations of a China seen by few at the time...


Our Southern Highlanders.  Horace Kephart. New York: Outing Publishling Company. 1914 Edition.
— a great study of the Scot immigrants transplanted to the southern Appalachian Mountains from the colonial days. An interesting read.....


Voyages from Montreal through the Continent of North America, Vol 1. Alexander MacKenzie. NY: New Amsterdam Book Company. 1902.
    — A first-hand account of the earliest cross-continental trip from Montreal, Canada, to the Pacific ocean, a full ten years before the Lewis and Clark Expedition.  Well-written account of the Native Americans encountered along the way.  Three detailed maps, as well as a section on the history of the Fur Trade in Canada and detailed descriptions of some of the tribes encountered.  A nice book for the 'other story' of trans-continental exploration....



Voyages from Montreal through the Continent of North America, Vol 2. Alexander MacKenzie. NY: New Amsterdam Book Company. 1902.
    — A first-hand account of the earliest cross-continental trip from Montreal, Canada, to the Pacific ocean, a full ten years before the Lewis and Clark Expedition.  Well-written account of the Native Americans encountered along the way.  Three detailed maps, as well as a section on the history of the Fur Trade in Canada and detailed descriptions of some of the tribes encountered.  A nice book for the 'other story' of trans-continental exploration....



Park Street and Its Vicinity. Lawrence, Robert Means. Illustrated. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co. 1922.
     —  This is a nicely written and readable history of Park Street, in the heart of Boston.  From the settlement of Boston, Park Street has always been part of the boundary of the Boston Commons, and many of the buildings described in this book still stand.  Defined at one end by the State House and at the other by Park Street Church, this short street has seen a lot of history......


Governess to the Siamese Court, The. Anna Harriette Leonowen.  Illustrated. Boston: James R. Osgood and Company. 1873.
     —  Yes, the original story that started it all  — Anna and her son travel to be the governess to the court of the King of Siam.  Known by later books and movies as The King and I and Anna and the King of Siam, this is where it all began.  It's an interesting read...


Romance of the Harem.  Anna H Leonowen. Boston: James R. Osgood & Company. 1873.
     —  The second book by Anna Leonowen covering her life in Siam. Here, however, she focuses on the women around her and the affects of slavery in Siam.  a very interesting read...


Reading the Weather.  T. Morris Longstreth. Outing Publishing Company. 1915.
     —  Excellent book on scientifically reading weather signs; as practical today as it was when written.  Excellent information for campers as well....


Roving East and Roving West. E. V. Lucas. NY: George H. Duran Company. 1921.
    — An Englishman writes of his travels to India, Japan and America, describing the people and places he sees along the way.  A nice read....


Castles of England and Wales. E. J. MacDonald. Illustrated by Herbert J. Finn. New York: Thomas Nelson and Sons. [n.d.: ca. 1920?]
     —  Interesting description and history of the castles of England and Wales, with wonderful illustrations by Finn. Nice read.......


Romantic Ireland, Volume 1.  Milburg Francisco, and Blanche (McManus) Mansfield.  Boston:  L. C. Page & Company. 1904.
—  The first volume of a tour of life in Ireland at the turn of the 20th century.  Nicely illustrated by Blanche McManus and filled with history and description of Ireland. A fun read...



Romantic Ireland, Volume 2.  Milburg Francisco, and Blanche (McManus) Mansfield.  Boston:  L. C. Page & Company. 1904.
—  The second volume of a tour of life in Ireland at the turn ofthe 20th century.  Nicely illustrated by Blanche McManus and filled with history and description of Ireland. A fun read...



The American Woman Abroad, written and illustrated by Blanche McManus. NY: Dodd, Mead and Company. 1911.
     —  A fascinating book on life for a woman travelling through Europe alone, with other female friends and with her husband. It also includes wonderful illustrations by Blanche McManus.  Topics include: The Cost of Living Abroad, The Lone Woman Traveller, Tips and Tipping, The Woman Traveller and the French Cafe, Winter Sports in Switzerland, French Law for Foreigners, etc.... 


The Pedigreed Cheeses of France. Blanche McManus [magazine article, written and illustrated by McManus]. In: The American Cookery, November 1917. Pages 251 - 258.
     —  A nice article on the history, production techniques and French culture of cheese!  A fun read...


Blond Pastry of the French Patissier and the Brunette Pastry of the Italian Pasticciere. Blanche McManus.  Article in: American Cookery. VOL. XXII DECEMBER, 1917 No. 5. pp 359-365.    
     —  Another food article from McManus, focusing on French and Italian pastries and life in those countries affected by WWI.  See also: The Pedigreed Cheeses of France ....


Discovery of the North Pole.  J. Martin Miller, Ed.  1909.
     — An interesting discussion of the race to the North Pole by Peary and Cook, and the subsequent debate of who got there first.  Also contains a good history of previous attempts to reach the Pole and the perils of polar exploration.  A fun read.....


Castles and Chateaux of Old Navarre and the Basque Provinces.  Francis Miltoun. Illustrated by Blanche McManus. Boston: L. C. Page and Company. 1907.
     —  Part of a series of travel books written and illustrated by a husband and wife team who travelled extensively through France, Spain, Italy and Germany. This book covers the region of the Pyrenees of southern France, from Roussillon to Biarritz......


Japanese Homes and their Surroundings. Edward S. Morse. Boston: Ticknor and Company. 1888.
     —  This is a great book, written only decades after Japan opened to the Western world. The author has undertaken an anthropological approach to the study of Japanese house construction.  Detailed illustrations and sections on garden gates and fences round out this work.  Whether just a passing interest in Japanese houses or an intellectual pursuit, this is a must read.....


Maine Beautiful. Wallace Nutting. Framingham, MA: Old America Company. 1924.
     —  With over 250 photoraphs and illustrations, this is a great collection of essays and images about living in Maine 100 years ago.  Part of the States Beautiful series Nutting began but did not complete. A nice read.....


Massachusetts Beautiful. Wallace Nutting. Framingham, MA: Old America Company. 1923.
     —  With over 250 photoraphs and illustrations, this is a great collection of essays and images about living in Massachusetts 100 years ago.  Part of the States Beautiful series Nutting began but did not complete. A nice read.....


Florida Trails. Winthrop Packard. Many Photographs. Boston: Small, Maynard and Co. 1910.
    —  This is a nice book on the musings of the author as he wandered the trails of Florida during the winter months..  A nice book for any naturalist, young or old, looking for an escape from the colder northern climes.  By the same author of Woodland Paths...


Old Plymouth Trails. Winthrop Packard. Many Photographs. Boston: Small, Maynard and Co. 1920.
    —  This is a nice book on the musings of the author as he wandered the trails southeastern Massachusetts through the year.  A nice book for any naturalist, young or old..  By the same author of Woodland Paths...


White Mountain Trails.  Winthrop Packard. With numerous photographs.  Boston: Small, Maynard and Company. 1917.
     —  This is a nice description of the trails of the White Mountains of New Hampshire by New England naturalist, Winthrop Packard.  Great photographs of views from the mountains and Appalachian Mountain Club huts and lean-tos built to accommodate hikers on the trail....


Wood Wanderings. Winthrop Packard. Illustrated by Charles Copeland. Boston: Small, Maynard and Co. 1910.
     —  This is a nice book on the musings of the author as he wandered the trails of eastern Massachusetts, especially the Blue Hill Reservation, in Canton, Mass., just south of Boston.  This book covers the Fall months at the Reservation. A nice book for any naturalist, young or old....


Woodland Paths. Winthrop Packard. Illustrated by Charles Copeland. Boston: Small, Maynard and Co. 1910.
     —  This is a nice book on the musings of the author as he wandered the trails of eastern Massachusetts, especially the Blue Hill Reservation, in Canton, Mass., just south of Boston.  This book covers the spring months at the Reservation. A nice book for any naturalist, young or old.


Wild Pastures. Winthrop Packard. Illustrated by Charles Copeland. Boston: Small, Maynard and Co. 1909.
     —  This is a nice book on the musings of the author as he wandered the trails of eastern Massachusetts, especially the Blue Hill Reservation, in Canton, Mass., just south of Boston. This book covers the summer months at the Reservation.  A nice book for any naturalist, young or old...


Young Ice-Whalers, The.  Winthrop Packard.  Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co. 1903.
     — A nice young adult book with interesting observations of the declining whaling industry and of the Innuit (Eskimo) lifestyle along the edges of the Arctic Circle...


First Through The Grand Canyon. John Wesley Powell. Edited by Horace Kephart.  NY: Outing Publishing Company. 1915.
     — A real-life adventure story! The diary of John Wesley Powell's trip through the entire length of the Grand Canyon.  His was the first known party to explore the entire canyon length.  Contains a map of the journey and daily logs.....


Woman's Journey Through the Philippines. Florence Kimball Russel.  Boston: L. C. Page & Company. 1907.
     —  A fascinating book describing a trip through the Philippines laying cable lines through the islands. Russel describes in detail the natives and life style of the islands ca 1900.......


 Pictures in Colour of the Shakespeare Country.  F. L. Sabatini. London: Jarrold $ Sons, LTD.  Ca 1900.
    —  A nice series of 50 color-tinted photographs from the area of Warwickshire — Shakespeare's country, as well as George Eliott's. Images and descriptions include: Stratford-on-Avon, Kenilworth Castle, Warwick Castle, Leamington, Coventry, Nuneaton  and more. A tour of this area includes Lady Godiva and Peeping Tom. A nice read with great illustrations!...


Boston: Its Byways & Highways. Written and illustrated by John Albert Seaford. Le Roy Phillips: Publisher.  Boston. No publication date. [ca. 1914]
     — A great little book with wonderful sepia-tone sketches of Boston at the turn of the 20th Century.


Book of Boston.  by Robert Shackleton. Illustrated by R.L. Boyer. Philadelphia: Penn Publishing Co. 1916.
     — An interesting look at Boston at the turn of the 20th century, along with a lot of historical information for New England. Nicely illustrated also....


Untrodden English Ways. Henry C Shelley. Boston: Little, Brown and Company. 1908.
     —  A nice travel book around England, including towns and historic Individuals. Dick Turpin, Devon, Bath Oatland Park, Beaconsfield, Bunhill Fields, and much more. Four color prints and many black-and-white photos and illustrations.....


Some Events of Boston and Its Neighbors. State Street Trust Company. Boston, Mass. 1917
     —  A nice, large-size pamphlet of bits and pieces of Boston history.  A  fun read.....


In India. G. W. Steevens.  NY: Dodd, Mead and Company. 1899.
     —   A British author's view of Indian life at the turn of the last century. An interesting interpretation of the country and the Indian government workers........


An Inland Voyage. Robert Louis Stevenson. London: Chatto & Windus. 1919.
     — Stevenson and friend voyage up the rivers of Europe with a lively record of the adventure for you to read....


Edinburgh - Picturesque Notes. Robert Louis Stevenson. New York: Macmillan and Co.1889
     —  A series of vignettes from around Edinburgh and vacinity, part travelog, part critique of rhe Old and New parts of the city. Nicely illustrated.  A fun read...



In The South Seas. Robert Louis Stevenson.  NY: Charles Scribners' Sons. 1907.
    — Stevenson's tales of his travels through the South Sea islands from June 1888 through January 1889. Nice tales of native islanders, headhunters and sailing adventures.....


Silverado Squatters, The.  Robert Louis Stevenson.  London: Chatto & Windus. 1906.
    —  Part of Stevenson's American period, wonderful short stories of his time in California.  A great read....


Dutch Bulbs. Una Silberrad and Sophie Lyall.  Illustrations by Mima Nixon.  London: Adam and Charles Black. 1909.
     — Beautifully illustrated with wonderful watercolors by artist Mima Nixon, this book covers the history and commercial growing of bulbs in Holland at the turn of the 20th century.


Windsor Castle. Edward Thomas. Illustrated by Ernest Haslehust. Boston: Dana Estes& Co. n.d. (inscribed 1921).
    —  Nicely illustrated book describing the history of  Windsor Castle through history....


Maine Woods, The. Henry David Thoreau. Boston: Ticknor and Fields. 1864.
   —  The classic by Thoreau, detailing his adventures through the Maine regions of Katahdin, Chesuncook and the Alagash. Hard to find, complete with Appendix, in etext on the web....


Peru: A Land of Contrasts. Millicent Todd. Boston: Little, Brown and Company. 1914 edition.
     —  An early look at the history, ruins and life of the people of Peru, from the Andes mountains to the steamy jungles. A nice book by the future wife of Hiram Bingham........


Birds In The Bush  Bradford Torrey. Boston: Houghton, Mifflin & Company. 1895.     
     — Excellent nature book, easy reading with descriptions of an obsessive birder from 100 years ago.  Covers his travels, and birding, in New England.  A must read for today's birders...


Clerk of  the Woods, The.  Bradford Torrey. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company. 1903.     
     —  Excellent nature book, easy reading with descriptions of an obsessive birder from 100 years ago.  Covers his travels, and birding, in New England.  A must read for today's birders...

Field-Days in California. Bradford Torrey.  Boston: Houghton, Mifflin and Company. 1913.     
     —  This is the last book by  Bradford Torrey, published posthumously weeks after he passed away at the age of 69. This book chronicles his last few years as a resident of California, pursuing his favorite hobby: admiring nature and bird-watching.  Nice description also of the local region and the people he meets. A must read for any birder today!.....


Footing it in Franconia. Bradford Torrey.  Boston: Houghton, Mifflin and Company. 1901.
     —  a nice book by nineteenth century writer and enthusiastic birder, Bradford Torrey, as he roams through the Franconia Notch, NH, area in search of his favorite hobby, birds and observing nature.  Nice description also of the local region and the people he meets. A must read for any birder today!.............


Nature's Invitation. Bradford Torrey. Boston: Houghton, Mifflin Company. 1904.
     —  Excellent nature book, easy reading with descriptions of an obsessive birder from 100 years ago.  Covers his travels, and birding, in New Hampshire, Florida, Texas and Arizona.  A must read for today's birders...

Rambler's Lease, A. Bradford Torrey. Boston: Houghton, Mifflin and Company. 1896 edition.
     —  Another in the series of early environmental/nature study of New England.  Highly descriptive of the birds seen along the way. Highly recommended!....


Spring Notes from Tennessee. Bradford Torrey. Boston: Houghton, Mifflin and Company. 1896.     
     —  Another in a series of books by Torrey, this edition describes his travels through Tennessee and the birds he sees and counts along the way.  He also describes a number of Civil War battlefield parks 30 years after the end of the War....


World of Green Hills, A. Bradford Torrey.  Boston: Houghton, Mifflin and Company. 1898.     
     —  This is another nice book by nineteenth century writer and enthusiastic birder, Bradford Torrey, as he roams the hills of North Carolina and Virginia in search of his favorite hobby.  Nice description also of the local region and the people he meets. A must read for any birder today!............


Among English Inns, Josephine Tozier. Boston: L. C. Page and Company. 1904.
     —  A nice travel book by a group of American women travelling by train, boat and bicycle through southeastern England.  This is their adventures at the numerous inns they visit along the way....


Old Coventry. Florence Weston. Coventry: W.W. Curtis Ltd., Cheylesmore Press. 1919.
     —  A nice, small booklet of Coventry, England, from the early 1900's. ....


 

The Saga of Gisli, Son of Sour. Translated by Ralph B. Allen. Illustrated by Rockwell Kent. NY: Harcourt, Brace and Co. 1936
     —  A translation of an Icelandic saga first written down in the 12th century.  An interesting read and wonderfully illustrated...


Fairy Tales, by Hans Christian Andersen. Retold and translated by Dr. L. Sohr, with Original drawings by Gertraude Hecht Appelmann. Copyright by Anton Appelmann, Urberads (Hessen); Alle Redste vorbehahen. — Printed in Germany. Gesamtherstellung: GroBbudbinderei Fritzsdie/Ludwig, Darmstadt. Buch- und Offsetdrunk: Wiking Drukerei GmbH, Darmstadt. [no publication date]
     —  The Swineherd; The Storks;  Some Distinction Must Be;  The Emperor’s New Robes; The Flying Trunk;  The Angel; The Snowman; The Princess Who Slept On A Pea; The Daisy; Twelve In The Mail-Coach.


The Tinder Box and Other Stories, by Hans Andersen.  Illustrated by Helen Stratton. Printed by Blackie and Son Limited at the Villafield Press, Glascow, Scotland.  No Date (ca. 1910).
     —  Original Hans Christian Andersen tales, with his unique twist in story telling.  These are accompanied by by vivid illustrations by Helen Stratton, with a distinct Arts and Crafts flair!


Syrup of the Bees, A. Translated by F. W. Bain. New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons. 1914.
     —  A fairy tale from India.... From the Translator's Preface: "In India..... the fairy stories are addressed to the grown-up, and the fairies resemble their audience: they are grown up too. They form an intermediate, and, so to say, irresponsible class of beings, half-way between the mortals and the gods." .....


Adventures of Odysseus and the Tale of Troy. Padraic Colum.  Illustrated by Willy Pogany. NY:The MacMillan Company. 1915.
     —  Another in the series of classical books retold by Colum and wonderfully illustrated by Pogany.  See also the tale of Jason and the Argonauts (The Golden Fleece.) A nice read!.....


The Boy Who Apprenticed to an Enchanter. Padraic Colum. Illustrated by Dugald Stuart Walker.  New York: The MacMillan Company. 1920 edition.
     — The adventures of a boy and Genies, Magicians and Enchanters from Babylon to England and Merlin.  All told in the style of A Thousand and One Nights.......


Boy Who Knew What The Birds Said, The. Padraic Colum. Dugald Stewart Walker, Illus. NY: Macmillan Company. 1918.
     — Another in a series of books by Padraic Colum, womderfully illustrated by Dugald Walker.  A nice read for children and adults alike. Enjoy!...



Children of Odin, The. Padraic Colum. New York: The Macmillan Company. 1920.
     —  A well-written series of stories about the Norse gods and and humans.  You'll know where J.R.R. Tolkien based his Lord of the Rings series on. Dwarves, ring of power, the Dark Wood, wolves and battles. Nicely illustrated...


Girl Who Sat By The Fire, The.  Paidric Colum. Illustrated by Dugald Stewart Walker. NY: MacMillan Company. 1919.
     —  Wonderfully illustrated, the story of Cinderella is retold in it's own unique way. The wicked step-sisters and step-mother; the prince, the Ball, and the slipper (gold, not glass.)  Great for adults and children.......


