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Science Traveling – Ipswich

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It’s a busy week of writing – I’m working on articles for the Lincoln Group of DC newsletter, for Tesla Magazine, and for the Smithsonian Civil War Studies website. Amidst all of this I’m out science traveling. More on that in the future. Which gets me to a quick visit in Ipswich.

I previewed my most recent trip to my hometown in Massachusetts in this article. More articles are here (click and scroll down). The talk on Nikola Tesla I gave at the Ipswich Museum is here.

Ipswich is the “Birthplace of American Independence,” the home of the famous Ipswich clam (aka, steamers), the Clam Box, Crane Beach, and “The Castle.” It’s also home to more first period houses than any other place in the United States. In short, it’s pretty cool.

Some of the more famous houses include the Whipple House:

Whipple House, Ipswich

The John Heard House (now home to the Ipswich Museum), typical of the wealthier folks in town:

John Heard House, Ipswich

Directly across the street from the Heard House is a reconstruction of a simple timber frame structure called the Alexander Knight House, circa 1657. This was the kind of house that most families lived in during early Ipswich days (incorporated 1634):

Alexander Knight House

And then there is this yellow house. I actually don’t know much about it even though it has stood on this prominent rise overlooking the main downtown area for my entire life. I’ll  dig up more information for a later post.

Big yellow house, Ipswich

There is much more to Ipswich than these glimpses. I’ll write more later but for starters you can check out the Stories from Ipswich blog by Historian Gordon Harris.

And don’t forget – if you downloaded my e-book, Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its Time, please leave a rating and review.

Come back on Thursday for more science traveling from Argentina. I’ll also post from the road as internet connection allows.

David J. Kent is an avid traveler and is currently working on a book about Abraham Lincoln’s interest in science and technology. He is also the author of Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity and an ebook, Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its Time.

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Tesla Goes to Ipswich, Is the Hammond Castle Next?

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Tesla and the authorNikola Tesla is on his way to Ipswich. It’s appropriate that Tesla makes a stop in northeastern Massachusetts as he once was a business colleague of John Hays Hammond, Jr., owner and builder of the famous Hammond Castle in Gloucester. More on that later.

Tesla (with a little help from yours truly) will be at the Ipswich Museum for a noontime brown bag lecture on Monday, July 7th. Check out the Museum website for directions and other information. I hope you’ll join us there. The plan is to keep the presentation light and lively. Stories highlighting Tesla’s rather interesting personality quirks, friendship with Mark Twain, and contributions to the spectacular Niagara Falls will be the focus. No dry technical stuff in this talk, so come on down for an hour of one of the most interesting men of the last century.

The Ipswich Museum is a beautiful location for the event. Built in 1795, the Heard House is an interesting mix of colonial architecture and furnishings with Asian art stemming from Augustine Heard’s forays into the China trade of the early 19th Century. Sitting across the street is the Whipple House, also part of the Museum, built in 1677. Spend the morning visiting the two houses, then join me for Tesla.

For those who are familiar with the area, the Hammond Castle is only about a half hour away. John Hays Hammond (the Senior) financed some of Nikola Tesla’s early inventions. In a manner of speaking, he collected inventors, inviting not only Tesla but Edison, Alexander Graham Bell, and many other scientists of the day over for tea (or perhaps it was brandy). At one of these events his young son, John Hays Hammond, Jr., first met Tesla and was enthralled by Tesla’s invention of robotics back in the late 1890s. Eventually, Junior (whom we mostly know as Jack) would form a company with Tesla and begin his own career of invention. I’ll talk more about the Hammond/Tesla connection on July 7th.

If you’re in Ipswich (or can get there) on July 7th, please join me noontime at the Ipswich Museum. I’ll talk about Tesla and Hammond and Niagara Falls and pigeons (yes, pigeons), show some cool pictures, and hopefully be entertaining enough to get you out of the heat for an hour. I’ll have copies of my book Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity for sale and will tell you how to download my soon-to-be-released e-book Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its Time – for free!

Please spread the word and plan to join Tesla and I in Ipswich on the 7th!

