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America(n) General - Non Fiction

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American Barns and Covered Bridges, by Eric Sloane. 6x9", 112 pages. This lovingly written book presents reliable records of such vanishing forms of architecture as the American barn and covered bridge. Delightful anecdotes accompany accurate line drawings of barns attached to houses, an "open" log barn in Virginia, a "top hat" barn in North Carolina, and more. Over 75 black-and-white illustrations. ADD811-$10.00

Diary of an Early American Boy: Noah Blake 1805, by Eric Sloane. 8x11", 128 pages. This reprint of an actual early-19th-century diary provides today's readers with an engaging rarity: a 15-year-old's brief, concise notebook and Sloane's 72 drawings and explanatory narrative. "An extraordinary glimpse into everyday Early American rural life . . . will delight readers of all ages." — History in Review. ADD810-$10.00

The American Boy's Handy Book: Turn-of-the-Century Classic of Crafts and Activities, by Daniel C. Beard 5x8", 464 pages, softbound book. Used by generations of Boy Scouts, this classic includes scores of projects — from stocking aquariums and performing puppet shows to sculpting snowmen and making sleds. Includes chapters on fishing, rigging and sailing small boats, kite flying, camping out without a tent, and much else. 254 black-and-white figures. 63 illustrations. ADD2031-$13.00

Boy Scouts Handbook: The First Edition, 1911, by Boy Scouts of America, 2005. 448 pages, 5.5x8.5", softbound book. Read by presidents, scientists, and national heroes, the Boy Scouts Handbook has been used by generations of American youths. Filled with practical advice for everyone, the book contains everything from safety tips on swimming and instructions for putting up a tent to directions for making an aquarium and pointers on how to identify common North American trees. More than 200 figures and illustrations accompany valuable information on woodcrafting, camping, sailing, hiking, health and endurance, and providing first aid. But more than just a guide to outdoor life, the handbook also offers timeless observations on politeness, patriotism, and good citizenship. As useful and valid today as it was when first published nearly 100 years ago, the Boy Scouts Handbook will delight Americana enthusiasts as much as it will be treasured by collectors and nature lovers. ADD2361-$11.00

Historic American Costumes and How to Make Them, by Mary Evans, 2010. 6x9”, 192 pages, softbound with CD: This easy-to-use handbook presents step-by-step instructions and patterns for a tremendous variety of clothes and accessories from colonial times through the Civil War. More than eighty illustrations depict Puritan, Dutch, Quaker, and Native American garb as well as military uniforms. A bonus CD features every pattern in vector files. Drawing upon authentic materials in the collections of major museums, including the American Museum of Natural History and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the author presents accurate renditions of generations of American formal and leisure wear. Costumers of all kinds will find this book a source of inexpensive apparel for amateur theater troupes, school pageants, and casual reenactments. It will also prove an inspiration to parents and children seeking informal costumes for Halloween and other occasions. Reprint of the A. S. Barnes and Company, New York, 1942 edition. ADD2258-$15.00 See also general costumes

The American Girl's Handy Book: Turn-of-the-Century Classic of Crafts and Activities, by Lina Beard, Adelia B. Beard. 5x8", 496 pages, softbound book. For good old-fashioned fun, nothing beats this 1887 gem. It shows girls how to make their own amusements, with illustrated explanations that range from hobbies such as needlework and painting to suggestions for planning picnics and playing games. Projects use common household items to encourage young imaginations and foster creativity. ADD2032-$13.00

The Seasons of America Past, by Eric Sloane. 8x11", 160 pages. A charming book that takes readers through a full year's activities. Sloane's drawings depict cider mills and presses, sleds, pumps, stump-pulling equipment, plows, and other elements of America's rural heritage. A section of old recipes and household hints adds additional color and practical value to this delightful work. 75 black-and-white illustrations. ADD812-$12.00

Scouting for Boys, by Robert Baden-Powell, 2007. 432 pages, 5.5x8.5", softbound book. Written by Robert Baden-Powell, Lieutenant General in the British Army and founder of the international Scouting movement, Scouting for Boys is one of the most influential manuals for youth ever published. First printed in 1908, it remains an all-time bestseller in the English-speaking world, second only to the Bible. The original blueprint and "self-instructor" of the Boy Scout Movement, Scouting for Boys is a fascinating fusion of "yarns and pictures," an irresistible mixture of nationalistic narrative, tracker legend, and quotations from Baden-Powell's own autobiography and the popular adventure fiction of Rudyard Kipling, James Fenimore Cooper, and Alexander Dumas. The book provides practical advice on lighting fires, building boats and stalking animals, alongside proper Victorian-era education on chivalry and manners, self-discipline and improvement, and above all, good citizenship. Expounding upon the topics intrinsic to the life of a scout — tracking, woodcraft, camp life, endurance, patriotism, and more — this classic is essential for anyone interested in popular culture and the history of scouting and youth education. Ninety original diagrams and illustrations enhance the text. Reprint of Scouting For Boys: A Handbook for Instruction in Good Citizenship (six parts, issued fortnightly), Horace Cox, London, 1908. ADD2360-$15.00

Once Upon a Time: The Way America Was, by Eric Sloane. 8x11", 64 pages. This nostalgic text brims with gentle philosophies and descriptions of how we used to live —self-sufficiently — on land, in homes, and among things built by hand. The author's charming illustrations celebrate our heritage and the spirit that nurtured it, but also recall the vanished joys of America's pioneer past. 44 line illustrations.  ADD808-$7.00

American Presidents' Wit and Wisdom: A Book of Quotations, by Joslyn Pine. 6x9.25”, 144 pages, softbound book. "Being the President was the four most miserable years of my life," John Adams disclosed. Woodrow Wilson observed: "If you want to make enemies, try to change something." These and over 400 other memorable declarations, complaints, and revelations expressed by American Presidents over the past 200 years fill the pages of this handy and diverting large print edition. ADD785-$10.00

American Yesterday, by Eric Sloane. 6x9", 128 pages. This compilation of engrossing facts and anecdotes, illustrated with the author's own pen, captures the living legacy of America as seen in "the things that were." The author lovingly describes the careers of dowsers, tithingmen, sawyers, nailers, plumbum-men (plumbers), barber-surgeons, sellmongers, fence-viewers, and other old-time artisans and craftworkers. 96 black-and-white illustrations. ADD806-$10.00