Calendar
Sept 8 Book history and environmental history
Begin to explore book history by reading at home before class:
-intro to Senchyne, The Intimacy of Paper
-McBride, “Bundles, Bears, and Bibles” (from Early Native Literacies in New England)
In class:
-introductions
-generate questions/ideas around the readings, coming back to the main question of how they help us think about the materiality of books.
View AAS holdings in class:
assortment of printed materials from c17 to c19:
-editions of New England’s Prospect over four centuries
-C19 paper catalogs
-Soloman James, Little Book of Animals
-untouchable books: New English Canaan (1637); arsenic books
Our question: What was needed to make these books? How did book production relate to the environment?
-slideshow: questions prompted by the readings for today (examples of the kinds of question that weekly discussion leaders should come up with for future weeks)
Paged materials:
-A practical guide to the varieties and relative values of paper 1860 02 F
Little book of animals CL-Backlog 2797
-George Simon Winters wohlerfahrner Pferde-Arzt G438 W785 G840
-The New Testament of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ Dated Books
-New Englands prospect (1634) Reserve 1634 01
-Wood's New England's prospect LM Wood W865
-New-England's prospect (1764) Dated Books
-New Englands prospect (1898) E045 W881 N897
-New England's Prospect (1997) LM Wood N977
-samples of books produced with arsenic (1840s-1860s)
Sept 15 I’ll be away at a conference in England but class will meet to provide an orientation to the AAS.
-reading room orientation with Dan Boudreau
-tour of the AAS
-consideration of several items with Elizabeth Watts Pope
Sept 22 Seventeenth-Century Environmental History
secondary source:
-from Cronon, Changes in the Land (excerpt from American Environmentalism: Readings in Conservation History)
excerpts from primary materials:
-from Thomas Harriot's A Brief and True Report: look at images/text for pages 45, 55-68 (online resource)
-Louis Hennepin on Indian fishing (from Reading the Roots: American Nature Writing before Walden)
-John Josselyn on sea-monsters and slaves (from The English Literatures of America, 1500-1800)
-letter from Jeremy Belknap to Ruth Eliot, Sept. 20, 1764 (courtesy of Prof Wendy Roberts)
-for a foil, look at this extract from Izaak Walton’s The Compleat Angler
paged materials:
-Stevens's American bibliographer PR
-Thomas Hariot's Virginia (fascimile) LV Hari B966 F
-John Josselyn, An account of two voyages to New-England Reserve 1674 03
-John Josselyn, New-Englands rarities discovered Reserve 1672 04
-John Josselyn, colonial traveler: a critical edition of Two voyages to New-England E045 J84 J988
-Louis Hennepin, Nouvelle découverte d'un très grand pays situé dans l'Amérique, entre le Nouveau Mexique, et la Mer Glaciale Foreign 1697 H515 Nouv
-Louis Hennepin, A new discovery of a vast country in America Foreign 1698 H515
-John Bartram, Observations on the inhabitants, climate, soil, rivers, productions, animals, and other matters worthy of notice Reserve 1751 01
-William Bartram, Travels through North & South Carolina, Georgia, East & West Florida, the Cherokee country, the extensive territories of the Muscogulges, or Creek Confederacy, and the country of the Chactaws Dated Books
-Pehr Kalm, Travels into North America DXB B0754
Sept 27, 6:30: recommended Zoom lecture by Joshua Calhoun for the Bibliographical Society of America on “The Nature of the Page; or Seeing and Reading the Social Ecology of Texts.” Pre-registration is required for those who can make the time: https://secure.lglforms.com/form_engine/s/n2j7QISAvH-2xwaYwP8-7A?t=1692126116
Sept 29 Inventing Boston: An Archipelago Takes Shape
secondary source: from Lisa Brooks, Our Beloved Kin. Instead of reading the book, spend some time (at least an hour) navigating the paths on the companion website to the book. Begin at the home page, and after finding your way to the Start Guide, choose the "Navigate by Path" option instead of "By Chapter" (since we are not reading the book). Choose two of the six "Paths" that are available for you to navigate, reading the text, maps, and photographs carefully.