David J. Kent is an avid traveler and the author of Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity. You can order a signed copy directly from me, download the ebook at barnesandnoble.com, and find hard copies at Barnes and Noble bookstores, as well as online at B&N.com and Amazon.com.

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Halloween in Ipswich – David Ortiz and the Scariest Pole Competition You’ll Ever See

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Happy Halloween everyone! You really have to love this time of year. When else can you express your inner weirdness and have people applaud you for your creativity rather than run away from you as if you had lost your mind?

On a recent trip to my home town of Ipswich I came across the local pole-decorating contest. No dancers, just scary things. Truly scary things. Okay, sort of scary things. But you get the idea.

There were pole monsters.

Ipswich pole monster

For movie trivia buffs, there were screaming women being attacked by birds (extra credit to anyone who can name the movie, director, and star).

The Birds

Some wolf bane? (or is that wolf baying?)

Baying wolf

Of course, some were still under construction.

Under construction

Two heads are better than one this time of year.

Two heads are better than one

The best way to escape the graveyard? Swinging on a wrecking ball, of course.

Skeleton wrecking ball

Wait, this is my better side. Yes, much better. We have a winner! Congratulations to the bony guy (or is it gal?). It won the competition.

Skeleton_Photo credit Dan Mac Alpine

And, of course, there were plenty of pumpkins.

Halloween pumpkins

But the scariest sight of all, especially if you were the Rays, the Tigers, or the Cardinals, was the vision of David Ortiz coming up to the plate. Congratulations to the Boston Red Sox for winning the World Series and David Ortiz for taking home the trophy for Most Valuable Player. Go Sox. Boston Strong!

David Ortiz MVP_Photo credit Matt Slocum

David J. Kent is the author of Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity. You can order a signed copy directly from me, download the ebook at barnesandnoble.com, and find hard copies exclusively at Barnes and Noble bookstores.

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Ipswich author tells an electrifying story

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Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity and David J. KentThat is the headline of the online version of the article profiling me and Tesla in the Ipswich Chronicle this past week. The hard copy headline is even better – Tesla: An Electrifying Story. The article is available online at Wicked Local – Ipswich.

First of all, only in New England could you find a local paper described as “Wicked.”

Second, the article ran on Page 1 of the hard copy newspaper that came out August 15th, and then continued onto Page 3. For the online version be sure to follow the link to the second page.

I’m very happy with the profile. I was interviewed by Beverly Perna, a long-time freelance contributor to the paper who had been asked by the editor to write a story on me. It turns out Beverly was a perfect choice as she worked at the famous Museum of Science in Boston for ten years so she knows how to communicate science to non-scientists. Even better, she is a big fan of Abraham Lincoln and grew up in Illinois and Indiana, the “lands of Lincoln.”

Oddly enough, I’ve actually been profiled in the Ipswich papers before, though long long ago. Once for a matchbook collection I had in a past life and again for my time studying marine biology in Bermuda. I even have copies of the articles, which I had duly cut out at the time and stashed in my high school yearbook.

Just a few weeks ago I was at another Ipswich-related event here in DC – the play “Within These Walls” about the Ipswich House that resides in the Smithsonian. It was great to meet the playwright and actors after the show. As Beverly notes in her article, even though I’ve lived overseas a few times and have been in the Washington DC area for over one score years, Ipswich will always be my home.

If you haven’t already, you can read the Ipswich Chronicle article online.

David J. Kent is an avid science traveler and the author of Lincoln: The Man Who Saved America, now available. His previous books include Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity and Edison: The Inventor of the Modern World (both Fall River Press). He has also written two e-books: Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its Time and Abraham Lincoln and Nikola Tesla: Connected by Fate.

Check out my Goodreads author page. While you’re at it, “Like” my Facebook author page for more updates!

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Within These Walls – Ipswich at the Smithsonian

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Yesterday, after shipping out a copy of my book to Nikola Tesla’s grand-nephew William Terbo, I took a break and headed downtown to Washington DC. I had read in the “Wicked Local” online version of my hometown paper, Ipswich Chronicle, that The Actors Company would be performing Within These Walls at the Smithsonian Museum of American History. I had to go.

