Just ordered / received

Steinbeck: Travels with Charley & Later Novels
Whitman: Poetry & Prose
W. James: Writings 1878-1899
W. James: Writings 1902-1910
Tocqueville: Democracy in America
Audubon: Writings & Drawings
John Dos Passos: Travel Books and Other Writings 1916–1941
Charles W. Chesnutt: Stories, Novels, and Essays
James Weldon Johnson: Writings

Congratulation LesMis, you will have earned a Ph.D in American literature once you finish these volumes!!

> 2

You know Tex, it isn't primarily due to my dismay at the FS that I have turned towards America, it's largely because I am definitely under read in this area.

LesMis that is exactly my point...

What you learn from reading these writings is what this country could have been/could be, which makes me so hopeful and less resentful of what I've seen.

The person who really brought this home for me though was Mark Twain, which is why you must read his political essays, written within the last 10 years of his life (and after many many tragedies in his personal life) when he was no longer afraid to tell the truth.

> 4

I'll need to do that. Thanks.

Haven't yet, but I'm seriously considering two big orders:

1 Both volumes of Debate on the Constitution and the Thomas Paine volume

2 American Fantastic Tales (both volumes) as well as the volume with Poe's stories and poems

The third volume of Melville - glorious! And my longest LoA volume yet.

It arrived auspiciously as I just learned last night that a favorite professor of mine will be teaching a course next term that will include some of Melville's short fiction. Perfect!

Okay, I just couldn't resist it.

I've just ordered

The New Lynd Ward two volume woodcut set and the two volumes of Early and Later works of Richard Wright.

......now back to Steinbeck!

I highly recommend the volumes on the Debate on the Constitution. They provide a good insight into the political thinking of the times and focus on effect of some particular sections of the Constitution. Just don't expect to sit down and read them in one week.

>9 wildbill:

These books and The Federalist Papers are surprisingly good reads, even if it weren't for the fact that they are crucial to understanding the conditions that gave rise to the United States of America. Reading them, you are reminded again how intelligent and thoughtful were the Fathers of Our Country--and how much contention attended the hammering out of our form of government.

Just made use of the FALL2017 code to top up my collection...

Henry James: Autobiographies (slipcased edition)
The Civil War: The Third Year Told by Those Who Lived It
The Civil War: The Final Year Told by Those Who Lived It
H. P. Lovecraft: Tales (slipcased edition)
Francis Parkman: France & England in North America, volume 1
Francis Parkman: France & England in North America, volume 2
Francis Parkman: The Oregon Trail, The Conspiracy of Pontiac
Edgar Allan Poe: Poetry & Tales (slipcased edition)
Edgar Allan Poe: Essays & Reviews (slipcased edition)
Washington Irving: Three Western Narratives (slipcased edition)

>11 LesMiserables: You've got a lot of excellent reading there.

>11 LesMiserables:

That has to be close to a year's worth of reading.

The Civil War volumes are fantastic, I read them straight through as I received them. I've also read the Parkman Oregon Trail & Pontiac volume, and much preferred his description of the 'big wild' he encountered first hand on the Oregon Trail than his 'historical' take on Pontiac.

Edited for clarity.

>11 LesMiserables:

I was thinking that my order above was in some ways indicative of books on the fundamental list for LOA buyers. I still scratch my head and wonder why I have no Poe or Lovecraft.

>14 LesMiserables: Good question! Both authors are well worth reading just for the pleasure. Both have influenced hoards of later writers, and a number of Poe's stories in particular are American literary icons. Arthur Conan Doyle said that Poe's three C. Auguste Dupin stories (The Murders in the Rue Morgue, The Purloined Letter, and The Mystery of Mary Rogêt) were an inspiration for Sherlock Holmes. Poe created the detective story genre, not Wilkie Collins as I used to believe. Vis-à-vis the "other" Poe volume from LOA, his literary criticism, I found it interesting to read, too. I was especially intrigued with Poe's "war" with Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Enjoy!

