Books from the Shaker Press and more
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Life In the Christ Spirit by Brother Theodore E. Johnson The essence of Shaker beliefs and principles outlined in an easily understood manner. Essential reading. 12 page booklet on observations on Shaker theology from remarks delivered at the Shaker Conference in Hancock, Mass, Sept. 7, 1968.
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Like the Willow Tree The Diary of Lydia Amelia Pierce, Portland, Maine, 1918 by Lois Lowry Historical fiction, recommended for grades 3-8 and a favorite recommendation of ours to all children visiting Sabbathday Lake. In 1918, as the Great War rages in Europe, the Spanish influenza tears a brutal path across the United States, leaving devastation in its wake. Ordinary life is turned upside down as schools are closed, and all spheres of public life are shut down. Suddenly, eleven-year-old Lydia Pierce and her older brother, Daniel, find themselves orphans of the flu, and are taken by their grieving uncle to be raised in the Shaker community at Sabbathday Lake. Thrust into the Shaker's unfamiliar way of life, Lydia, a fiercely independent girl, must grapple with a new world that is nothing like the one she used to know. Lydia must work hard, and all the while she worries about her headstrong brother, who has run away. In time, and with her courageous spirit, Lydia learns to overcome the devastation wrought by the Spanish flu pandemic and find the joy in living with the Shakers -- yet she cannot stop wondering, will Daniel ever return? Newbery medalist Lois Lowry's poignant story of a girl living through the Spanish Influenza pandemic sadly seems more resonant than ever before. In the face of COVID-19, readers are sure to draw comfort from Lydia's sense of hopefulness. Now, with a brand new introduction from the author! Scholastic 224 pages paperback ISBN 9781338724325
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Precepts of Mother Ann - Testimonies of the Life, Character, Revelations and Doctrines of Mother Ann Lee and the Elders with Her "Eye and ear witness of all that our blessed Mother and the first Elders have done and taught." Essential for Shaker studies. Second edition. 302 pages. Hard cover.
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The Sabbathday Lake Shakers: An Introduction to The Shaker Heritage by Sister R. Mildred Barker. Published by The Shaker Press, 1985 second edition. Soft-covered. B&W photos. 29 pages.
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The Human & The Eternal: Shaker Art in Its Many Forms Michael Graham, Brother Arnold Hadd, Sister Frances Carr, and others The objects and artwork pictured in this catalog were featured in our special exhibit titled "The Human and The Eternal: Shaker Art in Its Many Forms" which ran from 2008-2009. This catalog features photographs of Shaker art, crafts, and other handmade items from the Sabbathday Lake Shaker Museum collection along with biographical and anecdotal information about the Shakers who made these items. Softcover, 69 pages, 2009 United Society of Shakers
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Honoring the 250th anniversary of the Shakers' arrival in America and their enduring influence, and the United States Postal Service releasing the Shaker Design commemorative stamp sheet. This spiral-bound 9" x 6" book is printed full-color and is a limited-edition printing designed and published by The United Society of Shakers. Includes never-before published historic photographs to illustrate the following chapters: -Official Stamp Brief, illustrated by Michael Graham with items from our collection -A Photoessay of Shaker Village, Sabbathday Lake, Maine by Michael Freeman (for 1987's Shaker Life, Work, and Art) -The Shakers and Their Post Office by Michael S. Graham, presenting research by Nancy L. George -A Brief History of the Post Office, Sabbathday Lake, Maine by Sister Eleanor M. Philbrook (for the Shaker Quarterly Spring 1964) 84 pages. Published July 2024, United Society of Shakers.
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The Story of the Shakers by Flo Morse The Story of the Shakers by Flo Morse offers a stimulating, graceful summary of Shaker beliefs and the way of life that still endures. Flo, a former writer for the New York Herald Tribune, is the author of The Shakers and the World's People, a comprehensive, widely praised documentary history. Revised edition, February 2016, Paperback, 128 pages, Countryman Press.
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Shop Drawings of Shaker Furniture & Woodenware (Vols, 1, 2 & 3) by Ejner Handberg An authoritative and classic three-book collection, now in one volume. Together in one comprehensive book for the first time, these three volumes of Shop Drawings of Shaker Furniture & Woodenware capture the simplicity, precision, and utility of shaker craftsmanship. In print for more than 20 years, these legendary and authoritative volumes have served as guides for cabinetmakers and antique collectors worldwide. Includes shop drawings for more than 100 authentic pieces. 200 black-and-white illustrations. Hardcover, 280 pages, Countryman Press, October 2007
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50 Ways to Brew the Cure for What Ails You
by Jennifer Browne
More than just a warm and comforting drink, tea has medicinal properties that are widely underused in North America. Common herbs, spices, fruits, and barks have been scientifically proven to help relieve pain, menopause symptoms, high blood pressure, insomnia, stress, and digestive angst. When taken preventatively, certain herbs in tea can help fight off cancer cells, heart disease, and even Alzheimer’s disease and fibromyalgia. By learning about what these various natural ingredients are capable of and how they work, readers can begin to treat many ailments with what grows in their gardensplants that have been used in eastern medicine for thousands of years. The Good Living Guide to Medicinal Tea invites readers into a world of medicinal plants, instructs on the specific healing properties of each, matches them to ten common North American health disorders, and provides simple tea recipes readers can make in their own homes. Late Japanese author Okakura Kakuzo has been famously quoted as saying, Tea began as a medicine and grew into a beverage.” The Good Living Guide to Medicinal Tea encourages readers to turn their favorite drink back into medicineand outlines exactly how to accomplish this. With the help of beautiful photographs and an easy dialogue, Jennifer Browne clearly explains to readers how teatime can garner impressive health benefits. Skyhorse Publishing, 232 pages ISBN: 9781680990614 -
An Honorable Harvest: Shakers and the Natural World by Dr. Carl Benton Straub A 166 page soft covered book on the story of how religious movements initiated in Europe became American through taking seriously the land. In the Shaker ways of looking at the world, there is a basic religious unity between what is going on in history - "in the course of human events" - and what is at work in nature. The essential Shaker response to the land and the varied communities of life entwined with the land - wild and domestic - is the translation through interpretation and labor of nature's variables into patterns of meaning which reflect Shaker interest in religious community. Shaker Press, 2009. Soft covered, 166 pages.