For those who didn’t know it, an entire house once located at 16 Elm Street in Ipswich was disassembled in 1963 and reconstructed at the Smithsonian. The exhibit is one of the largest objects in their collection, and is displayed such that visitors can look into the various rooms of the house and experience the respective lives of five residents over the years.

JT Turner Within These Walls

Within These Walls was written by playwright, actor, and director J.T. Turner, who was asked by the Smithsonian to tell the stories of the people who lived there. As the house itself looms behind them, the play opens with the two Ipswich housewives, Kay Thompson and Helen Lunt, pleading with the demolition man not to tear it down. Reminiscent of Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, as the workman settles in for the night intending the demolition to start the next morning, he begins to hear the house reveal its history. As he questions his sanity, residents of the house appear in sequence representing major historical time periods.

It begins with Abraham Choate building the house in 1760 for his growing family. He is followed by Abraham Dodge, a revolutionary war patriot who explains how Ipswich came to be known as “The Birthplace of American Independence” (hint, it has to do with being the first to refuse to pay taxes to the British crown). Ahead to the Caldwells, active in the fight to abolish slavery prior to the Civil War, then to the Lynch family of Irish immigrants struggling to pay the $50 a year rent to the wealthy Heard family who then owned the house. And finally to the Scott’s as they supported the World War II effort at home while their two sons fought overseas.

Abraham and Sarah Choate

Throughout the play the spectators become entranced both by the individual stories of the people who lived in the house and by the historical periods they represent. Having been born and raised in Ipswich, and just recently spent my 4th of July holiday there, the play was especially poignant as the family names and stories remain part of the ongoing life-thread of the town. At times the memories it invoked became personally emotional. After the play ended I was lucky enough to have a brief conversation with J.T. Turner. As I thanked him for his wonderful writing, the actress who played “Grandma” Scott gaze at me with that look that actors get when they see how their craft affected others. I can safely say that I was affected by the performance. Thank you all.

David J. Kent is the author of Lincoln: The Man Who Saved America, now available. His previous books include Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity and Edison: The Inventor of the Modern World (both Fall River Press). He has also written two e-books: Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its Time and Abraham Lincoln and Nikola Tesla: Connected by Fate.

Check out my Goodreads author page. While you’re at it, “Like” my Facebook author page for more updates!

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Vote for Allison Gustavson

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Allison GustavsonChange is hard, but there are times when change is necessary. This is one of those times. Following words from Abraham Lincoln, that is how I began my endorsement of Allison Gustavson. Now I am asking my family, friends, and everyone else in the Fourth Essex District to vote for Allison Gustavson for Massachusetts State Representative.

Allison brings a much needed new voice and energy to the district. She is motivated by a strong desire to represent all citizens in the district, not just those of the party. She is driven by her love for all of the towns in the district, not just the one. Ipswich, Hamilton, Manchester, Rowley, Topsfield, and Wenham will all benefit with Allison as their representative.

Yes, change is hard. Many of you have voted for the incumbent Brad Hill every election for the last 20 years. We all have fond memories of Brad’s father, uncle, and the family name. But it’s time to move beyond that family name and get a representative who speaks for all of us.

The recent League of Women Voters Candidate Forum provided ample evidence of the need for change. Whereas Brad Hill prevaricated or offered up boilerplate policies that have failed citizens repeatedly in the past, Allison Gustavson demonstrated that she will take steps to preserve the rights of all citizens in the Fourth Essex district, both now and the future. Allison will protect 2nd amendment rights while keeping our children safe from gun violence. Allison will support economic growth while addressing the real issue of climate change. Allison will ensure the rights of all citizens, not promote bigotry and anti-women policies. Whereas Brad’s incumbent position was gained by adherence to party dogma, Allison is driven by positive movement, service to all the public, and a willingness to listen to people’s views no matter what party.

Allison Gustavson is by far the best choice for all the citizens in all the towns of the Fourth Essex District. So I’m asking you to vote for her.