Golden Fleece and the Heroes who Lived Before Achilles. Padraic Colum. Illustrated by Willy Pogany.   NY: MacMillan Company. 1921.
     —  This is a wonderful book of the early Greek mythologies - the adventures of Jason and the Argonauts; Hercules, Prometheus the Titans and the lesser gods and goddesses.  Nicely illustrated with Art Deco drawings of the period.  A recommended read....


Scandinavian Folk-Lore. William A. Craigie, M.A. (Trans.) London: Alexander Gardner. 1896.
    — A great book collecting a series of stories, covering Scandinavian mythology, trolls, giants, dwarfs, elves, brownies, faries, ghosts, monsters, merfolk, wizards, witches, treasures and plagues.  A fun read!...


The Religion of Ancient Scandinavia. W. A. Craigie, M.A. London: Constable & Company, Ltd: 1914
     —  A thorough review of the gods and godesses of Scandinavian countries. A slim volume packed with information, well worth the read....


Kalevala. Translation by John Martin Crawford. NY: John B. Alden. 1889.
     —  A classic translation of Finnish tales, first written down in the 1830's.  Published as 'Runic' poems, these legends would have  been sung and handed down generation to generation as an oral tradition.  Some believe this work was the basis of JRR Tolkien's Elvish language.....


Last of the Legions. Arthur Conan Doyle.  New York: George H. Doran Company  1922.
     —  This is an interesting series of tales about the end of the Roman Legion and the end of the Empire, and the rise of the Christian era.....


Romance of Old Japan. by Elizabeth and Frère Champney. 90 Illustrations.. New York: The Knickerbocker Press. G. P. Putnam's Sons. 1917. 
   — A nice series of stories from Japan from early mythology through contact with the west in the 1860's.  Heavily illustrated with drawings, prints and original photographs....


High History of the Holy Graal. Sebastian Evans, Translator.  Illustrated by Jessie M. King. NY: E. P. Dutton & Co.. 1903.
     —  The original translated from the 13th century manuscript.  Originally written in Old French, this translation remains as faithful as possible to the manuscript.  The earliest tales of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, as they relate to the search for the Holy Grail.  This is not a child's version; the language is a challenge to read, and there are many bloody battles in these tales ......


Unmannerly Tiger and Other Tales, The. (Korean Fairy Tales)  William Elliot Griffis.  NY: Thomas Y Crowell Company. 1911.
—  A great series of fairy tales from Korea. A fascinating look at a mixture of cultures but uniquely Korean...


Heroic Legends, by Agnes Grozier Herbertson. Illustrated by Helen Stratton.  Published in London, 1908.  American version (from which these web pages are based) was ca. 1910, but no date listed in the edition.
     —  These are European legends from the Middle Ages, covering topics such as knights, damsels, dragons, King Arthur and El Cid.   Interesting reading and wonderful illustrations.


Celtic Fairy Tales. Joseph Jacobs, Ed. John D. Batten, Illustrator. London: David Nutt. 270 Strand. 1892
     — A nice collection of early Celtic tales with wonderful illustrations.  A fun read....


The Algonquin Legends of  New England. Charles G. Leland. London: Sampson, Low, Marston, Searle & Rivington. 1884.
   A treasure trove of Native American myths and folk tales from New England, compiled by Leland in the 1880's. These tales are from the broader Algonquin-speaking groups from Canada and New England.  Leland tries to make connections from these tales to Norse legends, trying to prove contact between Norse and Native Americans. While this book was written well before the discovery of a Norse settlement from @1000 A.D. at  L'Anse aux Meadows, Newfoundland, Canada, the proof of Norse influence on Native American culture is just not there. Read these for the tales, but take the comparisons to Norse tales with a hefty grain of salt. Enjoy!...



Indian Fairy Tale Book, The. Mason Brothers. Illustrated by McLenan. NY: Mason Brothers. 1856.
     —  An interesting collection of of Native American myths and fairy tales, collected in the early 1800s.  A nice read....



Behemoth. Cornelius Mathews. NY: J & H.G. Langley. 1839.
    —  A very strange little book; a proto-archaeology study of the Mound Builders confronting the Woolly Mammoth.  Remember that the first Mammoth fossils had been discovered not long before this book was written and Darwin had yet to explain the process of Evolution.  Not to mention settlers to the mid-west had only begun to settle in and around the ruins of the Mound Builders.  The last Notes section is probably the best part to read as it give a good (although incorrect) view of research into Mammoths and Mound Builders of the time...


Handbook of Norse Mythology, The. Karl Mortensen, Trans. by A. Clinton Crowell. NY: Thomas Y. Crowell. 1913
     —  A nice overview of Norse Mythology, with details on the chief gods, religious beliefs, sagas, etc... A good read for information on northern European myths...


Japanese Fairy Book, The. Yei Theodora Ozaki. Westminster: Archibald Constable & Co. Ltd. 1903.
     —  A nice series of original fairy tales from Japan, including the Jellyfish and the Monkey, The Goblin of Adac Higahara, The Farmer and the Badger, and many more. A nice read.....


Folk-Lore of the Noongahburrahs. Collected by Mrs. K. Langloh Parker. London: Melville, Mullen & Slade. 1897.
     —  A series of stories from the First Peoples of Australia put down in writing by Catherine "Katie" Langloh Parker (1 May 1856 – 27 March 1940). She lived in northern New South Wales in the late nineteenth century. A fascinating read....



Myths and Legends: The Celtic Race. T. W. Rolleston. J. C. Leyendecker, Illustrator.  Boston: David D. Nickerson & Company. 1911.
    —  Written by an Irish Poet and founder of the Irish Poetry Society, he wrote on a variety of literary subjects, including this book. Covering a wide area of Irish and British history, myths and legends, this book covers such subjects as The Celts in Ancient History; The Religion of the Celts; The Irish Invasion Myth; The Early Milesian Kings; Tales of the Ultonian Cycle; Tales of the Ossinic Cycle; The Voyage of Maeldun; and Myths and Tales of the Cymry. A great read...


Legends of the Rhine. Wilhelm Ruland.  Cologne: Hoursch & Bechstedt, Publishers.  [ca. 1906]
     —  This is a great series of legends from the Rhine of the Middle Ages.  Filled with knights, maidens and sites along the Rhine. A great read...


The King of the Golden River. John Ruskin.  Boston: L. C. Page & Co. 1906.
     —  This is a nice little fairy tale-type story by Ruskin.  I am not sure if this was his original creation or based upon an old tale.  It has evil siblings, a good-hearted child and mysterious nature spirits. An interesting read at many levels...


Myths and Legends of Our Own Land, Volume 1.  Charles M. Skinner.  4 Photographs. Philadelphia: J. B Lippincott. 1896.
     —  This is the first volume of a 2 volume set, containing a wonderful compilation of 'modern' myths and legends from Native Americans and early European settlers, through the Civil War. As Skinner states, "It is where myth and history combine that legend is most interesting and appeals to our fancy or our sympathy most strongly; and it is not too early for us to begin the collation of those quaint happenings..."  A great read....


Myths and Legends of Our Own Land, Volume 2.  Charles M. Skinner.  4 Photographs. Philadelphia: J. B Lippincott. 1896.
     —  This is the second volume of a 2 volume set, containing a wonderful compilation of 'modern' myths and legends from Native Americans and early European settlers, through the Civil War. As Skinner states, "It is where myth and history combine that legend is most interesting and appeals to our fancy or our sympathy most strongly; and it is not too early for us to begin the collation of those quaint happenings..."  A great read....


Ancient Tales and Folk-lore of Japan. Richard Gordon Smith. London: A. & C. Black. 1908.
     — A fascinating series of folk tales from ancient Japan.  A great read!....



Myths From Many Lands. Eva March Tappan, Editor. NY: Houghton Mifflin & Company. 1907.
     —  A nice series of myths from around the world. Myths from Greece, Rome, Japan, the Slavs and India. A great read for teens and adults alike!....


Mediaeval Tales. Introduction by Henry Morley, LLD. New York: Ballantyne Press. 1886.
     — This is a great collection of medieval tales, covering Charlemagne, Orlando, The Cid, the Gesta Romanorum (morality tales), Dr. Faustus and many more!....


In The Wilderness. Charles Dudley Warner.  Houghton, Osgood and Company. 1878.
    —   An early 'environmentalist' look at the Adirondacks and wilderness living, as well as reflections on life in New England  in the late 1800's........


 

An Early American Home. Claude H. Miller. NY: Thomas Y. Crowell Company. 1931.
   — A fascinating description of one person's adventure building a new, 'old' Colonial House.  Detailed descriptions of his experience buying the property, building the
architectural model, dealing with the contractors, to finally furnishing the finished rooms.  A nice read for the person interested in architecture or antiques.....


Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin, The.  Edited by Frank Woodworth Pine. Garden City, NY: Garden City Publishing Co., Inc. 1916.
     —  This is an illustrated version of Franklin's autobiography.  Note that this book edited out 3 paragraphs where Franklin referred to his youthful dalliances, which I have edited back in with notes where added.  This edition also includes an Appendix of four articles: Electrical Kite, The Way to Wealth, The Whistle, and A Letter to Samuel Mather.  Also includes a Bibliography.....


Battle Ground Adventures. Clifton Johnson. Illustrated by Rodney Thomson. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company. 1915.     
     —  This is a fascinating oral history account of eyewitnesses to Civil War battles. Johnson records their words as accurately as possible, and almost 50 years after the battles were fought, the horrors of war still come through.  White and black attitudes on slavery, Rebels and Yankees are frankly recorded here. This is a must read, for as Johnson states in his preface: "But why should we not face the reality and see war in all its savagery? Nothing can so hasten the coming of the time when war as a method of settling disputes will not be tolerated as a clear understanding of its essential barbarism."....


Boston: A Guide Book. Edwin M. Bacon.  Illustrated.  Boston: Athenaeum Press. 1903 edition.
     —  A great guide book of Boston that takes you through the neighborhood historical points all across the City and the surrounding area.  Included are the cities of Salem, Wellesley, Newton, Quincy, Blue Hill Reservation, plus many others. Heavily illustrated.  Well written and reads like a walking tour of Boston, with lots of history thrown in.  Highly recommended!....


Boston Illustrated, by Edwin M. Bacon.  Illustrated.  Boston: Houghton, Mifflin and Co. 1886 edition.
     —  A great work on the history of Boston by the neighborhoods through the architecture of the period. Heavily illustrated.  Well written and reads like a walking tour of Boston, with lots of history thrown in.  Highly recommended!


Rambles Around Old Boston, by Edwin M. Bacon.  Illustrated by Lester G. Hornby. Boston: Little, Brown and Company. 1921 edition.
     —  This is an excellent work on the early history of Boston through the turn of the 20th Century.  Well written and reads like a walking tour of Boston, with lots of history thrown in.  Highly recommended!


District School As It Was, The.  Warren Burton. Edited and Illustrated by Clifton Johnson. Boston: Lee and Shephard. 1897.
     — A nice retrospective of life in a New England school right around 1800. A number of illustrations and an introduction added by Clifton Johnson...


Colonial Life in New Hampshire.  James H. Fassett. Boston: Athenaeum Press. 1899.
     —  A nice historical discussion of the early history of New Hampshire, up to and including roles of the state in the Revolutionary War. Sections include: Customs of the Settlers, Indians of New Hampshire, and the Beginnings of the Revolution.  Good for students and adults ...


Cambridge. Noel Barwell. Illustrated by Ernest Haslehust. London: Blackie and Son, Ltd. [n.d.: ca. 1920]
     —  Interesting description and history of the area of Cambridge and related colleges,  with some wonderful illustrations by Haslehust.


Inca Land.  by Hiram Bingham. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company. 1922.
     — A wonderful, detailed narrative of Bingham's travels around Peru in 1915, funded by Yale University and The National Geographic Society.  Bingham is best known as the discoverer of the ruins of Machu Picchu, and he describes this find toward the end of this book. Interesting anthropological information of the native Peruvians as well as detailed history of the last years of the Inca Empire....


Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl. [Harriet Ann Jacobs]. Boston: 1861.
    — The true story of a woman born into slavery in the US South, her harrowing life and ultimate escape to the Northern states and ultimately Canada. This should be a must read for everyone, but Note:  This does contain strong language and scenes of violence toward Blacks. Know that this comes from the heart and I recommend everyone read this book, to understand our past and know where we are with prejudice today...


Cape Coddities,  by Dennis and Marion Chatham.  Illustrated by Harold Cue. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co. 1920.
     — A great little book filled with Cape Cod charm written when cars were just beginning to be used on the Cape. Nice watercolor touches on some of the illustrations done by a previous owner of the book...


Indian Life in Town and Country. Herbert Compton. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons. 1904.
     — This is an interesting look at life in India at the height of British control.  Written by a British writer, there is of course the western European bias present in early 20th century writings of colonial life.  That being said, it is a fascinating view of India of the turn of the last century.........


Romance of Old New England Rooftrees, The. Crawford, Mary Caroline. Boston: L. C. Page and Company. 1902 (1908 edition).
     — This is a great source of New England history from its founding through the Revolution, through the unique view of New England's original buildings.  Nice source of historical information about Deborah Sampson Gannett  (a woman who disguised herself as a man and fought in the Revolutionary War), the time of the Salem Witch trials, The Fairbanks murder trial in Dedham, Mass. and Brook Farm in West Roxbury, Mass., among others...


St. Botolph's Town. Mary Caroline Crawford.  Illustrated with various etchings and photographs. Boston: L.C. Page & Co. 1908.
     —  This is a detailed look at the settling of Boston, MA, with information from original letters, diaries and documents.  Highly informative and enjoyable reading....


Col. Crockett's Exploits and Adventures in Texas David Crockett. Boston: Allen & Ticknor. 1834.
    —  Continuing biography by David Crockett, describing his life up to the siege of the Alamo, and an additional chapter by the editor describing the end of Crockett and others at the hands of Santa Ana.  A follow-up to his first biography, Narrative of the Life of David Crockett. A good, first-person account of the struggles of the new nation....


Narrative of the Life of David Crockett. David Crockett. Boston: Allen & Ticknor. 1834.
    —  Biography by David Crockett, telling of his childhood and adult life, his early days in politics, election to Congress, and his disagreements with Andrew Jackson. This book was closely followed by a second memoir, Col. Crockett's Exploits and Adventures in Texas, describing his life up to the siege of the Alamo, and an additional chapter by the editor describing the end of Crockett and others at the hands of Santa Ana.  A good, first-person account of the struggles of the new nation....


Stories From Roman History, by Lena Dalkeith.  Illustrated by Paul Woodroffe.  New York: E.P. Dutton & Co. n.d. [gift inscription dates to Christmas, 1912].
     —  This is a nice child's history book, written on the 6th to eighth grade level.  It is a nice introduction to the history of early Rome, from the founding of the City to the death of Julius Caesar and the rise of Augustus.
 
Random Notes of Boston.  Henry P. Dowst.  Illustrated by John Albert Seaford. Publisher: Humphrey. N.D.: Library Book first stamped August 30, 1916.
     —  Great illustrations of Boston around 100 years ago.  Many of the buildings illustrated still exist today, but some have vanished since this work was done.  Nice history notes of Boston also....


Early American Craftsmen. Walter A Dyer. Illustrated with photographs. NY: The Century Company. 1915.
     — Everything you've ever wanted to know about early American craftsmen.  Chapters cover Furniture makers, Pewter craftsmen, Silver worker, Glass manufacture, Potters, Windsor Chair manufacture, and Architects.  All from around the Revolutionary War period.  (This book sponsored by Dragons Breath)


Last of the Legions. Arthur Conan Doyle.  New York: George H. Doran Company  1922.
     —  This is an interesting series of tales about the end of the Roman Legion and the end of the Empire, and the rise of the Christian era.....


Romance of Old Philadelphia, The. by John T. Faris. Illustrated with early etchings and photographs by Philip B. Wallace. Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott Company. 1918.
     — A great resource book with the earliest history of Philadelphia, from settlement through the Revolution and Washington's term in office as President.  Heavily illustrated with drawings, prints and original photographs....


The Critical Period of American History, 1783-1789. John Fiske. Boston: Houghton Mifflin & Company. 1888.
     —  A great analysis of the early period of the United States, from the Continental Congress to George Washington's Inauguration. Highly detailed and filled with facts from the period.  A must-read for the student and historian .....


Yedo and Peking. Robert Fortune. London: John Murray. 1863.
     —  By the author of 'A Journey to the Tea Countries of China', this is a fascinating look at Japanese culture just after the opening of the country to the West. The author also visits Peking, rarely visited at the time by foreigners.  A great read......


History of the Babylonians and Assyrians, A. George Stephen Goodspeed, PhD. NY: Charles Scribners' Sons. 1921.
     —  Detailed history of the archaeological investigations in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, as well as the history known at the time of the Babylonians and Assyrians. Nice map of the Middle East, showing the locations of Nineveh, Ur, Babylon and other cities, as well as the Babylonian names of Egypt, Saudi Arabia, etc.  A nice read for the student of ancient history......


Dutch and English on the Hudson, The. Maud Wilder Goodwin.  New Haven: Yale University Press. 1919.
     — Textbook edition of the history of settlement of the New York area from the Dutch through English occupation. The time covered is from the 1630's through the 1700's. A nice work with a great bibliography..........


Falmouth Neck in the Revolution.  Nathan Goold. Portland ME: Thorton Print. 1897.
     —  An interesting little book that discusses the role of Falmouth Neck (now Portland, ME) in the Revolutionary War.  Also includes a brief history of the early years of Portland settlement.....


Nooks and Corners of Old London. Charles & Marie Hemstreet.  Illustrated by Photographs. NY: James Pott & Company. 1910.
     —  A nice reminiscence of Old London; each paragraph is a unique view of a certain part of the City.  Nice photographs also.....


Country School, The. Clifton Johnson. NY: Thomas Y. Crowell & Co. 1907.
     —  A great look at a time long gone for most of us: the one-room country schoolhouse in the United States. Johnson describes schools from the post-Revolutionary days, up to the late 1800's. Nice descriptions of teachers' lives and the students they taught.  Includes games and recess activities by the children. Good for students and adults ...


Farmer's Boy, The. Clifton Johnson.  NY: D. Appleton and Company. 1894.
     —  The seasons on a farm seen through a child's eyes.  Nicely illustrated with photos and drawings by Clifton Johnson.............


From St. Lawrence to Virginia. Clifton Johnson.  Photographs by Clifton Johnson.  NY: Macmillan & Co. 1913
     —  The author is a writer and photographer who was unknowingly an ethnographer of his time, recording vanishing cultures at the turn of the last century.  This book deals with vignettes of rural life from New York Adirondacks to the mountains of West Virginia. Profusely illustrated with the author's original photographs...


