Log Cabin Online

by Mrs. M. Grieve. A two-volume set. If you want to know how pleurisy root, lungwort and abscess root got their names, how poison ivy is used to treat rheumatism, or how garlic guarded against the Bubonic Plague, consult A Modern Herbal. This 20th century version of the medieval Herbal is as rich in scientific fact and folklore as its predecessors and is equally encyclopedic in coverage. From aconite to zedoary, not an herb, grass, fungus, shrub or tree is overlooked; and strange and wonderful discoveries about even the most common of plants await the reader. Traditionally, an herbal combined the folk beliefs and tales about plants, the medicinal properties (and parts used) of the herbs, and their botanical classification. But the author has extended and enlarged the tradition; her coverage of asafetida, bearberry, broom, chamomile, chickweed, dandelion, dock, elecampane, almond, eyebright, fenugreek, moss, fern, figwort, gentian, Hart's tongue, indigo, acacia, jaborandi, kava kava, lavender, pimpernel, rhubarb, squill, sage, thyme, sarsaparilla, unicorn root, valerian, woundwort, yew, etc. -- more than 800 varieties in all -- includes in addition methods of cultivation; the chemical constituents, dosages, and preparations of extracts and tinctures, unknown to earlier herbalists; possible economic and cosmetic properties, and detailed illustrations, from root to bud, of 161 plants.

by Eleanour Sinclair Rohde. Softbound, 243 pages, 5" x 8". Cures for broken heads, bleeding noses, and the bites of male dogs; remedies for sunburn (ivy twigs boiled in butter) and baldness (dead bees, oil, and willow leaves boiled together, then pounded,strained, and smeared on the scalp); the use of peony as a remedy for "the disease called the Night Mare," the aphrodisiac properties of periwinkle, how to make a bath to relieve Melancholy; prescriptions for all sorts of ailments, from speech failure  (rosemary and sage boiled in malmsey) to the Plague; even the many valid and sound herbal recipes . . . all the uses of herbs, whether farfetched or down to earth, are documented in this fascinating history.

by Erica Calkins. Softbound, 126 pages, 6" x 9". A bushel of practical nostalgia to help readers plant and preserve the pioneer spirit. Includes twelve (12) full color pages of plants & garden designs, many recipes and household tips from the past. A stepby-step guide to creating your own heritage garden, a detailed list of plant sources, lots of historical vignettes.

by Alice Morse Earle. Softbound, 418 pages, 5" x 8". Following the success of her book Home Life in Colonial Days, Earle wrote this detailed and fascinating account of American children and their lives from the very earliest settlers to the first decades of the new republic. Covering everything from dress to toys, schools to play, discipline and religion, she described in highly readable prose a child’s life in the days before railroad and telegraph.

by Charles Nordhoff. Softbound, 448 pages,5" x 8". An intriguing look at America’s many unique collective communities. A firsthand account published in 1875 as The Communistic Societies of the United States, while all the early major communities were still thriving. Text covers the Amana Society, the Shakers, the Harmonists, Separatists of Zoar, the Oneida and Wallingford Perfectionists, the Aurora and Bethel Communes, the Icarians, and many others.

by Edwin Tunis.  Softbound, 155 pages, 8” x 11”.  Colonial Living, the author’s vigorous recreation of 17th and 18th  century America, examines the everyday lives of those sturdy men and women who transplanted European culture to the New World.  In lively text and detailed drawings we see the earliest American-Indian-inspired huts of New England’s first white settlers and the houses they learned to build to survive the cruel winters; the snug Dutch and Flemish farmhouses of Nieuw Amsterdam; the homes of the early Southern planters—along with those of African Americans, whose labor fueled the staple crop economy.  Long research and love for his subject gave Tunis an intimate knowledge of the details of colonial experience, from earliest coastal  settlement to the revolutionary era.  He shares all with his reader—the building of houses, with their runnels, girts, and hand-hewn beams; the spinning of yarn and its weaving and dyeing; the making of candles and soap; and the intricate business of cooking on the open hearth with lug poles, cranes, bake kettles, and spits. He describes the early crops an illustrates the implements and animals used to produce them.  In detailed pictures, Tunis shows us the tools and products of the craftsmen—the blacksmith, the cooper, the miller, the joiner, and the silversmith.  Edwin Tunis brings the past to life with consummate skill.  Rich in enjoyment, rich in information, with more than 200 drawings, his book is a warm, lively, and authentic  panorama of a lost way of life.

Edited by Wendy Martin. Softbound, 352 pages, 5" x 7". The phycological challenges of colonial life are presented here from four perspectives. In Mary Rowlandson’s story of her capture in 1676 by Native Americans, religious faith sustains her in the face of enormous dangers; Sarah Kemble Knight’s journal reflects her growing resourcefulness as she travels from Boston to New Haven in 1704; William Byrd II, the “Pepys of the Old Dominion,” records the bawdy Secret History of the 1728 expedition to survey a disputed boundary line between Virginia and North Carolina; and Dr. Alexander Hamilton’s vivid descriptions of colonial life, written in 1744, mark the transformation of the colonists from outsider to resident.

by Patricia and Robert Foulke. Softbound, 388 pages, 5" x 8". Helps you discover all of the fascinating places and events that bring early American history and culture alive. Includes: Recreated colonial villages; Rev. War battle reenactments, old forts and seaports, historic districts, 18th century inns and taverns, colonial festivals, American Indian exhibits, restored trading posts and much more.

