Posts tagged ‘colonial’
Patriot Improvers Vol. 1-3, Members of the American Philosophical Society (APS), by Whitfield Bell
Patriot Improvers Vol. 1-3, Members of the American Philosophical Society (APS), by Whitfield Bell
When Benjamin Franklin adopted John Bartram’s 1739 idea of bringing together the “virtuosi” of the colonies to promote inquiries into “natural secrets, arts and syances,” the result was, in 1743, the founding of the American Philosophical Society (APS).
Read more about Dr. Whitfield Bell’s definitive three-volume set of biographical sketches of early APS Members, many of whom were important historical figures in colonial Philadelphia.
The three-volume set is a worthy testament to a much loved member of the APS and a handsome addition to bookshelves.
Patriot-Improvers: Members of the American Philosophical Society, Volume One: 1743-1768
(Memoir 226)
(Hardcover, 531 pages, 1997, $40.00)
Includes biographies of the Society’s best known members such as Franklin, David Rittenhouse, John Bartram, Benjamin Rush, John Dickinson, Thomas Hopkinson and lesser known merchants, artisans, farmers, physicians, lawyers and clergymen with familiar surnames such as Biddle, Colden and Morris. Illustrations. Read more >>
Patriot-Improvers: Members of the American Philosophical Society, Volume Two: 1768 (Memoir 227)
(Hardcover, 425 pages, 1999, $40.00)
This is the 2nd of 3 volumes of sketches that represent, “the first systematic attempt to collect and preserve data on the lives of [the Society’s first] members” and add much to our knowledge of the history and culture of 18th-century America. Contents: Sketches of Members inducted from 8 April-20 Dec. 1768; History of the Medical Society 1766-1768 and Sketches of Members; and Portraits of 31 Members. Read more >>
Patriot-Improvers: Biographical Sketches of Members of the American Philosophical Society: Volume Three: 1767-1768: Memoirs, APS (vol. 228)
(Hardcover, 696 pages, 2010, $60.00)
The long-anticipated third volume of Patriot-Improvers brings to an end the important work of Dr. Whit Bell, who started in 1997 to put together “biographical sketches of members of the American Philosophical Society elected between 1743, when Franklin proposed it, and 1769, when it was established on its present foundation by the union of several earlier institutions.” Work on this third volume was completed by APS Librarian Charles Greifenstein after the death of Dr. Bell in early 2009. Read more >>
Patriot-Improvers: Biographical Sketches of Members of the American Philosophical Society: Volume Three: 1767-1768: Memoirs, APS (Vol. 228)
Patriot-Improvers: Biographical Sketches of Members of the American Philosophical Society: Volume Three: 1767-1768: Memoirs, APS (Vol. 228)
by Whitfield J. Bell (American Philosophical Society)
(Hardcover, 696 pages, 2010, ISBN: 0871692287, $60.00)
The long-anticipated third volume of Patriot-Improvers brings to an end the important work of Dr. Whit Bell, who started in 1997 to put together “biographical sketches of members of the American Philosophical Society elected between 1743, when Franklin proposed it, and 1769, when it was established on its present foundation by the union of several earlier institutions” (Patriot-Improvers, Volume One, p. xiii).
Work on this third volume was completed by APS Librarian Charles Greifenstein after the death of Dr. Bell in early 2009. The three-volume set is a worthy testament to a much loved member of the APS and a handsome addition to bookshelves.
Patriot-Improvers: Members of the American Philosophical Society, Volume Two: 1768 (Memoir 227)
Patriot-Improvers: Members of the American Philosophical Society, Volume Two: 1768 (Memoir 227)
by Whitfield J. Bell (American Philosophical Society)
(Hardcover, 425 pages, 1999, ISBN: 0871692279, $40.00)
When Benjamin Franklin adopted John Bartram’s 1739 idea of bringing together the “virtuosi” of the colonies to promote inquiries into “natural secrets, arts and syances,” the result was, in 1743, the founding of the American Philosophical Society. Bell, records the early years of the Society through sketches of its first members, those elected between 1743 and 1769.
This is the second of three volumes of sketches that represent, “the first systematic attempt to collect and preserve data on the lives of [the Society’s first] members” and add much to our knowledge of the history and culture of 18th-century America. Contents: Sketches of Members inducted from 8 April-20 Dec. 1768; History of the Medical Society 1766-1768 and Sketches of Members; and Portraits of 31 Members.