Isle of the Shamrock. Clifton Johnson.  Photographs by Clifton Johnson.  NY: Macmillan & Co. 1901.
     —  The author is a writer and photographer who was unknowingly an ethnographer of his time, recording vanishing cultures at the turn of the last century.  This book deals with vignettes of rural life from Ireland. Profusely illustrated with the author's original photographs...


Highways and Byways of the Pacific Coast. Clifton Johnson. Photographs by Clifton Johnson. NY: MacMillan Company. 1915 edition.
     —  One of a series of books written by Johnson of a vanishing America: Rural life. He specifically visited rural towns, villages and farms across the country at the turn of the twentieth century to document what he felt was a way of life that was disappearing 100 years ago.  In this volume, he travels through Arizona, Nevada, California, Washington, Oregon and a special trip through Yosemite National Park.  As in all of his books, Johnson lets the people he meets tell their own stories.  Colorfully written in the dialects of the region, it makes for interesting reading......


New England Country, The. Clifton Johnson.  Photographs and Illustrations by Clifton Johnson.  Boston: Lee & Shephard. 1893.
     —  Quiet reflection in words, photographs and illustrations, regarding daily life in rural New England at the end of the 1800's. Profusely illustrated with the author's original photographs...


Picturesque Hudson, The. Clifton Johnson.  Photographs by Clifton Johnson.  NY: Macmillan & Co. 1915.
     —  The author is a writer and photographer who was unknowingly an ethnographer of his time, recording vanishing cultures at the turn of the last century.  This book deals with vignettes of the length of the Hudson River, from Glens Falls to New York City.  It includes the early history of the area during early settlement through the Revolution. Profusely illustrated with the author's original photographs...


Unredeemed Captive, An. Clifton Johnson. Holyoke, MA: Griffith, Axtell & Cady Company. 1897.
     —  The tale of Indian captives from early settlement times in western Massachusetts; the story of Eunice Williams, Deerfield, MA., and King Philip's War...


Grandmother's Story of Bunker Hill Battle, Oliver Wendell Holmes.  Illustrated by H. W. McVickar. NY: Dodd, Meade & Co. 1875.
     —  A wonderfully illustrated book of the Holmes Poem.  This is one of the earlier versions of illustrations done by McVickar. A nice read....


Park Street and Its Vicinity. Lawrence, Robert Means. Illustrated. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co. 1922.
     —  This is a nicely written and readable history of Park Street, in the heart of Boston.  From the settlement of Boston, Park Street has always been part of the boundary of the Boston Commons, and many of the buildings described in this book still stand.  Defined at one end by the State House and at the other by Park Street Church, this short street has seen a lot of history.....


Castles of England and Wales. E. J. MacDonald. Illustrated by Herbert J. Finn. New York: Thomas Nelson and Sons. [n.d.: ca. 1920?]
     —  Interesting description and history of the castles of England and Wales, with wonderful illustrations by Finn. Nice read.......


Voyage of the Mayflower, The. McManus, Blanche. Illustrated by Blanche McManus. New York: E. R. Herrick & Co. 1897.
     —  An interesting 'history' of the Pilgrims, from London, through Holland, to Plymouth.  Profusely illustrated by Blanche McManus.  Suitable for children and adults....


Ships and Shipping.  Francis Miltoun.  London: Alexander Moring, Ltd. 1903.
     — This is a great book loaded with information of ships from around 1900, including detailed descriptions and illustrations of sailing ships, nautical terms and a great listing of the various classes and designs of ships of the line, as well as the companies in operation at the time!.... 


Old Furniture Book, The. N. Hudson Moore. NY: Frederick A. Stokes Company. 1903.
     —  A great resource book for anyone interested in early American furniture and design.  Information on Dutch furniture, designs by Chippendale, Sheraton, Adam, Hepplewhite, French Empire, musical instruments, clocks and furniture hardware....


Mediaeval Tales. Introduction by Henry Morley, LLD. New York: Ballantyne Press. 1886.
     — This is a great collection of medieval tales, covering Charlemagne, Orlando, The Cid, the Gesta Romanorum (morality tales), Dr. Faustus and many more!....


Warwick and Leamington. George Morley. Illustrated by Ernest Haslehust. NY: Dodge Publishing Company. n.d. (Ca. 1920). 
   —  Nicely illustrated book describing the history of  the area of Warwick and Leamington through history....


Twelve Years a Slave. Solomon Northup.  NY: Miller, Orton & Mulligan. 1856.
   —  The true life story of an African sold into slavery and transported to America.  Vivid description of his life as a slave and the difficulties he experienced.  A must read....



Maine Beautiful. Wallace Nutting. Framingham, MA: Old America Company. 1924.
     —  With over 250 photoraphs and illustrations, this is a great collection of essays and images about living in Maine 100 years ago.  Part of the States Beautiful series Nutting began but did not complete. A nice read.....


Massachusetts Beautiful. Wallace Nutting. Framingham, MA: Old America Company. 1923.
     —  With over 250 photoraphs and illustrations, this is a great collection of essays and images about living in Massachusetts 100 years ago.  Part of the States Beautiful series Nutting began but did not complete. A nice read.....


First Through The Grand Canyon. John Wesley Powell. Edited by Horace Kephart.  NY: Outing Publishing Company. 1915.
     — A real-life adventure story! The diary of John Wesley Powell's trip through the entire length of the Grand Canyon.  His was the first known party to explore the entire canyon length.  Contains a map of the journey and daily logs.....


Howard Pyle's Book of Pirates. Howard Pyle. Ilustrated. New York: Harper & Brothers. 1905.
    —  Pirates! Pirates! Pirates!  Everything you wanted to know about Pirates.  Profusely and wonderfully illustrated by Howard Pyle.  Enjoy this read!....


Mystery of Easter Island, The. London: Hazell, Watson and Viney, Ld. 1920.
    —  A wonderful, first-hand account of some of the earliest professional archaeological/anthropological work on Easter Island. Excellent photographs and illustrations, this is a good read for the lay person.  A must read....



Boston: Its Byways & Highways. Written and illustrated by John Albert Seaford. Le Roy Phillips: Publisher. Boston. No publication date. [ca. 1914]
    — A great little book with wonderful sepia-tone sketches of Boston at the turn of the 20th Century.....


Untrodden English Ways. Henry C Shelley. Boston: Little, Brown and Company. 1908.
     —  A nice travel book around England, including towns and historic Individuals. Dick Turpin, Devon, Bath Oatland Park, Beaconsfield, Bunhill Fields, and much more. Four color prints and many black-and-white photos and illustrations.....


Myths and Legends of Our Own Land, Volume 1.  Charles M. Skinner.  4 Photographs. Philadelphia: J. B Lippincott. 1896.
     —  This is the first volume of a 2 volume set, containing a wonderful compilation of 'modern' myths and legends from Native Americans and early European settlers, through the Civil War. As Skinner states, "It is where myth and history combine that legend is most interesting and appeals to our fancy or our sympathy most strongly; and it is not too early for us to begin the collation of those quaint happenings..."  A great read....


Myths and Legends of Our Own Land, Volume 2.  Charles M. Skinner.  4 Photographs. Philadelphia: J. B Lippincott. 1896.
     —  This is the second volume of a 2 volume set, containing a wonderful compilation of 'modern' myths and legends from Native Americans and early European settlers, through the Civil War. As Skinner states, "It is where myth and history combine that legend is most interesting and appeals to our fancy or our sympathy most strongly; and it is not too early for us to begin the collation of those quaint happenings..."  A great read....


Some Events of Boston and Its Neighbors. State Street Trust Company. Boston, Mass. 1917
     —  A nice, large-size pamphlet of bits and pieces of Boston history.  A  fun read.....


Some Merchants and Sea Captains of Old Boston. State Street Trust Company. Boston, Mass. 1918.
     —  A nice, large-size pamphlet of bits and pieces of Boston maritime history.  A  fun read.....


Windsor Castle. Edward Thomas. Illustrated by Ernest Haslehust. Boston: Dana Estes& Co. n.d. (inscribed 1921).
    —  Nicely illustrated book describing the history of  Windsor Castle through history....


Memories of the Good Old Days. Leila M. Wells. Printed by Pok-O-Moonshine. 1969.      
     — Part of a three volume set of Adirondack Remembrances by Leila Wells.  A great educational resource for elementary teachers.......... See also: Once Upon a Time and Times Have Changed.....


Once Upon a Time. Leila M. Wells. Printed by Denton Publications. 1971.      
     — Part of a three volume set of Adirondack Remembrances by Leila Wells.  A great educational resource for elementary teachers.......... See also: Memories of the Good Old Days and Times Have Changed.....


Times Have Changed. Leila M. Wells. Printed by Denton Publications. 1973.      
     — Part of a three volume set of Adirondack Remembrances by Leila Wells.  A great educational resource for elementary teachers.......... See also: Memories of the Good Old Days  and Once Upon a Time  .....


Old Coventry. Florence Weston. Coventry: W.W. Curtis Ltd., Cheylesmore Press. 1919.
     —  A nice, small booklet of Coventry, England, from the early 1900's. ....


In The Wilderness. Charles Dudley Warner.  Houghton, Osgood and Company. 1878. 
     —   An early 'environmentalist' look at the Adirondacks and wilderness living, as well as reflections on life in New England  in the late 1800's........


 
Adventures of A Country Boy. Jacob Abbott. Clifton Johnson, ed. NY: American Book Company. 1916
— A nice remebrance of childhood days in 1800's New England. A fun read for young and old....



Fairy Tales, by Hans Christian Andersen. Retold and translated by Dr. L. Sohr, with Original drawings by Gertraude Hecht Appelmann. Copyright by Anton Appelmann, Urberads (Hessen); Alle Redste vorbehahen. — Printed in Germany. Gesamtherstellung: GroBbudbinderei Fritzsdie/Ludwig, Darmstadt. Buch- und Offsetdrunk: Wiking Drukerei GmbH, Darmstadt. [no publication date]
     —  The Swineherd; The Storks;  Some Distinction Must Be;  The Emperor’s New Robes; The Flying Trunk;  The Angel; The Snowman; The Princess Who Slept On A Pea; The Daisy; Twelve In The Mail-Coach.


Three Bears, R. Andre's The.   NY: Laughlin Brothers. 1881.
— The classic children's fairy tale retold and beautifully illustrated.  Fun to revisit an old favorite! Enjoy!...


Fairy Tales From The Arabian Nights. Ernest Rhys.  London: J. M. Dent and Company. [n.d.] ca. 1907.
     —  Here are the core stories from the Arabian Nights: The Seven Voyages of Sinbad, The Fisherman and the Genie, Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp, and many more.  Nicely illustrated.....


The Tinder Box and Other Stories, by Hans Andersen.  Illustrated by Helen Stratton. Printed by Blackie and Son Limited at the Villafield Press, Glascow, Scotland.  No Date (ca. 1910).
     —  Original Hans Christian Andersen tales, with his unique twist in story telling.  These are accompanied by by vivid illustrations by Helen Stratton, with a distinct Arts and Crafts flair!


Don't For Boys.  Henry Altemus Company. Philadelphia: Henry Altemus Company. 1902.
     —  This is an interesting little book filled with advice for young men of all ages.  Words to live by....


A Year With the Birds, by Alice E. Ball.  Illustrated by Robert Bruce Horsfall. NY: Gibbs & Van Vleck, Inc. 1916.
     —  This is a wonderful look at birds of North America in a seasonal retrospective, in poetry and art.  The illustrations are very natural and Ms. Ball uses her own poetry as well as other writers from the 19th and 20th centuries to describe birdsong and behavior.  I recommend this book to bird lovers of all ages, especially as Ms. Ball intended this book to be used in schools as well as by adults....


Peeps at Many Lands: Ancient Egypt. James Baikie. London: A. & C. Black, Ltd. 1916
     —  Part of a series of books for young adults, describing life in different countries.  This is the one book of the series that deals with a past culture.  Chapters include Egyptian fairy tales, a day in Thebes, Life of a Soldier, and many others....


A Dog Day.  Walter Emanuel. Cecil Aldin, Illust. NY: E.P. Dutton & Co. 1902.
     — A quirky book showing a day in the life of the family dog.  A quick and fun read....


Pinocchio - Adventures of a Marionette. C. Collodi. Illustrated by Charles Copeland. Boston: Ginn and Company. 1904.
    — The classic children's book, but not your Walt Disney version!  A fun read!...


Cats' Party, The. Dame Dingle Series.  NY: McLaughlin Brothers. 1869.
— A nice little book for children from the latevNineteenth century of cats dressing up and having a party, until\ the human owner comes home....



Peeps At Many Lands: Australia. Frank Fox. London: Adam and Charles Black. 1911.
     —  Part of a series of books for young adults, describing life in different countries.  This book for young adults deals with the history of Australia and life as it was around 1900....


Peeps At Many Lands: Japan. John Finnemore. 1910.
     —  Part of a series of books for young adults, describing life in different countries.  This book for young adults deals with the history of Japan and life as it was around 1900....



Peeps At Many Lands: Wales. E. M. Wilmot-Buxton. London: Adam and Charles Black. 1911.
     —  Part of a series of books for young adults, describing life in different countries.  This book for young adults deals with the history of Wales and life as it was around 1900....


Tale of Cuffy Bear, The.  Arthur Scott Bailey. Illustrated by Harold L. Smith. NY: Grosset & Dunlap. 1915.
     — part of series of children's books, all based in Pleasant Valley.  Cuffy Bear has a series of adventures in his young life........


Tale of Major Monkey, The.  by Arthur Scott Bailey. Illustrated by Harold L. Smith. NY: Grosset & Dunlap. 1919.
     — part of series of children's books, all based in  Pleasant Valley.  Major Monkey raises a forest army while visiting the Valley........


Tale of Rusty Wren, The. Arthur Scott Bailey. Illustrated by Harry L. Smith. New York: Grossett & Dunlap. 1917. 
     — A nice child's story of Rusty Wren, his wife and children, and the challenges of bird life.....


Tale of Timothy Turtle, The.  by Arthur Scott Bailey. Illustrated by Harold L. Smith. NY: Grosset & Dunlap. 1919.
     — part of series of children's books, all based in  Pleasant Valley.  Mr. Timothy Turtle is an old turtle, very set in his ways........


New Barnes Readers, The: Book 1.  The A. S.Barnes Company.  Illustrated by Mabel D. Hill.  NY: The A.S. Barnes Company. 1916.
     —  Nice children's book, with great illustrations. As one story sums up: "To be as we are is the best thing in the world."...


Sharp Eyes, the Silver Fox.  Richard Barnum. Illustrated by Walter S. Rogers. NY: Barse & Co. 1918.
     — This is a nice animal story, part of a set from the Kneetime Animal Stories series.  Sharp Eyes, the Silver Fox, learns to hunt, gets caught in traps, sent to a zoo, meets a number of animal friends, and returns home to his family.  Described, when originally published for ages 5 to 9...


Dorothy and the Wizard of Oz, by L. Frank Baum.  1908.
     — The second book in the Oz series.  Instead of Toto, we have Eureka, the kitten!  A good read for kids and adults....


Enchanted Island of Yew, The. L Frank Baum. Illustrated by Fanny Y Cory.  Indianapolis: The Bobbs-Merrill Company. 1903
     —  Another in a series of the Baum children's stories, a nice read and wonderfully illustrated...


Emerald City of Oz, The. L Frank Baum. Illustrated by John R. Neill.  Reilly & Britton. 1910.
    —  Volume 6 of the Oz books by L. Frank Baum, Dorothy, Auntie Em and Uncle Henry are in Emerald City, touring all the areas that make up the land of Oz, while a plot to overthrow Queen Ozma  is brewing in the land....


Marvelous Land of Oz, The. L. Frank Baum.  John R. Neil, Illustrator. N.Y.: William Morrow & Company. Inc. 1904.
— The sequel to the Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Part of the original 14 books written by L. Frank Baum, it introduces new characters: Tip, Jack Pumpkinhead, General Jinjur, Mr. H. M. Woggle-Bug, T. E., Old Mombi, and others. A fun read....



Mother Goose in Prose. L. Frank Baum. Illustrated by Maxfield Parrish. Indianapolis, IL.: Bobbs-Merrill Company. 1905.
— A very differen take on the Mother Goose rhymes by the master of children's story telling. Wonderfully illustrated by Maxfield Parrish.  Enjoy!...


Scarecrow of Oz, The. L.Frank Baum. Illustrated by John R. Neill. Chicago: The Reilly & Lee Co. 1915.
     — A great follow-up to Dorothy and the Wizard of Oz. Trot and Cap'n Bill travel to the land of Oz and meet the Ork, the Bumpy Man, King Kruel and Googly-Goo, among others.  A great book for young and old....


The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, by L. Frank Baum.  1900.
     — The first book in the Oz series.  They are all here: Dorothy, Scarecrow, Tin Man, Lion, Toto, the Wicked Witch, Munchkins and Glinda!  A good read for kids and adults....


Birds Every Child Should Know.  by Neltje Blanchan. NY: Grosset & Dunlap.  1907.
     — A nice book to introduce children to the world of birds. Photo illustrated with well-written information....


Johnny Crow's Garden.  L. Leslie Brooke. Eau Claire, Wisconsin: E. M. Hale and Company. Special Edition Published by Arrangement with Frederick Warne and Company, Ltd. N.D. (ca. 1903).
     —  Wonderfully illustrated nonsense rhymes by L. Leslie Brooke.  Great for young or old...


Best Stories to Tell to Children. Sara Cone Bryant. Illustrated by Patten Wilson. Boston & NY: Houghton, Mifflin Company. 1912.
     —  An interesting book of old children's stories, including the "Gingerbread Man," "The Little Fir Tree," "The Three Little Pigs," "The Three Bears" etc...  One story comes from a different time in America, "Epaminondas and his Auntie," and should be read with an understanding of black stereotypes of the early 1900's....


Adventures of Chatterer the Red Squirrel, The. Thornton W. Burgess. Illustrated by Harrison Cady. Boston: Little, Brown and Company. 1919
— A nice children's book, part of a series by Burgess under the Bedtime Stories. Sammy Jay and Chatterer Squirrel raid Farmer Brown's Corn Crib.....


Adventures of Sammy Jay. Thornton W. Burgess.  Illustrated by Harrison Cady. Boston: Little, Brown and Company. 1920.
     —  A nice children's book, part of a series by Burgess under the Bedtime Stories. Sammy Jay and Chatterer Squirrel raid Farmer Brown's Corn Crib.....


