Folkways

A Dictionary of Old English Music & Musical Instruments - by Jeffrey Pulver Purchase through Amazon Jeffrey Pulver wrote numerous works on music, including Paganini, the Romantic Virtuoso, and Aids to Elementary Violin Playing. This particular work seeks to rescue and herald the English history of music, and to elevate it to the status of music found in France, Italy and other European nations in… Continue reading

Curious Epitaphs: Collected from the Graveyards of Great Britain and Ireland: with Biographical, Genealogical, and Historical Notes - by William Andrews FRHS Purchase through Amazon How do you summarize a life in just a few words? William Andrews takes readers on a journey through strange and unusual epitaphs of the 19th century in England, featuring a variety of both notable and obscure figures: servants, soldiers, clergy, musicians, clerks and more. Andrews’ work is… Continue reading

Eben Holding’s Last Day A-Fishing - by Irving Bacheller Purchase through Amazon | Purchase through CreateSpace In addition to being a writer, Addison Irving Bacheller (1859-1950) founded the Bacheller Syndicate, the first newspaper syndicate in the United States established in 1885 to provide unique content to fill additional space of Sunday papers. It was often with writing by well-known authors like Rudyard… Continue reading

Facts and Speculations on the Origin and History of Playing Cards - by William Andrew Chatto Purchase through Amazon | Purchase through CreateSpace William Andrew Chatto (1799-1864) initially was employed in the wholesale tea business. However, his real passion was antiquarian scholarship, so in 1834, he gave up the family firm and devoted himself to writing full-time. His first work was entitled, Recollections of Fly-Fishing in Northumberland, under the… Continue reading

Foreign Freemasonry: Its Position vis-a-vis of Christianity and of Catholicity - by D. Moncrieff O’Connor Purchase through Amazon Social history as a corrective to a historiography is often too limited to diplomacy and wars. It began an upward trajectory as early as the 1930s, but it remains constrained by the frustrating cost and availability of materials that even great research libraries lack. This volume is a… Continue reading

Historical Sketches of New Haven - Ellen Strong Bartlett was an evocative and prolific writer. Historical Sketches of New Haven offers a wonderful portrait of New Haven, Connecticut. Bartlett offers centuries of history, photographs, architectural analysis, folklore and more.

Homeopathy: B.F. Bittinger’s Historical Sketch of Washington’s Hahnemann Monument - Purchase through Amazon One of the more imposing monuments in Washington is not to a general or to a congressman but to a leader in the homeopathic movement. One may wonder whether homeopathic remedies are effective; there is not an iota of proof that the promises the movement makes are ever kept, but homeopathic systems… Continue reading

Lariats and Lassos: Bernard S. Mason’s How to Spin a Rope - Purchase through Amazon | Purchase through CreateSpace By Bernard S. Mason No self-respecting cowboy would refer to a lasso. A rope was a rope. Roping was the activity and rope was the instrument. However, the magic that could be worked fascinated Americans, and the Wild West Show for a time rivaled the circus as exciting entertainment… Continue reading

Naturism in the United States - Purchase through Amazon | Purchase through CreateSpace This controversial book has been a stalwart part of the reading lists of those attracted to naturism, which involved much more than simply taking off clothes and lying on a beach. The complex relationship that involves nudity with disciplines as disparate as yoga and environmentalism makes the subject… Continue reading

Ocean Life in the Old Sailing Ship Days - by John D. Whidden Purchase on Amazon John D. Whidden served in various roles on ships since the age of twelve. Although he portrayed himself as a roguish boy, he quickly proved himself as a ship’s gofer, and earned a mate’s position by his early twenties. His travels saw him around the world, with stops at… Continue reading

Old London Taverns: Historical, Descriptive, and Reminiscent - by Edward Callow Purchase through Amazon In February 1900, a journal review of Old London Taverns commented that the author was annoyed by mistakes in recounting pub history. So he embarked on this chronicle: “He tells us of various taverns, chop-houses, bakers’, butchers’, and kindred topics of considerable variety, places both new and old. He… Continue reading

Old Stories & Sayings from India, Ceylon, Burma, and the Near East - by Isa Fyvie Mayo Purchase through Amazon Isabella Fyvie Mayo was an incredible woman. Born in 1843 in London, she enjoyed the benefits of schooling and encouragement of her writing. She worked tirelessly to help her family, but for many years she was uncompensated for her writing. Finally, once she was published it was to… Continue reading

Peasant Art in Sweden, Lapland and Iceland - by Charles Holme Purchase through Amazon Art made by those not traditionally trained has several terms, including outsider art, folk art, raw art and peasant art. This particular work offers a carefully chosen selection of both the decorative and fine arts of Sweden, Iceland, and the northern-most region of Finland. A comprehensive survey, it includes… Continue reading

Practical Falconry: To Which is Added, How I Became a Falconer - by Gage Earle Freeman Purchase through Amazon Gage Earle Freeman (1820-1903) wrote a number of articles on falconry. He was introduced to the sport in England and retained a life-long interest in it, often working with kestrel-hawks, peregrine falcons, and sparrow hawks. He was also an esteemed poet, winning four Seatonian Prizes; a father to… Continue reading

Productive Bee-Keeping Modern Methods of Production and Marketing of Honey: Lippincott’s Farm Manuals - by Frank C. Pellett Purchase through Amazon Lippincott’s developed a series of manuals regarding agricultural production, including this volume on beekeeping. Among other things, it offers a historical look at apiculture, the practice of human harvesting of products from honey bee colonies, as well as its marketing methodology. Beekeeping has quite a history, dating back… Continue reading

Songs of a Sourdough - by Robert W. Service Purchase through Amazon Robert Service was born in 1874 and grew up in Scotland as the oldest of 10 siblings. Even as a child he craved excitement, but his energy was channeled into the quiet life of a bank clerk. He did enroll in the English Language and Literature program at… Continue reading

The Basket Maker: An Illustrated Guide to 20th Century Basket Weaving - by Luther Weston Turner Purchase through Amazon Basket weaving is a long-practiced art form around the world, used in practical and decorative manners. Author Luther Weston Turner developed this illustrative manual to explain how to develop a variety of simple, melon shaped, and circular baskets, as well as mats. He begins with the basics to… Continue reading

The History of Playing Cards: Anecdotes for Their Use in Conjuring, Fortune Telling & Card Sharping - by Rev. Ed. S. Taylor Purchase through Amazon | Purchase through CreateSpace The History of Playing Cards offers a comprehensive look at the history and usage of cards, tracing their movements through India, China, the Middle East, and through Europe, with a heavy emphasis on cards in France and England. Taylor included a great deal of… Continue reading

Trail of the Lonesome Pine - by John Fox Jr., Illustrated by F. C. Yohn Purchase through Amazon The Trail of the Lonesome Pine is set in the Appalachian Mountains and examines a long-standing family feud between the Falins and the Tollivers, somewhat based on the life of “Devil John” Wesley Wright. The work examines the impact that industrialization and mining… Continue reading

Vampires and Vampirism: Collected Stories from Around the World - by Dudley Wright Purchase through Amazon Dudley Wright’s fascinating work offers an academic treatment of the history of vampires. He traces the legend of vampires through history and around the world, making stops at Hungary, Britain, Russia, and various parts of what was then referred to as the Orient. He offers a collection of stories… Continue reading