Patriot-Improvers: Members of the American Philosophical Society, Volume One: 1743-1768 (Memoir 226)
Patriot-Improvers: Members of the American Philosophical Society, Volume One: 1743-1768 (Memoir 226)
by Whitfield J. Bell (American Philosophical Society)
(Hardcover, 531 pages, 1997, ISBN: 0871692260, $40.00)
When Benjamin Franklin adopted John Bartram’s 1739 idea of bringing together the “virtuosi” of the colonies to promote inquiries into “natural secrets, arts and syances,” the result was, in 1743, the founding of the American Philosophical Society.
Read the 
of this book before you purchase it.
Bell records the early years of the Society through sketches of its first members, those elected between 1743 and 1769. This volume includes biographies of some of the Society’s best known members such as Franklin, David Rittenhouse, John Bartram, Benjamin Rush, John Dickinson, Thomas Hopkinson and many lesser known merchants, artisans, farmers, physicians, lawyers and clergymen with familiar surnames such as Biddle, Colden, and Morris. Illustrations.
John Neagle: Philadelphia Portrait Painter (Historical Society of Pennsylvania)
John Neagle:
Philadelphia Portrait Painter
by Robert W. Torchia, foreword by Peter J. Parker (Historical Society of Pennsylvania)
(Paperback, 195 pages, 1989, ISBN: 1422358283, $25.00)
This catalog records an exhibition held at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania (HSP).
In 1861, John Neagle himself recorded on canvas his earliest-known association with the HSP. When he captured the appearance of three Plains Indians visiting Philadelphia in 1821, he was an artist functioning as a historian.
The Society has collected 15 of Neagle’s paintings, and its manuscript holdings on the artist were most impressively augmented in 1985 through the generosity of the Barra Foundation.
Torchia has done much to restore a long-underrated painter to his proper place in American art history. In planning the exhibition upon which this catalogue is based, Torchia selected paintings and related material from 14 private and public collections in the Delaware Valley. Illustrations.
Acta Germanopolis: Records of the Corporation of Germantown, Pennsylvania, 1691-1707 (Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania)
Acta Germanopolis:
Records of the Corporation of
Germantown, Pennsylvania, 1691-1707
by J. M. Duffin (Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania)
(Hardcover, 700 pages, 2008, ISBN: 9780615217659, $75.00)
This 700-page volume contains the full text of Germantown’s 17th and 18th century town records in both their original languages and in English translation.
It also includes extensive appendices on the naturalization records of the first residents of Germantown and their landholdings through the year 1714.
This book is the product of 15 years of labor by J. M. Duffin, a distinguished Fellow of the Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania (GSP). Mr. Duffin has edited the book and also contributed a comprehensive Introduction, while Professor Don Yoder of the University of Pennsylvania (and another Fellow of the GSP) has written an informative Foreword on Germantown’s role in the history of Pennsylvania and German immigration to America.
A Guide to Christ Church, Philadelphia by Julia Leisenring and Patricia Forbes
A Guide to Christ Church, Philadelphia
by Julia B. Leisenring and Patricia A.S. Forbes
Old Christ Church Preservation Trust
(Paperback, 16 pages, 1984, ISBN: 1422365344, $10.00)
This booklet provides an introduction to Christ Church in Philadelphia, a majestic building that gives testimony to vision, faith and courage.
Read the of this book before you purchase it.
In 1695, these qualities led 39 pilgrims to start an Anglican parish in a Quaker city. In 1727, the small congregation transformed their small building into the most beautiful, majestic and grand sanctuary in the colonies, and that vision, courage and faith assures that the church still stands.
In 1754, master builder Robert Smith constructed the highest structure in the colonies in the church’s majestic steeple. Contents: The Building of Christ Church; The Steeple and The Tower Room; Historic and Symbolic Objects Belonging to the Church; Christ Church in the 18th Century; Christ Church in the 20th Century; Bishop White; Rectors of Christ Church; The Church Library; Early Church Archives; Graveyard and Signers of the Declaration of Independence; Christ Church Preservation Trust; and Dates in the History of Christ Church. Illustrations.