Our Little Mexican Cousin.  by Edward C. Butler.  Boston: L.C. Page & Co. 1906.
     — This is a nice little book for children (and adults!): it presents life in Mexico through the eyes of its children at the turn of the 20th century.  Recommended for young readers.  Photographic illustrations....


Game of Logic, The. Lewis Carroll.  London: Macmillan & Co.1886.
     —  A fascinating book of logic for children and adults. Learn  all about Propositions, Syllogisms and Fallacies and test your skills with a series of questions and answers!  Enjoy!...



Through the Looking Glass, by Lewis Carroll.  Illustrated by Blanche McManus. NY: M.F. Mansfield and A. Wessels. 1899.
     — The classic Alice in Wonderland published with color illustrations by Blanche McManus.  A wonderful combination.


Little Folks of Other Lands. Fannie Chaplin & F. A. Humphrey. Illustrated. Boston: Lothrop, Lee & Shepard Co. 1882.
     —  An interesting little children's book, nicely illustrated, with a look at children around the world and how they lived in the 1880's....


The Boy Who Apprenticed to an Enchanter. Padraic Colum. Illustrated by Dugald Stewart Walker.  New York: The MacMillan Company. 1920 edition.
     — The adventures of a boy and Genies, Magicians and Enchanters from Babylon to England and Merlin.  All told in the style of A Thousand and One Nights.......


Stories From Roman History, by Lena Dalkeith.  Illustrated by Paul Woodroffe.  New York: E.P. Dutton & Co. n.d. [gift inscription dates to Christmas, 1912].
     —  This is a nice child's history book, written on the 6th to eighth grade level.  It is a nice introduction to the history of early Rome, from the founding of the City to the death of Julius Caesar and the rise of Augustus.


The White Company. Arthur Conan Doyle. 1891.
     —  A medieval tale by the author of the Sherlock Holmes stories.  A wonderful adventure story reminiscent of  the Robin Hood tales. A story for young and old.......


Indian Boyhood. Charles A. Eastman. Illustrated by E. L. Blumenschein. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, Page & Co. 1915.
     —  A fascinating remembrance of a Sioux youth from the 1860's, and his life growing up on the plains.  An undercurrent runs through this  book of the Author's love of his childhood and the conflict with the growing influence of the white world.  A good read for all ages...


Japanese Twins, The. Perkins, Lucy Fitch. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company. 1912.
     —  This children's book was written at a time when Japanese power was in the ascendancy prior to WWI.  It is a good example of the culture of the time, and helps to explain the evolution of Japanese culture today, and needs to be read in this light.  A fascinating look at a bygone culture......


Old Red Reynard the Fox and Lady Vixen. J. L G. (Gallagher). Philadelphia: Henry  Altemus Company.  1920
—  Part of the "Little Bunnie Bunnikin Series" of children's books from the early 1900's, this is a wonderful tale of forest magic and the making of 'vegetarian' fox family. Enjoy!....



Robin Hood. Henry Gilbert. Philadelphia: David McKay, Publisher. Illustrated by Frank Godwin.  No Publication Date (Ca. 1920?)
     —  This work was published as a children's book, but would really be considered young adult and above.  A lot of "thees" and "thous" in the writing and some violent scenes described.  This is one of the truest works of the Robin Hood legend: Marian dies and Robin Hood is slowly bled to death.  This is what the later cartoon versions (animated or otherwise) left out. The Illustrations by Frank Godwin are spectacular in their execution.  Some of the nicest illustration work from the turn of the century that I've seen so far.


How Peter Rabbit Went to Sea. Duff Graham. Philadelphia: Henry Altemus Company. 1917.
—   Once again, that naughty rabbit just won't behave! This time, Peter ends up far to sea where he meets a whale and a troublesome seagull! Enjoy!....


Peter Rabbit’s Christmas. Duff Graham. New York: The Platt & Munk Co. Inc. 1917.
—  Peter Rabbit meets Santa Claus! At Santa's Toy Shop! What could be better!   And of course, Peter gets in trouble! But Christmas still comes to the Rabbit family, with Peter's help....


Peter Rabbit at the Farm. Duff Graham. New York: The Platt & Munk Co. Inc. 1917.
—  The continuing adventures of Peter Rabbit, part of the 'Wee Books for Wee Folks" series (set 1) from Henry Altemus.  Here, Peter has a day on the farm. Adventures ensue! Enjoy!....


Dream Days. Kenneth Grahame. Thomas Nelson & Son. London, Edinburgh, Dublin and New York. n.d. (ca. 1900).
     —  This is a wonderful series of reminiscences by Grahame of his early childhood in England. I highly recommend this book. By the author of the Wind in the Willows.....


The Golden Age.  Kenneth Grahame. Chicago: Stone & Kimball. 1895.
     —  This is a wonderful series of reminiscences by Grahame of his early childhood in England. I highly recommend this book. By the author of the Wind in the Willows.....


Pagan Papers. Kenneth Grahame. NY: John Lane: The Bodley Head. 1902.
     —  An interesting series of essays by the author of The Wind in the Willows, Dream Days, The Golden Age, and The Headswoman........


Wind in the Willows, The. Kenneth Grahame. NY: Charles Scribners Sons. 1915.  
     —  They are all here: Mole, Ratty, Otter, Badger and especially Toad.  The adventure of the motor-car; Toad as the washerwoman and the battle of the weasels in Toad Hall. Sit back and enjoy!....


Star Fairies, The. Edith Ogden Harrison. Illustrated by Lucy Fitch Perkins. Chicago: A.C.McClurg & Co. 1903.
     —  Part of a series of children books that inclide Prince Silverwings. A nice read for young and old alike....


Heroic Legends, by Agnes Grozier Herbertson. Illustrated by Helen Stratton.  Published in London, 1908.  American version (from which these web pages are based) was ca. 1910, but no date listed in the edition.
     —  These are European legends from the Middle Ages, covering topics such as knights, damsels, dragons, King Arthur and El Cid.   Interesting reading and wonderful illustrations.


Games For Everybody, by May C. Hofmann.  NY: Dodge Publishing Co. 1905.
     —  A wonderful book of games for children and adults from the age prior to computers, TV, radio, and headphones.  This book is chock full of children's' interactive games as well as adult games for family gatherings and parties.  A great book for parents and teachers. 


The Book of the Cat.  Mabel Humphrey & Elizabeth F Bonsall. New York: Frederick A. Stokes Company. 1903
     —  A number of cat stories and wonderful illustrations!  Snowball and Ebony, "Kittens will be Kittens", A Night On, Great Panjarum, and many more.  A nice read - especially for cat lovers....



Bluebeard. Johnson, Clifton. Illustrated by Harry L. Smith.  NY: The Macaulay Co. 1920.
     —  This is a series of stories loosely strung together.  Nice tales, including: Bluebeard, The Little Jackal, The Blind Ogre, The Boy in a Peach, Andrew Coffey and many others....


The Elm-Tree Fairy Book. Clifton Johnson, Ed. LeJaren Hiller, Illus. Boston: Little, Brown & Co. 1908
—  An American author's version of fairy stories from around the world.  A fun read!...


Peeps at Many Lands: [Modern] Egypt. R. Talbot Kelly. London: Adam and Charles Black. 1916.
     —  A more current edition of the of the Peeps series. Nicely illustrated and covers the life in Egypt ca. 1900 A.D. A nice read...


Kim. Kipling, Rudyard. New York: Doubleday, Page & Co. 1901.
     —  A fascinating tale of an English child raised as an Indian at the height of the British Empire.  It's full of spies, intrigue, Buddhism and northern India culture.  A good yarn, in the Kipling tradition...


The Jungle Book. Kipling, Rudyard. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons. 1899.
     —  This is the original Jungle Book; no Disney niceties here. All the characters are here: Shere Khan, Kaa, Baloo and Bagheera.  Great tales to get reacquainted with...


The Jungle Book2. Kipling, Rudyard. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons. 1899.
     —  This is the sequel to the original Jungle Book. Great stories, including Rikki-Tikki-Tavi, Quiquern, The White Seal, Toomai of the Elephants, and others ...


Just So Stories. Kipling, Rudyard. Illustrated by J.M. Gleeson and Paul Bransom. The Country Life Press, Garden City, NY 1912.
     —  Another wonderful Kipling book that relates the stories of how many animals acquired their characteristics:  The Elephant's trunk, the Camel's hump, the Rhinoceros' skin, and many more.  A great read for all ages....


In the Days of the Guild. L. Lamprey.  Florence Gardiner and Mabel Hatt, Illustrators. NY: Frederick A. Stokes Company. 1918. 
     —   A series of short stories, loosely linked together, describing life in medieval Europe. A nice book for young adults ........


The Blue Fairy Book, Vol. I. Lang, Andrew. NY: Longmans, Green and Co. 1920.
     —  A great collection of classic fairy tales. This first volume contains the great classics in the original, unadulterated form, political correctness be damned!  Here's Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, The Yellow Dwarf, Rumpelstiltzkin, Beauty and the Beast, and many more!....


Mr. Cinnamon Bear. Sara Tawney Lefferts. Illustrated by Louise Bacquet. [N.D.] [Ca. 1907].
     —  An early book on the new teddy bear craze.  Published only a few years after the Steiff bears hit the market, it is a wonderfully illustrated praise to the new Teddy Bear...



The Story of Doctor Dolittle. Hugh Lofting. Illustrated. NY: Frederick A. Stokes Co. 1920
—  The original story of Dr. Dolittle, from an Anti-War, Pro-Animal Rights author who started the stories from the trenches of WWI to his children.  Please note:  this original work does contain racist images from the English colonialist perspective.  Please consider adult supervision when read by children...


The House That Jack Built.  E. Marshall, printer. Ca. 1828.
—   A nice print copy from the early 1800's. Enjoy!


Our Little Arabian Cousin. Blanche McManus [Author and Illustrator]. Part of the Little Cousin Series. Boston: The Page Company. 1910 edition.
     — This book is part of a series of children's books written 100 years ago. This is a nice little book for children (and adults!): it presents life in Saudi Arabia through the eyes of its children at the turn of the 20th century.  Recommended for young readers.  Nice illustrations....


Our Little Belgian Cousin. Blanche McManus [Author and Illustrator]. Part of the Little Cousin Series. Boston: The Page Company. 1911 edition.
     — This is a nice little book for children (and adults!): it presents life in Belgium through the eyes of its children at the turn of the 20th century.  Recommended for young readers.  Nice illustrations.


Our Little Dutch Cousin. Blanche McManus [Author and Illustrator]. Part of the Little Cousin Series. Boston: The Page Company. 1907 edition.
     — This is a nice little book for children (and adults!): it presents life in Holland through the eyes of its children at the turn of the 20th century.  Recommended for young readers.  Nice illustrations.


Our Little Egyptian Cousin. Blanche McManus [Author and Illustrator]. Part of the Little Cousin Series. Boston: The Page Company. 1912 edition.
     — This is a nice little book for children (and adults!): it presents life in Egypt through the eyes of its children at the turn of the 20th century.  Recommended for young readers.  Nice illustrations.


Our Little English Cousin. Blanche McManus [Author and Illustrator]. Part of the Little Cousin Series. Boston: The Page Company. 1905 edition.
     — This is a nice little book for children (and adults!): it presents life in England (mainly the London area) through the eyes of its children at the turn of the 20th century.  Recommended for young readers.  Nice illustrations.


Our Little French Cousin. Blanche McManus [Author and Illustrator]. Part of the Little Cousin Series. Boston: The Page Company. 1918 edition.
     — This is a nice little book for children (and adults!): it presents life in France through the eyes of its children at the turn of the 20th century.  Recommended for young readers.  Nice illustrations.


Our Little Scotch Cousin. Blanche McManus [Author and Illustrator]. Part of the Little Cousin Series. Boston: The Page Company. 1918 edition.
     — This is a nice little book for children (and adults!): it presents life in Scotland through the eyes of its children at the turn of the 20th century.  Recommended for young readers.  Nice illustrations.


The True Mother Goose - Songs for the Nursery, Or, Mother Goose's Melodies for Children.  Notes and Pictures by Blanche McManus.  Published by Lamson, Wolffe and Co., Boston. 1895. 
     —  The illustrator for this book was well known and worked extensively with her husband on a series of travel books at the turn of the century.  This book gives a concise history of the theories for the origin of the original Mother Goose.  All known Mother Goose rhymes are here in their 'original' form and phrasing, with wonderful line drawings by Blanche McManus!  These pages may take a few minutes to load as they are scans of the original pages of the book.


Told in the Twilight: Stories to Tell to Children, illustrated by Blanche McManus: Platt & Peck Co., Publisher, 1898.
     —  Wonderful illustrations by Blanche McManus added to a series of childhood tales, including Robin Hood, the Ugly Duckling, The Swineherd, Rip Van Winkle and 6 others.....


Voyage of the Mayflower, The. McManus, Blanche. Illustrated by Blanche McManus. New York: E. R. Herrick & Co. 1897.
     —  An interesting 'history' of the Pilgrims, from London, through Holland, to Plymouth.  Profusely illustrated by Blanche McManus.  Suitable for children and adults.... 


Children's Blue Bird. Georgette LeBlanc, (Madame Maeterlinck). Translated by Alexander Teixeira de Mattos. Illustrated by Herbert Paus. New York: Dodd, Mead and Company. 1913.
     —  Based upon her husband's play, The Blue Bird, Ms Maeterlinck creates a narrative version fit for children and adults.  Wonderful illustrations by Herbert Paus.  This play and story was the beginning of the phrase 'Blue Bird of Happiness' ...


Children's Life of the Bee, The.  Maurice Maeterlinck. NY: Dodd, Mead & Company. 1919.
     —  A nice book by Maeterlinck based upon his earlier work for adults (The Life of the Bee) rewritten here for children.  Nicely illustrated in color....


Night Before Christmas, The.  Clement C. Moore. Philadelphia: Henry Altemus Company. 1918.
     —  Wonderfully illustrated with 28 images, this is the classic Christmas poem.  Santa Claus and all the reindeer; children with sugar plum visions and presents and stockings, this is a great book for all ages.  Enjoy!.....


Foolish Fox, The.  John Rea Neill. Philadelphia: Henry Altemus Co. 1904.
—  The tale of a foolish fox who one day feels lucky, but is not...


Our Little Hungarian Cousin. Mary F. Nixon-Roulet. Boston: L. C. Page and Company. 1909.
     — This is a nice little book for children (and adults!): it presents life in Hungary through the eyes of its children at the turn of the 20th century.  Recommended for young readers.  Nice illustrations....


Seven Cities of Cibola, The. Aileen Nusbaum. NY: G. Putnam's Sons. 1926.
    —  A a fascinating young adult story book based on Zuni myths. "THE SEVEN CITIES OF CIBOLA" is a collection of Zuñi Folk Tales retold for children. It is the account of the life and customs of the Zuñi Indians in the days of the ancients, and was handed down from generation to generation, long before the coming. of the white men." A great read...


Young Ice-Whalers, The.  Winthrop Packard.  Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co. 1903.
     — A nice young adult book with interesting observations of the declining whaling industry and of the Innuit (Eskimo) lifestyle along the edges of the Arctic Circle...


Santa Claus's Helper.  Page, Thomas Nelson. Illustrated by W. Glackens.  New York: Scribner and Sons. ca. 1901.
     — An interesting good-over-bad Christmas story, a la Scrooge and Marley.  no ghosts here, just a realization money isn't everything, and happiness comes from helping others....


The Tale of Peter Rabbit. Beatrix Potter. Philadelphia: Henry  Altemus Company. 1904
— The Original Peter Rabbit story, wonderfully illustrated and written by Beatrix Potter.  The mischevious rabbit is in and out of trouble in this story, but all turns out OK in the end! Enjoy!...


Tale of Squirrel Nutkin, The.  by Beatrix Potter. New York: Frederick Warne & Co. 1903.
     — A classic Beatrix Potter book. Nicely illustrated.  Interesting lesson in learning when to mind your manners....


Mother's Nursery Tales. Katharine Pyle. New York: E. P. Dutton & Company. 1918.
— A nice retelling of old nursery rhymes, some rarely seen today.  Well illustrated by the author (sister to artist and writer Howard Pyle.)....


Finger Plays. Emilie Poulsson. Music by Cornelia C.Roeske. Illustrated. Boston: Lothrop, Lee and Shepard Co. 1921 edition.
     —  This a JPEG design from the original book.  A nice children's activity book with variations on the rhyme:  "Here's the Church, Here's the Steeple, Look inside and See all the people."....


Legends of the Rhine. Wilhelm Ruland.  Cologne: Hoursch & Bechstedt, Publishers.  [ca. 1906]
     —  This is a great series of legends from the Rhine of the Middle Ages.  Filled with knights, maidens and sites along the Rhine. A great read...


The King of the Golden River. John Ruskin.  Boston: L. C. Page & Co. 1906.
     —  This is a nice little fairy tale-type story by Ruskin.  I am not sure if this was his original creation or based upon an old tale.  It has evil siblings, a good-hearted child and mysterious nature spirits. An interesting read at many levels...


Buffalo Bill and the Pony Express.  by Elmer Sherwood. Illustrated by Neil O'Keefe. Racine, WI:  Whitman Publishing Co. nd, ca. 1910.
     — An interesting children's book portraying a youthful Buffalo Bill Cody.  Probably little in the way of historical accuracy, but interesting, nonetheless....


A Child's Garden of Verse. Robert Louis Stevenson. a compilation, ca 1900.
     — Stevenson's wonderful look at childhood through verse This version consists of A Child's Garden of Verse, The Child Alone, Garden Days, and Envoys.....


Little Bear. Laura Rountree Smith. Illustrated by Dorothy Dulin. Chicago: A. Flanagan Company. 1922.
     —  A cute little children's book, nicely illustrated, about a bear with no name and his adventures finding it.  Red Riding Hood makes an appearance too!...


Busy Year at the Old Squire's, A.  C. A Stephens. Boston: The Youth's Companion. 1922.
     — A nice series of stories covering one year in time, through the eyes of one of the children who come to stay at the Old Squire's farm in Maine during the Civil War....


Camping Out. C. A. Stephens. NY: Hurst and Company. [n.d.: ca. 1910]
     —  A very interesting tale of 4 young men in search of the 'mother lode' in the wilderness of Maine, on the heights of Mt. Katahdin! First in a series if adventure books.....


Left On Labrador. C. A. Stephens.  NY: Hurst and Co. [ca. 1870's]
     —  A continuation of tale of 4 young men in Camping Out; they buy their boat and become stranded in Labrador! Second in a series if adventure books.....


