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Literature for the Family
Bulbs and Blossoms
Amy Le Feuvre
Amy Le Feuvre tells the story of how Olive and Roland, a brother and sister from England, meet Old Bob the gardener. Bob tells them of his Easter lilies that look so dead during the winter, and come up in the spring. Olive and Roland anxiously await the spring to be a witness of the lilies. There faithfulness even brings the hardened old maids that they live with to the Lord. This is a very sweet little story written almost like Teddy's Button, also by Amy Le Feuvre.
Christie's Old Organ
Mrs. O.F. Walton
The story of a little beggar boy who comes under the care of old Treffy, the organ grinder. When Treffy realizes that he is dying, Christie takes the organ into the streets to support them both. Treffy wants to go to heaven, but he does not know how, and it is up to Christie to find answers to the old man's questions.
Frank, the Young Naturalist
Harry Castlemon
The story of Frank Nelson who has founded a miniature museum of taxidermy in his shed. Castlemon pens Frank's adventures as he finds new specimens for his museum, leads the village boys in a game of smugglers, and fishes with his cousin. However, Charles Morgan does not like the poorer villagers and is determined to set Frank against them!
Making His Way
Horatio Alger, Jr
The story of Frank Courtney whose inheritance from his mother is claimed by his stepfather, Mr. Manning, through a phony will. Frank leaves school when life with his stepfather becomes unbearable, and he goes off to "make his way" in the city of New York. Frank works to support himself until a certain change of events places him in control of the situation. Follow Frank through his struggles and adventures, as Horatio Alger, Jr., draws a distinctive plot and story.
Mary Liddiard
W.H.G. Kingston
The story of a missionary's daughter in the Pacific Islands who helps her father throughout the native uprisings and sees many fruits from her labors. The story revolves around a massacre of the settlements, when Mary and her sister flee for their lives onto a boat where they must wait for a rescue. Kingston drafts a very good story written as if it was the journal of Mary Liddiard.
Now or Never
Oliver Optic
The story of Bobby Bright who struggles to support his family after the death of his father. Bobby is a very smart lad, but he meets with many set backs as he tries to help his mother. Bobby goes off to Boston to become a book peddler around the small villages and farms in New England. Bobby meets up with an old friend, Tom Spicer, whose attitude and actions threaten Bobby's prospering business. Oliver Optic weaves this story with plenty of action and a bit of a lesson on bad company!
The Boat Club
Oliver Optic
The story of how Frank Sedley is able to assist the Weston family. With the help of his father, he forms a boat club to help row the boat Captain Sedley bought for the club. Tim Bunker, however, is not pleased that his gang of boys does not rule the lake, and is determined for revenge. His revenge strikes against Tony Weston, who is the son of the Widow Weston. Tony is accused of stealing a wallet, but he is helped by the Sedley family to reaffirm his innocence. This is the first book in a series soon to be completed by Olde-Books.com.
Tip Lewis and his Lamp
Isabella Alden - "Pansy"
The story of a boy who comes to Christ and chronicles his life as he tries to live like Christ. We can all sympathize with him through his acts and struggles as he prays for the conversion of his family. Pansy ends this story with Tip in a surprising position to support his family.Historical Fiction
Count Ulrich of Lindburg
W.H.G. Kingston
A story of the reformation in Germany under Martin Luther. Ulrich's son, Eric, journeys to Wittenburg to be educated under Luther and his students. Ulrich's family is divided between Catholicism and Protestantism, and one of his daughters is imprisoned in a convent. The bitter feud between Baron Schweinsburg and the Count Ulrich causes Eric to be kidnapped and also imprisoned in the Baron's hold. To say more would subtract from the story! Kingston's story ends with the Count's family reunited.
