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This commonplace book, produced by an anonymous farmer from the Bucks County, Pennsylvania, region primarily contains passages relating to farming and husbandry. Along with farming accounts and documentation of livestock, agriculture, and dairy production, the commonplace book also features material on the Agricultural Society of Bath. Newspaper clippings comment on medicine, recipes, and farming. Illustrations of fences, sheep, floor plans, property drawings, and a detailed diagram of the "cropping plan" for 1826 appear in the volume.

The creator of the volume references European agricultural societies, data and agricultural systems, and popular agriculturalists, such as George Culley (1735-1813) and Charles de Lasteyrie (1759-1849). The volume provides detailed information on growing crops, managing soil, and tending to livestock.

This volume (234 pages) contains copied passages from histories, magazines, philosophical treatises, and other sources, dated from 1732 to the mid-1760s.

This volume (234 pages) contains copied passages from histories, magazines, philosophical treatises, and other sources from the mid-18th century.

The copied excerpts, written in a dense, consistent hand, are dated from 1732 to the mid-1760s, and most are attributed to their authors or other sources of origin, such as the Gentleman's Magazine of London, England. The creator if the commonplace book compiled information on subjects such as religion, history, philosophy, linguistics, medicine, and science, and often quoted specific articles, sermons, and treatises at length. The historical sections focus on English history, and the religious items occasionally incorporate words and lines in Latin, Greek, and Hebrew. Much of the religious material pertains to specific biblical stories. The book has a partial subject index, created by the compiler. John H. Treadwell later owned the volume, which holds his bookplate.

This commonplace book, marked Volume II, contains extracts of newspapers and books, largely from the Philadelphia area, but also including London and other locations. The subject matter is wide-ranging, from "Aphorisms on Man" by Johann Lavater to copies of an article on the unearthing of human remains at Hanover, Pennsylvania. A portion of the articles pertain to agriculture, including methods of preserving seeds, methods of keeping mice from eating grain, and notes on high-yielding crops.

This commonplace book, marked Volume II, contains extracts of newspapers and books, largely from the Philadelphia area, but also including London and other locations. The subject matter is wide-ranging, from "Aphorisms on Man" by Johann Lavater to copies of an article on the unearthing of human remains at Hanover, Pennsylvania. One respects a Springfield neighborhood cat that would return with captured quails and rabbits. A portion of the articles pertain to agriculture, including methods of preserving seeds, methods of keeping mice from eating grain, and notes on high-yielding crops.

Among the newspapers represented are the Pennsylvania Mercury, Philadelphia Gazette, Columbian Magazine, Federal Gazette, London General Advertiser, Dunlap's and Claypool's Daily Advertiser, and Universal Magazine.

The following list suggests the breadth of subjects that interested the compiler:

• French Revolution (Pennsylvania Mercury, February 1, 1791)
• Publius Lentulus's letter to Caesar describing Jesus Christ (apparently published in a newspaper, June 1, 1791)
• Aphorisms on Man by Johann Lavater
• A Thomas Paine letter in answer to Burke's attack on the French Revolution (Columbian Magazine, April 1791)
• Available returns of the census (Federal Gazette, August 31, 1791)
• An article on a London woman, age 117 ("a London paper")
• An article on Forsyth's discovery of a process of regenerating trees (London General Advertiser, July 9, [1791?])
• Relationship between the style and substance of a composition
• "An etemporal [sic.] Sermon on Malt. preached at the request of two Scholars, by a lover of Ale, out of a hallow Tree"
• "Out of W. Robertson's Charles V," American edition, volume II, page 352.
• An article on a Philadelphia man, age 108 (Pennsylvania Gazette, December 26, 1792)
• A review of William Coxe's Travels in Switzerland
• "Cyder," a brief article on apple trees that produced extraordinary amounts of apples ("Boston," October 7, 1793)
• Notes on the births and deaths of prominent French persons (Dunlap's and Claypool's Daily Advertiser, January 31, 1794)
• An article on a Springfield neighborhood cat that would return with captured quails and rabbits (Dunlap's Paper, February 3, 1794)
• An article on an enslaved mother who gave birth to a child with two heads--one white, one black (Philadelphia Gazette, March 12, 1794)
• A description of the development of Cooperstown (Philadelphia Gazette, May 2, 1794)
• On the incomprehensibility of 270,000,000 (London Morning Chronicle, 1794)
• A method of preserving seeds (Universal Magazine, November 1793)
• A method of preventing mice from eating grain
• Values of states' exports (Philadelphia Gazette, June 9, 1794)
• A poem on whiskey (Philadelphia Gazette, August 13, 1794)
• Temperatures at New Milford, Connecticut (July 22)
• Brief notes on a bean plant that produced 250 pods at Scituate (September 25, 1794)
• An earthquake at Smyrna (Dunlap's Paper, October 23, 1794)
• The unearthing of human remains at Hanover, Pennsylvania (General Advertiser, January 14, 1795)
• On matrimony (Philadelphia Gazette, February 23, 1795)

This commonplace book belonged to Emile M. Tauzin of Natchitoches, Louisiana, and at least one other author in the 1850s and 1860s. The volume contains French poetry and horoscopes, parlor games, and a letter draft about a Natchitoches resident's experiences during the Civil War.

