This past weekend I went to The Seattle Antiquarian Book Fair. Many many interesting looking books but ……….. I didn’t buy even one. I had a wonderful time looking though and remembering what I had read where and when. I’m really a reader rather than a collector. Anyhow, I particularly thought of my brother and his collection of boys books published in the1920’s and ’30’s. e.g. Tarzan of the Apes, etc. My older brother was a great reader from an early age. And while I didn’t necessarily read any of his books I can remember them on the family shelves and think of the pleasure he got from reading them – a long time ago now.
I digress – my only purchase at the Book Fair was handmade notebook – for my genealogy research notes. And I was gifted several postcards by one of my favorite sellers – Asian Steppes.
A bit of a slog but well worth it in the end.
A most interesting book – I could not agree with a number of her choices but more importantly it set me thinking about what I choose to read and the books I keep on my shelves. I read a lot. I have almost always read a lot. But I have not had the luxury of keeping all the books I have wanted to have a permanent place in my home. We have just moved house and country too often for that. But, I’ll now think about what is on my shelves now – and reminisce about certain books in the past and in other places.
Getting steeped in the History of the West
Here’s the book for all history enthusiasts. In a book store in Mystic Connecticut, I found this book about the history of Maine – titled The Lobster Coast, Rebels, Rusticators, and the Struggle for a Forgotten Frontier, by Colin Woodard. As one would expect, there’s quite a bit of detail about fish and the fishing industry, particularly lobsters. But there is also a lot to make one think about the rights of Native Americans and the rights and relationships between the original settlers and the subsequent waves of “newcomers”, right up to the present day transformations of land use and the questions of distribution of wealth.
Working on my genealogy this morning I found a reference remotely connecting an ancestor to Herman Melville’s novel Moby Dick. And this novel of course makes me think of that magical island of Nantucket. One of the daughters of Isaac Morrill, my 9th Great Grandfather, married a Folger and Mary Morrill Folger is mentioned in the novel.
Non fiction – full of footnotes – fascinating reading! Increasing my knowledge and understanding of the early settlers of Essex County Massachusetts. And I’m finding a number of familiar names which I will follow up and see if they are actually my ancestors.
