Bobrick, Benson
Angel in the Whirlwind: The Triumph of the American Revolution *****! A superb new history, especially fine for the novelist trying to not only figure out the dates, but the moods and voices of the time. T1
Boucher, Francois
Twenty Thousand Years of Fashion; the History of Costume and Personal Adornment *** Harry N. Abrams, 1966; 440 pg, index, glossary Good in this period. T1
Twenty Thousand Years of Fashion; the History of Costume and Personal Adornment *** Harry N. Abrams, 1966; 440 pg, index, glossary
Good in this period. T1
Bray, Peter, editor
Transport Through the Ages ** Taplinger Publishing Co., Inc., NY, 1971; illos by Barbara Brown Covers a bit of everything, from dugout canoes on. Emphasis on later periods. T1
Brett, Gerard
Dinner is Served *** Archon Books, Hamden, CN, 1968 British meals of the day and their conduct; Part Two covers 1660 to 1900. Do remember how much Eastern Society follows Britain. T2
Burgess, Robert F.
Ships Beneath the Sea: A History of Subs and Submersibles **** McGraw-Hill, 1975; 260 pg, index, bibliography Includes the stories of the Turtle, which went underwater for Washington in a military mode. T2
Clark, Harrison
All Cloudless Glory: The Life of George Washington *****! 1074 pages in two volumes A new biography based entirely on original documents -- letters, diaries, and such -- rather than boiling down fifteen other historians' boil-downs. Washington engaged in so many vocations before the Revolution that this also is an insight into the fields for a half-dozen of your characters. T3
Drimmer, Frederick
Captured by the Indians: 15 Firsthand Accounts, 1750-1870 **** Dover, 384 pg Talk about your culture shock! Some were taken as prisoners of war, and accordingly treated horrendously; others were adopted in, and treated like any member of the tribe. T2
Duffy, Christopher
Fire and Stone: The Science of Fortress Warfare, 1660-1860 **** Hippocrene Books, NY, 1975; now from Greenhill Well-written, well-illustrated and well-designed. The Fortess Wargame for Miniatures is tactical fun while teaching you how things can work or go wrong. The other appendix, on how to tour old fortifications, is good if you get to make the research trip. T3
Ellis, Joseph J.
American Sphinx: The Character of Thomas Jefferson **** Alfred Knopf Given sterling recommendations by one of our friends for its exploration of the man's character. T3
Ferling, J.
John Adams **** Holt, NY Biography of one of the most vocal founders of the country, and later President. T2
Gerlach, Don R.
Proud Patriot *** Detail biography of Philip Schuyler, born into a wealthy patroon family, who handled the northern theatre of the war for the Continental Army. As much as you can stand to know about the campaigns around New York. T3
Grose, Capt. Frances
1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue; A Dictionary of Buckish Slang, University Wit, and Pickpocket Eloquence **** Follet Publishing Co.; unnumbered page facsimile of original Lots of thieves cant, as well as obscene slang that no brother is going to explain to the heroine. Capt. Grose originally brought out his gem in 1785, with further revisions in 1788. He died in 1791, and the 1811 is revised by unknown hands, that have indeed added new meanings. But much of the cant will date back before his first version, and will be used by transported criminals in the Colonies. T3
Hogg, Ian V.
The History of Fortification *** St. Martin's Press, NY, 1981 Clear, interesting and accurate overview from 7000 BC through the 1970's, well illustrated with photos and diagrams; bibliography and glossary. T2
Holloway, Mark
Heavens on Earth: Utopian Communities in America, 1680-1880 **** Dover Publications, Inc., NY And you thought "cults" were a new thing! Explore the attempts build new Edens, where your characters may get involved, or at least discuss if there's one in the neighborhood. T2
Ingraham, Holly
People's Names: A Cross-cultural Reference Guide to the Proper Use of Over 40,000 Personal and Familial Names in Over 100 Cultures *****! McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers, Jefferson, NC; 1997; 613 pgs, index, select annotated bibliography This has so many European chapters that it covers any immigrants. Also, in the Historical half, the Hebrew chapter provides Biblical names, and the Renaissance English chapter has all those wonderful Puritan slogan names that survived in America. Lots of family as well as personal names. T1
Kohler, Carl
A History of Costume **** Dover Publications, Inc., NY Hand-sized, info-packed, based on surviving clothes first and artwork secondarily. Author's line drawings of construction and detail. Neophytes should use with a picture book, which it will greatly clarify. T1
Klinger, Robert Lee
The Distaff Sketch Book **** Pioneer Press, Union city, TN; 1974 Klinger's lack of figure-drawing ability amazingly does not entirely interfere with his ability to give clothing and shoe construction patterns for re-enactors, or the curious. Do not believe the under-bust curves he insists on giving women in the age of the ice-cream cone bodice: he just KNOWS women hang over there, and it's so important to him he can't leave it out. T3
with Richard A. Wilder
Sketch Book '76; The American Soldier 1776-1781 *** Pioneer Press, Union City, TN, 1967 B&W line drawings of representative scenes, and details of clothing and equipment construction for re-enactors to build their own. Suspect Wilder did the scenes. T3
Lawliss, Chuck
The Early America Sourcebook: A Traveler's Guide *****! Crown Publishers, NY A unique book that discusses historical places in each state east of the Mississippi, their place in the development of the country, and rates each for its historical significance. Perfect when you are planning a research trip, or want to find out what's in your immediate district! T3
Morris, Richard B.