by John Martin Hammond. Softbound, 309 pages. Sure to become one of your favorites, this lavishly illustrated book devotes an entire chapter to each fort's unique history, including construction, important military events, famous commanders and battle strategies. Many of these forts changed possession several times. Here we learn what finally became of them, whether they were completely destroyed in battle, slowly decayed by the elements, reconstructed by enthusiasts or preserved for posterity by historians. These bastions, from Fort Independence in Boston Harbor to Fort Vancouver at the mouth of the Columbia River; and from Ticonderoga to the Alamo, provide us with a parallel account of the history of the continent.

by James A. Crutchfield. Softbound, 202 pages, 5-1/2" x 8-1/2". A master researcher and writer of American history, the author introduces an event in American history, then allows an eyewitness to tell the story in his own words. Ranging from the 1750’s to the 1850’s, these thirty-five tales are set in a wide variety of locales throughout the United States. The casual reader will find that all of the articles are short and entertaining, taking less than five minutes to read.

by Benson J. Lossing. A two-volume set. Softbound 1084 pages, 6" x 9". The result of meticulous research and in-depth interviews with veterans, this book is a narrative of historic events during that period of war. Accounts are given on a host of topics such as the perils of the country immediately succeeding the Revolutionary War, the struggle of power with Britain, and the origin of the United States' political parties and their relation to the War of 1812. Originally written in 1868, this narrative brings to view actors whose deeds have been overlooked by history, but whose sacrifices will forever be remembered. This first volume covers the early days of the Republic through the Battle of Lake Erie.

by Benson J. Lossing. A two-volume set. Softbound 1084 pages, 6" x 9". The result of meticulous research and in-depth interviews with veterans, this book is a narrative of historic events during that period of war. Accounts are given on a host of topics such as the perils of the country immediately succeeding the Revolutionary War, the struggle of power with Britain, and the origin of the United States' political parties and their relation to the War of 1812. Originally written in 1868, this narrative brings to view actors whose deeds have been overlooked by history, but whose sacrifices will forever be remembered. This second volume continues on from Harrison's invasion of Canada right through the defense of New Orleans and peace.

Harold Peterson. Softbound, 350 pages, 8" x 11". Widely regarded as the best single-volume survey of the subject, this minutely detailed, carefully documented, well-written work traces the evolution of arms and armor in Colonial America over the course of more than 250 years--from heavy suits of armor, swords, halberds, and crossbows to muskets, pistols, powder horns, and pikes. In its meticulous coverage of arms and armor, the book also presents by inference a vital picture of military life  during the age of colonization and exploration, the French wars, and the American Revolution. This book includes more than 300 striking copyright-free illustrations cataloging an immense variety of firearms, ammunition, edged weapons, and armor. In addition, a valuable Appendix provides information on the equipment owned by the average citizen or soldier and describes the supplies of the standard colonial arsenal. A new introduction bt Beverly Straube of the Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities completes this entertaining and authoritative history.

edited by Bon Heinrich Tolzmann.  Softbound, 153 pages, 5” x 8”.  A professional soldier in the army of Prussian King Frederick the Great, Steuben came to the American colonies in 1777 at the urging of Benjamin Franklin to act as an advisor to Gen. GeorgeWashington.  Washington’s Continental Army was preparing for its desperate winter at Valley Forge, licking its wounds after a string of nearly crippling defeats at the hands of the English and in dire need of support.  Bolstered by his belief in the causeof colonial independence, Steuben set about the total reorganization of the Continentals; military structure with a new emphasis on drilling, discipline and time-honored battlefield tactics and strategy.  Though harassed by Congress and frustrated by inefficiency and corruption within the military infrastructure, the dynamic baron overcame the shortcomings of so many of his contemporaries and succeeded in transforming the Continental Army from a slipshod troop of guerillas into a motivated, highly  disciplined corps of soldiers and officers.  Cronau’s gripping narrative sees General Steuben through the darkest days of the American Revolution at Valley Forge to the brightest victories of his career at the Battle of Monmouth and the Siege of YorktownA personal feel is maintained throughout the text with much information drawn from Steuben’s own correspondence.  Steuben’s financial difficulties, his foibles with the English language, his explosive temper, the mutual respect and fanatical devotion he shared with Gen. Washington and the soldiers under his command are all rendered with detail and insight.

A Reprint of an 1831 edition by Luther Roly. Softbound, 319 pages, 5" x 8". Rogers’ portion is derived from the first edition of his reminiscences published in 1765. It describes Rogers’ expeditions with the New England Rangers under his command. The memoir is composed of biographical material, letters and notices providing a look at Stark’s life and career.

by Charles Moore. Softbound, 402 pages, 5-1/2" x 8-1/2". The three flags refered to in the title belonged to France, England and the United States. Since the time of the earliest voyages of French explorers, missionaries and traders, the area around the Great Lakes and between the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers was hotly contested by the chief colonial powers. Indians, French traders, Jesuits, American Frontiersmen, great armies and famous leaders clashed over ths important ground. A worthy addition to any historical collection. Profusely annotated and enhanced by fine illustrations of Indians, coureurs de bois, fur traders and others; historic sites, portraits of important people; and five maps.

by John Logan Allen. Softbound, 400 pages, 6" x 8". Long before Lewis and Clark charted the vast territory between the Missouri River and the Pacific Ocean, the American northwest filled American and European imaginations with dreams of an agricultural paradise and a short water passage to the Pacific. How these geographical images took form over the years and how Lewis & Clark’s discoveries dramatically modified them is the subject of this highly praised study. Focuses on the Lewis & Clark journey and includes 47 maps and illustrations.

Edited by Barclay, Maguire & Wild. Softbound, 397 pages, 6" x 9". This volume draws from the best of three dozen accounts by the Spanish, French, English and American explorers who came before Lewis & Clark. Included in this collection are writings by Sir Francis Drake, Pierre Radisson, Diego Vargas, Jonathan Carver, Alexander Mackenzie, John Jewitt, Alexander Henry and many others.