Elin’s Amerika by Marguerite de Angeli (American Swedish Historical Museum)
Elin’s Amerika (Revised, 3rd Ed.)
by Marguerite de Angeli
American Swedish Historical Museum
(Paperback, 98 pages, 2007, $16.00, ISBN: 0980076102)
Award-winning children’s author Marguerite de Angeli tells the story of Elin, a young girl who has come to live in the New Sweden Colony.
She helps us envision how these many different peoples — Swedes, Finns, Lenape, Minquas (Susquehannock), Dutch and British related to one another.
Elin’s search for friendship, love of family, and anticipation of celebrations seem familiar. Her isolation from other children, lack of basic things, and the daily routine of chores may seem quite unfamiliar.
New Sweden was established in 1638, under the guidance of Peter Minuit, when Swedish colonists were sent to the New World to claim lands in the area around the Delaware River in southeastern PA and south NJ. For ages 8-12. Illustrations.
To Do Justice to Him and Myself: Evert Wendell’s Account Book of the Fur Trade with Indians in Albany, New York, 1695-1726 (includes cd-rom with original Dutch text) (ISBN: 1606189123)
To Do Justice to Him and Myself:
Evert Wendell’s Account Book of the Fur Trade with Indians in Albany, New York, 1695-1726
by Kees-Jan Waterman (American Philosophical Society, ISBN: 1606189123)
(Paperback, 310 pages and CD-ROM with original Dutch text, 2008, $50.00)
This translated Dutch account book of the fur trade with Indians yields essential data for understanding workings of intercultural fur trade in colonial North America.
It contains accounts of hundreds of Indians, many listed with their own names, who purchased merchandise on credit from Evert Wendell (1681-1750) and his relatives in Albany, NY. Over 2,000 credit transactions and payments are recorded. This book has been praised as a major addition to the literature on the fur trade which challenges many widely held interpretations.
Illustrations. Tables. The book also includes a CD-ROM with transcription of the Dutch manuscript (searchable).
“The introductory essay and the tables put together from Waterman’s detailed reading of the account suggest an active trade between the Evert family and a wide range of Indians from many different tribal groupings,” writes Ann M. Carlos in the Journal of Economic History (70:2). “One has to be particularly impressed with the level of detail extracted from the accounts after looking at the photographs of the original documents.
“Waterman argues that these accounts with about 300 different individuals give us an unprecedented glimpse into intercultural exchanges in the upper Hudson River valley. He points to the role played by women in this trade; to the nature of the goods exchanges; to the range of different tribal groupings; to the mention of “white” and “black” individuals and to the descriptions of naming practices and tattoos or lack of same.
“Not too many family account books from the early eighteenth century exist. This one documents commercial exchanges between an important Dutch trading family and native traders. Waterman provides an incredible level of detail about the people in these transactions [in this] interesting primary source.”
Magnetic Fever: Global Imperialism and Empiricism in the Nineteenth Century (American Philosophical Society Transaction 99-4, ISBN: 9781606189948)
Magnetic Fever: Global Imperialism and Empiricism in the Nineteenth Century
(American Philosophical Society Transaction 99-4, ISBN: 9781606189948)
by Christopher Carter (Paperback, 168 pages, 2009, $35.00)
Explores the links between science and empire in the 19th century, focusing on the mutual interactions of British imperialism and geophysical empiricism.
The 19th century was a time when science was becoming global, in part due to European colonial and imperial expansion. Colonies became not just propagation points for European science, but also collection points for geophysical investigations that could be carried out on a worldwide scale.
Just as European politics influenced the expansion of scientific projects, these “colonial observatories” influenced the type of science that could be done. Comparing the development of British and American geomagnetic research during this period shows the dependency between the two influences. Both the scientific theories and the geopolitical realities played a role in creating the tool for studying global science still in use today.
“Carter (history of science, Duke U.) argues that the British Empire provided a broad setting where universal sciences such as geomagnetism and meteorology could be practiced and legitimized, both helping to overcome the inherited problems of the inductive method, and setting up a system by which scientists could study interconnected phenomena on a global scale,” writes Book News in a review.
“Central to his story are the efforts and successes of John Herschel (1792-1871) in convincing the government to support far-flung scientific endeavors. He covers a fitting enterprise of a maritime people, the knowledge of many attainable by one, worthy of a great national undertaking, Britains contributing their mite, an ample harvest of precious facts, and knowledge and philanthropy among the nations of the earth.”
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