Off to the Geysers. C. A. Stephens. Illustrated NY: Hurst & Company. 1873.
     —  Volume 3 of the Camping Out series; an interesting fictional story of four young adventurers travelling through Iceland in the late 1800's. A great young adult book     —  readers should plan to explore further on the true geology of geysers and volcanoes.  This book was written in the infancy of modern geological sciences....


My Children's Paint Book: Robert Louis Stevenson.  NY: Lloyd Adams Noble.  ca. 1915.
—  A great little book that lets children color wonderful illustrations with assistance with the color scheme. Just print out the illustrations and let your kids have fun!.....


An Inland Voyage. Robert Louis Stevenson. London: Chatto & Windus. 1919.
     — Stevenson and friend voyage up the rivers of Europe with a lively record of the adventure for you to read....


Treasure Island. Robert Louis Stevenson. New York: Charles E. Merrill Co. 1909.  Edited with an introduction and notes by Franklin T. Baker, A.M., Professor of English in Teachers College, Columbia University.
     — The Stevenson classic in its original format, plus a glossary of words, an analysis of the work and a life history of Stevenson. An excellent source for the student and teacher to use in the classroom.  This version even includes a map of the Island!


Everyday Birds. Bradford Torrey.  Illustrations. Boston: Houghton, Mifflin and Company. 1901.     
     — A nice book for young bird lovers.  Teachers:  This is a good book to use with young students.  Nicely illustrated.......


How to Find Happyland. Van Dresser. Illustrated by F. E. Storer.  (n.d. ca 1907, by the inscription).
     —   An interesting series of morality tales for young children.  Nicely illustrated...


Our Little African Cousin. Mary Hazelton Wade. L. J. Bridgman, Illustrator. Part of the Little Cousin Series. Boston: Boston: L.C. Page Company. 1902 edition.
    — This book is part of a series of children's books written 100 years ago.  That said, this is a book that is presented here as part of the historical record, not as a recommended children's book.  It is an important read to understand all of our past and current bias against cultures different from ourselves.  It also describes elephant and gorilla hunts that most find abhorrent today. Still, an important read, with all of this in mind....


Our Little Indian Cousin. Mary Hazelton Wade. L. J. Bridgman, Illustrator. Part of the Little Cousin Series. Boston: Boston: L.C. Page Company. 1901 edition.
     — This is a nice little book for children (and adults!): it presents life of Native Americans through the eyes of its children at the turn of the 20th century. This   Recommended for young readers.  Nice illustrations.


Our Little Russian Cousin. Mary Hazelton Wade. L. J. Bridgman, Illustrator. Part of the Little Cousin Series. Boston: The Page Company. 1901 edition.
     — This is a nice little book for children (and adults!): it presents life in Russia through the eyes of its children at the turn of the 20th century, prior to the fall of the Tzar.  Recommended for young readers.  Nice illustrations.


Our Little Siamese Cousin. Mary Hazelton Wade. L. J. Bridgman, Illustrator. Part of the Little Cousin Series. Boston: L. C. Page & Company. 1909 edition.
      — This is a nice little book for children (and adults!): it presents life in Siam (Thailand) through the eyes of its children at the turn of the 20th century.  Recommended for young readers.  Nice illustrations....


Memories of the Good Old Days. Leila M. Wells. Printed by Pok-O-Moonshine. 1969.     
     — Part of a three volume set of Adirondack Remembrances by Leila Wells.  A great educational resource for elementary teachers.......... See also: Once Upon a Time and Times Have Changed.....


Once Upon a Time. Leila M. Wells. Printed by Denton Publications. 1971.     
     — Part of a three volume set of Adirondack Remembrances by Leila Wells.  A great educational resource for elementary teachers.......... See also: Memories of the Good Old Days and Times Have Changed.....


Times Have Changed. Leila M. Wells. Printed by Denton Publications. 1973.     
     — Part of a three volume set of Adirondack Remembrances by Leila Wells.  A great educational resource for elementary teachers.......... See also: Memories of the Good Old Days  and Once Upon a Time  .....


Child's Own Book, The. Volume 1. Charles Welsh, Ed. The Young Folk's Library. Illustrated. Hall & Locke Company. 1901.
     —  This is a classic collection of all the old stories and fairy tales.  They're all here: Ali Baba, Aladdin, Genies, the Yellow Dwarf, Little Red Riding Hood,  Blue Beard, Beauty and the Beast, The Royal Ram, The White Cat, Puss in Boots, Jack and the Bean-Stalk, Jack the Giant Killer, plus many, many more!  Note that these are not all stories that end happily - Little Red Riding Hood is not rescued by the wood-cutter here........


Magic Forest, The. Edward Stewart White. New York: Grosset & Dunlap. 1913.
     —  Lost in the wilderness of Canada, a young boy learns the ways of the northern Native Americans first-hand, and learns something of himself..


Blackboard Sketchings. Frederick Whitney. Illustrated with Photographs.  Springfield, MA: Milton Bradley Company. 1908.
     —  A great book for teachers, Art teachers and others, who want to add a little something extra to the classroom experience. Nicely illustrated with step-by-step instructions on how to draw lesson illustrations on a blackboard.  The only problem: does anyone use blackboards anymore?.........


Our Little Servian Cousin  Clara Vostrovsky Winlow. Illustrated by John Goss. Boston: L. C. Page & Co. 1919.
     —  Part of a series of books written for children to learn about other kids around the world. Nice illustrations by John Gross....


 
Recent Rambles. Charles C Abbott, MD. Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott Company. 1892.
    —  A rambler of Nature, Abbott has written a number of books full of essays on Nature and our role in it. Get out there and take a walk! "Drink in a goodly draught of the morning breeze, and keep in touch with Nature."....



The Saga of Gisli, Son of Sour. Translated by Ralph B. Allen. Illustrated by Rockwell Kent. NY: Harcourt, Brace and Co. 1936
     —  A translation of an Icelandic saga first written down in the 12th century.  An interesting read and wonderfully illustrated...


Syrup of the Bees, A. Translated by F. W. Bain. New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons. 1914.
     —  A fairy tale from India.... From the Translator's Preface: "In India..... the fairy stories are addressed to the grown-up, and the fairies resemble their audience: they are grown up too. They form an intermediate, and, so to say, irresponsible class of beings, half-way between the mortals and the gods." .....


Alice in Blunderland. John Kendrick Bangs. New York: Doubleday, Page & Company. 1907
      — An interesting retelling of the Alice in Wonderland story, with plenty of sarcastic twists!.....


House-Boat on the River Styx. John Kendrick Bangs. Illustrated by Peter Newell.  1896 edition.    
   — An amusing look at life in Hades (different from the christian version of Hell...) with all th dignitaries of the past: Socrates, Homer, Phidias, Thackerey, Johnson, Shakespeare, Washington, Lord Byron, etc, are all here, with Charon hired as the all-around Butler.  Antics ensue when the House-Boat is turned into a gentleman's club house! Lots of political and social humor...  Nicely illustrated...


Mr. Munchausen. John Kendrick Bangs.  Illustrated by Peter Newell. Boston: Noyes, Platt & Company. 1901.
—  A humorous takeoff on the Baron Munchausen story, we find the Baron living it up in Hades and still enchanting us with his tales.   Book four in Bangs' Associated Shades tales...


The Idiot. John Kendrick Bangs. NY: Harper & Brothers. 1895.
     —   Another of the strange little books Bangs was well-known for.   Enjoy!....


Dorothy and the Wizard of Oz, by L. Frank Baum.  1908.
     — The second book in the Oz series.  Instead of Toto, we have Eureka, the kitten!  A good read for kids and adults....


Enchanted Island of Yew, The. L Frank Baum. Illustrated by Fanny Y. Cory.  Indianapolis: The Bobbs-Merrill Company. 1903
     —  Another in a series of the Baum children's stories, a nice read and wonderfully illustrated...


Magic of Oz, The. L. Frank Baum. John R Neill, Illustrator. Chicago: The Reilly & Lee Co. 1919.
   —  The further adventures of Dorothy, the Wizard, Cowardly Lion, Scarecrow, Trot Cap'n Bill, Ozma and Toto, with new characters like the Glass Cat and Li-Mon-Eag.  In a search for the best birthday present for Ozma, the Wizard and all run into a plot to overthrow Oz...



Scarecrow of Oz, The.  L.Frank Baum. Illustrated by John R. Neill. Chicago: The Reilly & Lee Co. 1915. 
     —  A great follow-up to Dorothy and the Wizard of Oz. Trot and Cap'n Bill travel to the land of Oz and meet the Ork, the Bumpy Man, King Kruel and Googly-Goo, among others.  A great book for young and old.... 


Wonderful Wizard of Oz, The, by L. Frank Baum.  1900.
     — The first book in the Oz series.  They are all here: Dorothy, Scarecrow, Tin Man, Lion, Toto, the Wicked Witch, Munchkins and Glinda!  A good read for kids and adults....


The Thirty-Nine Steps.  by John Buchan.  Houghton Mifflin Company. 1919.
     — The classic spy, adventure novel of pre-WWI England. A great read...


Secret Garden, The.   Frances Hodgson Burnett. New York: Frederick A. Stokes Company. 1911.
     —  A classic book for children of all ages.  Enjoy!...



At the Earth's Core. Edgar Rice Burroughs.  Chicago: A. C. McClurg & Co. 1914.
     — Another Classic from Edgar Rice Burroughs.  A good read...


Beyond Thirty. Edgar Rice Burroughs. 1916.
    — Retitled "The Lost Continent." Two hundred years in the future, the western hemisphere has turned isolationist and advanced, while the eastern hemisphere has been at war for all that time. When a patrol goes adrift they must land in the wilds of Englans.  What could possibly go wrong?...


Tarzan of the Apes. Edgar Rice Burroughs. A. C. McClurg and Co. 1914.
     — The classic adventure story, here is the initial tale of the human baby raised by apes.  see how Tarzan of the Apes eventually becomes Lord Greystoke....


Tarzan the Untamed. Edgar Rice Burroughs. J. Allen St. John, Illustrator. Chicago: A. C. McClurg & Co. 1920.
    — This may be one of the darker of the Tarzan series.  Here Burroughs holds nothing back regarding German in Africa in the post-WWI era. Germans as evil and cruel become the dominent theme of this book and Tarzan must deal with it....



Return of Tarzan, The. Edgar Rice Burroughs. A. C. McClurg. 1916.
      —  Second in the Tarzan series, Tarzan faces new dangers in Africa, becomes chief of the Waziri, and Jane Porter nearly dies....


Beasts of Tarzan, The. Edgar Rice Burroughs. Illustrated by  J. Allen St. John. Chicago: A. C. McClurg & Co. 1916.
— The third book in the Tarzan series, this volume sees Jane and her baby in danger as Tarzan is determined to rescue her. A fun read (but read it in context of the age when it was written...)


Jungle Tales of Tarzan. Edgar Rice Burroughs. Grosset & Dunlap. 1919.
 
  —  Stories of Tarzan, including: Tarzan's First Love, The Capture of Tarzan, The Fight for the Balu, The God of Tarzan, The Witch-Doctor Seeks Vengeance, The Lion, Tarzan Rescues the Moon...........


Son of Tarzan, The. Edgar Rice Burroughs. NY: Grosset & Dunlap. 1917.|
   —  Fourth in the series of Tarzan books, this time it is son, Jack, who is befriended by the Apes, survives danger from a Tarzan rival seeking revenge and rescues Meriem. An interesting read...


Tarzan and the Jewels of Opar. Edgar Rice Burroughs. Chicago: A.C. McClurg & Co. 1918.
    — The continuing adventures of Tarzan....



Princess of Mars, A. Edgar Rice Burroughs. NY: Grosset and Dunlap. 1917.
     —  The first in the series of Mars adventures, this is a great read. Swash-buckling sword play, romance, and science-fiction/fantasy all in one....



Gods of Mars, The.  Edgar Rice Burroughs. NY: Grossett and Dunlap. 1918.
   —  The second in the series of Mars books.  A continuation of the adventure story and another great read...

 
 
Warlord of Mars, The. Edgar Rice Burroughs. New York: Grossett & Dunlap.
   —Third in the series of Barsoom books by Burroughs; swashbuckling adventures of John Carter, Dejah Thoris and the whole Martian panoply...


Thuvia, Maid of Mars. Edgar Rice Burroughs. New York: Grossett & Dunlap. 1920.
   — Fourth in the series of Barsoom books by Burroughs; swashbuckling adventures of John Carter, Dejah Thoris and the whole Martian panoply...


Chessmen of Mars, The. Edgar Rice Burroughs.
Chicago: A. C. McClurg.  1922.
  
Fifth in the Barsoom books by Burroughs; the further adventures of the Carter family - focusing on Tara, the daughter of John Carter and Dejah Thoris...


Monster Men, The. Edgar Rice Burroughs. Chcago: McClurg & Sons. 1929.
—  Shades of Frankenstein! Scientists grow humans in a lab! Pirates attack!  What will happen to the band of Monster Men?...


Locusts and Wild Honey. John Burroughs. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company. 1907.
     —  Part of  the 23 Volume Riverby Edition series; a wonderful collection of essays about bees, fishing, rain and Canada....


My Boyhood. John Burroughs. Garden City, New York: Doubleday, Page and Company. 1922.
    —  Burroughs' remembrances of his early farm life and a remembrance of his father by Julian Burroughs...


Squirrels and Other Fur-Bearers. John Burroughs.  Illustrated. 1901.
     —  A nice naturalist's book regarding squirrels, mice, woodchuck, skunk, mink and many others.....


Winter Sunshine. John Burroughs.   Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company. 1904 Photographs by various artists.
     —  Part of  the 23 Volume Riverby Edition series; a wonderful collection of essays about the wonders of winter ....


Adventures of a Suburbanite, The. Ellis Parker Butler. NY: Doubleday, Page & Co. 1911.
    — A view of suburbia not so different from today...How to tame your car.... Chicken brooder not working?..... Learning to play golf with neighbors and friends?... Should you have Santa Claus at your Christmas party?... A humerous look at the newly created suburban life.... a nice read!...


Pigs is Pigs. Ellis Parker Butler. Illustrated by Will Crawford. New York: A. L. Burt Company. 1906.
     —  What does one do with two guinea-pigs when they are shipped via the railroad but charged the domestic pig rate and not the pet rate?  How many cabbages can those guinea-pigs eat?  And where did all those extra mouths to feed come from anyway? An amusing little story....
 
Through the Looking Glass, by Lewis Carroll.  Illustrated by Blanche McManus. NY: M.F. Mansfield and A. Wessels. 1899.
      — The classic Alice in Wonderland published with color illustrations by Blanche McManus.  A wonderful combination.


Mother Goose's Teddy Bears.  Fredrick L Cavally Jr.  Indianapolis, IL.: Bobbs-Merrill Company. 1907.
      — One of the earliest Teddy Bear books printed, only a few years after teddy bears were created on a wide-spread scale. A fun read!...


American Gardener, The. William Cobbett. London: C. Clement. 1821.     
     — This is a classic how-to book for gardeners in the early decades of America.  Cobbett gives the reader the details needed to start a garden (including double-digging, times to plant, how to save seeds, building a hot bed, using a green-house, preparing beds, appropriate fencing, soil, etc.,) as well as detailed lists of Vegetables, Herbs, Fruits, and Flowers. A good read for any modern gardener........


Year's Residence in the United States of America, A, Volume 1. William Cobbett.  London: Sherwood, Neely and Jones. 1819.
     —  An earlier 'essay' by Cobbett of his experience in the U. S. in 1817, the basis of his later work, The American Gardener. ......


Year's Residence in the United States of America, A, Volume 2. William Cobbett.  London: Sherwood, Neely and Jones. 1819.
     —  An earlier 'essay' by Cobbett of his experience in the U. S. in 1817, the basis of his later work, The American Gardener. ......


Moonstone, The. Wilkie Collins. New York: A. L. Burt Company. [N.D.] Ca. 1920.
     —  Colonial India, English soldiers, a magnificent diamond, Hindu gods, a mystery, British police, what more could anyone want? A classic ....


Woman in White, The. Wilkie Collins. N.Y.: E. P.  Dutton & Co. 1919.
     —  Originally published in the 1860's, this is a classic of mystery and suspense.  Three original volumes, this edition printed them all in one.  A nice read!...


Children of Odin, The. Padraic Colum. New York: The Macmillan Company. 1920.
     —  A well-written series of stories about the Norse gods and and humans.  You'll know where J.R.R. Tolkien based his Lord of the Rings series on. Dwarves, ring of power, the Dark Wood, wolves and battles. Nicely illustrated...


Golden Fleece and the Heroes who Lived Before Achilles. Padraic Colum. Illustrated by Willy Pogany.   NY: MacMillan Company. 1921.
     —  This is a wonderful book of the early Greek mythologies - the adventures of Jason and the Argonauts; Hercules, Prometheus the Titans and the lesser gods and goddesses.  Nicely illustrated with Art Deco drawings of the period.  A recommended read....


Nomads of the North. James Oliver Curwood.  Illustrated by Charles Livingston Bull. NY: Grosset & Dunlap. 1919.
     —  An interesting story of a bear and a dog, and their adventures in the Canadian wilderness. Villians, heros and life in the camps of the North.  Very similar to "Call of the Wild".....


Voyage of the Beagle. Charles Darwin. R. T. Pritchet, Illustrator. London: John Murray. 1890.
     —  In celebration of the 200th birthday of Darwin (2/12/1809) and the 150th anniversary of the publication of Origin of Species (1859), we offer here the journey that led to Darwin's seminal work on Evolution.


A Christmas Carol. Charles Dickens.  John Lynch,  Illustrator.  London: Chapman & Hall. 1843.
— The classic of Christmas stories. Had t add it to the Kellscraft Studio collection.  Please enjoy!....


Postumous Papers of the Pickwick Papers, The. Charles Dickens. (Ed. Andrew Lang.) NY: Chapman and Hall Ld. 1897.
—  A classic Dickens book, originally published as a monthly serial. A fun read!....


Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. Arthur Conan Doyle. NY.: Harper & Brothers. 1900.  
     — 12 of the early Sherlock Holmes tales, including: A Scandal in Bohemia, The Read-Headed League, The Five Orange Pips, The Adventure of the Speckled Band and The Adventure of the Copper Beeches......


Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes. A. Conan Doyle. NY: Harper & Brothers. 1903.    
    — 11 additional Sherlock Holmes tales, including: The Musgrave Ritual, The Resident Patient, Silver Blaze, The Final Problem, and many more....


