I'm actually reading two books at the monument, Sons of a Trackless Forest, and the classic the Frontiersman's

Tho they’re a little bit out of place here, I’m reading “Sir Samuel Baker A Memoir” by Douglas Murray and Silva White, and “The Sporting Rifle and Its Projectiles” by Lt. James Forsyth. Although the book about Baker is mostly set in pre-1840s.

Bought 7 Francis Parkman books on ebay last fall, am about halfway thru vol 1 of The Conspiracy of Pontiac. Good stuff about the French and Indian Wars.

The Pilgrims Journey Volume 1 - most of it I have read already.

still wurkin' on ol' fremont's autobiography. i'm hopin' he'll comment on th' accusations uv c'rruption when he wuz quartermaster; th' kit carson 'n bill williams stuff, tho, is prime!
mind yer topknot! windy

Buck,
I highly recommend "Blood and Thunder" by Hampton Sides. I read it a while ago. Fantastic book. I learned more about Kit Carson than I could have possibly imagined. Our opening of the Southwest really comes to life.
Chasing Crow

I'm currently reading "Slaughter at Goliad, The Mexican Massacre of 400 Texas Volunteers" by Jay A. Stout.

Covers the the executions of James W. Fannin and his men on Palm Sunday 27 March 1836 following the Battle of Coleto Creek.

Craig

I'm just about finished reading Chaucer's Canterbury Tales. The book is set in the 1300s England, but there are two items that have come up for discussion on this Campfire. First, someone was equipped with a neck knife. Second, another of the characters had a string attached to his/her hat so as not to loose it in the wind.
Sparks

Just finished readin Boone great read! Any body that has not read it should.I got a back log of books that I want to read.So little time so much to read!

Mike

How is sons of the trackless forest?

Just re-read 'Dark and Bloody River'...Now on 'Simon Girty:Turncoat Hero'
Steve

quote:

Originally posted by sparks:
I'm just about finished reading Chaucer's Canterbury Tales. The book is set in the 1300s England, but there are two items that have come up for discussion on this Campfire. First, someone was equipped with a neck knife. Second, another of the characters had a string attached to his/her hat so as not to loose it in the wind.
Sparks

Had to do that at school...Was speaking middle English for weeks......
Steve

I just read "Martin Cash" a personal narrative of his exploits in the Australian bush and his experiences at Port Arthur and Norfolk Island.
He was born in Ireland in 1810, committed a crime and was shipped to Botany Bay as punishment. Very interesting.

Steve,
I read a translation from middle English. They left some chapters in middle English toward the back just to give a feel. I can read and understand a lot of that, but it would take me MUCH longer to read than it has.

Mrs. Stone has read The Canterbury Tales AND Beowulf as they were written...and liked them!

I read translated versions of Beowulf and Hrolf Kraki.

Sparks

am readin(rereadin)a "soldier like way "and it's companion ,"of sorts for provicials,"and going through my ml magazines trying to find a picture of the lyman belt pouch,drollin over my new crazy crow catalog,and still researchin for the early model bowie i'm gonna build,probaly leanin towards Rezin Bowie's own knife(and no, i don't care if it's THE BOWIE or not )

p.s.,we had to memerize the begining of the Canterbury tales in high school also,i was gonna spew it here but i desided not to,and Sparks,Beowulf is still one of my favorite epics,evev though they crushed it in hollywwod !

Chuckles,
I never had to read Canterbury Tales in high school...or college for that matter (and I minored in English!).

Mrs. Stone and I watched "Beowulf and Grendal" (I think that was the name of it) on DVD and that one was pretty accurate. Parts of "The Thirteenth Warrior" are close to the Beowulf story, except they make Grindal's people Neandertals.

The only reason I brought all this up was for the reference to neck knifes and hat strings. It is indeed pre-1840, but it is also pre-firearms and in the case of Beowulf, pre-gunpowder! Therefore, it is a bit off topic...

Sparks

I've been interested in those two books you mentioned, but as it is earlier than my period I haven't got around to getting them yet.

I guess Chaucer was 19 when the first use of a gun type device was recorded.
Sparks

"whan avril with its shores sote"--thet feller din't spell no better'n me!
mind yer topknots! windy

British Establishments on the Columbia & the state of fur trade, By William H. Ashley, is a excellent first person/primary source book.The book is made up of letters written by Ashley,Clark,Pilcher and others, explaining what works and what doesn't in fur trading, by people who were there. It is interesting to note that as of 1828 WM. Clark knew how dependent the Indians were on the fur trade. andy