Posted by Jill on Mon, Feb 28, 2011 at 11:36 am | 3 Comment(s)
This morning Melanie, Mindy and I were on WCAI on The Point discussing books focused on microhistory. Basically microhistories explore a specific subject, often providing a different way of looking at familiar objects, products, or events. The best microhistories use their focus on small specifics to reveal a much larger picture. Nancy Pearl has described them as ”one word wonders” ... books like Cod and Salt and Stiff.In the book The Real Story: a guide to nonfiction reading interests by Sarah Statz Cords they are described as “story-driven narratives that give their readers the chance to take in a lot of historical information and provide an excellent way for readers to get a ‘feel’ for historical lives, places, and events.”
Listener Picks
The Captain’s Best Mate : the journal of Mary Chipman Lawrence on the whaler Addison, 1856-1860 / edited by Stanton Garner
The Botany of Desire : a plant’s-eye view of the world by Michael Pollan
And a listener who suggested this title after we went off the air: Medusa and the Snail: more notes of a biology watcher by Lewis Thomas
Another listener suggestion, which came in as a comment on our blog. The Marketplace of Revolution : how consumer politics shaped American independence by T.H. Breen.
Jill’s Picks
Pickett’s Charge: a microhistory of the final attack at Gettysburg, July 3, 1863 by George R. Stewart (written in 1959)
A History of the World in 6 Glasses and The Turk : the life and times of the famous eighteenth-century chess-playing machine both by Tom Standage
The Frozen-water Trade : a true story by Gavin Weightman
Two microhistory children’s titles that I didn’t have time for this morning are An American Plague : the true and terrifying story of the yellow fever epidemic of 1793 by Jim Murphy and The Cod’s Tale by Mark Kurlansky ; illustrated by S.D. Schindler. The Cod’s Tale is based on Kurlansky’s book Cod: a biography of the fish that changed the world. He includes a great little sea shanty:
“Cape Cod kids don’t use no sleds,
Haul away,
Haul away,
They slide down hills on codfish heads”
Melanie’s Picks
Tears of Mermaids: The Secret Story of Pearls by Stephen G. Bloom
The Pledge: A History of the Pledge of Allegiance by Jeffrey Owen Jones and Peter Meyer
Coffee Talk: The Stimulating story of the World’s Most Popular Brew by Morton Satin
April 1865: The Month That Saved America by Jay Winik
The History of the Snowman by Bob Eckstein
Fannie’s Last Supper: Re-creating One Amazing Meal from Fannie Farmer’s 1896 Cookbook by Chris Kimball
Not on show:
Seeds, Sex & Civilization: How the Hidden Life of Plants Has Shaped Our World by Peter Thompson
Traffic: Why We Drive the Way We Do by Tom Vanderbilt
From Melanie’s list of books she read last year:
Dirt Clean: An Unsanitized History by Katherine Ashenburg
A Secret Gift byTed Gup
The Routes of Man by Ted Conover
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1. Donna Burgess | Tue, Mar 1, 2011 at 1:55 pm
If microhistories appeal to you, be sure to join the Falmouth Public Library’s Nonfiction Book Club! Our new series includes not one, not two, but three microhistories!
April 1- The Eastern Stars: How Baseball Changed the Dominican Town of San Pedro de Macoris by Mark Kurlansky
July 8- The Botany of Desire: A Plant’s Eye View of the World by Michael Pollan
(A Listener’s Pick)
August 5- The Routes of Man: How Roads are Changing the World and the Way We Live Today by Ted Conover
(Melanie’s Pick)
Come join in the discussions!
We generally meet on the first Friday of the month at 10:00 AM. New members are always welcome. Copies of the book
are available at the Reference Desk the month before the meeting.
2. Jill | Tue, Mar 1, 2011 at 10:18 am
So glad you enjoyed the show, and thanks for your suggestion. I’ll add it to our listener suggestion list. There is also a copy of that title in the CLAMS catalog, which if someone wants to read can be found at http://library.clamsnet.org/record=b1469764~S1
3. Pegi | Tue, Mar 1, 2011 at 12:19 am
I caught this program tonight and was so pleased to hear your suggestions! I am a former high school history teacher, and just love microhistory books. One of my favorites is The Marketplace of Revolution, by T.H. Breen. He talks about how the American colonists’ consumer choices influenced the sentiment about the revolution. He also brings up the role played by women, as consumers of the British-supplied goods, and how their refusal to buy certain British products influenced the Revolution. Examples include drinking coffee instead of tea, and wearing homespun cloth instead of British, mill-produced cloth. One of my favorite books!
http://www.amazon.com/Marketplace-Revolution-Consumer-Politics-Independence/dp/0195063953
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