Through the Magic Door. Arthur Conan Doyle.  NY: The McClure Company. 1908.
     — A nice literary trip through a number of famous writers and books.  A fun read from a great writer......


Valley of Fear, The. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. NY: The Review of Reviews. 1914.
     —  Novel-length story, Sherlock Holmes investigates crime across the Atlantic to the wild west of the United States.  A fascinating read....


Idyl of Twin Fires, The. Walter Pritchard Eaton. NY: Grosset & Dulap. 1914.
     —  An interesting story we all can relate to in some sense.  A college professor bored with his work; a desire to quit it all and buy a farm.... This is the story of following through on the dream and what ensues....   Enjoy!


Buccaneers of America, The.  John Esquemeling [Alexandre Olivier Exquemelin.] NY: MacMillan Company. 1911.
     
— A fascinating true account originally published in Amsterdam in 1678. This is the narrative account of one of the members of Henry Morgan's buccaneer company who sailed the Caribbean in the mid-1600s, plundering much of the Spanish Main. An interesting history....



Old Ballads, Historical and Narrative, forming a Supplement to Percy's Reliques, and Ellis's Specimens of Antient Specimens. Volume 1.   R. H. Evans. London: W. Bulmer and Co. 1810.
     —  This is a great set of original English songs and ballads dating from the 16th to 18th centuries. Love, sex, betrayal, death, dragons, lullabies... it's all here!  This is the 1st of a 4 volume set.  More volumes to come!.....


High History of the Holy Graal. Sebastian Evans, Translator.  Illustrated by Jessie M. King. NY: E. P. Dutton & Co.. 1903.
     —  The original translated from the 13th century manuscript.  Originally written in Old French, this translation remains as faithful as possible to the manuscript.  The earliest tales of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, as they relate to the search for the Holy Grail.  This is not a child's version; the language is a challenge to read, and there are many bloody battles in these tales ......


Romance of Old Japan. by Elizabeth and Frère Champney. 90 Illustrations.. New York: The Knickerbocker Press. G. P. Putnam's Sons. 1917.
     — A nice series of stories from Japan from early mythology through contact with the west in the 1860's.  Heavily illustrated with drawings, prints and original photographs....


On the Origin of Species. Charles Darwin. 1859. 1st edition.
     — In honor of the wise decision in Kitzmiller et al. v. Dover Area School District to finally, and clearly, show 'intelligent design' for what it is     —  a continuation of the attempt to teach creationism in the classroom, Kellscraft Studio is proud to list the 1st edition copy of Charles Darwin's On the Origin of Species here at our site. Students of America: take this opportunity to understand how important this decision is and always remember:  we adults aren't always right.  Read your Darwin and open your mind to what the scientific world has to offer.  Just because over 80% of Americans believe in creationism over Evolution doesn't make them right.  Read on!!


The White Company. Arthur Conan Doyle. 1891.
     —  A medieval tale by the author of the Sherlock Holmes stories.  A wonderful adventure story reminiscent of  the Robin Hood tales. A story for young and old.......


Ghost-Stories of an Antiquary. M. R. James. Illustrated by  James McBryde.  London:  Edward Arnold. 1904.
—  A wonderful series of short ghost  stories from M R James. Eight of the best, classic English ghosts you've ever read...


More Ghost-Stories of an Antiquary. M. R. James.  London:  Edward Arnold. 1911.
—  Second Volume of a wonderful series of short ghost  stories from M R James. Seven more of the best, classic English ghost stories you've ever read...


Thin Ghost and Others, A. Montague Rhodes James, Litt. D. London: Edward Arnold. 1919
— Even more Ghost Stories for your reading pleasure...


Warning to the Curious, A. M. R. James. London: Edward Arnold. 1925.
—  The last of the quartet of ghostly tales from M R James.  A nice series of tales to read late at night, with the lights turned low....



Journey to the Countries of China, A. Robert Fortune. London: John Murray, Albemarle Street.
     — Here's the beginning of the European exploration of the Chinese tea market and the rise of the Ceylon and India  tea markets. Nicely illustrated and includes a map of the tea regions.........


A Boy's Will. Robert Frost. NY: Henry Holt and Company. 1915.
     — One of the earliest series of poems by Frost, these early works show Frost in development.  A nice group of poems for the Frost fan......


North of Boston. Robert Frost. NY: Henry Holt and Company. 1917.
     —  Another in a series of poetry books by Frost.  Includes Mending Wall, Death of the Hired Man, The Wood-Pile, and many others.....


Mountain Interval. Robert Frost. NY: Henry Holt and Company. 1916.
     — Third book of poems published by Frost, these early works show Frost in development.  A nice group of poems for the Frost fan......


Cranford. Mrs. Gaskell.  Illustrated by Hugh Thomson. London: MacMillan and Company. 1918.
     —  A classic of early novels, originally written in the mid-1800s, it is just a pleasant read of a quieter time. Recently aired on the BBC and PBS, this novel continues to bring enjoyment.  Nicely illustrated edition....


The Toy Shop. Margarita Spaulding Gerry. NY: Harper & Brothers. 1908.
     — A fascinating little book of the struggles of Lincoln during the Civil War, with solutions found in his visits to a toy shop. A quick read.....


Robin Hood. Henry Gilbert. Philadelphia: David McKay, Publisher. Illustrated by Frank Godwin.  No Publication Date (Ca. 1920?)
     —  This work was published as a children's book, but would really be considered young adult and above.  A lot of "thees" and "thous" in the writing and some violent scenes described.  This is one of the truest works of the Robin Hood legend: Marian dies and Robin Hood is slowly bled to death.  This is what the later cartoon versions (animated or otherwise) left out. The Illustrations by Frank Godwin are spectacular in their execution.  Some of the nicest illustration work from the turn of the century that I've seen so far.


Herland.  Charlotte Perkins Gilman. 1915.
     — The second in her trilogy of utopian societies, it makes a fascinating reading of "What if..." and how far our culture still has to go.  See the 1st (Moving The Mountain) and 3rd (With Her In Ourland) in the series also....


Moving the Mountain. Charlotte Perkins Gilman. NY: Charlton Company. 1911.
     — First of a series of three related books, this is a fascinating Utopian world view written by an amazing feminist writer.  She was well ahead of her time but caught in her own time. This book contains her views on socialism and eugenics. Read this as an early science fiction writing, rather than a goal to attain....


With Her in Ourland. Charlotte Perkins Gilman. NY: Forerunner Magazine. 1916.
    —  The third in a series of books on Utopian ideals and the importance of women in them.  An early feminist, her work today is seen as groundbreaking writing for later feminists....


Yellow Wallpaper, The.  Charlotte Perkins Gilman. 1892.
      —  An early work by Feminist Gilman, a wife, a physician husband, a haunted mansion and that mysterious yellow wallpaper...


Books and the Quiet Life. George R. Gissing. Portland, Me: Thomas B Mosher. 1914.
     — A limited edition volume with passages from "The Pri­vate Papers of Henry Ryecroft" which have to do specifically with books and reading.  A pleasurable read...


Dream Days. Kenneth Grahame. Thomas Nelson & Son. London, Edinburgh, Dublin and New York. n.d. (ca. 1900).
     —  This is a wonderful series of reminiscences by Grahame of his early childhood in England. I highly recommend this book. By the author of the Wind in the Willows.....


The Golden Age. Kenneth Grahame. Chicago: Stone & Kimball. 1895.
     —  This is a wonderful series of reminiscences by Grahame of his early childhood in England. I highly recommend this book. By the author of the Wind in the Willows.....


The Headswoman. Kenneth Grahame.  London: John Lane- the Bodley Head. 1898.
     — An odd short story about a female executioner and the prisoner she falls in love with.  A strange read from the author of the Wind in the Willows....


Wind in the Willows, The. Kenneth Grahame. NY: Charles Scribners Sons. 1915.  
     —  They are all here: Mole, Ratty, Otter, Badger and especially Toad.  The adventure of the motor-car; Toad as the washerwoman and the battle of the weasels in Toad Hall. Sit back and enjoy!....



Brewster's Millions. Richard Greaves (George Barr McCutcheon). Chicago: Herbert S. Stone & Co. 1903.
     —   A classic story - fun to read and enjoy. The basis of 9 films, including the 1985, Richard Pryor and John Candy film....


The Mabinogion. Lady Charlotte Guest, Trans. 1849.
—  These wonderful mediaeval Welsh romance tales, translated by Lady Charlotte Guest, are remarkably readable today and cover Celtic and Arthurian legends. A must read for all...



People of the Mist, The. H. Rider Haggard. New York: McKinlay, Stone and McKenzie. 1915 edition.
     —  early adventure story by one of the masters of the genre. Mystery in the deepest Africa; human sacrifice; precious jewels; fanatic priests; dangerous struggles with a giant crocodile. What more could anyone ask for?........


Province House, The. Nathaniel Hawthorne.  Boston: Houghton, Mifflin and Co. 1900.
     —  A nice series of stories of  early New England, with Hawthorne's wonderful skill blending history with romantic ideals...


Tanglewood Tales. Nathaniel Hawthorn. NY: Rand McNally & Company . 1913.
     — Six Greek legends told in modern language for children and adults. The Minotaur, (Theseus and the Minotaur); The Pygmies, (Antæus and Hercules); The Dragon's Teeth, (King Cadmus of Thebes); Circe's Palace, (Circe and Odysseus); The Pomegranate Seeds, (Persephone and Pluto); The Golden Fleece, (Jason and the Argonauts.) A very good read...



Japan: Attempt at Interpretation. Lafcadio Hearn. New York: The MacMillan Company. 1907.
     —  A wonderful and thorough look at Japan prior to WWI. Hearn was a well-known author and collector of myths and fairy tales of Japan, as well as a social perspective rarely seen in the West at the time. A good read...


Old John Burroughs. Fra Elbertus (Elbert Hubbard). East Aurora, NY: Roycroft.  1901.
—  An interesting little book, by the founder of Roycroft, describing his conversations and meetings with environmentalist and naturalist, John Burroughs.....



Arncliffe Mystery, The.  Gordon Holmes. NY: A. Wessels Company.  1907
     — An interesting English mystery, from the early 1900's.  Who done it?  Not an Agatha Christie book, but a lot of fun.....


Grandmother's Story of Bunker Hill Battle, Oliver Wendell Holmes.  Illustrated by H. W. McVickar. NY: Dodd, Meade & Co. 1875.
     —  A wonderfully illustrated book of the Holmes Poem.  This is one of the earlier versions of illustrations done by McVickar. A nice read....


Amateur Cracksman, The. E. W. Hornung. Illustrated. NY: Charles Scribner's Sons. 1905.     
     —  The first in a series of books of the anti-hero, Raffles, and his adventures as a gentleman thief.  Told, a la Sherlock Holmes stories, by Raffles' friend.  A fun read.....


Raffles. E. W. Hornung. Illustrated by F. C. Yohn. NY: Charles Scribner's Sons. 1908. (Buy a print copy here!)
     —  The second in a series of books of the anti-hero, Raffles, and his adventures as a gentleman thief.  Told, a la Sherlock Holmes stories, by Raffles' friend.  A fun read.....


Little Journeys to the Homes of  Famous Women. Elbert Hubbard. East Aurora, New York: Roycrofters. 1911.
     —  A nice Arts and Crafts look at famous women of the 18th and 19th centuries.  Includes Madame De Stael, Elizabeth Fry, Mary Lamb, Jane Austen, Empress Josephine and Mary Wollstonecroft Shelley......


Little Journeys to the Homes of  Great Scientists. Elbert Hubbard. East Aurora, New York: Roycrofters. 1916.
   —  A nice Arts and Crafts look at famous scientists in history. Includes Sir Isaac Newton, Galileo, Copernicus, Humbolt, William Herschel, Charles Darwin, Linnaeus, Thomas H. Huxley, Alfred R. Wallace and others. A nice read...



Book of Witches, The. Oliver Madox Hueffer. London: Eveleigh Nash, Fawside House. 1919.
   
—  A fascinating book describing the history of witches and and wizards, with an early sociological evaluation of poverty and old age leading power through practicing witchcraft. An interesting read...


The Book of the Cat.  Mabel Humphrey & Elizabeth F Bonsall. New York: Frederick A. Stokes Company. 1903
    —  A number of cat stories and wonderful illustrations!  Snowball and Ebony, "Kittens will be Kittens", A Night On, Great Panjarum, and many more.  A nice read - especially for cat lovers....



After London. Richard Jefferies. London: Duckworth & Co. 1905.
     — A fascinating book. Humans in the future have been ravaged and cities have fallen.  Those humans remaining have reverted to medieval feudalism where knowledge and learning are frowned upon.  Except for one young man who believes otherwise....



Second Thoughts of an Idle Fellow. Jerome K. Jerome. New York: Dodd, Meade & Company. 1898.
     —  An odd and amusing series of ramblings by a bit of a curmudgeon....   An interesting read.....


Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam. Trans. by Edward Fitzgerald.  New York: Thomas Y. Crowell Co. 1921.
     — An excellent source of information for the various translation versions of the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam.  Originally written around 1100 A.D., this book contains five English translations by E. Fitzgerald. It also compares the different translations to each other to examine the nuances to be seen. Easily read at many levels! [Updated 10/29/2000: I have added in appropriate places illustrations by Blanche McManus from an earlier (1907) edition of this work. These beautiful illustrations are appropriate for this wonderful work.     —  Jeff Kelley, webmaster]


Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam. Trans. by Edward Fitzgerald.  Illustrated by Willy Pogany. N.Y.: Thomas Y. Crowell Co.  ND.
      — A fresh look at the 1st and 4th editions, with dazzling illustrations by Willy Pogany.  A nice special edition of a well-loved classic...


SALÁMÁN AND ABSÁL. Jami. Translated by Edward Fitzgerald. London: Alexander Moring Ltd. 1904.
    — Another Persian poem translated by Edward Fitzgerald and Illustrated by Blanche McManus. Includes an introduction describing the life of the poet, Jami. Appendix and Notes section help to explain the meaning of the poem.  A nice read!....


Sea Wolf, The Jack London. New York: MacMillan Company. 1904.
     —  Another  adventure tale by Jack London, this time on the high seas...


Hiawatha, by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. NY: Grossett & Dunlap. No publication date.
     —  What can be said about such a classic?  This version has a Notes and Glossary section. Of course, when I read this work, all I can see is Katherine Hepburn reciting parts of the poem to Spencer Tracy in Desk Set.......


The Village Blacksmith. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. London. N.D. Illustrated.
    — Multi-page, heavily illustrated copy of the classic poem. Printed in Bavaria. A fun read!...


The Simple Home. Charles A. Keeler. 1904.
     — A classic of the Arts and Crafts period, this little book was part of the foundation of writings for American A&C.  A must read for any Arts and Crafts lover......


Ballads and Barrack Room Ballads.Rudyard Kipling. New York: MacMillan and Company. 1899.
     —  A great collection of Kipling's poetry including Mandalay, Gunga Din, The Lost Legion, In the Neolithic Age, The English Flag, and many others! Enjoy!....


Kim. Kipling, Rudyard. New York: Doubleday, Page & Co. 1901.
     —  A fascinating tale of an English child raised as an Indian at the height of the British Empire.  It's full of spies, intrigue, Buddhism and northern India culture.  A good yarn, in the Kipling tradition...


The Jungle Book. Kipling, Rudyard. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons. 1899.
     —  This is the original Jungle Book; no Disney niceties here. All the characters are here: Shere Khan, Kaa, Baloo and Bagheera.  Great tales to get reacquainted with...


The Jungle Book2. Kipling, Rudyard. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons. 1899.
     —  This is the sequel to the original Jungle Book. Great stories, including Rikki-Tikki-Tavi, Quiquern, The White Seal, Toomai of the Elephants, and others ...


Just So Stories. Kipling, Rudyard. Illustrated by J.M. Gleeson and Paul Bransom. The Country Life Press, Garden City, NY 1912.
     —  Another wonderful Kipling book that relates the stories of how many animals acquired their characteristics:  The Elephant's trunk, the Camel's hump, the Rhinoceros' skin, and many more.  A great read for all ages....


Mandalay. Kipling, Rudyard. Illustrated by Blanche McManus. New York: M. F. Mansfield & A. Wessels. 1899.
     —  Nice little mini-book illustrated by McManus using Kipling's memorable poem as it's basis...


Recessional. Rudyard Kipling. Illustrated by Blanche McManus NY: M. F. Mansfield & A. Wessels. 1899.
     —  A "Victorian Ode" by Kipling.  Nicely illustrated by McManus. Short poem written as a prayer....


Etruscan Places. D H Lawrence. Illustrated. . 1932.
—  Fascinating book of touring around ancient Etruscan ruins and speculation as to lifestyles of the Etruscan people.  Wonderfully written by D H Lawrence. Enjoy...



The Vision of Sir Launfal, Lowell, James Russell. Boston: Houghton, Mifflin and Company. 1890.
     —  A poetical tale of Sir Launfal in search of the Holy Grail.  Wonderful illustrations by E. H. Garrett.....


Iron Heel, The. Jack London. New York, Grosset & Dunlap. 1907.
— A dystopian view of the future of America from 1907 through 2632 A.D. A novel for our times....


Indian Fairy Tale Book, The. Mason Brothers. Illustrated by McLenan. NY: Mason Brothers. 1856.
    —  An interesting collection of of Native American myths and fairy tales, collected in the early 1800s.  A nice read....


Chinese Fairy Book, The.  Frederick A Martens, Trans.  George W Hood, Illust.  NY:  Frederick A, Stokes Company.  1921.
—  A wonderful series of tales from China. A wonderful read!....


Bachelor Ballads, illustrated by Blanche McManus: David McKay, Publisher, 1898.
     —  Wonderful illustrations by Blanche McManus added to a series of late 18th and 19th century authors poems songs, including the full version of Auld Lang Syne (by Robert Burns), The Hunting Song (by Sir Walter Scott), The Betrothed (by Rudyard Kipling) and others by Charles Lamb, John Quincy Adams, William Makepeace Thackeray, Ben Johnson and many others!


The True Mother Goose - Songs for the Nursery, Or, Mother Goose's Melodies for Children.  Notes and Pictures by Blanche McManus.  Published by Lamson, Wolffe and Co., Boston. 1895.  
     —  The illustrator for this book was well known and worked extensively with her husband on a series of travel books at the turn of the century.  This book gives a concise history of the theories for the origin of the original Mother Goose.  All known Mother Goose rhymes are here in their 'original' form and phrasing, with wonderful line drawings by Blanche McManus!  These pages may take a few minutes to load as they are scans of the original pages of the book.