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By local author Ann Hobart This is a beautiful book written and illustrated by our friend, Ann Hobart. Morganfield Mouse makes friends with Grace, the Monarch caterpillar, watches her grow, change to a chrysalis, and then emerge as a Monarch butterfly. Gannett Books, 1985. 48 pages, illustrated. Signed by author.
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Shaker Inspiration: Five Decades of Fine Craftsmanship By Christian Becksvoort "I first met Chris Becksvoort some 40 years ago when I joined the Community. Here I found a man quite dedicated to his craft and hungering after more to allow him to better his craft. The friendship between Chris, his wife, Peggy, and our Community is one that is very dear to us. Chris continues to donate his time in giving workshops and helping with workdays and Peggy documents with her camera events and life here. We have been enriched and we are grateful for the Becksvoorts in our life." -Brother Arnold, Sabbathday Lake Shaker Community “Best known for his work in television comedy (Parks and Recreation episode “Ron and Diane”), Christian Becksvoort reveals a surprising amount of woodworking wisdom, culled from spending a mere lifetime singularly focused on his masterful furniture work, mostly Shaker-inspired, mostly in cherry. This book is an instant treasure.” -Nick Offerman, actor, author and woodworker Opinionated? Yes. Informative? Absolutely. Interesting and inspiring? You bet. Not too many woodworkers can claim five decades of business success, but Christian Becksvoort is among them. In “Shaker Inspiration,” he shares not only his woodworking knowledge and some of his best professional techniques for producing top-quality work, but also the business advice that helped him establish and sustain his long career in a one-man shop. Plus, he shares measured drawings for 13 of his own well-known furniture designs and seven Shaker pieces that he’s reproduced. Whether or not you, like Christian, are inspired by the Shaker tradition, you’re sure to be inspired by one of the best-known names in woodworking. “Shaker Inspiration” begins with information that all woodworkers need – the nitty gritty of how to successfully make trees into furniture. This requires a firm grasp of wood movement – one of Chris’s specialties – and he shares many of the tricks he uses to ensure his pieces remain sound through the seasons and generations. The lessons are both big and small, from the advantages to working with a single species to how to calculate how much a drawer front will move inside a house with forced-air heat. Every page of this section is filled with little shop tricks that Christian has used to become a productive woodworker, from how to remove dovetail waste to how to align a drawer front and drawer side perfectly when dovetailing. After all the great information on the technical side of things, Christian dives into discussing the business side of things. He pulls no punches in discussing the difficulties of life as a furniture maker and designer. Getting started, you do whatever it takes to pay the bills. We’ve all done our share of kitchens and built-ins, and replaced porch railings. After more than five decades, I can do the woodworking almost in the dark. It’s the business end that’s a constant challenge, and it keeps me on my toes. He offers straightforward advice on setting up your shop, from the roof to the heat pump to the sign you use to announce your business to customers. Even how to set up relationships with suppliers and subcontractors. It is a sobering section, but if you ever want to set up a woodworking business, it’s the type of information that is almost impossible to come by. Finally, “Shaker Inspiration” dazzles you with three sections of photos and measured drawings. The last 60-odd pages offer a collection of Christian’s original designs, reproductions of Shaker pieces he’s made (and made famous) and photos of the original Shaker pieces that have inspired him the most as a craftsman and a designer. In addition to a beautiful photo and details about the piece, Christian shares a construction drawing of each project that will allow intermediate woodworkers to produce their own version. “Shaker Inspiration” is 166 pages and produced entirely in the United States by Lost Art Press. The 8.5” x 11” full-color book is printed on heavy coated paper. The pages are sewn and glued for durability and covered in cotton-covered boards. A tear-resistant dust jacket completes the package.
