Massachusetts Books

Difficult to find book written by Child in its original format, a bit difficult to read due to its type set, but none the less it is as it was. I give credit to Mrs. Child for standing her ground and speaking her mind on a subject that brought about a whole new way of thinking, a hundred years before it was politically correct to do so. After writting this book Child's career would never be the same.

This book shows some really great scenes of the past and present in Arlington. The pictures are all newly published and come from a large number of sources. Much of Arlington is represented. Mr. Duffy has done another excellent job.

This is a wonderfully illistrated book that gives a sampling of what Massachusetts is well known for. And gives a flavor of the many nauticle scenes that are classic to our state.

For visitors from out of state or the country, I highly recommend this as a gift.

Tarule, himself a furniture-maker in Vermont making reproductions of 17th-century furniture, tells Thomas Dennis's story almost as if Dennis were a character in a novel. Dennis was one of the first furniture-makers in America to gain notoriety. Coming to America and settling in the Massachusetts village of Ipswich in the mid 1600s, Dennis used many of the techniques and styles found in British furniture-making of this period. Yet having to select appropriate trees from American forests, usually in consideration of village laws relating to certain kinds of trees, work with other American craftsmen, make furniture to order from nearby residents, and give it suitable embellishments for attractiveness, Dennis is seen as an originator of American woodworking and furniture-making. But in this work, Tarule is not interested in a study of furniture-making, or a history of it. The author's concern is the work and expertise Dennis put into making one oak chest. From the author's following this in detail, one learns a great deal about 17th-century furniture-making and also the regional Colonial society. For Dennis is viewed in the narrative as both a extraordinary and respected craftsman and a member of the community which supported and shaped his trade. Tarule does not simply say what kind of wood the particular chest was made of, but takes the reader right with Dennis as he goes to the nearby woods looking for a tree with suitable oak tree, keeping in mind the village's laws. "As soon as Thomas Dennis entered the Ipswich woods, he was in the New World. The forest was primordial...The sort of trees Dennis looked for are apparent in his furniture. The wood is close grained...." And so on with a discussion of different types of oak trees whose characteristics Ipswich artists knew from "forest type, slope degree and direction, dampness of the ground, soil conditions, and even genetic variation on local trees." Tarule even engages in a comparison of British forests and American forests of the period, and changes in American forests over time. Tarule weaves a fascinating narrative under the general heading of Americana of interest to diverse readers such as antique dealers, woodworkers, and American Colonial historians.

A good account of Swedish people in the Boston area at the begionning of the 20th century. Well written with some surprise s in the photo line. Seaburg is a well known Boston poet so I was not surprised that he did such a fine job in this volume.

If you want to know where the water flows in Massachusetts, this is the book. It shows the major river systems throughout the state and the significant tributaries within them. Although it was probably intended for environmental study, it could be very useful to canoeist and kayakers. A rating system describes the smoothness and scenic attractiveness of many navigable rivers, as well as showing the locations of dams.

I happpen to work for this company and I know a lot of the Aubuchons and the Morans. They are a good company to work for and the owners are very easy to talk to and are very personable. This is a family run company and they truly treat their employees like family. The third generation is running the company (CEO) and the fourth generation is in charge of the internet while the 5th generation was just born. The book is very well done and the pictures reflect what they had to endure and how they lasted 100 years. That is quite an accomplishment in todays big box store environment. A fascinating look at what the stores were like for the past 100 years and how they have changed to keep up with modern retailing and how they have adapted to the 21st century.

Emily Dickinson is often a religious poet, and more often than many think, an erotic one. She is famous for her mysteries and contradictions and elusiveness. She died and left more than l700 poems, many almost indecipherable, and a number of them "uncertainly finished." Her sister Vinnie wanted the works to see print, but could not persuade her brother Austin's wife Sue to get the job done, so she turned to Austin's mistress, Mabel, who was also married. This is the lovers' story, told through 13 years of self-justifying letters and diary entries. More importantly, it is the story of how Mabel took on the job of copying and editing the poems to please her lover, and perhaps to irritate her enemy, Sue. Emily became famous about five years after she died due to Mabel's efforts. Polly Longsworth did a fine job condensing love letters and diary entries to give us a picture of these tormented souls, whose relationships all ended badly. The actual love letters between Austin and Mabel clearly show that neither had Emily's literary talent, but both had her passion. Where Emily apparently suppressed carnality, her brother and his "other woman" reveled in it. If you are as fascinated by Emily's life as you are by her poetry, this part of the tale, while largely occurring after she died, is essential to know. A very worthwhile addition to the saga of Emily Dickinson.

I don't currently own this book, but it's number one on my Christmas list! I have reached multiple renewal limits at the local library with this title. The large number of artists included in the book provide a variation in painting style as well as informative text regarding the artist and his/her work. The color plates have been well chosen to give the reader an appreciation for the masters of watercolor painting. I have returned again and again to Awash in Color as a reference for my own paintings.

Reed Browning's "Baseball's Greatest Season, 1924" makes the assertion that, given the close pennant races in both leagues, the 1924 season is the greatest in history. I thought that 1908 was pretty good, maybe the best, but Browning does have some convincing arguments for 1924: it was a watershed year for baseball, after World War I, the lively ball, the rookies and near rookies who began then or were breaking in around that time, and the last major scandal involving the throwing of games. Plus, it had a very exciting World Series involving a first time league champion versus one that had just won its league for the fourth time in a row.

Browning constructed his book in an interesting way, alternating the happenings of the sixteen teams during the year with the off-the-field aspects of baseball during that time. It is an effective way of getting a well-rounded picture of the total baseball scene for 1924. For example, a chapter may cover the period from Memorial Day to the 4th of July, and the surges and failings of the pennant contenders and second division teams are outlined. The next chapter may be about the business of baseball in the mid-1920s: how the money was earned by each club, how it was spent, and how much might be spent on which items. There are some that may find this kind of information less interesting than pennant races, or a distraction to the flow of the book, but there are also those who find this information interesting and may enjoy this slight break in the 1924 season to get an overall view of baseball in that era.

Overall, it is most interesting book, one that has the drama of exciting pennant races, the joy of a national hero making his first World Series appearance, a seven-game contest between contrasting styles of play, extra inning dramatics several times during the Series, unexpected quirks of fate in the last game, and, as in all good plots, a surprising ending. It's definitely a good book to read.