Sometimes, "history" is kind of immediate

[jducoeur]

And now I'm packing the antique books case (the secretary with closed doors in the living room). And I find our copy of The History of the United States.

Inscribed by John LaGrange, Jane's father's ancestor and namesake.

In 1824.

Rather neat stuff -- while the first half of the book is the ur-history of the country starting in 1492, the second half is basically the story of the Revolution and its aftermath, written while it was still living memory.

Yes, unicornpearlz, you can take a look at it sometime. (Carefully: it's in good shape for its age, but...)

Comments

[hudebnik.livejournal.com]

Many years ago, while visiting my grandparents, I decided on a lark to find The Oldest Book In The House. The oldest one I found was from right around that time (I forget the precise date, but 18teens or twenties), with the daunting title The Arcana of Arts and Sciences, Being a Compendium of Tried and Useful Receipts, Many Of Which were Never Before Published. It's a collection of household tips, dye and ink recipes, techniques for beating specific farm pests, etc. all aimed at frontier residents (i.e. Ohio and western Pennsylvania). Fascinating reading....