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Farm Anatomy: The Curious Parts & Pieces of Country Life by Julia Rothman Learn the difference between a farrow and a barrow, and what distinguishes a weanling from a yearling. Country and city mice alike will delight in Julia Rothman’s charming illustrated guide to the curious parts and pieces of rural living. Dissecting everything from the shapes of squash varieties to how a barn is constructed and what makes up a beehive to crop rotation patterns, Rothman gives a richly entertaining tour of the quirky details of country life. Paperback, 224 pages full color. Storey Publishing
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The Architecture of the Shakers by Julie Nicoletta, photography by Bret Morgan, foreword by Robert Emlen From Maine to Kentucky, the Shakers built communal villages whose unique buildings were designed to accommodate hundreds of inhabitants unified in the common purpose of work and worship. Julie Nicoletta's perceptive text and Bret Morgan's striking photographs illuminate the austere beauty, regional variations, and functional and stylistic evolution of Shaker buildings over the course of two centuries, evoking a visual and literary survey of Shaker design and its impact on our culture at large. Architects, designers, curators, collectors, and an ever-widening public have sought inspiration in Shaker art and architecture. The Architecture of the Shakers is a book for all those who wish to learn more about these remarkable buildings and how the rich cultural legacy of the Shakers continues to resonate within them. Hardcover, 179 pages, Countryman Press, June 2000
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The A to Z of the Shakers by Stephen J. Paterwic The United Society of Believers in Christ's Second Appearing, commonly known as the Shakers, followed Mother Ann Lee to the United States in 1774 when life in England became difficult. In the United States, they established several colonies whose governing principals included celibacy and agrarian communal living. Even at its peak, however, Shakerism claimed only about 4,500 members. Today, except for one active community in Sabbathday, Maine (that's us!), the great Shaker villages are diminished, but the Shakers left an enduring impact on the religion and culture of the United States. The A to Z of the Shakers relates the history of this fascinating group through a chronology, an introductory essay, a bibliography, and over 200 cross-referenced dictionary entries on Shaker communities, industries, individual families, and important people. Every definition, biography, and point of history was submitted to the Shakers at Sabbathday Lake for their review before it was included for publication. As such, the voice of the contemporary Shakers is found in the dictionary, and they have given it their unequivocal endorsement. Paperback, 370 pages. Scarecrow Press
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A Basketmaker's Odyssey: Over, Under, Around & Through. 24 Fantastic Basket Patterns from Beginning to Advanced! by Lyn Siler and Carolyn Kemp Reprint of a classic book, now softcover SPIRAL bound for easier reading and following patterns while weaving- leaving your book open completely flat so your hands can focus on basket weaving. Basketry’s unique blend of form and function has fired the imaginations of artisans and crafters for generations. Whether you’re making your first or forty-first basket, this book will push the boundaries of your established skills while teaching you new ones to last a lifetime, guiding you through the construction of beautiful handmade baskets that will be used and admired for generations to come. Lyn Syler (Lyn Siler), author of numerous basketmaking books and renowned basketry instructor, has generously compiled over 24 patterns—some of her own design, some conceived by friends and peers—for a variety of beautiful baskets you can learn to make on your own. An ideal book for basketmakers in search of new challenges and creative techniques, A Basketmaker’s Odyssey is sure to delight. With detailed drawings and photographs by Carolyn Kemp, the patterns are easy to follow and detailed in every respect. This book truly lives up to Lyn and Carolyn’s reputation for writing exceptionally clear patterns that set the standard for all to follow. A technique section begins the book giving you the information you need to begin the wide variety of basket patterns from various authors. Styles of baskets include beginner to advance flat reed, round reed, pine needle coiling with walnut slice accents, various types of twills, ribbed construction, alternative materials like heavy-weight paper and cut up jeans, diagonal plaiting, double-walled construction and a traditional round basket woven on a slotted base. A gallery of work is included for inspiration and awe. 112 pages, The Country Seat & Echo Point Books & Media.
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The Shakers: From Mount Lebanon to the World Edited by Michael K. Komanecky, Contribution by Stephen J. Stein, Jerry V. Grant, Michael S. Graham and Brother Arnold Hadd An important book on Shaker art and life, offering a fresh look at a style that has endured through centuries and continues to inspire designers and homeowners. This book presents the elegantly austere and simply styled objects of the Shakers in the context of their faith and community at Mount Lebanon, N.Y., the spiritual and administrative center of the Shaker world. Outstanding examples of furniture, textiles, tools, and other objects-drawn primarily from the collection of Shaker Museum | Mount Lebanon-bring the fascinating world of the Shakers to life. The book also explores the equally compelling material culture of Sabbathday Lake in New Gloucester, Maine, the last active Shaker community, and how this group of Shakers continued to thrive while other Shaker communities elsewhere gradually disappeared. Accompanying a major exhibition organized by the Farnsworth Art Museum, this book presents a new and authentic perspective on the Shaker community. Specially commissioned photography, archival imagery, essays by prominent scholars, and a firsthand interview with a member of the Sabbathday Lake Shaker community deepen our understanding of this influential movement and style. About the Authors: Michael K. Komanecky is chief curator at the Farnsworth Art Museum, in Rockland, Maine. Stephen J. Stein is a historian of American religion at the University of Indiana. Jerry V. Grant is the director of research and library services at the Shaker Museum. Michael S. Graham is the director of the Sabbathday Lake Shaker Village. Brother Arnold Hadd is a member of the Sabbathday Lake Shaker Community. Reviews "The fascinating story of the Shakers, and of their extraordinary furniture, is now told in The Shakers: From Mount Lebanon to the World. This book expands our knowledge by documenting other types of practical furniture, tools and even Shaker clothing...this beautiful and enthralling book opens a window onto the world of the Shakers..." -Wall Street Journal "...this enlightening, visually arresting...uplifting exhibition highlights American ingenuity, resilience and fearlessness; its can-do spirit and individualism. The show is a rich overview of the Shaker community; but it celebrates individual artists, expressing themselves through a plain-spoken poetry that is uniquely American." -Review of Exhibition by the Wall Street Journal "With simple objects, simple words, Farnsworth tells complex Shaker story...it is a great exhibition. It is beautifully installed and fascinating. The objects are important and compelling. The language behind the installation is the level-headed and eminently commonsensical voice of the Believers." -Review of Exhibition by the Portland Press Herald "...the show will present a comprehensive look at the religious, social and economic foundations of Shaker life, seen through Shaker-made objects…accompanied by a richly illustrated book…” –The Republican Journal Hardcover, 256 pages, full color, 9.5" x 11". Skira Rizzoli; First Edition edition (July 1, 2014)
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Shaker "Great Barns" 1820s-1880s: Evolution of Shaker Dairy Barn Design and Its Relation to the Agricultural Press by Lauren A. Stiles Shaker leaders built big dairy barns, sent articles and barn diagrams to the specialized agricultural press, and hosted editors and writers on barn tours. This richly illustrated book explores the unexpected relationship between nineteenth century Shaker religious leaders and scientific agricultural journalists. Paperback, 188 pages, illustrations, 26 cm., Richard W. Couper Press, 2013
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The Apple Cookbook: 125 Freshly Picked Recipes by Olwen Woodier From sweet to savory and from breakfast to bedtime, apples take center stage in this fun volume. With recipes ranging from traditional apple pies and crisps to unexpected surprises like Ground Lamb Kebabs with Apple Mint Raita, this new edition of the best-selling classic has been completely revised and redesigned to feature more than 30 new apple-themed goodies. With plenty of vegan and gluten-free options, you’ll be cooking apple-based dishes that you can enjoy with all of your friends. Beautiful photographs and easy to follow recipes. Paperback, 240 pages, full color. Storey Publishing
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The Shaker Legacy: Perspectives on an Enduring Furniture Style by Christian Becksvoort, photographs by John Sheldon Solid construction and honest functionality make Shaker furniture one of the most popular and timeless design categories. Based on extensive research and personal experience with the Sabbathday Lake Shaker Community, this book traces the roots of Shaker design to Shaker belief, which inspired the clean lines, careful craftsmanship, and signature details that define the style. Chris also discusses the less known Victorian period of Shaker design and shows how this style has influenced subsequent ones. A bibliography, glossary, and index are included. Chris Becksvoort is a long-time friend and neighbor of the Community and teaches wood working workshops with us each season. Hardcover, 240 pages, full color. Taunton Press, 2000.
