Author Description

From the introduction: "The Massachusetts Historical Society holds more than 3,600 collections of personal and family papers--an unparalleled resource for the study of American history from the colonial period through the twentieth century. At the heart of its collections are the personal papers of three presidents, John and John Quincy Adams and Thomas Jefferson. Examples of their manuscripts, together with a letter from the irrepressible Abigail Adams, form the first section of this guide. The three remaining sections are arranged according to the educational scheme that John Adams set out in a letter to Abigail and 1780. The first of three sections of this book, "Politics & War" tells the political and military history of the United States through personal papers and artifacts. The second section, "Mathematics & Philosophy, Navigation & Commerce," covers the broad sweep of American social and business history. The final section, "Painting, Poetry, & Architecture," contains examples from the Society's art collection, as well as the writings and drawings of authors and artists. unveiling of the Massachusetts Historical Society's newest publication, "Collecting History," which details its vast collections."