Our Own Snug Fireside: Images of the New England Home, 1760-1860

This book is remarkable for its thorough coverage of all aspects of life between 1760-1860. I purchased this book for my own historical research, having read numerous books (both modern and antiquarian) related to the time period covered in Nylander's "Own Snug Fireside." I highly recommend her book for its accuracy, depth of subject matter, daily life details, and excellent photos/ drawings of the subjects being discussed. After reading her book, I not only became much more informed on the historical period, but I felt as if I'd gone on a journey back in time. The book is full of useful period engravings, photos, reproduced paintings in each chapter. The balance and thoroughness of each topic gives the book a seemless, authoritative feel. This book deserves the same attention and recognition of any of Larkin's books; it is an excellent achievement about a time period worthy of more modern scholarship. One of the other reviewers makes a very unfair charge, claiming that this book is based on only a couple of historical diaries; rather, this book's bibliography is eye-poppingly lengthy (literally hundreds of bibliographic entries) and the information Nylander writes about is spot-on accurate. As I have a particular interest in historical accuracy, and have read extensively on this time period, I can vouch that Nylander's information corroborates not only with other modern scholarly works but with antiquarian works printed between 1760-1860.

This book is easy to read, the material is presented in a logical and straight-forward manner, chapter by chapter, covering all aspects of life from 1760 to 1860, including clothing, cooking, food, heating, family life -- everything you always wanted to know but didn't think to ask. I totally disagree with the previous reviewer [(A history student (MA)]. Author Nylander has certainly done her homework. The references cover a 100 year span and are from all types of sources -- the majority from first person accounts including diaries and letters, as well as books, newspapers, etc. There are various pictures (drawings) illustrating furnishings, equipment, placement of objects both within and outside the home. I have a MUCH better understanding of life during the mid-18th to the mid-19th centuries. The Author is an expert in colonial New England history and I thank her for sharing her expertise in this thoroughly enjoyable, readable, unstandable book.

This wonderfully written book uses diaries, letters, and a wealth of material culture evidence to portray everyday life in nineteenth-century New England. Nylander manages to bring the past alive for both the lay reader and the material culture student. A must for scholars of New England's past.