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Seasons at the Parris House by Elizabeth Miller Signed by the Author! Nearly twenty years ago Beth Miller moved with her husband and four young kids from suburban New Jersey to a 200-year-old Federal period house and barn in rural Maine. She didn’t garden, she didn’t keep chickens or bees, she didn’t know how to preserve food, and she didn’t know how to make soap or hook rugs. She embarked on a journey to learn these heritage skills that have been largely forgotten, and today she owns and operates Parris House Wool Works, a traditional rug-hooking company serving both crafters and end buyers. It is also a working village homestead and workshop where she practices and teaches heritage skills, including all aspects of gardening, beekeeping, rug hooking, preserving, and soap making. Seasons at the Parris House is separated into seasonal sections and includes historical context and homestead related activities for each season, plus instructions for a set of related projects and recipes. Elizabeth Miller went from doing market analysis and procurement with a major defense contractor to raising chickens, keeping bees, making soap, gardening and preserving, crafting artisan rugs, and teaching these skills to others from her small family homestead and studio. She is working toward an advanced degree in history as time allows and is also a Registered Maine Guide. She lives with her family in Paris, Maine. Beth teaches rug hooking workshops and with us here at Shaker Village and demonstrates at our annual events. We are so very excited to carry her book! Visit her and learn more at parrishousewoolworks.com Down East Books Paperback, 336 pages ISBN: 978-1-60893-679-3
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A Guide to Home-Grown Herbal Remedies
Julie Bruton-Seal and Matthew Seal
A full-color handbook by the authors of the hugely success Backyard Medicine (over 80,000 sold), this new title focuses largely on fifty medicinal plants that grow by roads or paths in the countryside or in the city—from Alexanders and Ash to Goldenrod and Hogweed to Walnut and Wild Strawberry. These nearby but often overlooked ecosystems are significant wild plant communities! This new book is packed with practical information on how to use fifty forgotten plants to cure all sorts of common ailments. There is a wealth of plants growing abundantly all over roadsides, cities, and in your own backyard; this coincides perfectly with alternative medicine and natural healing reaching into every facet of our lives. These plants have numerous medicinal uses that people have largely forgotten. Once valued and widely used, they’ve fallen out of fashion over time as they were bypassed by commercial medicine.- Alexanders, Ash, Avens
- Bistort, Black horehound, Blackthorn, Bugle, Butcher’s broom
- Chicory, Cranesbill, Creeping jenny & yellow loosestrife
- Daisy, Fleabane, Forget-me-not, Fumitory
- Goldenrod, Greater celandine, Ground elder, Ground ivy, Gypsywort
- Heather & bell heather, Herb robert. Hogweed
- Lesser celandine, Mouse-ear hawkweed, Navelwort
- Ox-eye daisy, Pine, Primrose & cowslip, Purple loosestrife
- Rowan, Sanicle, Scabious, Sea buckthorn
- Silverweed, tormentil & cinquefoil, Sowthistle,
- Speedwell, Sphagnum moss, Sweet chestnut
- Thistle, Valerian, Violet
- Walnut, Wild carrot, Wild strawberry, Woundwort
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Over 30 baskets from beginner to advanced classics. by Lyn Siler and Carolyn Kemp 2015 reprint of a classic book, now softcover SPIRAL bound for easier reading and following patterns while weaving- leaving your book open completely flat so your hands can focus on basket weaving. This is the classic basket weaving bible. Includes a traditional fishing creel, many types of twills, market baskets, ribbed baskets and many more. This magnificent collection of over 30 baskets to make draws on lengthy global basketmaking traditions and includes a variety of techniques and easy-to-find materials. With this book as your teacher, you'll be well on your way to weaving handmade baskets of your own that will be admired in your family's home and used for generations to come. Weave 32 basic designs by hand from natural materials—and adapt them for hundreds more designs. Complete instructions with over 600 close-up illustrations of each step. “Practical answers...imaginative asides.”—Craft Connection. 144 pages, The Country Seat & Echo Point Books & Media.
