Women's History

The first-ever field guide to American birds, Florence A. Merriam’s classic Birds Through an Opera-Glass remains a highly influential book for modern birdwatching more than 130 years since its initial release. 

Birds Through an Opera-Glass is Florence A. Merriam’s pioneering field guide to American birds. The first-ever of its kind, originally published in 1889, it laid the foundation for modern birdwatching. Before Birds Through an Opera-Glass, it was commonplace to shoot birds and study their lifeless bodies. Merriam instead advocated studying birds in the wild—through an opera glass rather than a riflescope—to ensure their preservation. With line drawings and detailed descriptions of seventy common species, Birds Through an Opera-Glass remains a favorite of birders, nature lovers, and conservationists to this day. 

As the first female member of the American Ornithologists’ Union, Merriam was a trailblazer in the emerging field of birding in the latter half of the nineteenth century. Today she is regarded as an essential early voice for bird conservation, and Birds Through an Opera-Glass shows her important principles put into practice. More than a century later, Birds Through an Opera-Glass continues to guide birders and outdoor enthusiasts who are seeking to enjoy nature without harming it. 

"I'd like to see any man do better than we did on this trip." - Alice Burke

In 1916, Alice Burke and Nell Richardson embarked on a daring and unprecedented cross-country journey advocating for women’s suffrage. Before the nineteenth amendment enshrined American women’s right to vote in 1920, it was legal only in a few states. So trailblazing suffragists Alice and Nell loaded a Saxon automobile and embarked on a state-by-state campaign for women’s voting rights. Long before the modern highway system streamlined car travel, Alice and Nell drove a grueling 10,700 miles over twenty-six weeks, traversing some of the roughest roads in America. Backed by the Saxon Motor Car Company—one of the original Detroit automakers—and fueled by their own unwavering spirits, Alice and Nell advocated for women’s suffrage in every town along the way. Author Jeryl R. Schriever shares the remarkable story of the first women to ever drive across the country and back, paving the way for generations of women to follow.

Harrowing Accounts of the Civil War from the Beloved Author of Little Women

When the Civil War broke out in 1861 Louisa May Alcott was disappointed that she was not able to join the men of her town in battle, and she began to volunteer to provide supplies for the war effort. On her 30th birthday, the age required at the time to become an Army nurse, Alcott became a nurse and was assigned to Union Hotel Hospital in Georgetown, Washington, D.C. While serving, she wrote several letters to her family back in Concord describing the difficult conditions and life healing the wounded. Alcott altered the letters slightly, fictionalized them, and published them to wide acclaim. The sketches lifted Alcott into the national discourse and her fame solidified a few years later with the publication of her timeless novel Little Women. Discover harrowing first hand experiences of war within the early writings of an icon of American literature.

Wit and Wisdom from an Icon of of the American Twentieth Century

This elegantly stamped gift edition hardcover contains nearly one hundred quotations on hope, humanitarianism, and more from First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt.

“People grow through experience if they meet life honestly and courageously. This is how character is built.”

⁃Eleanor Roosevelt, My Day, Eastport, Maine, August 1, 1941

A Rare Glimpse into life on the Revolutionary Home Front

In September of 1777, the British Army began to occupy the city of Philadelphia at the onset of the Revolutionary War. Sixteen-year-old Sally Wister fled the city for the Pennsylvania countryside along with her Quaker family. Once in safety, Sally began to keep a journal of her experiences for her best friend. Over the following nine months, Sally’s journal charmingly reveals the excitement, fear, and fascination of a teenage girl experiencing the drama of war. From the occasional adventure to a series of flirtations with various officers and soldiers passing by, Sally Wister’s account is a rare and lively perspective of the Revolutionary War home front.

Notable Quotations from Ida B. Wells

This pocket-sized hardcover book contains dozens of quotations from American journalist, educator, civil rights leader, women's rights leader and co-founder of the NAACP, Ida B. Wells.