This commonplace book (37 pages) belonged to Emile M. Tauzin of Natchitoches, Louisiana, and at least one other author in the 1850s and 1860s. The volume contains French poetry and horoscopes, parlor games, and a letter draft about a Natchitoches resident's experiences during the Civil War.

Four French poems (pages 1-2 and 34-36) include a tribute to the state of Louisiana, a poem dedicated to the author's father (dated September 6, 1854), and a poem about a small fowl. One poem, entitled "Tous les Braves," is attributed to Charles D. Paradis, who dedicated the poem to Tauzin. Horoscopes for men and women, also in French, appear on pages 19-29; the men's horoscopes are incomplete. One owner used the book to record several questions for a parlor game (pp. 3-18), each accompanied by 40 possible answers, both humorous and serious. The questions are supposed to foretell topics such as personality, marriage, future disposition, and the number of slaves the respondent would own.

A later owner used the volume for a draft letter to his or her aunts Mary and Josephine (pages 30-37). The letter begins on page 32, and is written over the French poetry on pages 34, 35, and 36. After expressing pleasure about hearing that the recipients also sympathized with the Confederacy, the author recounted his or her experiences during the Union Army's occupation of Natchitoches during the Civil War. According to the letter, federal troops raided stores for goods to distribute to former slaves, threatened to shell the town, and disinterred a child's body to search for valuables.

This collection consists of a commonplace book (approximately 50 pages) compiled by Ann Greene after 1790, and an account of a 44-day voyage John Grew and his family took from Liverpool to Boston in the summer of 1795. The 22-page travel diary also includes an 8-page copy of a letter Mary Grew, John Grew's mother, wrote to her family in England upon her arrival in Boston.

This collection consists of a commonplace book (approximately 50 pages) compiled by Ann Greene after 1790, and an account of a 44-day voyage John Grew and his family took from Liverpool to Boston in the summer of 1795. The 22-page travel diary also includes an 8-page copy of a letter Mary Grew, John Grew's mother, wrote to her family in England upon her arrival in Boston.

Ann Greene's commonplace book has two parts: 33 pages of transcribed poetry (24 poems) begin at the front cover, and 15 additional pages of personal reflections and letter drafts begin at the back cover. Much of the poetry was originally written by British authors whose work circulated widely in the eighteenth century, such as James Boswell, James Thomson, William Cowper, and Elizabeth Singer Rowe. Greene occasionally recorded the volume and page from which she transcribed poems. The other portion of the volume contains personal resolutions about making good use of one's time, interspersed with light-hearted notes about beaux or friends.

The travel diary records the Grew family's emigration from Birmingham England, to Boston, Massachusetts, in 1795. Daily entries, written between May 23 and July 8, 1795, detail several aspects of the voyage, such as the weather, passing ships, maritime wildlife, and the ship's progress. The diarist also mentioned an instance when another vessel mistook their ship for a French privateer, and the effects of a tumultuous storm.

The final 8 pages contain a copy of a letter Mary Coltman Grew (1756-1834) wrote to her mother in England from Boston, Massachusetts (July 24, 1795). She detailed her initial impressions of the city and of local customs. Among other topics, she reflected on the climate, housing, servants, dress, food, and religious customs. She also related an anecdote about Benjamin Franklin, who reportedly distributed printed cards to strangers in order to preempt any inquiries about him.

The anonymous author of this volume (approximately 382 pages) recorded poetry, historical notes, and journal entries throughout much of his adult life. The material concerns topics such as military history, learning foreign languages, proverbs, and travel.

The anonymous author of this volume (approximately 382 pages) recorded poetry, historical notes, and journal entries throughout much of his adult life. The material concerns topics such as military history, learning foreign languages, proverbs, and travel.

• Boccaccio, Decameron (pp. 26-28a, 32-34a)
• Byron, "Fare thee well! And if for ever..." (p. 9)
• Catullus, "Vivamus mea Lesbia, atque amemus" (p. 68)
• Cicero (p. 55)
• William Cowper, "The Task" (pp. 23, 118a)
• Homer, Iliad (p. 117)
• John Milton, "Tractate on Education" (p. 5)
• Ossian (p. 85)
• Shakespeare, Macbeth (122), Timon of Athens (124a)
• Edward Young, "Night Thoughts" (p. 109)

Some examples from the volume indicate the nature of its contents. It contains notes about learning the Italian language; a timeline of the author's life between 1780 and 1825; and a list of hotels where the author stayed while traveling in Holland, France, Switzerland, Germany, and Italy between July 1, 1816, and August 5, 1820. This list includes the cost of room and board at each hotel or lodging, with comments on the quality of the accommodations. An essay on the Battle of Copenhagen is accompanied by a poem written by a soldier who participated in the battle. Some poetry and other entries are religious in nature, and the author copied several Bible verses. Two essays written in October 1850 and October 1851 share the author's "anticipations" for the coming years, as well as his reflections on past years (pp. 61-62a).