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by Stephen Paterwic A compilation of essays and statistical information on the Tyringham Shakers, by one the leading scholars on that Community. It is the largest compilation of information on Tyringham in one source. It includes a series of rare of photographs of the Village. Couper Press, Shaker Studies, no. 6. 142 pages, illustrations, 2013.
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EDITED BY GLENDYNE R. WERGLAND AND CHRISTIAN GOODWILLIE Shaker Brother Isaac Newton Youngs served his community at New Lebanon, New York, as a tailor, clockmaker, mapmaker, mechanic, inventor, musician and hymn writer, lens-grinder, stonecutter, button maker, bookkeeper, journalist, tinsmith, printer, pipe fitter, joiner, and blacksmith. He built a sundial, made tools including a weaver’s reed, turned clothespins, made knitting needles, and laid floors. He was also an architect and roofer. Few aspects of life at New Lebanon were outside of Youngs’s sphere of activity. Therefore, it is fitting that he undertook to write a comprehensive history of his community, systematically treating all facets of Shaker life and culture. Youngs’s A Concise View Of the Church of God and of Christ, On Earth is printed here for the first time in unabridged form. The editors have carefully transcribed and annotated the text, and have selected illustrations to complement Youngs’s descriptive text. Additionally, appendices supplying vital statistics, and information on the occupations of New Lebanon Shakers (many of which were compiled by Youngs) are included. Finally, a selection of Youngs’s poetry rounds out a rich portrait of the lives and talents of Brother Isaac Newton Youngs, and his beloved Shaker brethren and sisters, as they labored humbly in the creation of a unique world where work was worship, and heaven was all around them. Shaker Studies, no. 12. 277 pages, 2017. ISBN: 978-1-937370-22-0 Couper Press Paperback
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<b><strong>90 beautifully illustrated common and rare apples from the orchards of North America.</strong></b> by Roger Yepsen Roger Yepsen knows his apples. He should, as he is a seasoned orchardist as well as a talented writer and illustrator. Here he presents fascinating facts about 90 mainstay and unusual varieties of apples grown in the United States, from Red Delicious and Granny Smith to Knobbed Russet and Hubbardston Nonesuch. Each entry identifies the variety's harvest season, unique taste,and best uses, and Yepsen's beautiful and distinctive watercolors make identification a snap. This new edition has been updated with entries on Honeycrisp and other varieties that have becomes popular since the first publication of Apples in 1994. But this is not just a grower's catalog. Yepsen also includes a brief history of apples in North America, and recipes for pies, sauces, ciders, and more. Countryman Press, 288 pages, hardcover ISBN: 978-1682680193
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Delicious, Nourishing Food for Lifelong Health and Well-Being by Brittany Wood Nickerson Author and herbalist Brittany Wood Nickerson understands that food is our most powerful medicine. In Recipes from the Herbalist’s Kitchen she reveals how the kitchen can be a place of true awakening for the senses and spirit, as well as deep nourishment for the body. With in-depth profiles of favorite culinary herbs such as dill, sage, basil, and mint, Nickerson offers fascinating insights into the healing properties of each herb and then shares 110 original recipes for scrumptious snacks, entrées, drinks, and desserts that are specially designed to meet the body’s needs for comfort, nourishment, energy, and support through seasonal changes. Storey Publishing, 312 pages ISBN: 9781612126906
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Simple Salves, Teas, Tinctures, and More
by Katolen Yardley
This back-to-nature reference guide details effective herbal medicines and natural remedies for digestive complaints, sore muscles, wound healing, teenage acne, allergic reactions, and much more. This book is packed with herbal wisdom, traditional use, and just the right amount of science. Gain confidence and understand how to use plant medicine in your home. Dive into the alchemy and art of herbal medicine preparations, receive safety tips, and perfect the techniques to create your own elixirs at home using the numerous recipes provided for delicious foods, herbal teas, tinctures, poultices, liniments, fomentations, herbal vinegars, salves, and oils. Scattered throughout are reflections on how bodies heal and the natural world's role in facilitating healing through connection to spirit and building community. Author Katolen Yardley has more than twenty years of experience as a Medical Herbalist and teaches courses in herbal medicine and naturopathy. Here she offers a simple, straightforward, and beautiful guide to natural remedies that will help you take charge of your health using nature’s own medicine. Skyhorse Publishing, 192 pages ISBN: 9781680991574 -
50 Fun Recipes Kids Will Love to Bake! by Deanna F. Cook Following the best-selling book Cooking Class, this delightful baking cookbook for children ages 8–12 features 50 easy-to-follow, kid-friendly recipes. Lively step-by-step photos teach bakers-in-training how to knead dough, make biscuits, decorate cookies, and produce a perfect pie, along with essential skills like following directions and accurately measuring ingredients. Kids will learn to make both sweet and savory treats and will use fresh fruits and vegetables in recipes such as Bursting with Blueberries Muffins, Zombie Zucchini Bread, and Peachy Keen Crumble. Bonus goodie bag stickers, pop-out gift tags, and bake sale signs encourage kids to share their homemade delights with pride. 2017 NPR's Best Books of the Year 2017 IACP Cookbook Award Winner 2017 National Parenting Product Awards Winner 2018 Mom's Choice Award Gold Winner 2019 New York Times "Best Cookbooks for Kids" Storey Publishing, 144 pages, spiral bound. ISBN 9781612128559
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By Thomas P. Blake and the New Gloucester Historical Society Named by the proprietors from Gloucester, Massachusetts, New Gloucester began as a frontier town, as it was the most inland settlement in Maine at the time. Incorporated in 1774, the town has been called home by such notables as mapmaker and author Moses Greenleaf, artist D. D. Coombs, original proprietor of the town of Foxcroft Joseph E. Foxcroft, traveling minister Ephraim Stinchfield, Abraham Lincoln's secretary of treasury William Pitt Fessenden, and abolitionist Samuel Fessenden. Shaker societies were set up in nine states, but the Sabbathday Lake Society, founded in 1783, is now the only active Shaker community remaining. With a long history of lumber mills and farms, New Gloucester is also home to Pineland Farms, the former site of the Maine Home for the Feeble-Minded, established in 1908, and now a renovated 19-building campus and 5,000-acre working farm. Arcadia Publishing, 128 pages.
