No comments about Hammatt Papers: Early Inhabitants of Ipswich, Massachusetts, 1633-1700.

2 comments about Thomas Cooke of Rhode Island: A genealogy of Thomas Cooke, alias Butcher of Netherbury, Dorsetshire, England, who came to Taunton, Massachusetts in 1637 and settled in Portsmouth, Rhode Island in 1643.

1. Mrs. Fiske has carefully sorted through early documents and developed a thorough and friendly history of the Thomas Cook line. She presents new thoughts, supports them with evidence, and makes this book a very valuable resource for those working anywhere along this line. Two fat! volumes may be obtained (be sure to tell Amazon which, or both, that you want) and you'll learn more than you ever dreamed possible about the Cooks. There are a few errors as can be expected in a work of this size (Grandpa's middle name was Orlando, not Oleander) but they appear minor in relationship to the vast number of entries.



2. 
   Great work! Invaluable tool for Cook research. Mrs.Fiske has done
   an outstanding job!

No comments about Fresh Pond: The History of a Cambridge Landscape.

5 comments about Salem: Place, Myth, and Memory.

1. Having taught Salem History to children for many years I find this book fascinating. (In fact, where was this book when I needed it?)Chapter by chapter, allows the reader to actually see the development of Salem from a small colonial village to the modern day.

   The details ranging from the crimes that happened in Salem during the centuries to the remaking of the place as a global city, is plotted out in such detail, that at times it reads like a novel. Pay attention to Chapter 7-detailing Hawthorne and his part in the city-as this is written with style and elegance.




2. This was a rare book that shifted how I view things. I found this book to be unique in its approach to looking at the city of Salem, MA and addressing its sense of place. Although I found each chapter interesting, the whole collection together really got me thinking in new ways about how I view communities and the multiple layers that make them up.



3. I have read many books on Salem and its history; I live almost next door to Salem; I was even born there for heaven's sake! I thought I knew everything important about this historic New England city.
   
   And then I read this book! I learned new things about what I thought I already knew, and I found that there is much about Salem that has been largely ignored. Most people are familiar with the witchcraft hysteria, the China trade, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and the modern witch industry. But how many of us knew that many of Salem's characteristic architectural details are derived from that China trade? Or that Salem, too, was one of the New England textile towns - one of the towns that suffered from the loss of this industry? That Salem has been an immigrant city for many years, encouraging people to come to work in its mills - until those mills close! Or that Salem is currently home to a thriving Dominican population?
   
   I found it especially helpful to look at one place - this city of Salem - from a variety of perspectives. Now that I've read Morrson's book I think I can say that I know this town pretty well!



4. I took Dane Morrison's graduate Historiography class 10 years ago. He taught me that one can learn more about an historian (Morrison etal) than about history (Salem) when reading history. The chapter about Salem's religious history seems to have been written by a Harvard Divinity School Pagan; half the chapter is about Laurie Cabot. The chapter about the House of Seven Gables tells us nothing of value or interest. I guess she didnt like what she read in my term paper about the House; the reason I didnt get a good grade in her Archeology class. Shultz' chapter on Hawthorne excellent. Chapter on crimes excellent (I know Mike Szczuka,sp?); I've read her fiction. Overall good. But the anti-Conservative Christian bias is a downer.



5. I purchased this book as a gift for a family member who has recently relocated to Salem, MA. I did not read the book in its entirety, but I was VERY pleased to see that it addresses so many various aspects of Salem, in both historical and current times. Most other books I looked at on Salem revolved soleley around the Witch Trials, or the House of the Seven Gables, or both--this book seemed to cover data from almost all "walks of life," and because each chapter was penned or edited by a different author, there is variety in the ways that the information is presented as well.

2 comments about Barns of the Berkshires.

1. Having worked with timber frame houses and barns and around farms for many years I find Steve Donaldson's book to be a terrific introduction to the beauty of Berkshire County and the built environment found in Western Massachusetts. The photographs are beautiful and the level of focus regarding timber frame barn restoration and construction is a welcome change from standard coffee table books. This book is well worth a look.
   
   Dave Lanoue
   David E. Lanoue, Inc.
   Engineers - Architects - Builders



2. Barns of the Berkshires is not only a beautiful collection of photographs, but also a valuable education on this rapidly disappearing architectural treasure. Stephen Donaldson uses his photographic talent to encourage the preservation of this icon of the New England countryside. I recommend this book to anyone who values this country's scenic beauty.

1 comments about Beacon Hill: The Life and Times of a Neighborhood.

1. A great book from the pictures to the well-written text. A nice glimpse at how Beacon Hill has evolved and thrived since its origin. Written with feeling and flows like a novel!

3 comments about A Rabble in Arms: Massachusetts Towns and Militiamen during King Philip's War (Warfare and Culture).

1. Zelner's text proves that the old values of social history, combined with new perspectives on war and society, can produce important new additions to the historical landscape. The impressive leg-work that must have gone into the production of this book certainly pay off in its results. The assumption of the democratic status of the early American militia, and society more generally, is proven false. The society Zelner portrays is far more complex; at times petty, at times genuinely conflicted, the tragedy of war and the choices it forces communities to make are vividly described. This book would be a welcome addition to any historian of war and society, early America, or social history. Zelner should be particularly applauded for his contextualization of the American experience in its English (and colonial) context. An impressive display of scholarship in a genuinely readable format.