Buried Temple, The.  Maurice Maeterinck. Translated by Alfred Sutro. Dodd, Mead and Company. 1902.
    — This is another volume of essays from the Nobel winning writer.  These philosophical writings cover topics such as "The Mystery of Justice", "The Evolution of Mystery", "The Kingdom of Matter", "The Past" and "Luck". An interesting read...



Death.  Maurice Maeterlinck. Translated by Alexander Teixeira Mattos. New York: Dodd, Mead and Company. 1912.
     — A philosophical look at death, life and what comes afterwards... An interesting perspective...


The Double Garden. Maurice Maeterlinck. Translated by Alexander Teixeira Mattos. New York: Dodd, Mead and Company. 1911
     — Philosopher, naturalist, and essayist - this book is a collection of his writing from the turn of the century (1900). Essays cover the following topics: Dogs, Bees, old flowers, early automobiles, suffrage, and much more!


Intelligence of the Flowers, The. Maurice Maeterlinck. Trans. by Alexander Teixeira de Mattos. NY: Dodd, Mead and Company. 1907.
     — Another in  a series of books by the Nobel-winner, this one expresses his thoughts on the flowers in our lives.....


The Life of the Bee.  Maurice Maeterlinck. Translated by Alexander Teixeira Mattos. New York: Dodd, Mead and Company. 1910.
     — A scientific and philosophical discussion on  the life cycle of the bee and life in the hive.   With, of course, Maeterlinck's perspective on how this relates to human life....


Mountain Paths. Maurice Maeterlinck. Translated by Alexander Teixeira Mattos. New York: Dodd, Mead and Company. 1919.
     — Philosopher, naturalist, and essayist - this book is a collection of his writing from the turn of the century (1900). Essays about death, spiritualism, war, insects.....


Old Fashioned Flowers. Maurice Maeterlinck. NY: Dodd, Mead & Co. 1905.
—  Another in a series of books by Maurice Maeterlinck, Nobel prize winner for Literature. A wonderful philosophical look at nature and flowers. A nice read....


Poems. Maurice Maeterlinck. Translated by Bernard Miall. New York: Dodd, Mead and Company. 1915.
     —  An interesting collection of poems by Nobel-laureate. An interesting read....


The Great Secret. Maurice Maeterlinck. NY: The Century Co. 1922
     —  a systematic review of the great mysteries of religions from India, Persia, Chaldea, Egypt, Greece, the Cabala, Neoplatonists, Gnostics, Alchomists, Modern Occultists, and Metaphysicists.


Wisdom and Destiny. Maurice Maeterlinck. Alfred Sutro, Translator.  NY: Dodd, Mead & Company. 1912
     —  Another book in the prolific writing of Maeterlinck, Nobel prize winner in the early 20th century. Herein lies the search for and meaning of Truth....


The Wrack of the Storm.  Maurice Maeterlinck. Translated by Alexander Teixeira Mattos. New York: Dodd, Mead and Company. 1916.
     — An interesting view of World War I, by the author, as it was happening with all the emotions, anger and hatred of Germany. An interesting selection of essays ....No matter where you stand on war (and I am a pacifist...) I recommend this book as an interesting read...


Mediaeval Tales. Introduction by Henry Morley, LLD. New York: Ballantyne Press. 1886.
     — This is a great collection of medieval tales, covering Charlemagne, Orlando, The Cid, the Gesta Romanorum (morality tales), Dr. Faustus and many more!....


Night Before Christmas, The.  Clement C. Moore. Philadelphia: Henry Altemus Company. 1918.
     —  Wonderfully illustrated with 28 images, this is the classic Christmas poem.  Santa Claus and all the reindeer; children with sugar plum visions and presents and stockings, this is a great book for all ages.  Enjoy!.....


Haunted Bookshop, The. Christopher Morley.  Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, Page & Co. 1921.
—  A  fascinating book of a bookshop, a mystery and a book lover's dream of wonderful books to read.  Enjoy!...


Where the Blue Begins. Christopher Morley. NY: Doubleday, Page and Company. 1922.  
     —  An odd story; one reminiscent of Wind in the Willows, and other books that anthropomorphize animal characters. This time it's a dog world and one dog in particular asking the deeper questions about the meaning of life, and whether god is a biped....


Art and Craft of Printing, The. William Morris.  1902.
     — From one of the Masters of the Arts and Crafts movement, here is his perspective on the importance of printing along with detailed information of all the publications of Kelmscott Press and the printing font he created...



Old Home Week. James Ball Naylor. Boston: C. M. Clark Publishing Co.  1907.
     —  This is a wonderfully illustrated book for the poem, Old Home Week.  Lots of sentimental reminiscences of life in rural New England....


The Book of Tea. Okakura Kakuzo. NY: Duffield & Company. 1919 edition (first published in 1906).      
     —  A wonderful little book, easily read in one sitting.  It focuses on the Japanese Art of Tea, but the author offers a rarely seen perspective on Eastern and Western cultures.  Okakura Kakuzo gives a brief history of tea in China, and the stages of tea-drinking in that country.  His main focus is on Zen and its connection to Teaism, and of the influence of the Zen monks in establishing and refining the Japanese Tea Ceremony.  This book is a highly-recommended read.


Ideals of the East, The. Kakuzo Okakura. NY: E. P. Dutton and Company. 1920.
     —   By the author of The Book of Tea, this is a very interesting view of the importance of the East (especially Japan) through the history of art.  A nice read...


Romance of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table. Alfred W. Pollard. NY: Illustrated by Arthur Rackham. The MacMillan Company.  1917.
     —  Based on Le Morte D'Arthur by Mallory, this is an advanced read of the legend of Arthur and his knights.  Tristam and Isolde, King Arthur and Queen Quenevere, Sir Launcelot, Sir Gareth, Sir Galahad and many more.  Illustrated by Arthur Rackham. A must read......


Girl of the Limberlost, A.  Gene Stratton Porter.  NY: Grosset & Dunlap. 1909.
      —  A wonderfully written book, telling the story of one  teenage woman and her struggles with her family, her schooling, her rural life and her initial struggles with urbanites looking down on her. The story focusses on how she uses her love of the natural world to pay for her schooling and become a teacher.  If you know of a young woman struggling for role models, point her to this book. One of my favorites. A great read....


Otto of the Silver Hand. Howard Pyle. Illustrated by Howard Pyle.  NY: Charles Scribner Sons. 1914 edition.
     — An interesting and dark view (no pun intended) of the Dark Ages.  Pyle wrote this book to bring some realism to the 'Knights in Shining Armor' myth of his time. Many knights of that time were cruel and ruthless ....


The Story of King Arthur and his Knights. Howard Pyle. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons. 1915.
—  The classic tale of King Arthur, Merlin, Mordred, Morgana, Queen Guenevere, Lancelot, and many others. Wonderfully illustrated and written by Howard Pyle....


Riley Roses. James Whitcomb Riley. Illustrated by Howard Chandler Christy and decorations by Franklin Booth. New York: Grosset and Dunlap. 1909.
     — Interesting set of poems by Riley. A little over-romanticized for my taste, but interesting design and illustration. This was when true book publishing was at its height...


Legends of the Rhine. Wilhelm Ruland.  Cologne: Hoursch & Bechstedt, Publishers.  [ca. 1906]
     —  This is a great series of legends from the Rhine of the Middle Ages.  Filled with knights, maidens and sites along the Rhine. A great read...


The Heart of the Antarctic. Sir Ernest Shackleton. Washington, D.C.: J. B. Lippincott Company. 1910.
   — A fascinating description of Shackleton's expedition to the Antarctic in the early 20th century, this book is the condensed version of the original 2 volume set published in 1909....



Sentimental Journey Through France and Italy, A.  Laurence Sterne. Dodd, Mead and Co. 1900.
     —  An interesting 'romance' by an Englishman travelling through France and Italy in the 1700's.  An interesting read.....


Dere Mable.  Edward Streeter. Illustrated by G. William Breck. New York: Frederick A. Stokes Company. 1918.
    — An amusing little book of a WWI American soldier writing love letters to his sweetheart back in the States, with amusing consequences! Written and illustrated by 2 WWI veterans, it is a light-hearted look at life in camp while stationed in France....



Myths and Legends of Our Own Land, Volume 1.  Charles M. Skinner.  4 Photographs. Philadelphia: J. B Lippincott. 1896.
     —  This is the first volume of a 2 volume set, containing a wonderful compilation of 'modern' myths and legends from Native Americans and early European settlers, through the Civil War. As Skinner states, "It is where myth and history combine that legend is most interesting and appeals to our fancy or our sympathy most strongly; and it is not too early for us to begin the collation of those quaint happenings..."  A great read....


Myths and Legends of Our Own Land, Volume 2.  Charles M. Skinner.  4 Photographs. Philadelphia: J. B Lippincott. 1896.
     —  This is the second volume of a 2 volume set, containing a wonderful compilation of 'modern' myths and legends from Native Americans and early European settlers, through the Civil War. As Skinner states, "It is where myth and history combine that legend is most interesting and appeals to our fancy or our sympathy most strongly; and it is not too early for us to begin the collation of those quaint happenings..."  A great read....


Black Arrow, The. Robert Louis Stevenson.  NY: Cassell & Company, Limited. 1888.
    — A great read by Robert Louis Stevenson. Dick Shelton suspects his father's murderer is his guardian and he joins the outaws of the Black Arrow. Told against the backdeop of the War of the Roses....



A Child's Garden of Verse. Robert Louis Stevenson. a compilation, ca 1900.
     — Stevenson's wonderful look at childhood through verse This version consists of A Child's Garden of Verse, The Child Alone, Garden Days, and Envoys.....


David Balfour. Robert Louis Stevenson. NY: Charles Scribners' Sons. 1908.     
     — The sequel to Stevenson's Kidnapped, another great adventure story. A nice read.....


Fables. Robert Louis Stevenson.   New York: Charles Scribner's Sons. 1896.
     —  A little known book by Stevenson, it is full of quirky modern fables with their own morality tales.  Enjoy!....



Kidnapped. Robert Louis Stevenson. NY: Charles Scribner's Sons. 1912.
     —  Another of Stevenson's classics. After you have read this initial book, you can continue with the sequel,  David Balfour....


An Inland Voyage. Robert Louis Stevenson. London: Chatto & Windus. 1919.
     — Stevenson and friend voyage up the rivers of Europe with a lively record of the adventure for you to read....


New Arabian Nights. Robert Louis Stevenson.  NY: Current Literature Publishing Company. 1909.
     —  A collection of writings originally published in 1882 in 2 volumes, this edition compiles both editions in one. A fun read in the style of the original Arabian Nights tales ...


Silverado Squatters, The.  Robert Louis Stevenson.  London: Chatto & Windus. 1906.
—  Part of Stevenson's American period, wonderful short stories of his time in California.  A great read....


Treasure Island. Robert Louis Stevenson. New York: Charles E. Merrill Co. 1909.  Edited with an introduction and notes by Franklin T. Baker, A.M., Professor of English in Teachers College, Columbia University.
     — The Stevenson classic in its original format, plus a glossary of words, an analysis of the work and a life history of Stevenson. An excellent source for the student and teacher to use in the classroom.  This version even includes a map of the Island!


Gulliver's Travels. Jonathan Swift. NY: MacMillan and Co. 1917.
     —  A Classic of literature; edited by Padraic Collum and wonderfully illustrated by Willy Pogany.  A book everyone should read!...



Maine Woods, The. Henry David Thoreau. Boston: Ticknor and Fields. 1864.
     —  The classic by Thoreau, detailing his adventures through the Maine regions of Katahdin, Chesuncook and the Alagash. Hard to find, complete with Appendix, in etext on the web....


Walden. Henry David Thoreau. Boston: Ticknor and Fields. 1854.  
     —  The classic of naturalist writing.  Added here as part of Kellscraft Studio's Naturalist Writer's Series...


Winter. Henry David Thoreau.   Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company. 1891.
     — An interesting compilation of writings from a series of trips in winter to the depths of Maine.  An interesting read......



Friends on the Shelf. Bradford Torrey.  Boston: Houghton, Mifflin and Company. 1906.
     —  a collection of mini-biographies written by Bradford Torrey, including authors such as William Hazzlit, Edward FitzGerald, Thoreau, Keats, Stevenson and Anatole France. Additional commentaries include 'Quotability,' 'In Defence of the Traveler's Notebook,' and 'Concerning the Lack of an American Literature.' .............


Three Hundred Æsop's Fables.  Rev. Geo. Fyler Townsend, M.A. London: George Routledge and Sons. 1871.
— Here are the original Aesop's fables translated from the Greek.  "The Ants and the Grasshopper", "The Hare and the Tortoise", "The Dog and His Shadow", and many more! A  fun read...


The Broken Soldier and the Maid Of France. Henry Van Dyke. Illustrations by Frank E. Schoonover. NY: Harper & Brothers Publishers. 1919.
     —   A patriotic story first written during W.W.I telling of a soldier's fear of fighting and death and his vision of Joan D'Arc.  Part of the overall work of Henry Van Dyke 


Days Off.  Henry Van Dyke. NY: Charles Scribner's Sons. 1907.     
     — One of a series to be added here, this volume is a series of short stories on the benefits (and pitfalls) of taking days off from the regular grind... even a day off from a vacation!


Fisherman's Luck. Henry Van Dyke.  NY: Charles Scribner's Sons. 1913.
     — Ever wander along a willow-lined stream bank and wonder how the fishing would be? How many types of open fires can there be?  More than you think....  A wonderful, meandering stream of thought about fishing and lovers, mountains and strawberries, I highly recommend this book and author.


The Mansion. Henry Van Dyke. With Illustrations by Elizabeth Shippen Green. NY: Harper & Brothers.  1911.
     —  An interesting Christmas tale, and one of the author's better-known works.  It reminds the reader Van Dyke was always a minister, no matter what else he was.


The Red Flower. Henry Van Dyke. NY: Charles Scribner's Sons. 1918.
     —  Poetry of Van Dyke from the War to end all wars (WWI).  Interesting reading...


Ships and Havens.  Henry Van Dyke. NY: Thomas Y. Crowell & Company. 1897.
     — Van Dyke was a well-known Presbyterian Minister, and this book contains some of his religious writings from the late 1800's.


The White Bees.  Henry Van Dyke.  NY: Charles Scribner's Sons. 1909.
     — This is a wonderful collection of poems written by Van Dyke at the turn of the last century. While Van Dyke was better known for his prose than his poetry, this is a nice collection which include mythological references, love, New York City themes, as well as additional stanzas to the song, "America".


Mysterious Island, The. Jules Verne. Illustrated by N. C. Wyeth. Charles Scribners & Sons. 1920.
—  A great sequel to '20,000 Leagues Under the Sea', Civil War soldiers escape from a prison camp by balloon and land on a mysterious island where they believe they are alone, except they aren't... With Captain Nemo making a return. A fun read!...


Angel Esquire. Edgar Wallace. NY: Henry Holt and Company. 1908.
— First in a series of detective mystery books by prolific English author edgar Wallace, it's an interesting read. A side note on Wallace - He was writing the scripts for King Kong when he passed away from undiagnosed diabetes...


The Daffodil Mystery. Edgar Wallace. London: Ward, Lock & Co., Limited. 1920.
— Another mystery from the prolific English writer Edgar Wallace. Who is Thornton Lyne and why is he wrongly accusing beautiful Odette Rider of embezzelment? When Lyne is found dead with daffodils on his chest, Detective Jack Tarling investigates. Read on...



Compleat Angler, The. Isaak Walton. Illustrated by Boyd Hanna. Mount Vernon: Peter Pauper Press. No copyright date, [ca 1947].
     —  The classic (1670's) book on fly-fishing.  Wonderfully illustrated by Boyd Hanna.  A must-read for any fly-fisherman!....


Webster's First Bunker-Hill Oration. edited by Louise Manning Hodgkins.  Boston: Leach, Shewell and Sanborn. 1889.
     —  A nice student book with a guide in the study of oration, biography of Daniel Webster, Notes to the Address, and of course the Address Webster delivered on the setting of the cornerstone to the Bunker Hill Monument......


Mummy! A Tale of the Twenty-Second Century, The. Jane Webb. London. 1827.
    —  An early story of reanimation of a Mummy, but not of the bandage-wrapped stumbling ghoul - rather of an educated and politically astute individual.  Webb's story also predicts many future technologies, including the internet, and mechanical people, albeit of the steam-punk variety. A very interesting read...


Tales of Space and Time. H. G. Wells. New York: Doubleday & McClure Co. 1899.
   — A fascinating collection of science fiction and fantasy stories from the Master himself. I think one of special note to read in light of current environmental disasters looming for us, is The Star.  Enjoy!...


War in the Air, The.  H. G. Wells. NY: Boni and Liverlight, Inc. 1917.
  — Originally written in a 1907 serialized story, Well's genius in predicting future inventions is strong here.  Only four years after the Wright brothers took tentative steps in flight, Wells is describing the invention and advancement in air warfare. Well written and an interesting read....



War of the Worlds, The. H. G. Wells. Leipzig: Bernhard Tauchnitz. 1898.
     —  Martians, fighting machines, English countryside in flames. Never a dull read, no matter how many times I read this book...



Man With The Clubfoot, The. Valentine Williams. NY: P. F. Collier and Son Company. 1918.
     —  Part of a series of Secret Service stories. In this tale English spies operate in Germany....


Vindication of the Rights or Woman, A. Mary Wollstonecraft. London: 1792.
—  "Contending for the rights of woman, my main argument is built on this simple principle, that if she be not prepared by education to become the companion of man, she will stop the progress of knowledge and virtue; for truth must be common to all, or it will be inefficacious with respect to its influence on general practice." Read on!....



 

American Flower Garden, The. Neltje Blanchan. NY: Doubleday, Page and Company. 1909.     
     —  This is a superb gardening book from the Arts & Crafts period with lists of plants that are able to be grown in the NY City growing zone.  Chapters include: Vines, Roses, Annuals, Garden Furniture, etc.  Excellent photo illustrations with several color tinted photos.  


Flowers and Gardens of Japan. Florence Du Cane. Illustrated by Ella Du Cane. London: Adam & Charles Black. 1908.
     —  A wonderful book of gardens and flowers from Japan. A nice history of the Japanese celebrations of flowers. Wonderfully illustrated...



Illustrated Strawberry Culturist, The.  Andrew S. Fuller. NY: O. Judd Co. 1887.
     —   A nice, concise small book with everything you want to know about strawberries: their history, reproduction, propagation, varieties, pot culturing, etc. A very handy book for the gardener....