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Imagining the Shakers by Robert P. Emlen In the half century between 1830 and 1880 the visual culture of America's oldest, largest, and most distinctive communal religious society was portrayed in scores of printed images published in the popular illustrated press. In this complement to his 1987 book Shaker Village Views , Robert P. Emlen identifies and explicates every known engraving or lithograph that pictured the Shakers in the years of their greatest prosperity and before photography became popular in Shaker communities. Many of these images are reproduced here for the first time. Couper Press, Shaker Studies, no. 15. 338 pages, full color illustrations, 2019. ISBN: 978-1-937370-28-2
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Color the Natural World: A Timber Press Coloring Book By Zoe Keller A coloring book for all ages! In the whimsical pages of Color the Natural World you can wander from temperate forests and oceans to deserts and prairies. You’ll meet a host of intricately-drawn animals and birds, like the northern pygmy-owl of the Pacific Northwest forest, a fox from the Great Plains, and the California gull. And you’ll encounter a fun mix of bugs, fish, and plants, like the sea urchins found in the Pacific coast, the cacti of the deserts in the Southwest, and a family of Monarch butterflies. Along the way you’ll discover the mindfulness and joy that comes through creativity. Grab your markers, crayons, & colored pencils and get ready to take a journey through the natural world! Paperback, 96 pages, 50 illustrations, black and white photos. 9" x 9". Timber Press
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By Carol Medlicott and Christian Goodwillie The United Society of Believers in Christ’s Second Appearing, commonly called “Shakers,” created a thriving community in the Kentucky Bluegrass beginning soon after 1805. Located near the high palisades over the Kentucky River in Mercer County, Pleasant Hill prospered for over a century, an example of religious devotion made manifest in a setting of architectural and agricultural beauty. Shaker life at Pleasant Hill had many facets, both spiritual and temporal. This meticulously researched and richly illustrated volume presents a fresh exploration of many aspects of life at Pleasant Hill, ranging from the site’s natural setting and its historical and spiritual underpinnings, to the community’s complex ethnic, racial, and gender dynamics, and its plentiful domestic economy. Carol Medlicott is a historical geographer in the Department of History at Northern Kentucky University. Her work considers various aspects of the western Shaker experience and of early Shaker expansion, including settlement patterns, leadership, cultural interaction, cartography, and music. Her major books addressing the Shaker west are Issachar A Shaker's Journey (University Press of New England, 2013) and Richard McNemar and the Music of the Shaker West (co-authored with Christian Goodwillie, Kent State University Press, 2013). Christian Goodwillie is director and curator of special collections and archives in the Burke Library at Hamilton College in Clinton, New York. He has served as the president of the Communal Studies Association and was honored with their Distinguished Scholar Award in 2021. Goodwillie has authored, co-authored, or edited, twelve books on the Shakers and Freemasonry, as well as publishing numerous articles. Both are good friends of Sabbathday Lake Shaker Village and have presented lectures with us. Publisher: Straggling Trembler Press (January 1, 2022) Perfect Paperback: 291 pages ISBN-13: 979-8987033401
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Barns of Maine by Don Perkins - local author -Signed! Although humble in their function, these carefully crafted barns have shaped the landscape of Maine for centuries. Built long before the days of plastic and plywood, the barns have survived for generations, each with a story to tell. In Bridgton, one barn offered comfort to a 16 year-old boy when his father was injured; another New Gloucester barn was so important to one family that its likeness was engraved on their headstones. Some owners said they would rather see their homes burn than their barns, and others have dedicated their lives and countless funds to restoring and preserving these buildings. From modest English to grand Victorian, Don Perkins examines the structures, origins, and evolution of Maine's barns, demonstrating the vital and precious role they play in people's lives. Features a section on the Shakers' Barn! Signed by the author Paperback, 128 pp The History Press; Illustrated edition 978-1609495268
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A User's Guide by Russell S. Powell This fascinating and helpful guide will offer practical advice about rare heirlooms and newly discovered varieties, chapters on the rich tradition of apple growing in New England and on the fathers of American apples Massachusetts natives John Chapman (Johnny Appleseed) and Henry David Thoreau. Apples of New England will present the apple in all its splendor: as biological wonder, super food, work of art, and cultural icon. Apples of New England will be an indispensable resource for anyone identifying apples in New England orchards, farm stands, grocery stores or their own backyard. Photographs of the more than 200 apples discovered, grown, or sold in New England will be accompanied by notes about flavor and texture, history, ripening time, storage quality, and best use. Countryman Press, 214 pages ISBN: 978-1581572230
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1001 Labor-Saving Devices for Farm, Garden, Dairy, and Workshop
Skyhorse Publishing The traditional American devices contained in this intriguing compilation date from an era long before milking machines, pesticide sprayers, and industrial hay bailers. Yet the simple inventions described for doing everything from managing young bulls to protecting drain outlets can be just as useful for today's farmer as they were for the homesteaders of over a century ago. Discover how to make such items as a movable nest for hens, a ribless boat, a contraption to extricate a mired animal, a farm cart with adjustable racks for larger loads, a wire fence tightener, a fruit picker, a grindstone set and frame, and much more. This book is a boon for the rancher, farmer, or anyone who loves the rural life. Skyhorse Publishing, 640 pages, paperback ISBN: 9781602390188 -
