Overview

Although many early U.S. presidents were avid readers and book collectors - George Washington, John Adams, and Thomas Jefferson, to name a few - they usually brought their own books to the White House and removed them at the end of their terms. Finally in 1850, Abigail and Millard Fillmore established the first official White House collection. The library that President and First Lady Fillmore assembled reflects not only their preoccupations and interests, but also those of a number of mid-nineteenth-century Americans. This catalogue of the first White House collection not only reveals much about the first family that established it and the age in which it was assembled, but also provides insight into American library history, reading history, and book trade and distribution networks. Aside from the editor, the contributors are William Allman, Elizabeth Thacker-Estrada, and Sean Wilentz.

Full Product Details

Author:   Catherine M. Parisian
Publisher:   Pennsylvania State University Press
Imprint:   Pennsylvania State University Press
Dimensions:   Width: 17.80cm , Height: 3.60cm , Length: 25.40cm
Weight:   1.107kg
ISBN:  

9780271037134

ISBN 10:   027103713
Pages:   416
Publication Date:   12 April 2010
Audience:   General/trade ,  General
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Out of stock  
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Table of Contents

Contents List of Illustrations Preface Mary Regula Acknowledgments List of Abbreviations Millard Fillmore and His Library Sean Wilentz The White House Collection: The Mind of the Common Man Catherine M. Parisian Abigail Powers Fillmore: First Lady of the Library Elizabeth Lorelei Thacker-Estrada Creating a Room for the Collection William G. Allman Millard Fillmore and His Booksellers Catherine M. Parisian Bibliographical Methods Catherine M. Parisian Catalogue of the First White House Library Catherine M. Parisian Appendix A: A List of the Books Purchased for the First White House Library in 1850 Appendix B: A Subject Index of Books in the First White House Library Catalogue Appendix C: Edward Everett’s Recommendations for the First White House Library Selected Works Cited General Index

Reviews

"""Do not be misled by the modest title of this book or by the fact that one of our least-known presidents was behind the first White House library. This book brings together wonderful essays, starting with that by historian Sean Wilentz, and going on to others on the role of Mrs. Fillmore, the library room, the process of forming the library, and, of course, the library's contents. The catalog proper of this library that represented the 'collective mind of the age' contains mini-essays explaining how each book fit in. This is library history at its best; in other words, it's cultural history. This splendid contribution to American history deserves to be widely available."" - Kenneth E. Carpenter, Fromer Assistant Director for Research Resources, Harvard University Library and the Harvard College Library"""

Do not be misled by the modest title of this book or by the fact that one of our least-known presidents was behind the first White House library. This book brings together wonderful essays, starting with that by historian Sean Wilentz, and going on to others on the role of Mrs. Fillmore, the library room, the process of forming the library, and, of course, the library's contents. The catalog proper of this library that represented the 'collective mind of the age' contains mini-essays explaining how each book fit in. This is library history at its best; in other words, it's cultural history. This splendid contribution to American history deserves to be widely available. - Kenneth E. Carpenter, Fromer Assistant Director for Research Resources, Harvard University Library and the Harvard College Library

Author Information

Catherine M. Parisian is Assistant Professor of English at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke.

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