My local library has a reading program going on this year called "Extreme Book Nerd". The idea is to have the library's patrons sign up to read a book in one each of many widely divergent categories. The library has categories for adults (my wife is participating), teens, and kids (my 7 year old is participating).
Outside of history, what fiction I read is almost entirely speculative, and almost entirely fantasy, so I wasn't much interested in participating in the project until I had the idea of seeing if I could take it on and make it thematic around my historical interests.
My primary historical interest is the American Revolution (particularly the lead up to the Revolution in New England). I have a secondary interest in colonial New England and a wider interest in colonial America/early America, so I decided that I would try to find books to fit the categories that would fit the category of "Early America", which I personally define as approximately 1600-1800, with some leeway on either side.
I'm turning to AskHistorians for some help with tracking down some recommendations for various categories of books, simply because the categories are somewhat unusual and not always easily definable. Any help would be greatly appreciated, and maybe some of y'all might appreciate taking on the challenge yourself . . . .
A book on how to do something
/u/400-Rabbits recommended /u/chocolatepot's book Regency Women's Dress: Techniques and Patterns 1800-1830
/u/kittydentures recommended Eighteenth-Century Clothing at Williamsburg and Costume Close Up. Also Dress of the People: Everyday Fashion in Eighteenth-Century England as a general history
/u/TitusBluth recommended The Production of Vinegar from Honey and The Closet of Sir Kenelm Digby Knight Opened It's " . . . pretty interesting but not very practical on the topic of brewing mead, cider, fruit-wines and other assorted 17th C treats." Also recommended The London and Country Brewer which is "...is much better if you actually want to learn how to brew from scratch."
A book Rory Gilmore read (On the show the Gilmore Girls Rory Gilmore was apparently shown reading something like 339 different books. Although she apparently really disliked early America.)
Mutiny on the Bounty ^^1
A Book Club in a Box book (If your local library is participating in this program it will have a section of the library with boxes full books to choose from)
The Paper Garden by Molly Peacock
1776 by David McCullough
or
A book about a sport
Toward a More Perfect Union: Virtue and the Formation of American Republics by Ann Fairfax Withington. Recommended on my tumblr account. This deals with the Continental Congress legislating cock fighting, horse racing and other gaming.
/u/reedstilt recommended American Indian Lacrosse: Little Brother of War and
/u/400-Rabbits recommended The Sport of Life and Death: The Mesoamerican Ballgame
A book your dad loves
A book that involves time travel
A book you own but have never read
or
A science fiction book
A biography
A book about your hobby
A classic children’s story
A book written by a celebrity
A book set in Africa
A book written by someone from Idaho^^2
A book about an event in American history
A book set in the country of one of your ancestors
A book from a series with a continuing character
A book written by someone over the age of 65
A retelling of a classic story
Listen to an audio book
A book that you would consider a guilty pleasure
A book published before 1850
A ya/adult fiction crossover
An alternative history book
A collection of short stories
(I'll probably substitute a collection of essays for this one)
A book about best friends
While I want recommendations here, please avoid the usual suspects ;-)
A book of poetry or a novel in verse
A book about someone with the same job you have
A book recommended by a librarian
A banned book
A book with a lion, a witch, or a wardrobe
A book set in the summer
A book set during a war
A book with a heroine
An adult nonfiction book with pictures
A book with a blue cover
A book by or about an explorer
A book you love - read it again!
A book set in this^^3 region
A nonfiction book
Hahahahahahahah
A book with a mode of transportation in the title
A book with food in the title
A book by an author from Asia
A sea story
A book that takes place during a holiday
A book of historical fiction
A book with less than 200 pages
A book published this year
1.) Not really early American, but at least it's 18th century. There were many books which would have been familiar to literate colonial Americans (e.g. Shakespeare's works), but I didn't want to count those.
2.) For Idaho substitute your state (or equivalent for non-US readers)
3.) "This" region is Pacific NW for me. Change to whatever region is appropriate for you.