Tarts, Mini Pies, Cake Pops, and More
by Abigail Gehring, Timothy W. Lawrence
The only thing better than traditional dessert is an adorably small dessert you can pick up with your fingers and devour in a few sumptuous bites. Cake pops, mini pies, and tiny tarts are everyone’s favorite new treats, and it’s no wonder—they’re cute, they’re fun, and they’re small enough that you can sample one of each at a party! For the growing population with gluten allergies or sensitivity, dessert is tricky territory. Gehring, who has been gluten-free for three years, has experienced many of the pitfalls of gluten-free cooking and baking so you don’t have to! She and her husband, Lawrence, have developed more than sixty recipes you’ll have fun making and feel great eating. Ginger peach tartlets Chocolate peanut butter cake pops Meringue nests with citrus cream Candied orange peel Macarons Mini red velvet cupcakes Chocolate chip cheesecakes Blackberry pies with honey lavender cream Coconut sorbet shots Maple walnut truffles Skyhorse Publishing, 144 pages ISBN: 9781626360242 -
Simple Projects and Inspiration for the Home
by Dorothy Wood Subtle sophistication and country appeal are the hallmarks of Shaker home decor. Handmade Style: Shaker presents an assortment of easy-to-make decorative projects in the Shaker style, ranging from simpler crafts like an angel weather vane or monogrammed linen laundry bag to more ambitious ventures such as a Shaker quilt or knitted throw. Each project comes with step-by-step instructions, a complete list of materials, and instructive color photographs, making this crafts guide as practical as it is beautiful. Chronicle Books, 112 pages paperback ISBN: 978-0811825689 -
HARVEST AND MAKE YOUR OWN HERBAL REMEDIES
Backyard Medicine is a beautiful book, packed with nearly 300 color photographs and over 120 herbal remedies that you can make yourself. It gives a fascinating insight into the literary, historic, and world-wide application of the fifty common plants that it covers. It is the sort of book you can enjoy as an armchair reader or use to harvest and make your own herbal remedies from wild plants. Anyone who wants to improve his or her health in the same way that human-kind has done for centuries around the world, by using local wild plants and herbs, will find this book fascinating and useful. Skyhorse Publishing, 224 pages ISBN: 9781602397019 -
The Beginner's Guide to Collecting Safe and Delicious Mushrooms
By Alexander Schwab
Is it safe or not? What gourmands and nature lovers need to know to harvest your own. Advice, with photographs, from an expert! Novices eager to collect tasty wild mushrooms will find this unique guide invaluable. Unlike others, it focuses only on those types that are both safe to eat and delicious. Most importantly, it presents the eight rules of mushroom gathering in a straightforward fashion, including, "Never, never take a mushroom with gills" and "If a mushroom smells rotten, it is rotten." Among the mushrooms covered are the cep; the red-cracked, larch, bay, and birch boletes; hen of the woods, chanterelle, trumpet chanterelle, hedgehog fungus, common puffball, horn of plenty, and cauliflower mushroom. Each is identified with several photographs and identification checklist, and there's also information on mushroom season, handling, storage, and cooking, complete with recipes. Skyhorse Publishing, 128 pages ISBN: 9781602391604 -
The Best Way to Grow, Preserve, and Bake with Small Fruit
by Jo Ann Gardner In this updated and full-color edition of Old-Fashioned Jams, Jellies, and Sweet Preserves, Jo Ann Gardner takes you back to the basics. This is a clear, concise horticultural and culinary reference book that concentrates on the small fruits, with a glance at tree fruits and wild fruits, too. It offers environmentally sound directions for growing and harvesting, as well as simple guidelines for canning and preserving. Moreover, it contains a treasure trove of seventy-five exciting recipes for preserving, baking, and cookingunusual marmalades, for example, are coupled with English muffins. From gooseberries and elderberries to classic strawberries and rhubarb, Jo Ann has it covered! Whether an old hand or a novice, you’ll find Old-Fashioned Jams, Jellies, and Sweet Preserves enlightening and informative, not to mention delicious! Skyhorse Publishing, 192 pages, paperback ISBN: 9781629145440 -
How to Prepare the Soil, Choose Your Plants, Care For, Harvest, and Use Your Herbs
by Melissa Snyder The consummate beginners guide for anyone interested in starting an herb garden. This book will explain, in simple terms, everything you need to know about choosing the site, preparing the soil, choosing the plants, caring for them, dealing with pests and diseases, and what to do with the harvest at the end of the summer. Included will be actual easy-to-follow garden plans, lots of helpful tips, expert advice, and useful figures. Countryman Press, 272 pages ISBN: 978-1581573121 -
By Bruce T. Marshall Shaker Heights achieved international renown in the early 20th century as an enclave for wealthy residents—a city of stunning homes, substantial green space, an excellent school system, and attentive municipal services. Cleveland entrepreneurs O. P. and M. J. Van Sweringen established Shaker Heights as a haven from the stresses of city life and claimed a connection with previous residents of this land, the North Union settlement of Shakers. Shaker communities sought to create paradise on earth by living communally and focusing on the life of the spirit. Buyers in Shaker Heights were assured that their paradise would last forever because of restrictions on what could be built and who could live there. Nevertheless, Shaker Heights has changed from a protected environment for the wealthy to a stable, integrated city that intentionally promotes diversity in its population. This is a remarkable story of dramatic change but also continuity as residents pursue the goal of creating an ideal community. Arcadia Publishing, 128 pages.