I’m asking my family and friends who live in Ipswich, Hamilton, Manchester, Rowley, Topsfield, and Wenham to vote for Allison Gustavson on Tuesday, November 6, 2019. Please also ask your friends and neighbors to vote for her. The future of the community depends on making Allison your next state representative.

Thank you.

[This will be the final “political” post on my website as I’ll return to my normal topics of Abraham Lincoln, Science Travel, Nikola Tesla, and Thomas Edison. But as Lincoln said, we must “be active, when action is needed.” I believe action is needed.]

David J. Kent is an avid science traveler and the author of Lincoln: The Man Who Saved America, in Barnes and Noble stores now. His previous books include Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity and Edison: The Inventor of the Modern World and two e-books: Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its Time and Abraham Lincoln and Nikola Tesla: Connected by Fate.

Check out my Goodreads author page. While you’re at it, “Like” my Facebook author page for more updates!

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Abraham Lincoln and Allison Gustavson – My Endorsement

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Allison Gustavson“As our case is new, so we must think anew, and act anew,” said Abraham Lincoln in the midst of the Civil War. “The dogmas of the quiet past, are inadequate to the stormy present.” Change is hard, but there are times when change is necessary. This is one of those times.

I was born and raised in Ipswich and it will always be my home town. My father was born in Rowley, my mother Manchester, and they have lived the last 65 years in Ipswich. Much of my extended family continues to live in Ipswich, Hamilton, Manchester, Rowley, Topsfield, and Wenham. These towns mean the world to them, and to me. Which is why I am endorsing Allison Gustavson to represent the Fourth Essex District in the Massachusetts House of Representatives.

Allison is driven not by party, but by service to the community. Witnessing the national tragedy of September 11, 2001 from the streets below the twin towers inspired her to study elementary education. This background helped her understand the value of educating all students, a value she shares with Abraham Lincoln. Her service with the Manchester Council-on-Aging has helped her bridge the needs of the elderly with the energy of the younger generations. Allison believes “our communities are strongest when we all have the opportunities to engage with and learn from each other.” She has proven this in every aspect of her life and through founding an organization that encourages and facilitates local citizen participation in democracy. 

With family roots in Ipswich and living in the Fourth Essex district, Allison understands the local needs of the people. As a businesswoman, she understands how choices made locally and in the legislature affect the economy and the livelihoods of the business community. As a woman, she brings much needed insight to the questions that affect women, families, and businesses. Lincoln, too, understood the needs of the people. He insisted on meeting with a steady stream of common men and women daily in his White House office. He called these meetings his “public-opinion baths,” which he used to keep in touch with the views of the people. Allison has emulated this by meeting with everyone in all walks of life no matter what their political preferences. Doing so keeps her in touch with the public sentiment, which Lincoln knew “is everything.”

Growing up in the shadow of Castle Hill, working at Crane Beach, biking through Bradley Palmer, and canoeing on the Ipswich River led me to a career in environmental science. As a scientist I appreciate Allison’s commitment to protecting the natural beauty that is of such critical importance to the Fourth District, as well as dealing with the realities of climate change and protecting worker safety. Choate Bridge, the Heard and Whipple Houses, and the inspired history of the region led me also to the world of Abraham Lincoln, so I recognize that we live in troubling times. “The occasion is piled high with difficulty,” Lincoln said, but also knew that “we must rise” to meet the challenge. Allison provides an opportunity to change our politics, to work with all parties – not just one party – to address the very real issues facing all the communities of the district.

“We must disenthrall ourselves, and then we shall save our country,” Lincoln added. As Lincoln was the best choice to lead our nation through its greatest trial, I believe Allison Gustavson is the best choice to help pave the way for the future of the region. She will represent all men, women, and children of the Fourth Essex District. I am confident that Allison is the right person at the right time to bring us together for the good of all of us. On November 6th, I hope you vote for Allison Gustavson to represent the Fourth Essex District of Massachusetts.

For more information about Allison, please visit her website at www.allisongustavson.com. 

 

[Those who follow me know I have not endorsed a political candidate before. But as Lincoln said, we must “be active, when action is needed.” I believe action is needed.]