Any area where a specific book isn't listed is one in which I'd love a recommendation. E
Well, we like many of the same areas, so you probably know about these recommendations I'm pulling from either my shelves or my to read list.
A book published this year - Not published yet, but Land Too Good for Indians: Northern Indian Removal looks like it will be good
A sea story - Right now I'm reading The Saltwater Frontier: Indians and the Contest for the American Coast and I like it thus far.
A book with food in the title - Creatures of Empire: How Domestic Animals Transformed Early America is literally about food, and empires, and U.S. history. It has been likened to Cronon's classic Changes in the Land, though I have not yet read this one.
A book with a mode of transportation in the title - Horse Nations: The Worldwide Impact of the Horse on Indigenous Societies Post 1492 is on my to read list.
A book you love - Always going to be Perelandra by C.S. Lewis
A book by or about an explorer - The Narrative of Cabeza de Vaca follows the survivors of the unfortunate 1527 Narvaez entrada to the U.S. Southeast.
A book with a lion, a witch or a wardrobe - Pen and Ink Witchcraft: Treaties and Treaty Making in American Indian History is likewise on my list to read.
A book set during a war Well, tons of options given your interests, but have you read Fenn's Pox Americana: The Great Smallpox Epidemic of 1775-82? You probably have, but the book is a great overview of the influence of smallpox on the American Revolution.
A book with a heroine - Peace Came in the Form of a Woman: Indians and Spaniards in the Texas Borderlands also on the to read list.
A retelling of a classic story - Seven Myths of the Spanish Conquest, huh, second time I recommended this book today. I may have a problem.
A book you consider a guilty pleasure - Cronin's The Passage. I don't normally read vampire/zombie literature. Why the hell do I like this?! Don't judge me.
Well for early American historical fiction I would definitely put Burr by Gore Vidal on that list. God I love that book. Lincoln is also excellent.
A book set in Africa - Segu by Maryse Condé, historical fiction, traces an 18th century West African family whose sons have very different fates. One winds up enslaved in the Caribbean, providing your Americas connection.
A book with a lion, a witch, or a wardrobe - G. L. Burr, Narratives of the Witchcraft Cases, primary source collection, features Increase Mather writing on haunted houses! The book was published in 1914 but reprinted in 1970, so I'm not sure whether I can link to the PDF that is available online. The Increase Mather section could probably qualify as "written by a celebrity."
A classic children's story - The Felicity American Girl books! You can't go wrong with Felicity; she was the best (tied with Addy). I am reliably informed that I grew up quote-unquote "back then," so clearly books that I read and loved in childhood count as classics now.
A science fiction book - Mm, will you accept England? Margaret Cavendish, The Blazing World (1666), is a satirical utopia. It's less science fiction than fantasy, but since it does involve a (not-so-scientifically-explained) trip to a different world, it could count.
A book on how to do something:
Published in England in 1618. "School of the Noble and Worthy Science of Defense" by Joseph Swetnam.
Not American, but relevant to how the English settling America would fight at the time. You can find a free scan of an original print via google search. Non-standardized spelling, looong sentences, lots of practical and ethical advice. Then there's his system on fighting with various weapons. He liked Rapier & Dagger and Staff in particular.
A book about best friends
While I want recommendations here, please avoid the usual suspects ;-)
Now I'm curious. Who are the usual suspects? From a history perspective, Cicero's letters to Atticus come to mind, but I doubt that's what you're thinking of.
The phrase "the past is a foreign country, people do things differently there" comes from L.P Hartley's In-Betweeners which has a great perspective on the past and the present--kinda like "time traveling"
but The Time-Traveler's Wife is really the best in that genre.
Salt and Cod are two really well-reviewed books with food in the titles. Also in the same genre is Spice, the History of a Temptation.
A banned book
Can I list every single work of pornography that I study? Probably not appropriate for a library... let's just settle for Ulysses.