"All that a guidebook should be: compact, easy to use, informative
and entertaining." Kirkus Reviews
"Anyone who has even the slightest interest in American literary
history is sure to be charmed by this attractive little book."
The Chicago Tribune
"This lively guidebook invites residents to take a fresh look at
our area's literary heritage...A spirit of inclusiveness welcomes
Malcolm X and Fannie Farmer alongside the Alcotts and the Jameses,
while contributions by contemporary local writers like Gish Jen and
David McCullough ensure that the circle remains unbroken."
Boston Magazine
"A sprightly and informative little guidebook, packed with tidbits
about literary figures, publishers, bookstores, libraries, and
other historic sites on the newly designated Literary Trail of
Greater Boston. Working with the Boston History Collaborative,
Cambridge author Wilson (Boston Sights and Insights, not reviewed)
has compiled a chatty, easy to follow companion to the three-part
Trail. Opening with the Parker House Hotel, site of Charles
Dickens's first American reading of A Christmas Carol, Wilson
guides the tour-taker through three centuries of Greater Boston's
literary history, paying homage along the way to some unexpected
figures - e.g., Ben Franklin, Kahlil Gibran, and Vladimir Nabokov -
as well as the expected Alcott, Hawthorne, Longfellow, Emerson,
Thoreau, and Whittier. Contemporary writers have contributed essays
on their favorite writers - Robert Pinsky writes about Elizabeth
Bishop, Julia Child has a piece on Fannie Farmer - and brief quotes
have been inserted to illustrate various authors' styles. Besides
three main tour segments in Boston, Cambridge, and Concord, there
are "Off the Beaten Path" side trips to Beacon Hill and to
cemeteries in the three cities where many of the famous literary
figures are buried. Also included are tips on finding literary
events at local bookstores, libraries, and museums, and information
on contempora
"This lively guidebook invites residents to take a fresh look at
our
area's literary heritage...A spirit of inclusiveness welcomes
Malcolm
X and Fannie Farmer alongside the Alcotts and the Jameses,
while
contributions by contemporary local writers like Gish Jen and
David
McCullough ensure that the circle remains unbroken."
 |
Ask a Question About this Product More... |
|