David J. Kent is an avid science traveler and the author of Lincoln: The Man Who Saved America, in Barnes and Noble stores now. His previous books include Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity and Edison: The Inventor of the Modern World and two e-books: Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its Time and Abraham Lincoln and Nikola Tesla: Connected by Fate.

Check out my Goodreads author page. While you’re at it, “Like” my Facebook author page for more updates!

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Remembering Arthur Hardy and the Vietnam War

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VietnamMemorialwall

On this Memorial Day, memories of a man I never met suddenly flooded my mind this morning. Arthur H. Hardy died in Laos during the Vietnam War in 1972. I didn’t know him. But yet I remember him.

All of this began with an extraordinary tribute to Captain Hardy by Ipswich Town Historian Gordon Harris. Please take a moment to read it.

I was in my first year of high school when the plane piloted by Hardy was shot down. For many years he would be listed as a POW, then MIA, before his remains were finally found and returned to his family in 1983. In a small town like ours, everyone felt the weight of his premature demise.

Flash forward to 1992, when I moved to the Washington, D.C. area. One of my first forays into town included a sedated viewing of the imposing Vietnam Veterans Memorial in the shadow of the Lincoln Memorial. A long line edged along the narrow path, eyes scanning the wall for the names of loved ones lost. A guidebook helped locate the one veteran from my home town I knew to be listed. Like everyone else, I stared in quiet reverence at the name; it likely seemed an eternity to others, but passed in milliseconds to me.

I still have the rubbing I made that day. Half-sized papers with black borders, along with hard graphite pencils, could be placed over the etched names and the impression kept in remembrance. I have a pair in a single frame that have followed me through several relocations. Another rubbing was taken by my parents, and many years later my mother was able to give it to Arthur Hardy’s mother. Tears flow like rivers even still.

So I thank Gordon Harris for writing his tribute and bringing back such vibrant memories. It is only fitting that the photo accompanying this post is of “The Wall” by Norman Rockwell. Like in the painting, the first thing you notice is the grief of the people looking in…but delving deeper you feel the men and women who gave their last full measure of devotion still reaching into our lives today.

David J. Kent is the author of Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity and Edison: The Inventor of the Modern World (both Fall River Press). He has also written two e-books: Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its Time and Abraham Lincoln and Nikola Tesla: Connected by Fate. His next book, Lincoln: The Man Who Saved America, is scheduled for release in summer 2017.

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Reposted from Hot White Snow

[Daily Post]

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Abraham Lincoln Book Acquisitions for 2015

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DACOR Bacon HouseI’m still far short of the 15,000+ books published about Abraham Lincoln, but did make several great acquisitions for my collection in 2015. The following list shows 59 new additions, almost exactly the number I added last year.

Seven of the books are brand new 2015 publication dates, including Looking for Lincoln in Illinois: Lincoln’s Springfield, which I’ll use to prepare for next September’s Lincoln Group of DC trip to Illinois. Another 2015 issue is Kathryn Canavan’s Lincoln’s Final Hours: Conspiracy, Terror, and the Assassination of America’s Greatest President. Kathryn will be the Lincoln Group’s guest speaker during one of LGDC’s March 15, 2016 dinner meeting.

Nine of the books are signed by the author. That includes my 2015 “Harold Holzer Book of the Year” (though he often has several new books come out in any given year). A Just and Generous Nation is co-written by Holzer and economist Norton Garfinkle, and Harold was nice enough to sign it for me during the annual Lincoln Forum in Gettysburg in November. You can read my review on Goodreads.

The coolest book I obtained this year is probably Villianous Compounds: Chemical Weapons and the American Civil War by Guy R. Hasagawa. Given my science and toxicology background, this especially grabbed my attention. The oldest book was published in 1894. Abraham Lincoln: The First American by D.D. Thompson was a gift by the Lincoln Group of DC after my October 2015 presentation on “Lincoln and the March of Technology.”

There are several classic books on the list, including those by Paul Angle, Noah Brooks, and the first and second supplements to the famous Roy Basler Collected Works. Some of the books examine specialty areas of Lincoln research. There’s even one by William F. Petersen that claims the lives of Abraham Lincoln and Stephen A. Douglas were foretold by the weather. [I haven’t read this one yet, but am eager to get the scoop.]