2. Names, Places, in our history. If you have family from Massachusetts or delight in learning about this countries early history in a personal way, this is the book for you!



3. A RABBLE IN ARMS: MASSACHUSETTS TOWNS AND MILITIAMEN DURING KING PHILIP'S WAR
   Kyle F. Zelner
   New York University Press, 2009
   Hardcover, $50.00, 325 Pages, Illustrations, Maps, Appendices, Tables, Bibliography, Notes
   
   
   The militia in the English colonies evolved from the ancient Anglo-Saxon fyrd, which was based on the obligation of every member of society to participate in the common defense. After the Norman Conquest in 1066, the military responsibilities of the militia, as the Latinized fyrd was called, gradually dwindled as medieval monarchs relied more and more on mercenaries and a hereditary warrior class to fight their wars. By 1600, the English militia was essentially moribund. Only a fraction of the middle and upper classes were enrolled; training was infrequent and ineffective; and weapons were scarce and often obsolete. The peculiar nature of the English colonial experience in North America led to a revival of the militia in the New World. Because the early English colonies were under-capitalized commercial enterprises rather than government projects, the colonists couldn't rely on royal military forces or expensive mercenaries for protection. As no one else would defend them, they had to defend themselves. The initial landing parties in Chesapeake Bay and New England usually included veterans of the wars in Ireland or the Netherlands, such as John Smith and Miles Standish. Their responsibility was to train the rest of the colonists in the military arts and provide military leadership in times of crisis. As the years passed and the early colonies became established, these ad hoc military arrangements were formalized by law and custom into English-style militias. The early settlements at Jamestown, Plymouth, and Massachusetts Bay weren't products of cross-Atlantic military assaults on hostile New World beachheads, but colonizing efforts by civilians for whom a professional military was anathema. Thus, as civilian-colonists whose only thoughts were of self-protection, their fundamental military organization was simple, defensive in nature, and based on the long-held English tradition of a citizen-soldiery, or militia. Militia represented a classical (and biblical) tradition of free people dropping scythes and shouldering weapons to defend hearth and home against invaders; then, the battle won, of returning to resume cutting hay. For a people with neither resources nor inclination-based on both religious and secular philosophical convictions-to maintain full-time defenders, a community-based militia wholly made up of citizen-soldiers dovetailed prefectly with their basic credos. Initially, militia service was universal. Varying slightly from colony to colony, every able-bodied male from 16 to 60 (which sometimes included slaves and indentured servants) was expected to keep and maintain a firearm and sufficient ammunition, and to willingly appear for regularly schedule drill. In a new book, A RABBLE IN ARMS: MASSACHUSETTS TOWNS AND MILITIAMEN DURING KING PHILIP'S WAR, author Kyle F. Zelner provides an insightful portrayal of Massachusetts soldiery in one of the most important but overlooked wars in this nation's history-King Philip's War. Drawing on muster and pay lists as well as numerous historical records, Zelner demonstrates that Essex County's more upstanding citizens, such as yeoman farmers, church members, and family heads, were often spared from impressments, while the "rabble"-criminals, drunkards, the poor-were forced to join active fighting u8nits, with town militia committees selecting soldiers who would be least missed should they die in action. He carefully peels away myths that have been reinforced so strongly through the mediums of popular culture (literature, movies, and television) that fact and fiction have blurred, but the reality was quite different. Zelner's book is a welcome addition to the literature of pre-Revolutionary War America.
   
   
   Lt. Colonel Robert A. Lynn, Florida Guard
   Orlando, Florida

5 comments about Harvard Square: An Illustrated History Since 1950.

1. If you'd like to wander down memory lane looking at photographs of businesses, mostly shops and restaurants, that the author enjoyed, this is the book for you. There's some mention and pictures of various new commercial buildings going up. But the book repeatedly covers the same places, like the Hong Kong Restaurant, while never mentioning Underdog, Goods, or Ta Tien. I appreciated learning that an eccentric widow owned most of the commercial buildings and rented them out very cheaply so that all those charming and marginal businesses could flourish. After she died the rents went up, those businesses died or moved away from the square, and national chains came in.
   
   There is material about the folk movement (based around the venues), the 60s riots (banks and stores were damaged), the building of the new T station and extension, and a couple of the buskers. I was expecting something else, a real history of the square, with architecture, facts, etc. based on the title. Endless slightly different photos of the same streetscapes a few years apart got a bit old, I could tell that the author put a LOT of work into finding photos, researching when certain stores opened, closed, and finding information about their owners, but there's just too much missing. If you're looking for a more general history of the Square you may also be a little disappointed.



2. Harvard Square: An Illustrated History Since 1950 offers an oversized, visual journey through one of this country's must influential public places, offering a decade-by-decade account of the events and people of Harvard Square. It will earn its place in any library strong in regional American or Massachusetts history, featuring fine photos and interviews with over a hundred of the people who influenced the square's history and development.