Witnesses at the Creation: Hamilton, Madison, Jay, and the Constitution Barnes & Noble, NY Explanation of the Federalist papers and their influence on the Constitution, if you don't want to delve directly into them yet. T2
Nelson, P. D.
William Tryon & the Course of Empire *** Chapel Hill Covers the Anglo-American tensions while Tryon was a royal governor, from 1765 to 1771 in North Carolina, and from 1771-1780 in New York. T3
Salmonson, Jessica Amanda
The Encyclopedia of Amazons: Women Warriors from Antiquity to the Modern Era *****! Paragon House, NY, 1991; 290 pg, no index, bibliography The Founding Mothers included couriers (Paul Revere was captured early, and his route finished by a teenage girl) and spies, but also artillery and foot soldiers, like Deborah Sampson. T2
Scheffel, Richard L., project editor
Discovering America's Past ** Reader's Digest Books, Pleasantville, NY; 1993; 400 pg, index, no bibliography An omnium gatherum of inventions, customs, practices and lifestyles, divided into 11 chapters by topic, such as "Educating America" which follows educational development as a series of short articles (half to full page) on unusual (to us) practices or noteworthy developments. Heavily illustrated, flashes of information, one of which may suit you. Best for the pages in the back listing Living History sites you can visit. T3
Tunis, Edwin
Frontier Living The World Publishing Company, Leveland, OH & NY, 1961; illustrated by the author Pen drawings manage to be technically accurate and artistic at once. Text in easy, personal style, accurate on what it covers, which is quite a lot of primitive technology. Hits early log cabin settlements, rivermen, Alta California, mountain trappers, weapons, food, milling shelter, clothes, vehicles, etc.! T2
Waugh, Norah
Corsets and Crinolines *****! Theatre Arts Books, 1954 Underpinnings, 1600's to 1925, in period art. T3 The Cut of Men's Clothes 1600-1900 *****! Theatre Arts Books, 1964 The most fashionable men's dress, in period illustrations, with tailor's patterns, period comments on colours and fabrics, etc. Superb. T3 The Cut of Women's Clothes, 1600 to 1930 *****! Theatre Arts Books, 1968 The same for women. Both books show fastenings! T3
Corsets and Crinolines *****! Theatre Arts Books, 1954 Underpinnings, 1600's to 1925, in period art. T3
The Cut of Men's Clothes 1600-1900 *****! Theatre Arts Books, 1964 The most fashionable men's dress, in period illustrations, with tailor's patterns, period comments on colours and fabrics, etc. Superb. T3
The Cut of Women's Clothes, 1600 to 1930 *****! Theatre Arts Books, 1968 The same for women. Both books show fastenings! T3
Wright, Benjamin F., ed.
The Federalist **** 1961; now from Barnes & Noble, NY; 672 pg This version of Federalist Papers was written as "Publius" by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay, collected in book form first in 1788. This is a new redaction. T3
http://www.ucr.edu/h-gig/topperindex.html
A thorough-going linksite maintained by the University of California at Riverside, H-GIG sorts by area, by era (ancient, Medieval, early Modern, Modern<yours>, and 20th C), or by topic (military, women, etc.). It's a good place to start a hunt for books and essays online.
http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/modsbook.html
Halsall, whom we know from the Internet Medieval Sourcebook, is responding to demand in the world by now compiling an onl-line library on modern subjects. As it grows, you never know what has been lately added.
http://www.LHOON.com/phreno/index.html
"Phrenology is the science which studies the relationships between a person's character and the morphology of the skull." Includes a historical overview, definitions of words and concepts, and images with meanings of various characteristics.
http://promo.net/pg/
Since 1971 putting classic books into electronic form.
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