Bøger i American Roots serien

"Small-boat sailing" was first published in Yachting Monthly in August of 1912.

Originally published in 1903, this classic nature book by Mary Austin evokes the mysticism and spirituality of the American Southwest. Vibrant imagery of the landscape between the high Sierras and the Mojave Desert is punctuated with descriptions of the fauna, flora and people that coexist peacefully with the earth.

Sarah Orne Jewett places her most famous short story, "A White Heron," in her native Maine. Originally published in 1886, it's a coming-of-age story about a young city girl now living with her grandmother in the country. She comes out of her shell in nature, more comfortable with creatures than with people. A visit from a young bird hunter awakens her interest in the opposite sex, but when presented with an ethical decision, she protects her beloved white heron, instead of revealing its location. "...she remembers how the white heron came flying through the golden air and how they watched the sea and the morning together, and Sylvia cannot speak; she cannot tell the heron's secret and give its life away."This short work is part of Applewood's American Roots series, tactile mementos of American passions by some of America's most famous writers and thinkers.

Booker T. Washington's Classic Essay on the Importance of African Americans Working the Land

A Moving Account of the Death of Dubois' First-Born Son

"'The Passenger Pigeon' is from Ornithological Biography by John James Audubon. It was first published in 1831."--t.p. verso.

"'On the decay of the art of lying' was written in 1880 for a meeting of the Historical and Antiquarian Club of Hartford, CT. It was first published in The stolen white elephant, Etc., in 1882"--Title page verso.

"'A Declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions,' by Elizabth Cady Stanton, was first delivered as a speech at a women's rights convention held in Seneca Falls, NY on July 19, 1848"--Title page vers

The nature writings of pioneering environmentalist and Sierra Club founder John Muir are like no other. In this essay from 1894, Muir describes the grandeur of the winds at play in the forests, with stunning and musical detail about the trees of the Sierra and their individual reaction to the wind. Muir's story of climbing a 100-foot Douglas Spruce to experience the sway and swirl of a storm for himself is unforgettable. This short work is part of Applewood's "American Roots," series, tactile mementos of American passions by some of America's most famous writers.

New England transcendentalist Henry David Thoreau's 1843 essay "A Winter Walk" is a loving celebration of winter and walking. Thoreau vividly renders the winter season, writing of its sparkling beauty, its purity, and its stillness, and perfectly describing the warmth, coziness, and cheer to be found back at the home hearth. This short work is part of Applewood's "American Roots," series, tactile mementos of American passions by some of America's most famous writers.

"Originally written on December 17, 1940."--Title page verso.

In his 1915 poem "Blueberries," Pulitzer Prize-winner Robert Frost makes the ordinary experience of picking wild blueberries into an extraordinary endeavor, where you can smell the morning damp and feel the sun on your head and take delight in being the first to discover a blueberry patch ripe for picking. In the poem, Frost also introduces the reader to a poor neighbor family that needs the wild berries they pick to survive.This short work is part of Applewood's American Roots series, tactile mementos of American passions by some of America's most famous writers.

In this piece from 1920, originally published as a newspaper article in the Toronto Daily Star, a young Ernest Hemingway provides solid advice to the novice camper. In his typically succinct style, Hemingway gives tips on bug avoidance, bed preparation, and offers expert outdoor cooking instructions. Any city man enjoying an open-air vacation who follows Hemingway's advice "ought to be able to sleep comfortably every night, to eat well every day and to return to the city rested and in good condition." This short work is part of Applewood's "American Roots," series, tactile mementos of American passions by some of America's most famous writers.

Rendered deaf and blind by scarlet fever at the age of a year and a half, Helen Keller, with the help of Anne Sullivan, other teachers, and her own determination, learned to read, write, and speak several languages. Keller became an advocate for people with disabilities and fought for human rights her entire life. In 1903, while attending Radcliffe College - she was the first deaf blind person to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree - she wrote "Optimism Within." "If I am happy in spite of my deprivations, if my happiness is so deep that it is a faith, so thoughtful that it becomes a philosophy of life, if, in short, I am an optimist, my testimony to the creed of optimism is worth hearing." This short work is part of Applewood's "American Roots" series, tactile mementos of American passions by some of America's most famous writers and thinkers.

Walt Whitman's "Song of the Open Road," from his seminal work Leaves of Grass, is a celebration of freedom and the joy of journeying. In Whitman's classic poem, the road becomes a metaphor for life's journey, full of possibilities, adventures, and the promise of personal discovery. " Song of the Open Road" encapsulates the essence of American transcendentalism, advocating for self-reliance and a profound connection with nature. Whitman's language and verse mirrors the free spirit of the open road, where societal constraints dissolve and the individual becomes one with the world. "To know the universe itself as a road, as many roads, as roads for traveling souls."--Walt Whitman

"The gospel of nature is a chapter from Time and change ... it was first published in 1912"--Title page verso.

This short work is part of Applewood's "American Roots" series, tactile mementos of American passions by some of America's most famous writers.

William Faulkner's short story "The Bear" was first published in the May 9, 1942 issue of The Saturday Evening Post and is considered one of the best short stories of the twentieth century.The piece is a coming-of-age tale that weaves together themes of family, race, and the taming of the wilderness, as the young main character learns to hunt and track the huge bear known as Old Ben. "Be scared. You can't help that. But don't be afraid. Ain't nothing in the woods going to hurt you unless you corner it, or it smells that you are afraid."This short work is part of Applewood's American Roots series, tactile mementos of American passions by some of America's most famous writers and thinkers.

"How It Feels To Be Colored Me" by Florida native Zora Neale Hurston was originally published in The World Tomorrow in May 1928. In this autobiographical piece about her own color, Hurston reflects on her early childhood in an all-black Florida town and her first experiences in life feeling "different." In this beautiful piece, Hurston largely focuses on the similarities we all share and on her own self-identity in the face of difference. "Through it all, I remain myself."This short work is part of Applewood's American Roots series, tactile mementos of American passions by some of America's most famous writers and thinkers.

Edgar Allan Poe, the father of American horror fiction, first published his macabre short story "The Black Cat" in the August 19, 1843 edition of The Saturday Evening Post. The frightening tale of a murderer tormented by guilt over his terrible deeds is a classic. The narrator's admission that much of his bad behavior and deranged thinking is the result of demon alcohol is possibly autobiographical, as Poe himself struggled with alcoholism throughout his life.This short work is part of Applewood's American Roots series, tactile mementos of American passions by some of America's most famous writers and thinkers.

One of the most popular pieces of American fiction is Washington Irving's "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow," originally published in 1820 in Irving's short story collection The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent. Set in New York's Hudson River valley after the American Revolution, it is rich with Dutch culture, regional history, and ghost stories. In schoolmaster Ichabod Crane and his adversary the Headless Horseman, Irving created two of the most unforgettable characters in American literature.This short work is part of Applewood's "American Roots," series, tactile mementos of American passions by some of America's most famous writers and thinkers.