One never-ending problem always attends new acquisitions – where to put them. I’ve reached the point where creative rearranging of bookshelves, combined with strategic sales and library donations, are simply not enough. So my big question for 2016 is “where do I put more bookcases?”

See the list of books below my signature blurbs.

David J. Kent has been a scientist for thirty-five years, is an avid science traveler, and an independent Abraham Lincoln historian. He is the author of Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity (now in its 5th printing) and two e-books: Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its Time and Abraham Lincoln and Nikola Tesla: Connected by Fate. His book on Thomas Edison is due in Barnes and Noble stores in spring 2016.

Follow me by subscribing by email on the home page.  And feel free to “Like” my Facebook author’s page and connect on LinkedIn.  Share with your friends using the buttons below.

Here is the 2015 list:

A Portion of That Field: The Centennial of the Burial of Lincoln 1967
Andreasen, Bryon C. Looking for Lincoln in Illinois: Lincoln’s Springfield 2015
Angle, Paul M. The Lincoln Reader 1947
Angle, Paul M. A Portrait of Abraham Lincoln in Letters By His Oldest Son 1968
Baber, Adin A. Lincoln With Compass and Chain 2002
Basler, Roy P. (ed) The Collected Works of Abraham Lincoln: First Supplement 1832-1865 1990
Basler, Roy P. and Basler, Christian O. (ed) The Collected Works of Abraham Lincoln: Second Supplement 1848-1865 1990
Brookhiser, Richard Founder’s Son: A Life of Abraham Lincoln 2014
Brooks, Noah Abraham Lincoln: The Nation’s Leader in the Great Struggle through which was Maintained the Existence of the United States 1909
Brown University Books at Brown Volumes XXXI-XXXII 1985
Canavan, Kathryn Lincoln’s Final Hours: Conspiracy, Terror, and the Assassination of America’s Greatest President 2015
Carnahan, Burrus M. Lincoln On Trial: Southern Civilians and the Law of War 2010
Charles River Editors The Transcontinental Railroad: The History and Legacy of the First Rail Line Spanning the United States no date
Current, Richard N. Lincoln’s Loyalists: Union Soldiers From the Confederacy 1994
Di Bella, Anna and Chapman, Sandy (eds) Happy Birthday, Mr. Lincoln: A Commemorative Collage 2009
Donald, David Herbert Lincoln’s Herndon 1948
Donald, David Herbert Lincoln’s Herndon 1948
Farley, Jeremy The Civil War Out My Window: Diary of Mary Henry 2014
Fornieri, Joseph R. and Gabbard, Sara Vaughn Lincoln’s America: 1809-1865 2008
Hasagawa, Guy R. Villainous Compounds: Chemical Weapons & The American Civil War 2015
Hightower, C.L. Sr. (Editor-in-Chief) Hood County History in Pictures and Story 1978 1978
Hodges, Robert R., Jr. American Civil War Railroad Tactics 2009
Holden, Raymond Abraham Lincoln: The Politician and the Man 1929
Holzer, Harold and Garfinkle, Norton A Just and Generous Nation 2015
Horgan, Paul Citizen of New Salem 1961
Horwitz, Tony Confederates in the Attic: Dispatches from the Unfinished Civil War 1998
Illinois Historic Preservation Agency On Lincoln’s Mind: Leading the Nation to the Gettysburg Address 2013
Illinois Historic Preservation Agency On Lincoln’s Side: Reelecting a Leader 2014
Jewell, Scott (Editor) Ipswich in the Civil War 2012
Kempf, Edward J. Abraham Lincoln’s Philosophy of Common Sense: An Analytical Biography of a Great Mind 1965
Knorowski, Carla (Ed.) Gettysburg Replies: The World Responds to Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address 2015
Magliocca, Gerard N. American Founding Son: John Bingham and the Invention of the Fourteenth Amendment 2013
Mansfield, Stephen Lincoln’s Battle With God: A President’s Struggle With Faith and What It Meant for America 2012
McGinty, Brian Lincoln’s Greatest Case: The River, The Bridge, and the Making of America 2015
McPherson, James M. and McPherson, Patricia R. Lamson of the Gettysburg: The Civil War Letters of Roswell H. Lamson, U.S. Navy 1997
Miller, Richard Lawrence Lincoln and his World: The Early Years: Birth to Illinois Legislature 2006
Oates, Stephen B. Abraham Lincoln: The Man Behind The Myths 1984
Peet, Tom and Keck, David Reading Lincoln: An Annotated Bibliography 2014
Peraino, Kevin Lincoln in the World: The Making of a Statesman and the Dawn of American Power 2013
Petersen, William F. Lincoln Douglas: The Weather as Destiny 1943
Quercia, Jacopo Della The Great Abraham Lincoln Pocket Watch Conspiracy 2014
Rayner, William Horace and Schmidt, Milton O. Elementary Surveying 1957
Reck, W. Emerson A. Lincoln: His Last 24 Hours 1987
Rothenberg, Marc (Ed) The Papers of Joseph Henry, Volume 10: January 1858-December 1865, The Smithsonian Years 2004
Sandburg, Carl Storm Over the Land: A Profile of the Civil War 1995
Shively, Carol A. (Ed.) Asians and Pacific Islanders and the Civil War 2015
Songini, Marc The Lost Fleet: A Yankee Whaler’s Struggle Against the Confederate Navy and Arctic Disaster 2007
Spencer, J. Ronald (Ed) A Connecticut Yankee in Lincoln’s Cabinet: Navy Secretary Gideon Welles Chronicles the Civil War 2014
Temple, Wayne C. Abraham Lincoln From Skeptic to Prophet 1995
Temple, Wayne C. Lincoln’s Connections With the Illinois Michigan Canal, His Return From Congress in ’48, and His Invention 1986
The Heritage Press The Literary Works of Abraham Lincoln 1942
Thompson, D.D. Abraham Lincoln, The First American 1894
Williams, Frank J. and Pederson, William D., eds. Lincoln Lessons: Reflections on America’s Greatest Leader 2009
Winkle, Kenneth J. Lincoln’s Citadel: The Civil War in Washington, DC 2013
The Invisible General 2004
Lust for Love and Battle 1984
Lee Faces Up to Gettysburg 2002
Eyewitness Account Gettysburg 2003
A.P. Hill’s Bloody Bristol Assault 2003