For the Liberty of Texas
Edward Stratemeyer
The story of the Radbury family who are living in Texas when the Mexican war breaks out. The two sons, Ralph and Dan, go through many adventures with Comanches and the Mexican raiders. The father joins the war, and takes part in many of the early battles of the Texan War of Independence. Dan Radbury and Poke Stover, a trapper, take part in the Alamo but manage to escape the general massacre. Edward Stratemeyer provides a treasure horde of details on the battles, including Gonzales, the Alamo, San Antonio, Concepcion and San Jacinto. This book is the first edition in the "Mexican War Series, By Edward Stratemeyer."Skills for the Family
The Growing of the Fruit Plants
L.H. Bailey
L.H. Bailey was a garden expert who was held in high esteem in the early 1900's. He shows the prospective fruit-gardener how to select trees, prune, and preserve the fruit. He also covers how to grow Almond, Apples, Apricot, Blackberry, Cherry, Cranberry, Currant, Dewberry, Fig, Gooseberry, Grape, Mulberry, Nuts, Orange, Peach, Pear, Plum, Quince, Raspberries and Strawberries. This book is a very good primer on the basics of fruit-gardening!
The Handbook of Knitting
Needlecraft Magazine
Published by Needlecraft Magazine in the early 1900's to teach basic knitting for the World War I war effort. The book teaches basic knitting and provides easy patterns for a beginner. The book includes a portion on "Knitting for the Red Cross" which tells how to make items for the refugees from war-torn Europe. It is very interesting to see the patterns and styles for sweaters and scarves from back in the early 1900's.
The Book of Sports - Cricket
William Martin
Part of the "Book of Sports" collection. If you have ever read books by English authors of the Victorian Age, you know that all of the heroes play cricket. William Martin gives the official rules for playing this popular english game. He says in the first section that "Cricket is the king of games...every boy in England should learn it"! Cricket is to England like baseball is to America. After reading these instructions, you will want to grab a bat and ball and learn to play cricket!
The Book of Sports - Swimming
William Martin
Part of the "Book of Sports" collection. Martin shows you in this little volume how to swim. He gives the basic swimming lesson, but also how to dive, how to tread water, how to float, and how to plunge. He also shows how to swim like a dog and how to swim like a porpoise. Introduced in this volume is the Bernardi Upright Swimming Technique. Notably, he also shows the safety precautions for cramp and rescue. It is very interesting that Martin quotes Benjamin Franklin in the first section. Franklin tells in his own words how he swam with a kite and his own opinions on this healthy sport.Old West
Over the Rocky Mountains
R.M. Ballantyne
The story of Wandering Will's adventures in the gold fields of California. Will goes west to claim his inheritance left by his uncle, along with his friends Larry O'Hale and Big Ben. Of course, Ballantyne does not allow Will to make it "Over the Rocky Mountains" in peace and without a struggle. If you enjoy a western, you will appreciate the adventures through which Will must make his way.
The Allis Family
American Sunday School Union
Published anonymously by the American Sunday School Union, this little volume tells the story of a young family trying to farm the prairies. Join their children Annie and Susie as they try to be like Christ. This book was written in six sections that would make a great family read aloud. Their struggles to survive the harsh prairie winters are a great conclusion to this volume.
The Daughter of the Chieftain
Edward Ellis
The story of a western Pennsylvania pioneer family, the Ripleys, whose daughter Alice befriends an Iroquois chieftain, Omas, and his daughter, Linna. The story is based on the July 3rd, 1778, massacre of the settlers in Pennsylvania by the Indian allies of the British during the Revolution. Edward Ellis tells how the Ripleys and Linna make their way to the safety of the West Delaware. However, when they discover that they are being trailed by British Indians, they depend on Omas to rescue them.
The Golden Canyon
G.A. Henty
A story of gold seekers in California. Dick Preston and Tom Haldane are involved in a street scuffle in San Diego and save the life of a miner. Because of their friendship, the miner takes them to the "Golden Canyon" where legend says that is full of gold veins and nuggets. Henty shows that the band must be cautious to protect against Apache Indians who are not pleased at their arrival. In the end, they must escape from the Apaches who are determined to kill them!