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online forum for early American discovery, discussion, and diversion from the American Antiquarian Society

The Acquisitions Table: Quagga and Rhinoceros

May 14th, 2010, by Tom Knoles

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The quagga illustrated in this children’s book caught my eye because, possibly like you, dear reader, I had never heard of this animal.  And so I went to Wikipedia where I read an interesting article about the quagga’s relationship to the plains zebra and about efforts to breed them back into existence.  Curator of Children’s [...]


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The Children’s Henry Box Brown

February 8th, 2010, by Laura Wasowicz

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Henry Box Brown (b. 1816) escaped lifelong slavery in Virginia by shipping himself in a box (with the help of white and African-American abolitionists) to Philadelphia in 1849.  One of the few primary sources detailing his breathtaking escape to freedom is the children’s book Cousin Ann’s Stories for Children.  Written in 1849 by Quaker abolitionist [...]


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The Acquisitions Table: Scripture Scenes

December 28th, 2009, by Tom Knoles

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If the holiday leftovers are still lurking in our refrigerators, we figure there’s still time for one more Christmas-themed post, courtesy of Curator of Children’s Literature Laura Wasowicz.   The charming engraving below raises two interesting questions you might want to mull over as you finish off the pecan pie.  First, where would Anderson have [...]


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Today in the Life of an 1870 Schoolmarm Aptitudes. : September 2. Silas and I went up to see Ada Montague yesterday afternoon.  We all rode down to Mr. Marvin’s, found Alice much better.  Tried to learn me to play croquet but I am not a very apt scholar.  We came back to Mr. Seymour’s to meeting in the eve and then bid Ada goodbye.  [...]