Some English Gardens. Gertrude Jekyll. Illustrated by George S. Elgood. London: Longmans, Green and Co. 1904
—  A nice book describing 37 gardens in England and beautifally illustrated. Enjoy!...


The Well Considered Garden. Mrs. Francis King. NY: Charles Scribner's Sons. 1917.
     —  Another great gardening book from the turn of the 20th century.  Lots of detail on plants and garden design.  Enjoy!...


The Life of the Bee.  Maurice Maeterlinck. Translated by Alexander Teixeira Mattos. New York: Dodd, Mead and Company. 1910.
     — A scientific and philosophical discussion on  the life cycle of the bee and life in the hive.   With, of course, Maeterlinck's perspective on how this relates to human life....


The Double Garden. Maurice Maeterlinck. Translated by Alexander Teixeira Mattos. New York: Dodd, Mead and Company. 1911
     — Philosopher, naturalist, and essayist - this book is a collection of his writing from the turn of the century (1900). Essays cover the following topics: Dogs, Bees, old flowers, early automobiles, suffrage, and much more! 


Wasps and Their Ways. Margaret Morley. NY: Dodd, Mead and Company. 1911.
     —  This is a great book, packed with information about wasps.  Not my favorite insect before reading this book, I now have a great respect for these fascinating insects.  Excellent for children and adults to learn about wasps...



Dutch Bulbs. Una Silberrad and Sophie Lyall.  Illustrations by Mima Nixon.  London: Adam and Charles Black. 1909.
     — Beautifully illustrated with wonderful watercolors by artist Mima Nixon, this book covers the history and commercial growing of bulbs in Holland at the turn of the 20th century.


Among the Isles of Shoals. Celia Thaxter. Illustrated. Boston: Houghton, Mifflin and Company. 1901     
     — An interesting history and reminiscence of the Isles of Shoals, of the New Hampshire/Maine coasts.  From first settlement to shipwrecks, ghosts, pirates and surviving against the stormy sea, it's all here. A nice read.......


Island Garden, An. Celia Thaxter. Illustrated by Childe Hassam. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co. 1894.
     —  This is a wonderful book, well-written and beautifully illustrated.  One woman's struggle to grow a flower garden year after year, on Appledore Island (the Isles of Shoals) and the constant battle with slugs, birds and weather —  all worth it in the end......


 

Locusts and Wild Honey. John Burroughs. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company. 1907.
     —  Part of  the 23 Volume Riverby Edition series; a wonderful collection of essays about bees, fishing, rain and Canada....


Winter Sunshine. John Burroughs.   Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company. 1904 Photographs by various artists.
     —  Part of  the 23 Volume Riverby Edition series; a wonderful collection of essays about the wonders of winter ....


Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam. Trans. by Edward Fitzgerald.  New York: Thomas Y. Crowell Co. 1921.
     — An excellent source of information for the various translation versions of the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam.  Originally written around 1100 A.D., this book contains five English translations by E. Fitzgerald. It also compares the different translations to each other to examine the nuances to be seen. Easily read at many levels! [Updated 10/29/2000: I have added in appropriate places illustrations by Blanche McManus from an earlier (1907) edition of this work. These beautiful illustrations are appropriate for this wonderful work.     —  Jeff Kelley, webmaster]


Buried Temple, The.  Maurice Maeterinck. Translated byAlfred Sutro. Dodd, Mead and Company. 1902.
— This is another volume of essays from the Nobel winning writer.  These philosophical writings cover topics such as "The Mystery of Justice", "The Evolution of Mystery", "The Kingdom of Matter", "The Past" and "Luck". An interesting read...



Death.  Maurice Maeterlinck. Translated by Alexander Teixeira Mattos. New York: Dodd, Mead and Company. 1912.
     — A philosophical look at death, life and what comes afterwards... An interesting perspective...


The Double Garden. Maurice Maeterlinck. Translated by Alexander Teixeira Mattos. New York: Dodd, Mead and Company. 1911
     — Philosopher, naturalist, and essayist - this book is a collection of his writing from the turn of the century (1900). Essays cover the following topics: Dogs, Bees, old flowers, early automobiles, suffrage, and much more!


Intelligence of the Flowers, The. Maurice Maeterlinck. Trans. by Alexander Teixeira de Mattos. NY: Dodd, Mead and Company. 1907.
     — Another in  a series of books by the Nobel-winner, this one expresses his thoughts on the flowers in our lives.....


The Life of the Bee.  Maurice Maeterlinck. Translated by Alexander Teixeira Mattos. New York: Dodd, Mead and Company. 1910.
     — A scientific and philosophical discussion on  the life cycle of the bee and life in the hive.   With, of course, Maeterlinck's perspective on how this relates to human life....


Mountain Paths. Maurice Maeterlinck. Translated by Alexander Teixeira Mattos. New York: Dodd, Mead and Company. 1919.
     — Philosopher, naturalist, and essayist - this book is a collection of his writing from the turn of the century (1900). Essays about death, spiritualism, war, insects....


Poems. Maurice Maeterlinck. Translated by Bernard Miall. New York: Dodd, Mead and Company. 1915.
     —  An interesting collection of poems by Nobel-laureate. An interesting read....


Unknown Guest, The. Maurice Maeterlinck. Trans. by Alexander Teixeira de Mattos. London: Methuen & Co., Ltd. 1914
    —  one of the stranger reads I've come across - from a time when psychics, spiritualists, 'talking' horses and suipernatural phenomenon were thought to be the new frontier of 'science.' Have fun with this one but read in with a jaundiced eye....


Wisdom and Destiny. Maurice Maeterlinck. Alfred Sutro, Translator.  NY: Dodd, Mead & Company. 1912
     —  Another book in the prolific writing of Maeterlinck, Nobel prize winner in the early 20th century. Herein lies the search for and meaning of Truth....


The Wrack of the Storm.  Maurice Maeterlinck. Translated by Alexander Teixeira Mattos. New York: Dodd, Mead and Company. 1916.
     — An interesting view of World War I, by the author, as it was happening with all the emotions, anger and hatred of Germany. An interesting selection of essays ....No matter where you stand on war (and I am a pacifist...) I recommend this book as an interesting read...


Where the Blue Begins. Christopher Morley. NY: Doubleday, Page and Company. 1922.  
      —  An odd story; one reminiscent of Wind in the Willows, and other books that anthropomorphize animal characters. This time it's a dog world and one dog in particular asking the deeper questions about the meaning of life, and whether god is a biped....


The Book of Tea. Okakura Kakuzo. NY: Duffield & Company. 1919 edition (first published in 1906).     
     —  A wonderful little book, easily read in one sitting.  It focuses on the Japanese Art of Tea, but the author offers a rarely seen perspective on Eastern and Western cultures.  Okakura Kakuzo gives a brief history of tea in China, and the stages of tea-drinking in that country.  His main focus is on Zen and its connection to Teaism, and of the influence of the Zen monks in establishing and refining the Japanese Tea Ceremony.  This book is a highly-recommended read.


Philosophic Bearings of Darwinism, The and The Three Methods of Evolution. John Wesley Powell. Washington: Judd & Detweiler.  1892/1893.
     —  These are two very interesting papers presented by Powell to the Biological Society of Washington (one at the Darwin Memorial Meeting in 1892 and one at the Philosophical Society of Washington in 1893) regarding the relatively new concept of Evolution and the philosophical model of it as described by Powell. "In Darwin's writings I find no word of reproach. Denunciation and ridicule, greater than any other man has endured, never kindled a spark of hatred in his breast. Wrapped in the mantle of his phi­losophy he received no wounds, but lived with and loved mankind .".........


Walden. Henry David Thoreau. Boston: Ticknor and Fields. 1854.   
     —  The classic of naturalist writing.  Added here as part of Kellscraft Studio's Naturalist Writer's Series...


The Broken Soldier and the Maid Of France. Henry Van Dyke. Illustrations by Frank E. Schoonover. NY: Harper & Brothers Publishers. 1919.
     —   A patriotic story first written during W.W.I telling of a soldier's fear of fighting and death and his vision of Joan D'Arc.  Part of the overall work of Henry Van Dyke 


Days Off.  Henry Van Dyke. NY: Charles Scribner's Sons. 1907.     
     — One of a series to be added here, this volume is a series of short stories on the benefits (and pitfalls) of taking days off from the regular grind... even a day off from a vacation!


Fisherman's Luck. Henry Van Dyke.  NY: Charles Scribner's Sons. 1913.
     — Ever wander along a willow-lined stream bank and wonder how the fishing would be? How many types of open fires can there be?  More than you think....  A wonderful, meandering stream of thought about fishing and lovers, mountains and strawberries, I highly recommend this book and author.


The Mansion. Henry Van Dyke. With Illustrations by Elizabeth Shippen Green. NY: Harper & Brothers.  1911.
     —  An interesting Christmas tale, and one of the author's better-known works.  It reminds the reader Van Dyke was always a minister, no matter what else he was.


The Red Flower. Henry Van Dyke. NY: Charles Scribner's Sons. 1918.
     —  Poetry of Van Dyke from the War to end all wars (WWI).  Interesting reading...


Ships and Havens.  Henry Van Dyke. NY: Thomas Y. Crowell & Company. 1897.
     — Van Dyke was a well-known Presbyterian Minister, and this book contains some of his religious writings from the late 1800's.


The White Bees.  Henry Van Dyke.  NY: Charles Scribner's Sons. 1909.
     — This is a wonderful collection of poems written by Van Dyke at the turn of the last century. While Van Dyke was better known for his prose than his poetry, this is a nice collection which include mythological references, love, New York City themes, as well as additional stanzas to the song, "America".


 

New Book of Patience Games, The. Ernest Bergholt. NY: E. P. Dutton & Company. 1917.
     —  Here's a great set of new (old) Solitaire games using an ordinary deck (or two) of cards.  29 different Solitaire games with illustrations and detailed descriptions of play.  Lots of fun for everyone!....


Illustrated Games Patience. Lady Adelaide Cadogan. London: Sampson Low, Marston, Low, and Searle. 1874.
     —   A series of games of Solitaire from around the Civil War period.  Lots of Fun!...


Archery: Its Theory and Practice. Horace A Ford. ND (ca. 1860?)
     — A detailed study of the art of Archery. from a champion archer (Holder of the Champion's Medal for 1849-50-51.52.53.54.55.56.57 and 1858.)  For the Archer in all of us....



Games For Everybody, by May C. Hofmann.  NY: Dodge Publishing Co. 1905.
     —  A wonderful book of games for children and adults from the age prior to computers, TV, radio, and headphones.  This book is chock full of children's' interactive games as well as adult games for family gatherings and parties.  A great book for parents and teachers.


Game of Logic, The. Lewis Carroll.  London: Macmillan & Co.1886.
      —  A fascinating book of logic for children and adults. Learn  all about Propositions, Syllogisms and Fallacies and test your skills with a series of questions and answers!  Enjoy!...



Game of Go, The. Arthur Smith.  NY: Moffat, Yard & Co.1908.
—  A book translation from the Japanese, this well diagrammed books gives the history the game. Well-diagrammed game in progress with detailed moves presented.  Grab the board and pieces and get going!......


Blackboard Sketchings. Frederick Whitney. Illustrated with Photographs.  Springfield, MA: Milton Bradley Company. 1908.
     —  A great book for teachers, Art teachers and others, who want to add a little something extra to the classroom experience. Nicely illustrated with step-by-step instructions on how to draw lesson illustrations on a blackboard.  The only problem: does anyone use blackboards anymore?.........


 

Americanization of Edward Bok, The.  Edward Bok. NY: Charles Scribners' Sons. 1922.
     — An interesting autobiography of an immigrant boy who meets famous writers of the time and goes on to be the editor of the Ladies Home Journal.  We was friends with Theodore Roosevelt, helped raise public awareness against patent medicines (and helped to start the beginnings of the FDA),  led the fight to save Niagara Falls from the electric companies and much more. A good read....


Charlie Chaplin's Own Story. Charlie Chaplin. Indianapolis, Illinois: Bobbs-Merrill Co. 1916.
— A fascinating autobiography by the actor, Charlie Chaplin, it is an interesting description of his early years in vaudeville and early films. A fun read!...



Col. Crockett's Exploits and Adventures in Texas David Crockett. Boston: Allen & Ticknor. 1834.
      —  Continuing biography by David Crockett, describing his life up to the siege of the Alamo, and an additional chapter by the editor describing the end of Crockett and others at the hands of Santa Ana.  A follow-up to his first biography, Narrative of the Life of David Crockett. A good, first-person account of the struggles of the new nation....


Narrative of the Life of David Crockett. David Crockett. Boston: Allen & Ticknor. 1834.
     —  Biography by David Crockett, telling of his childhood and adult life, his early days in politics, election to Congress, and his disagreements with Andrew Jackson. This book was closely followed by a second memoir, Col. Crockett's Exploits and Adventures in Texas, describing his life up to the siege of the Alamo, and an additional chapter by the editor describing the end of Crockett and others at the hands of Santa Ana.  A good, first-person account of the struggles of the new nation....


Indian Boyhood. Charles A. Eastman. Illustrated by E. L. Blumenschein. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, Page & Co. 1915.
     —  A fascinating remembrance of a Sioux youth from the 1860's, and his life growing up on the plains.  An undercurrent runs through this  book of the Author's love of his childhood and the conflict with the growing influence of the white world.  A good read for all ages...


Dream Days. Kenneth Grahame. Thomas Nelson & Son. London, Edinburgh, Dublin and New York. n.d. (ca. 1900).
     —  This is a wonderful series of reminiscences by Grahame of his early childhood in England. I highly recommend this book. By the author of the Wind in the Willows.....


The Golden Age. Kenneth Grahame. Chicago: Stone & Kimball. 1895.
     —  This is a wonderful series of reminiscences by Grahame of his early childhood in England. I highly recommend this book. By the author of the Wind in the Willows.....


Life Among the Piutes. Sarah Winnemucca Hopkins. Mary Peabody Mann, ed. NY: G. P. Putman's Sons. 1883
     —  Sarah Winnemucca Hopkins' memoir of her early life among the Piute as well as a history of the Piutes and her family's role in it.  It is also a history of her adult life between the Native Americans and the Europeans encroaching on their lands; her people's reaction to that nd her fight to raise these wrongs to the American government. A must read for those interested in the true history of the American West...



Maurice Maeterlinck. Edward Thomas.  2nd edition.  London: Methuen & Co. 1911.
     — A detailed look at the life and writings of Maurice Maeterlinck.  Also includes a thorough synopsis and analysis of his plays...

 
 
Misc. Items
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On The Manufacture of a Flat Top Teacher's Desk. American Woodworking Machinery Company. Rochester, NY: American Woodworking Machinery Company. 1922.
     —  Want to build an Arts & Crafts Period desk?  Here's a little booklet that gives you all the plans and instructions!  This is a little gem of a booklet used by shop teachers and vocational programs to teach students the fine art of woodworking, with a tangible result.  The specs also include the straight-back chair for the desk!...


Working Drawings of Colonial Furniture. Frederick J. Bryant. Peoria, Ill: The Manual Arts Press. 1922.
     —  A nice set of draft plans to make a range of New England Colonial and early American Furniture. From Sheraton, Hepplewhite and Tavern tables, chairs and work tables, there is a wide range of plans for the carpenter and DIYer. All diagrams based on original furniture from Maine...



Essentials of Lettering, The. Thomas E. French and Robert Meiklejohn. Illustrated. NY:McGraw-Hill Company, Inc. 1912.
     —  This is a great book for the calligraphers in all of us.  Detailed instructions are provided for the student on how to hold the pen and create wonderful letters, including Gothic, Old English, Uncial, Roman, Art Nouveau, and French Script. Nicely illustrated.......


Cheese and Cheese-Making. James Long & John Benson. London: Chapman and Hall Ld. 1896.
    — A nice collection of detailed recipes to make a variety of British and French Cheeses, including Brie, Blue, Stilton, Cheddar, Cheshire, Wensleydale and others. Artisan cheeses you can make at home......


What To Draw And How To Draw It. E. G. Lutz. NY: Dodd, Mead and Company. 1913.
     —  A nice little book that teaches young and old how to draw animals and human caricatures. Step-by-step instructions given....


Old Furniture Book, The. N. Hudson Moore. NY: Frederick A. Stokes Company. 1903.
     —  A great resource book for anyone interested in early American furniture and design.  Information on Dutch furniture, designs by Chippendale, Sheraton, Adam, Hepplewhite, French Empire, musical instruments, clocks and furniture hardware....


The Myrtle Reed Cook Book. Myrtle Reed. NY: G. P. Putnam's Sons. 1916.
     —  This is a odd and interesting cook book with lots of good, basic recipes and down-to-earth cooking.  Recipes include: Breakfast Meats, Eggs, Omelets, Raised Breakfast Breads, Simple Salads, Luncheon Beverages, Simple Soups, Shell-Fish, Fish, Vegetables, etc.


The New England Cook Book. Unknown Author. New Haven, CT: Hezekiah Howe  & Co. 1836.
    —  From the early years of American history, here are over three hundred recipes from New England. Many would have had their basis in Colonial cooking. These are tried-and-true recipes in their original style, with measurements in "teacups," "size of an egg," or cooking in a "quick oven."  Whether it's how to cook Beef Steak or Goose, Gingerbread or New Year's Cookies, or just how to clean Carpets or make Soap, you'll find it here!


How to Make Baskets. Mary White. Illustrated.  NY: Doubleday, Page and Company. 1902. 
      —   Profusely illustrated, this book provides step-by-step instructions to make a variety of woven baskets, from mats, bird nests, candy baskets, to work baskets and more.  An additional chapter written by Neltje Blanchan is also included....


Mission Furniture - How to Make It.  H. H. Windsor. Chicago: Popular Mechanics Co. 1909.
      — First of three books that give detailed photographs, and measured plans, as well as materials lists. Pieces to build include book cases, chairs, magazine stand, roll-top desk, as well as Mission stains and finishes and waxing techniques. A must for amateur and professional carpenters of all kinds....


Mission Furniture - How to Make It. Vol 2.  H. H. Windsor. Chicago: Popular Mechanics Co. 1910.
     — Second of three books that give detailed photographs, and measured plans, as well as materials lists. Pieces to build include book cases, chairs, music stand, as well as Mission stains and finishes and waxing techniques. A must for amateur and professional carpenters of all kinds....


White House Cook Book. Hugo Ziemann & Mrs. F. L. Gillette. N.Y.: The Saalfield Publishing Company. 1913.
     —  A wonderful resource for old (and good) recipes served at the White House 100 years ago.  Many are classic American fare. Illustrated, with household hints, health suggestions, and tips for daily living. ....