3. Hi:
   Excellent book. Brought back many memories of my working and socializing in Harvard Square from the 60's on. It was about time something like this was published. Great pictures!!!!



4. If you've ever spent any time in Harvard Square, the heart of Cambridge, this is a treasure of a book. It is well organized, with interesting commentary on what was happening when, as well as terrific photos of Harvard Square as it changed over the years. This book has provided many hours of nostalgic wandering down memory lane.



5. I would stop at Harvard Coop and look through this book but could never see spending the money. I finally used the bonus money from my Amazon credit card to purchase it from Amazon. It doesn't cover EVERY store or business that you might remember but oh so many! So many stores and restaurants that have come and gone. This would really be a great gift for some 60 year old who was a student in Boston/Cambridge or one, like me, who grew up in that area and would take trips into the Square for the shopping or the museums. Oh, to have a Bailey's sundae again or look for fun things at Truc or have an apple beer at the Wursthaus or or ... it's all here. A wonderful book, full of photos and memories. You'll be saying "I remember THAT!" as you turn the pages.

5 comments about Ceremonial Time: Fifteen Thousand Years on One Square Mile.

1. Loved the book especially since I live in NH. We were walking down a commercial ally in Portsmouth, NH and I spied the book in a store window. I said to my husband, remember the name. We got home and ofcourse I forgot but remembered the Author's last name and something about C-Time. I pulled up Portsmouth on the computer found the address. Called and they were kind enough to
   send it to me Media Mail. Got it the next day!!! Within 15 pages I was hooked. The book was written in '85 and I dare to think that the whole area has been commercialized since. I travel I-495 occasionally and I wil be searching for Scratch Flat intently as he gave precise directions.



2. This is marketed as natural history / history . The author himself has admitted that parts of it are just made up. Major disappointment.



3. A "must read" for anyone living close to the land. I appreciated the author's understanding that we and our environs exist not just 2- or 3- dimensions, but rather four with time being the missing feature in most people's thinking about the land and landscapes. It should be noted, however, that I live in the region and can relate to the local setting and features Mitchell describes.



4. I admit I know the author. I met him while bragging about my - as unyet unpublished - book (it will be soon). He did not brag - but my wife had read Ceremonial Time and loved it. I bought it with some prejudice. Can't be that good... Yet it was. It is the BEST book about sense of place I have ever read. Including The Outermost House - yes, that good. Just buy it.
   
   aloha
   
   Sam Low



5. How much do you want to believe? It's up to you. If you have no interest in Indian folk stories, spirits, ghosts, paranormal encounters and fantasy, then pass this book on by. If you want to walk into the woods and fall under the enchantment of the spirits and critters that dwell there, present and past, then this is the book for you. Have you ever walked alone in the woods, and had a feeling that something else was there? What was it? That is the topic of this book.
   
   There is another level of this book that works so well for me, and that is the author's keen interest in other people's stories. He does this in his other books as well, in that he observes and talks to everyone and anyone, with a genuine interest in their lives. We could learn a lesson here....most people have an interesting story to tell, if we search for it. If we just lose interest in ourselves for a bit, if we learn to see other people as potential friends, we could enrich our lives. I find this refreshing in our era of self-indulgent memoirs.
   
   And that grey-haired gentleman over there in the woods, clearly not sticking to the path...the one crouching down examining something on the ground or making snorting monkey sounds? The one staring up at the trees, imitating the bird songs? Who is that? Well, it's John Hanson Mitchell. And he's willing to talk to you, and share his find.

3 comments about Plymouth Colony: Its History and People.

1. In doing research on my own ancestor who was a passanger on the Mayflower and one of the original Pilgrims, I have used over 50 books. This one is by far the best. Very readable, this book provides an excellent narative of many of the events of the first 70 years at Plymouth, and detailed descriptions of many of the Pilgrims. For anyone interested in this era, this book is a must.



2. There are hundreds of books out there about the Pilgrims and the first Thanksgiving and all that goes with the subject. But the majority of these books are written either in a stodgy, encyclopedic (read: Boring!) format, or they are written for children. Well, now I have one that is actually written for adults, as well as in an easy to read manner. Written mainly from a genealogical stance, the author, Eugene Aubrey Stratton, did his "putting flesh on the bones" research; that is, he sought out how the pilgrims lived their daily lives in all aspects of their time and place. Instead of the cartoonish figures we all see come November, Mr. Stratton actually gives an authentic look to these early Americans. He makes the reader feel that they now know the pilgrims, not only through their historical prominence in our early history, but by name, and we feel their hardships, especially of their first winter here. After the first time reading this book, I re-read it, only this time I read the 'Biographical Sketches' section, located toward the back of the book, first, THEN I went to the beginning. My advice to the first time reader is to do the same. You will then know who you are reading about as names are mentioned.
   This book is, simply put, the best of its kind. Maybe more genealogists should write our history books! At least they bring history to life!



3. My husband & I are both descended from The Mayflower - He from William Brewster & Stephen Hopkins and I from William Bradford. This book has added so much information for our Genealogy. I cannot tell you how many times I have used it to add information to our family history file. It has many years of use.