Friday, May 20, 2011

Friday, May 13, 2011

The Washingtonians - by Pauline Bradford Mackie

The Washingtonians
by Pauline Bradford Mackie
Boston: L. C. Page and Company, 1902

The Washingtonians presents a fictional portrait of Kate Chase Sprague, daughter of Salmon P. Chase, Secretary of the Treasury during the administration of Abraham Lincoln. The story begins in the fall of 1864 and focuses on Kate, aka Portia Matthews, and her efforts to help her father secure the Republican nomination for president in the upcoming election.

The novel is well written and is very interesting to all who are familiar with the history of the time and the dynamics of the members of the Lincoln administration. Kate Chase was a fascinating woman, and this novel provides a glimpse of her private life.

Saturday, May 7, 2011

At Chrighton Abbey by Mary Elizabeth Braddon

At Chrighton Abbey
by Mary Elizabeth Braddon
As published in Volume III of Milly Darrell and Other Tales
London: John Maxwell and Co., 1873

A ghost story.

Friday, May 6, 2011

Bestseller of 1908 - Peter

Peter
by F. Hopkinson Smith
New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1908

A bestseller for the year 1908.

Wednesday, May 4, 2011