Books published by publisher D Appleton-Century Co

To summarise this book, let me quote you from its introduction: "Most of you probably look upon science as a bundle of dry facts, while fairy-land is all that is beautiful, and full of poetry and imagination. But I thoroughly believe myself, and hope to prove to you, that science is full of beautiful pictures, of real poetry, and of wonder-working fairies; and what is more, I promise you they shall be true fairies, whom you will love just as much when you are old and grayheaded as when you are young".( Amazon customer) NOT A REPRINT. ORIGINAL BOOK.

The wonder and beauty of the antebellum South comes alive once again in the memory of Eliza Ripley. Born in 1832, Ripley witnessed firsthand the changing South and lamented the loss of elegant Southern balls and wedding traditions, such as having the ceremony in the house's parlor.Having spent most of her childhood in New Orleans, Ripley documents every facet of life in New Orleans and along the river, from spring housekeeping to slave narratives. She recounts past journeys on steamboats, which she calls palatials, and her favorite ship, the Grey Eagle, which featured staterooms and a social hall. She remembers the songs her own mother once sang to her and the simple joy of an old wooden rocking chair.In this memoir, Ripley masterfully creates the New Orleans that existed before the Civil War. Her plain but descriptive language captures the essence of the time and the sweet nostalgia of her memories of a lost era.

Excerpt from Chapter 8: Most of the people in San Antonio were asleep when the dripping figure of a half unconscious boy on a great horse galloped toward them in that momentous dawn. He was without hat or serape. He was bareheaded and his rifle was gone. He was shouting "Up! Up! Santa Anna and the Mexican army are at hand!" But his voice was so choked and hoarse that he could not be heard a hundred feet away. Davy Crockett, James Bowie and a third man were standing in the Main Plaza. The third man, like the other two, was of commanding proportions. He was a full six feet in height, very erect and muscular, and with full face and red hair. He was younger than the others, not more than twenty-eight, but he was Colonel William Barrett Travis, a North Carolina lawyer, who was now in command of the few Texans in San Antonio.