Posts tagged ‘native americans’
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.”
National Parks Week Books: Ansel Adams: The National Park Service Photographs, Underwater Wonders of the National Parks, Hey Ranger! Kids Ask Questions About Grand Canyon National Park
National Parks Week starts tomorrow, running from April 17th through April 25th. For the next 7 days, all national parks are free, and are hosting celebrations. Here are three books that we offer on National Parks:

Ansel Adams:
The National Park Service Photographs
Photos by Ansel Adams, Introduction by Alice Gray
(Hardcover, 144 pages, 1995, $25)
In 1941 Ansel Adams was hired by the U.S. Dept. of the Interior to photograph America’s national parks for a series of murals that would celebrate the country’s natural heritage. Because of the escalation of World War II, the project was suspended after less than a year, but not before Adams had produced this group of breathtaking images.
These stunning photographs of the natural geysers & terraces in Yellowstone, the rocks & ravines in the Grand Canyon, the winding rivers & majestic mountains in Glacier and Grand Teton national parks, the mysterious Carlsbad Caverns, the architecture of ancient Indian villages, and many evocative views of the American West demonstrate the genius of Adams’s technical and aesthetic inventiveness.
Underwater Wonders of the National Parks: A Diving and Snorkeling Guide Compiled by the National Park Service
by Daniel J. Lenihan and John D. Brooks (Paperback, 338 pages, 2000, $20)
Perhaps the single best-kept secret about our National Parks is the underwater realm that they include: millions of acres of submerged lands, only a small fraction of which has been explored by divers.
From geysers on the bottom of Yellowstone Lake, to the coral reefs of the Dry Tortugas, to steamers sunk in the frigid waters of Isle Royale in Lake Superior, to the kelp forests of the Channel Islands, the National Parks have much to offer the diver. Almost all 61 NPS areas with significant water holdings are of some interest to divers.
This guide introduces divers and others interested in water sports to this dimension of the National Parks, such as snorkeling rare coral reefs; shipwreck diving and underwater archaeological sites. Color photos and detailed maps.
National Parks Traveler used this book as a reference for the Top 10 favorite diving and snorkeling parks.
Hey Ranger!: Kids Ask Questions about Grand Canyon National Park
Written by Kim Williams Justesen, Illustrations by Judy Newhouse
(Paperback, 46 pages, 2006, $10)
Kids ask the greatest questions! Is the Grand Canyon cursed? Why are there so many bugs here? Do park rangers feed the animals? This book answers the real questions — some smart, some silly — that kids ask Grand Canyon National Park rangers every day. Filled with fascinating facts and ready-to-color illustrations, this fun and educational guide offers hours of entertainment for explorers of all ages.