With Friends Like These…the Sky’s the Limit!
The Sandstone Friends of the Library recently celebrated their new
CLASSICS CORNER with an open house. Having purchased over 175 volumes from the Library of America series, the Sandstone library now has an outstanding collection of the best literature America has produced over the centuries. The Library of America books are beautifully produced and there’s something for every interest.
For example, for early-American history buffs, check out the
Writings of our Founders: Washington; Jefferson; Franklin; Madison; Hamilton; and Paine each have a volume in the series. Or tackle the monumental history by Henry Adams on the
Administrations of Jefferson and Madison. (By the way, when’s the volume of Henry's great-grandfather--our second president--coming out?) Perhaps you wish to go back further with Captain John Smith’s
Writings, with Other Narratives of Roanoke, Jamestown, and the First English Settlement of America. Francis Parkman’s history,
France and England in North America, is a must-read ending with (spoiler alert!) England's victory in the French-Indian War.
Picking up the story from there,
The American Revolution: Writings from the War of Independence, gathers the literature surrounding the birth of our nation. Of course, it’s one thing to “dissolve the political bands” between peoples and quite another to have to establish one’s own. For that attempt, see:
The Debate on the Constitution (Vols. 1 & 2).
With an outsider’s perspective, Alexis de Tocqueville’s
Democracy in America offers a portrait of our country’s social and political character that is still considered one of the best. Then back to Parkman for
The Oregon Trail, a chronicle of his 1846 trip West, his encounters with the Plains Indians, and a vanishing frontier. The two volumes of
Lincoln’s Speeches and Writings, which begin in 1832, are excellent accompaniment to the many outstanding books currently being published to celebrate the bicentennial of his birth.
Above: Ray Marcotte (l), Maker of the "Classics Corner" sign and Art Olstead, Maker of the Bookshelves! Many, many Thanks!
Area Lions Club members, left to right: Branch Librarian Jeanne Coffey, Carrie Olstead, Irma Faulkner, Carol Nelson, Sandy Snadwick, Chester (behind) and Janice (front) Gustafson, Tony Nelson, Judy Loken, Art Olstead, Ken Sample.Below: Never letting a fundraising opportunity pass, the Friends held a silent auction. A few elbows were thrown as the clock ticked down but no injuries were reported. Below Left: Silent Auction items and (front to back) Carrie Olstead, Judy Loken, Sylvia Marcotte, JoAnn Alexander. Middle: Irene Sandell plans her strategy. Right: JoAnn Alexander (below left) reveals her talent for accessorizing by putting a quilted Christmas tree skirt to use as a cape.
I could go on and on. So I will!
(L-R) Judy Loken, Elsie Lundorff, Irene Sandell
Perhaps fictionalized accounts of these times are more your style. Then take a look at James Fenimore Cooper’s
The Leatherstocking Tales, which includes the novel “The Last of the Mohicans.” Washington Irving’s and Nathaniel Hawthorne’s stories also present windows through which to view our nation’s early years.
The Writings and Drawings of John James Audubon capture the natural landscape, as does the work of environmentalist William Bartram (1739-1823), described as “the most significant American writer before Thoreau and a nature artist who rivals Audubon.”
Explore other aspects of the cuture with
American Poetry: The Seventeenth & Eighteenth Century (2 vols.);
American Sermons: The Pilgrims to Martin Luther King; American Sea Writing: A Literary Anthology;
or American Speeches: Political Oratory from the Revolution to the Civil War. Civil War? Read on!
Right: (L-R) Merlin and JoAnn Alexander, Patti Hapke, Branch Librarian Jeanne Coffey, Branch Aide Carol NelsonBelow: Friends of the Library (L-R), JoAnn Alexander, Melissa Grabau, Patti Hapke (back), Sylvia Marcotte (front), Jeanne Coffey.
There’s the
Memoirs of Generals William T. Sherman and Ulysses S. Grant, The
Autobiographies of Frederick Douglass, and the anthology of
Slave Narratives. Post war? How about little-known Lafcadio Hearns’
American Writings, “the master of a gaudy and sometimes self-consciously decadent literary style…a tough-minded and keenly observant reporter, with an eye for the offbeat, the sensual, and occasionally the gruesome”?
And I've only described one avenue through this collection!
Talk to Jeanne or Carol about what's available--or, better yet--come on in and browse through these wonderful books and discover on your own.
Also, go to the
Library of America website for their description of each volume.
CONGRATULATIONS SANDSTONE LIBRARY!
(Become a Friend of the Library today!)
Posted by Nick Dimassis, Assistant Director
