Books Acquired During My Trip to Virginia

The following list contains some of the books I acquired during my trip to Virginia. Of course I went to every gift shop available and bought several books. A few other books I saw that I wanted, but I thought they would be cheaper on Amazon. A few are signed by the author, and unavailable elsewhere!
 

1.  "Those Who Labor for My Happiness": Slavery at Thomas Jefferson's Monticello (Jeffersonian America) by Lucia C. Stanton

2.  James and Dolley Madison: America's First Power Couple by Bruce Chadwick

3.  The Virginia Adventure: Roanoke to James Towne (Virginia Bookshelf) by Ivor Noel Hume

4.  A Woman of Honor: Dr. Mary E. Walker and the Civil War by Mercedes Graf

5.  Mathew Brady's First Manassas A Biography & Battlefield Tour by Dennis Hogge signed by author!

6.  Uncommon Ground: Archaeology and Early African America, 1650-1800 by Leland G. Ferguson

7.  Mrs. Lincoln and Mrs. Keckly: The Remarkable Story of the Friendship Between a First Lady and a Former Slave by Jennifer Fleischner

8.  Home Life in the Colonial Days by Alice Morse Earle

9.  Written in Bone: Buried Lives of Jamestown and Colonial Maryland (Exceptional Social Studies Titles for Intermediate Grades) by Sally M. Walker

10.  Woman's Life in Colonial Days [Paperback] [1999] (Author) Carl Holliday

11.  Pocahontas's People: The Powhatan Indians of Virginia Through Four Centuries (Civilization of the American Indian) by Helen C. Rountree

12.  Strange New Land: Africans in Colonial America by Peter H. Wood

13.  Jane: Starvation, Cannibalism, and Endurance at Jamestown by WILLIAM KELSO, DOUGLAS OWSLEY, BEVERLY STRAUBE JAMES HORN

14.  Jamestown, the Buried Truth by William M. Kelso signed by author!

Literary Sojourns

I saw an interesting posting online, suggesting several homes and museums of famous authors to visit. Here are some that I highlighted, which I have either have already visited, would like to visit again, or that I would love to visit. 

1. Willa Cather home in Red Cloud, Nebraska

I have not visited any Willa Cather historical sites and would like to very much. I have a signed copy of one of her books, published in 1940. What a great name for a mid-western Nebraska town! Red Cloud. 

2. Emily Dickinson Museum in Amherst, MA.

I have visited the Dickinson home and everything about that trip was wondrous. I definitely want to go again. What I recall most vividly is the preservation of Emily's white dress, and the little pocket she had sewn on the side. As she went about the house doing chores, she would stash snatches of poetry. I also learned that she was an avid baker. She would bake things for her nephews and niece and lower the goodies down from her bedroom window in a basket. 

3. Edith Wharton House in Lenox, MA

Wow, pretty opulent. Edith Wharton was clearly upper middle class. I would like to visit her house. Also that area of Massachusetts is gorgeous. 

4. Bronte Parsonage, Haworth, England
I went to see the Bronte Parsonage this past summer, during my archeological trip to England. I wrote about the parsonage in an earlier post (October 14, 2013). It was wonderful and a long awaited dream fulfilled!

 

5. Edgar Allan Poe Museum, Richmond Virginia.

I have not been here; in fact I have never been to Virginia. This would be a nice place to visit with Jonathan. 

6. Edward Gorey House, Yarmouthport, Cape Cod, Massachusetts

Despite the fact that Edward Gorey's house is so close, Jonathan and I just recently visited in October of 2013. It was a great treat and there was so much to see I'd like to visit again. 

7. Henry Miller House, Big Sur, California 

I am interested in the scenery as much as I am interested in seeing the museum. Hopefully I'll get to visit some day. It would be cool to see some rare first editions and photographs.

8. Jane Austen's House, Hampshire, England

Oh yes, it would be great to visit Jane Austen's house. She is so popular these days, though, I bet it would be a mob scene. I love it when authors of yesteryear maintain their popularity!

 

9. Anne Frank House, Amsterdam, Holland

I visited the Anne Frank House when I was in Holland in 1999. I really enjoyed the experience, and I remember there was a long line! Well worth the wait. I recall I was most impressed by the copies of all the translations of Anne Frank's diary in a glass display, in almost every language! Also, I remember that in the neighborhood that Anne lived- which was predominantly Jewish- eighty percent of the inhabitants perished by the end of the war. It is amazing that her father Otto survived at all. He was the only survivor in his family. Seems like divine providence.

10. Louisa May Alcott House, Concord, Massachusetts

Shame on me. I've never been to the Louisa May Alcott house, and it's located 7 miles from my house! I've got to plan a trip this summer. It's time to play tourist in my own town!