Pagination within the volume is inconsistent, and some of its contents are organized alphabetically by subject, with a partial index appearing on pages 142-150.

This collection is comprised of five volumes of copied passages from magazines, newspapers, speeches, and other literary sources, on subjects such as religion, history, philosophy, economics, science, and fiction. Also included is a handwritten essay on "Physical and Moral Courage," and a Wilmington, Delaware, bond related to the estate of Edwin A. Wilson, April 1, 1859.

This collection is comprised of five volumes of copied passages from magazines, newspapers, speeches, and other literary sources, on subjects such as religion, history, philosophy, economics, science, and fiction. Also included is a handwritten essay on "Physical and Moral Courage," and a Wilmington, Delaware, bond related to the estate of Edwin A. Wilson, April 1, 1859.

The creator of these commonplace books, writing in a dense, consistent hand, recorded passages from a wide range of authors that include Plato, Aristotle, Tertullian, Geoffrey Chaucer, Martin Luther, Nathanial Hawthorne, Charles Dickens, Baden Powell, Oliver Wendell Holmes, and others. Publication notices and excerpts of literary reviews are frequently noted. Passages often include references to the author or the publication source. Latin, Greek, and Hebrew words or lines periodically appear as well.

Included in the collection is a handwritten essay, titled, "Physical and Moral Courage", exploring these ideas within the framework of Ancient Spartan society, as well as their relationship to the legacy of Julius Caesar. A partially-printed bond dated April 1, 1859, from Joseph C. Seed to David Craig and William Tatnall in Wilmington, Delaware, pertains to the estate of Edwin A. Wilson.

• The Atlantic Monthly
• The British Quarterly Review
• The Christian Examiner
• Debow's Review
• The London Lancet: A Journal of British and Foreign Medical and Chemical Science, Criticism, Literature, and News
• The London Quarterly Review
• The National Review
• The New York Tribune
• The Saturday Review of Politics, Literature, and Science
• The Spectator
• The Weekly Caucasian
• The Westminster Review

This anonymous commonplace book, written in French, contains quotations on moral topics from widely read French authors of the later 18th century.

The unidentified author of this commonplace book extracted quotations on moral topics from some of the most popular, widely read French authors of the later 18th century, including Voltaire, Corneille, Rousseau, LaFontaine, Sédaine, and Béranger. While there is no indication of when the book was assembled, the handwriting appears consistent with a late 18th century origin, though the inclusion of a work by Béranger (1780-1857) and a work by Chemin-Dupontès published in 1798 suggests that it must have been at the very end of the period.

An unusually elegant piece, great care was lavished on the preparation of this commonplace book, suggesting that it was valued as an object, as much as for its literary worth. Bound in leather with gold tooling at the edges, 16mo, the book is written in a meticulous hand, with red borders around the text on each page, presenting a highly attractive, even impressive appearance.

The first section, the longest devoted to a single writer, is taken from Jean-Baptiste Chemin-Dupontès' Morale des sages de tous les pays et de tous les siècles, ou collection épurée des moralistes anciens et modernes (Paris, 1798). This is followed by selections of poetry in various genres, songs, and a section of riddle-like word games.

The William Eighinger ledger contains two sections: a ledger kept by a Baltimore shipping merchant between 1798 and 1801 and math problems and copied compositions compiled by George Eighinger in 1850. The accounts pertain to the shipment of goods between North America, the Caribbean, and Germany, and the copied material includes a narrative told from the point of view of a slave.

This volume contains 2 sections: a ledger kept by a Baltimore shipping merchant between 1798 and 1801 (about 105 pages) and math problems and copied compositions compiled by George Eighinger in 1850 (5 pages).

The financial records intermittently cover the period from October 1, 1798, to June 24, 1801, on pages numbered 47-144 and 188-211; some pages have been torn from the book. The accounts concern the affairs of a Baltimore shipping merchant who imported linens and other items from Europe while exporting coffee, tobacco, sugar, and other goods to Bremen, Hamburg, and other German ports. Each entry reflects a transaction with a merchant, and the ledger often records the names of the ships carrying the cargo, as well as inventories, prices, the names of shipmasters, and consignment agents' marks. The ledger occasionally includes costs of storage or insurance. On December 31, 1799, the bookkeeper recorded "postage of 1798 & 1799" (pp. 131-133). Cartoonish drawings illustrate a few pages throughout the accounts (e.g. pages 93 and 239).

The pages numbered 235-239 contain arithmetic problems, copied prose, and cartoons by George Eighinger, who received the book from Nash G. Camp on March 4, 1850. The pages, which are labeled "Compound Subtraction" and "Compound Addition," include a narrative told from the point of view of a slave (p. 235).