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By James W. Hooper, Forewords by Larrie Curry of Pleasant Hill and Tommy Hines of South Union The Shaker Communities of Kentucky: Pleasant Hill and South Union presents the lives, struggles, and achievements of a remarkable people. The chronicle spans Shaker beginnings in England and relocation to America, the Great Awakening in America followed by the Kentucky Revival, Shaker beginnings in Kentucky, and the establishment of the South Union and Pleasant Hill Shaker villages. The Shaker central ministry sent missionaries to Kentucky from New York in 1805 after hearing about the Kentucky Revival, which culminated with the Cane Ridge Revival of 1801. Their efforts resulted in the establishment of villages in Kentucky, Ohio, and Indiana. Pleasant Hill and South Union were among the most successful and enduring of all the Shaker villages. This volume provides a striking visual portrayal of Shaker life by means of rare vintage images, including beliefs and worship, relationships with other believers and "the world," and their highly regarded workmanship. Gradual decline resulted in the closing of both villages, but restorations have turned both sites into popular destinations. Arcadia Publishing, 148 pages.
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The Shakers of Enfield, Connecticut 1780-1968 by Stephen J. Paterwic The Shaker community at Enfield, Connecticut, lasted from 1792 to 1914. Shaker founder Mother Ann Lee gathered converts there, and her successor Father Joseph Whittaker ministered to them before he died there in 1787. This is the first book devoted to telling the 130-year story of this relatively unknown celibate Christian community. Additionally, eighteen appendices provide rich primary source information for further research. Couper Press, Shaker Studies, no. 16. Thick book, approx. 550 pages, 2020. ISBN: 978-1-937370-29-9
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Shaker Fancy Goods: Shaker Survival Through Sisterhood and Craft by Catherine Goldring Shaker Fancy Goods tells the story of the Shaker Sisters of the nineteenth and early twentieth century who responded to the economic perils of the Industrial Revolution by inventing a lucrative industry of their own—Fancy Goods, a Victorian term for small adorned household objects made by women for women. Thanks to their work ethic, business savvy, and creativity, the tireless Shaker Sisters turned a seemingly modest trade into the economic engine that sustained their communal way of life, just as the men were abandoning the sect for worldly employment. Relying on journals and church family records that give voice to the plainspoken accounts of the sisters themselves, the book traces the work they did to establish their principal revenue streams, from designing the products, to producing them by hand (and later by machine, when they could do so without compromising quality) to bringing their handcrafts to market. Photographs, painstakingly gathered over years of research from museums and private collections, present the best examples of these fancy goods. Fancy goods include the most modest and domestic of items, like the pen wipes that the Sisters shaped into objects such as dolls, mittens, and flowers; or the emeries, pincushions, and needle books lovingly made back in an era when more than a minimal competency in sewing was expected in women; to more substantial purchases like the Dorothy cloaks that were in demand among fashionable women of the world; or the heavy rib-knitted sweaters, cardigans, and pullovers that became popular items among college boys and adventurous women. Hardcover, 192 pages, color Downeast Books 2022 978-1684750238
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by Thomas Sakmyster This study—the first of of its kind— is a comprehensive examination of one of the most fascinating and colorful periods of American religious history: the Shakers’ Era of Manifestations. Based on a comprehensive reading of primary sources from Shaker communities in Ohio and Kentucky, this volume documents the spiritual highs and lows promulgated by Shaker visionists (spirit mediums) as their gifts impacted their communities in a variety of ways —both positive and negative. Visits from Mother Ann Lee, Holy Mother Wisdom, the Eternal Father, and the Holy Savior (Jesus) are detailed herein, as well as the establishment of outdoor worship sites—Feast Grounds—the reception of gift songs, new dances, and most intriguing of all, interactions with the departed of many races and nations, including an exceptional series of encounters with Indigenous American (Indian) spirits, historical figures like George Washington, and many Shaker founders. Thomas Sakmyster is an emeritus professor at the University of Cincinnati, where he was the Walter Langsam Professor of Modern European History. He has published widely on his areas of specialization, including modern East European history, the American Communist Party, world communism, and Shaker history. He is co-editor of The Shakers of White Water, 1823-1916 and author of The Last Shaker Apostate: Augustus Wager and Union Village, Ohio and articles on various themes in the history of the Shakers. Shaker Studies, no 19, 339 pages, 2024. ISBN: 978-1-937370-40-4 Couper Press Paperback
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by Jane F. Crosthwaite In the mid-nineteenth century, both Shaker sacred texts and gift drawings were rich with theological arguments for the millennial vision of a heaven celebrating the Heavenly Father and Holy Mother Wisdom and of a communal society embodying its teachings in celibacy and peace. This richly-illustrated, full color volume, explores these Shaker visions of the divine. Jane Freeman Crosthwaite first encountered the Shakers when preparing a course on women in American religious history for a class at Mount Holyoke College. Mother Ann Lee, her teachings, her followers, and their musical, scriptural, and artistic ventures in theological expression became the focus of numerous seminars, lectures, and articles in the years to follow. Most notably, she and Christian Goodwillie edited Millennial Praises: A Shaker Hymnal which brought together the early, theologically-rich hymn texts with the scattered musical records. Now retired from teaching courses in religion and ethics (and delivering a number of baccalaureate addresses), Professor Crosthwaite has tucked away a teaching award from Mount Holyoke, inclusion in The Princeton Review’s 300 Outstanding Teachers, a Distinguished Alumni Award from Wake Forest University, and an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree, from Queens University of Charlotte. Shaker Studies, no. 18. 242 pages, 2022. Couper Press Paperback ISBN: 978-1-937370-30-5