The Wily Moors

     While I was in England I completed my long awaited and long anticipated pilgrimage to the Bronte Parsonage. As is often the case, the actual journey from South Shields to Haworth took a lot longer than it appeared on the map-- but of course it was worth it! 

     I was surprised by Haworth and how large and modern a town it was. Locals had told me it was a small town with nothing much to see. Perhaps the town has grown tremendously in the past years, because I actually got lost and also got a ticket for parking illegally! The town looked kind of ordinary, and did not seem to highlight the Bronte parsonage. As I drove around I thought: Don't these people appreciate the holy genius that once walked the streets here! 

     When I posted about my journey on Facebook Jonathan made the comment about the 'wily moors,' in reference to Kate Bush's brilliant song "Wuthering Heights." I always thought the word was 'wild' in the song, having never heard the word 'wily.' I looked it up and it means cunning, sly, or deceitful, but I guess it is somewhat archaic. At times the lyrics of the song have listed the word as 'wild,' 'winding,' or 'windy.'

     My greatest impressions of the Bronte home are as follows. I could not take pictures, but walked around the place with the greatest attention, trying to suck in every detail. 

1. Charlotte Bronte's Dress- It reminded me of Emily Dickinson's dress at her house in Amherst, MA. Emily had a small pocket sewn on her dress, so she could stow away small snatches of poetry as she went about her daily household chores. What struck me about Charlotte's dress was how small she was. 


2. The 5 little books- The tiny "juvenilia' books that all the Bronte children wrote, are quite amazing to see. I can't imagine how they wrote in such a small script. 


3. First precious editions of 'Wuthering Heights" and "Jane Eyre."
 

4. The portrait Branwell painted of his three sisters, Charlotte, Emily, and Anne. He originally included himself, but removed himself later. 

Edward Gorey Vintage Book Covers

Another great article from the website Brain Pickings caught my eye. This article highlighted many of Edward Gorey's vintage book covers from great literature. Here are some of my favorites. I think the War of the Worlds cover is the best, though that reading would not be my first choice. Check out Brain Pickings for more.

Harvard Bookstore Summer Warehouse Sale

     At the last minute I found out that the Harvard Bookstore was having its semi-annual warehouse book sale! Even though I have no business whatsoever buying new books, I drove over there like a buzzing bee, delighted and giggly the whole way. 

     I scoured every table and bookshelf several times until I was satisfied. I also saw many possible gift items, but did not buy any gifts. Books are difficult to give as gifts. There were some beautiful books. Here are the latest contributors to my bulging bookshelves. 

     The list author says: "Here are the recently acquired books from the Harvard Bookstore Warehouse Book sale. Two are not listed, because I already bought them at the last book sale!" 

1.  Bread and Roses: Mills, Migrants, and the Struggle for the American Dream by Bruce Watson

2.  Peterson Reference Guide to the Behavior of North American Mammals (Peterson Reference Guides) by Mark Elbroch

3.  Sacco and Vanzetti: The Men, the Murders, and the Judgment of Mankind by Bruce Watson

4.  Finding Our Tongues: Mothers, Infants, and the Origins of Language by Dean Falk

5.  The Psychopath Test: A Journey Through the Madness Industry by Jon Ronson

6.  A Brief History of Mankind by Cyril Aydon

7.  Kaufman Field Guide to Mammals of North America by Kenn Kaufman

Reading Challenge Update

I've been far more disciplined with reading this year. I'm making progress and thoroughly enjoying the reading I've completed!
 
2013 Reading Challenge 

You have read 4 books toward your goal of 12 books.

 

4 of 12 (33%)

Awesome, you're 2 books (15%) ahead of schedule!

The Twelve Books of 2013

Here is the list of books that will possibly meet the challenge I've taken this year to read at least twelve books. I think I will read more, but that is my goal. Often in the past I would read many books, but not finish any. This year I'm trying to read and finish books. It's been fun so far. I also will have my first non-fiction book club meeting in two weeks. I'm very excited. We are reading "Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail." 

1.  Flourish by Martin E. P. Seligman * read

2.  Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail (Oprah's Book Club 2.0) by Cheryl Strayed *read

3.  The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot *read

4.  Bones: A Forensic Detective's Casebook by Dr Douglas Ubelaker *read

5.  Radical Acceptance by Tara Brach *read

6.  Brain on Fire by Susannah Cahalan *read

7.  Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain *read

8.  The Mother Tongue - English And How It Got That Way by Bill Bryson * to read

9.  The Bone Lady: Life as a Forensic Anthropologist by Mary H. Manhein *read

10.  Prague Winter: A Personal Story of Remembrance and War, 1937-1948 by Madeleine Korbel Albright *to read

11.  The Red Queen: Sex and the Evolution of Human Nature by Matt Ridley * to read

12.  Founding Mothers: The Women Who Raised Our Nation by Cokie Roberts * to read