>15 Podras.:

Thanks. Yes, I'm really looking forward to the Poe volumes and the Lovecraft after reading "The Call of Cthulhu".

Anyone else take advantage of the coupon?

Ordered 6 volumes, looks like 5 shipped. Waiting on the parcel.

>18 gatsby61:

What volumes?

Shirley Jackson's Novels and Stories just shipped as part of my subscription. I know it doesn't make too much sense to be so pumped after learning that was the one: after all, I picked all the titles! Shouldn't I be excited by all of them, whichever ends up being the next shipment?

Primus inter pares, I suppose.

I used the FALL2017 coupon to order the two volumes of Hainish novels and stories by Ursula Le Guin, the volume of later essays by Susan Sontag, and eight more empty boxes for box sets. I discovered that if I take books belonging to sets out of the subscriber slipcases and put them in the colorful boxes and line them up on top of my bookcases, I can go for a few more years before I have to get more bookcases for LOA books (they now fill nearly four bookcases (4 shelves each) that fit nicely into a particular spot -- no room for another in that place). I now have all the main series volumes through the first volume of Mary McCarthy, which arrived last week as part of my regular subscription mailings.

>21 euphorb:

Impressive. I'm not sure I'm going for the full LOA main series, but I'd love to see them in one place.

>19 LesMiserables:
I have to recall but both Eudora Welty books, Kate Chopin, John Cheever, Sherwood Anderson.

My order arrived today and on seeing the mailbag by heart sank. The box inside was obviously obliterated and the books were scattered loosely within the mailbag.

In trepidation I opened the bag and couldn't believe it. Not one of the volumes was damaged in any way! I can only surmise that the box burst on its final leg of the journey.

Anyway, all's well that ends well. :-)

I did note that I had ordered one volume in error though as I had already the Civil War 3rd Year. No big deal. I'll add it to my other two duplicates: Bierce and 1812 War.

That was a close call. I've had a few delivery boxes arrive with damage, but so far (knock on wood), the contents were fine.

I sometimes wonder if the postal service does that knowingly: "We could throw out the box, since the contents upon examination are clearly undamaged. But let us show them why the contents come without their box."

Clearly the box did its job -- while it lasted. Glad the books arrived in good shape!

>26 elenchus:

Uh-huh. Also it's not the best idea to stick a fragile sticker on a parcel. It is a red rag to the mischievous. Rather spend some time bomb-proofing the innards and let it move unobtrusively through the stages 'till it arrives at its destination.

I ordered the introductory offer of American Revolution Writings, with the free George Washington Writings for 6 bucks. I was going to buy the Revolution Writings on Amazon, but then I saw this offer and thought, 2 books for 5 dollars less than the Amazon price for one is too good of a deal. Not sure if I'll keep up with the subscription or not though.

>28 mike1990:

You can dial the subscription down to almost nothing: 2 books a year, whatever. At that rate, difficult to believe there isn't something you'd like given your interest in Am Rev Writings, and $30.90 post paid is a very good price.

Once you have some LOA books, a mysterious thing happens. You start buying more without any prompting whatsoever.

Les Mis: Got THAT right!!

That reminds me, maybe I should order an LOA book or two...

>31 jhicks62: >32 Dr_Flanders:

Actions speak louder than words! :-)

You have been enabled.

I just got a box of four new ones a few weeks ago (love the sale), and only allowed myself to open one per week.

>33 LesMiserables:

I ended up ordering three. I'm blaming it on you if my wife says anything about it. She called me a bibliophile the other day, but she said it like it was pathological...

>35 Dr_Flanders: Was she wrong??

A Gentle Madness, indeed...

>36 jhicks62: I think that I am probably a little too close to make an unbiased judgement on the subject.

I just received the Elizabeth Bishop book. This was my first subscription shipment following my initial subscription offer.

>38 sviswanathan:

Feels good, doesn't it?