The Library Ghost

    The 1600s in North America covers a number of European colonial enterprises, including Dutch, French, English, and Spanish interests in the "New World."  Wars of trade and conquest span both sides of the Atlantic, and traditional lifestyles are disrupted by new technologies as well as a growing trans-Atlantic slave trade.      Note that the Hearth Cooking video has windy background noise, but it's otherwise good. General information      American Experience | PBS. " Chapter 1 | The Pilgrims | American Experience | PBS ." YouTube . Posted November 19, 2020.      JYF Museums. " The Jamestown Starving Time of 1609-10 ." YouTube . Posted January 12, 2022. Architecture and engineering      Historic St. Marys City. " Historic St. Mary's City - Woodland Indian Hamlet: Rawhide ." YouTube . Posted October 15, 2021.     JamestownRediscovery. " Archaeology of the Jamestown Church Tower ." YouTube . P...

      The mid-nineteenth century in Britain covers the first three decades of the Victorian era.  The United States struggles through the American Civil War, while France endures the fall of the Second Republic, followed by the brief Second Empire .  Further east sees the establishment of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Russian Empire's loss in the Crimean War, and the unifications of both Germany and Italy.  General information      Durbin, Holly Poe. " Crinoline Era Consumerism ." YouTube . Posted October 18, 2020.     English Heritage. " Fashion Through History: Episode 1 – Victorians ." YouTube . Posted February 9, 2023.     Glasscock, Jessica. " Nineteenth-Century Silhouette and Support ." In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History . New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2004.      Oshinsky, Sara J. " European Revivalism ." In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History . New York: The Metropolit...

    Please keep in mind that the folks at Gentleman's Gazette , while enthusiastic about their subject matter, do occasionally make inaccurate claims like "wigs were infested with lice" (they were not; head lice drink human blood and would starve to death in a hairpiece) or "girding one's loins is about turning a robe into a loincloth" (it is simply about putting on a belt or girdle; the loins are at the lower back and hips, where the belt sits, and not the pubic area).  I have attempted to use only the most accurate of their articles and videos, but take anything about pre-1900s history with a grain of salt. General information Timeline, silhouette, miscellaneous.      English Heritage. " Fashion Through History: Episode 6 – The 1940s ." YouTube . August 19, 2025.     Hallay, Amanda. " HISTORY in COLOR: The 1960s ." YouTube . October 7, 2020.     Itzcovitz, Natasha. " Explaining 1960's Fashion ." Natasha Itzcovitz...

    Conservation of wildlife, especially native pollinators, is critical for the future of our planet—including the future of humanity.  After all, no bees means no fruit, which makes up a huge proportion of the human diet.  Pollution, invasive species, deforestation, and climate change are all threats to our native species that must be combated, starting today.  We can't rely only on individual action; we need to combine it with strong legal protection to save the environment before we lose it forever. General information      CBS Sunday Morning. " The Endangered Species Act at 50 ." YouTube . December 31, 2023.     CrashCourse. " Conservation and Restoration Ecology: Crash Course Ecology #12 ." YouTube . January 21, 2013.      Friends of the Los Angeles River. " Notes from the Field - Understanding Indicator Species ." YouTube . July 13, 2020.      National Geographic. " Invasive Species 1...

     I would like credit for limiting myself to *only* six cooking videos by Townsends.  It was very difficult and I deserve a sticker.  Also, for some reason the virtual tour of the Irish farm needs to be watched at 1.25x normal speed; all the others seem fine. General information     Fairfax Network - Fairfax County Public Schools. " Life of a Colonial Slave ." YouTube . Posted September 19, 2014.      Smarthistory. " The making of an American myth: Benjamin West, Penn's Treaty with the Indians ." YouTube . Posted February 9, 2020.     Townsend, Jon. " Lighting Then VS Now: Fire Before Electricity ." YouTube . Posted January 14, 2024.      Townsend, Jon. " Winters in Colonial America ." YouTube . Posted December 7, 2017. Architecture and engineering      Colonial Williamsburg. " 18th-Century Brickmaking ." YouTube . Posted January 28, 2026.     Colonial Williamsburg. " ...

    I thought I'd throw together a generic overview of western fashion, as a kind of introduction post to the period-specific introduction posts.  It covers the post-Roman era through the mid-20th century. General information     Le, Mina. " Chicago (2002): the history of showgirl costumes ." YouTube . February 13, 2021.     Rudolph, Nicole. " How much clothing did they *actually* have back then? " YouTube . June 15, 2024.     Rowe, Kaz. " Why the Medieval Aesthetic Never Dies: The History of Medieval Revival Fashion ." YouTube . April 27, 2023.     Rudolph, Nicole. " The History of Standardized Sizes in Womens Fashion and Why They FAILED ." YouTube . May 16, 2021. Accessories      Cox, Abby. " A Fashion Historian Explains the History of the Handbag ." YouTube . January 26, 2023.     Cox, Abby. " Flappers, Y2K, & Capitalism are Why Women "Don't" Have Pockets ." YouTube . Jan...

    Here it is!  The 1890s list of cook books!  I'm finally free!      I think... I think I need a little time before I work on another cookery post. Baked goods and sandwiches Cakes, meat pies, fruit tarts, breads, sandwiches.      Braun, Emil. Perfection in Baking (4th ed.) . New York, NY: Emil Braun, 1899.      Hérissé, Emile. The Art of Pastry Making . London, UK: Ward, Lock, Bowden and Co., 1893.      Schurr, Eugene, comp. The Baker's Hand Book . Chicago, IL: Robbins Brothers, 1895.      Wells, Robert. The Bread and Biscuit Baker's and Sugar-Boiler's Assistant (3rd ed.) . London, UK: Crosby Lockwood and Son, 1895.      Willis, Leida A., comp. The Rumford Bread and Pastry Cook . Providence, RI: Rumford Chemical Works, c.1895.      —. The Baker, Including Bread and Fancy Baking . London, UK: Houlston and Sons, c.1890. Cocktails and punches Mixed drinks, ho...

    The 1940s concludes the Second World War and begins the Cold War .  Once again, I've separated out the rationing-specific books.  Canning guides, gimmicky appliances, and revised editions of older books predominate in the other categories. Baked goods and sandwiches Cakes, meat pies, fruit tarts, breads, sandwiches.     —. Dormeyer Electric-Mix Treasures . Chicago, IL: Dormeyer Corporation, 1949. Dinners All dinners all the time; for big meals, not little suppers.      —. Money-Saving Main Dishes . Washington, DC: United States Department of Agriculture, 1948. Jellies, pickles, and chutneys Includes marmalade, fruit preserves, Jell-O, relishes.      Cruess, William Vere, and Arthur William Christie. Home Canning (Rev.) . Berkeley, CA: University of California, 1942.     Pederson, Carl S., and H. G. Beattie. Home Preparation and Preservation of Fruit and Vegetable Juices . Geneva, NY: New York State ...

    The Edwardian era in Britain and its colonies overlapped with the Progressive era in the United States.  Life for the middle and upper classes would change drastically after the Great War, and the period is often considered a last gasp of aristocratic decadence.  As you can see, big dinners are going out of style in favor of smaller luncheons and suppers.  I couldn't find nearly as many cookery books for this decade as for the 1910s and later, but I feel there's enough to warrant publishing the post.      Miss Norton's book (under "Miscellaneous") is a fascinating glimpse into respectability politics of the fin de siècle African-American community, as well as a useful book of recipes.  The end of the volume covers etiquette, pedagogy, and Christian morality as topics of interest for parents, teachers, and young people.  I definitely recommend it if you want to get an idea of what middle- and upper-middle-class women of color we...