-slideshow: early American maps and the environment
excerpts from primary materials:
-from John Smith’s Description of New England (from Early American Writings, eds. Mulford, Vietto, and Winans)
-from William Wood, New England’s Prospect (from Reading the Roots: American Nature Writing before Walden)
-from Thoreau’s notes on reading Wood
Requested materials, mostly maps relating to Boston's history:
-The generall historie of Virginia, New-England, and the Summer Isles (1629)
-A new plan of the harbour of Boston in New England Lat. 42° 24' north longe (1702)
-A Map of the most inhabited part of New England (1760)
-Carte de la Baye de Baston située dans la Nouvelle Angleterre (1764)
-A Map of the most inhabited part of New England (1776)
-Tea thrown into Boston Harbor (Dec 16 1773)
Oct 6 Saltwater Slavery
secondary sources:
-from Smallwood, Saltwater Slavery
-optional secondary reading: Howard, “Swim your Ground: Towards a Black and Blue Humanities”
excerpts from primary materials:
-the petition of Belinda Sutton
-from Equiano, Interesting Narrative (from Unchained Voices: An Anthology of Black Authors in the English-Speaking World of the Eighteenth Century)
-Wheatley, “Ocean” (from Phillis Wheatley: Complete Writings)
Requested materials relating to slavery's effects on environment as reflected through various media:
-Substance of the reports delivered by the court of directors of the Sierra Leone Company, to the general court of proprietors: To which is prefixed memoirs of Naimbanna, an African prince
-History of the American colony in Liberia, from December 1821 to 1823
-A New atlas of the British West Indies: with a whole sheet general map of the West India Islands, and a whole sheet map of the island of Hispaniola, or St. Domingo
-Some historical account of Guinea: its situation, produce and the general disposition of its inhabitants: With an inquiry into the rise and progress of the slave-trade, its nature and lamentable effects
-The life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa, the African
-The life and adventures of Olaudah Equiano; or Gustavus Vassa, the African: From an account written by himself
-The mother and her children, or Twilight conversation
Oct 13 Terrifying Environments: C18/C19 Eco-Gothic at Sea
secondary sources:
-a couple of pages from Blumenberg, Shipwreck with Spectator
-optional secondary text: Cohen, "Chronotopes of the Sea" (from The Novel, Volume 2: Forms and Themes, ed. Moretti)
primary sources:
-Peter Kalm on the effects of depleted fisheries (from Reading the Roots: American Nature Writing before Walden)
-Edgar Allan Poe: three stories (from The Short Fiction of Edgar Allan Poe: An Annotated Edition)
Requested items:
-Cotton Mather and John Dean, Instructions to the living, from the condition of the dead : A brief relation of remarkables in the shipwreck of above one hundred pirates
-The life, and strange surprizing adventures of Robinson Crusoe, of York, mariner: who lived eight and twenty years all alone in an un-inhabited island on the coast of America, near the mouth of the great river
-The voyages, dangerous adventures and imminent escapes of Captain Richard Falconer
-Scarcity and exemplarity: American abridgements of Defoe: News from the moon; The Life and surprising adventure's [sic] of Robinson Crusoe, of York, mariner: With plates G. Love, sc.
-early eco-Gothic triple-decker novel: Edgar Huntly; or, Memoirs of a sleep-walker
-scientizing the animal-human myth: Elsie Venner: A romance of destiny
-Poe's prizewinning story: Baltimore Saturday visiter
-Poe's main journalistic outlet: Graham's lady's and gentleman's magazine
-Poe cleans up well: The works of Edgar Allan Poe: newly collected and edited, with a memoir, critical introductions, and notes
-How to dress for a pirate role on stage: The pirates own book, or Authentic narratives of the lives, exploits, and executions of the most celebrated sea robbers
-Poe's bestseller was about the ocean: The conchologist's first book
-Toxic pollution and downstream rights: Lament of the Albany Brewers
-The conquest of the ocean: Man in Wells & Gowen's submarine armor under water; Operation upon a sunken wreck with the "Wells & Gowens" submarine armor
Oct 20 Library closed. Meet across street in Goddard-Daniels House. Assignment: Close Description of Your Artifact.
Clean Water: Enlightenment Infrastructure, Urban Improvement, and Colonial Ecologies in Pennsylvania and Massachusetts
Read at home:
-View video: Holy Cross students/faculty, “Pakachoag: Where The River Bends”
-optional secondary reading: Klimasmith, “Urban Illuminations in Ormond” (from Urban Rehearsals and Novel Plots in the Early American City)
Requested materials:
-canal mania!: books about industrialism and ecology in C19 Worcester
Oct 27 Children’s Reading and Environmentalism
secondary sources:
-Sivils, "Juvenile Environmental Fiction"
primary sources:
-Jacob Abbott, Forests of Maine (1843)
Requested texts:
-Peter Parley's tales of the sea: With many engravings. CL G6555 S438 1836
-The trees, fruits, and flowers of the Bible. CL A5125 T7842 1846a
-The Scripture alphabet of animals. CL A5125 S4341 1842a
-The young observers; or, How to learn without books: In three parts. Part I.[-III.] 20230802
-Scripture animals, or Natural history of the living creatures named in the Bible, written especially for youth: Illustrated with cuts. CL F531 S534 1834
-The Cabinet of nature for the year: containing curious particulars characteristic of each month: Intended to direct young people to the innocent and agreeable employment of observing nature. C115 N2851 1817
-Marco Paul's travels and adventures in the pursuit of knowledge. CL A132 M321b 1843b
-A trip to the sea shore. E223
-Pebbles from the sea-shore; or, Lizzie's first gleanings. CL F2525 P3635 1851
-The History of little Jane and little Charles. McL-Comp A106
-The Child's book of the ocean: With numerous engravings. CL C537 B7284 1842
-William's visit to the sea-shore. CL-Pam W721 V831 1833
Nov 3 Creative Archival Research, Back Then: Doing Maritime/Riparian history in the C19
secondary source:
-from Christine De Lucia, Memory Lands
primary sources:
-from Sedgwick, Hope Leslie (1829) (from Penguin Classics Edition)
-Douglass, The Heroic Slave (1852) (from Autographs for Freedom)
Nov 10 Essay proposal workshop
Nov 17 5-page drafts due
Nov 24 Thanksgiving Break
Dec 1 Meet with me to discuss final drafts
Dec 8 Final presentations; papers due shortly thereafter