 

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Reading List Halfway Point (from Hot White Snow)

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In January I set a goal on Goodreads of reading 50 books over the course of the year. I guess I’ll make my goal because as of the end of June – the halfway point – Goodreads tells me that I am “18 books ahead of schedule.” I have read 42 books so far in 2015.

Books read thru June 2015I’m not overly surprised. Last year I set a goal of 50 books, then raised that to 75 when it was clear I would pass it, before finishing out the year at 84 books read (which I documented in Reading is Fundamental). The idea behind limiting it to 50 this year was because I planned to read less and write more. It turns out I was doing more of both.

The reading can be split into a few separate genres, the most prolific being books about Abraham Lincoln. I’ve read 15 books so far that look specifically at different aspects of Lincoln’s life and the Civil War. Included in this group are books about his character (Philosopher Statesman), law cases (Lincoln’s Greatest Case), and interactions with the press (Lincoln and the Power of the Press). I also tossed in a book about my home town’s soldiers (Ipswich in the Civil War) and insights from the Smithsonian (The Civil War Out My Window).

This year I also had a new focus – Thomas Edison.

[Continue reading at Hot White Snow]

The above is a partial of a full article “On Writing” on Hot White Snow, my creative writing blog. Please click on the link above to read further. Thanks.

I’ll have photos and stories from my most recent science traveling trips to Scandinavia and Quebec shortly.

David J. Kent has been a scientist for over thirty years, is an avid science traveler, and an independent Abraham Lincoln historian. He is the author of Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity and the e-book Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its Time. He is currently writing a book on Thomas Edison.

Follow me by subscribing by email on the home page.  And feel free to “Like” my Facebook author’s page and connect on LinkedIn.  Share with your friends using the buttons below.