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Conversations Around the Dinner Table

It began with a photo of the dining room at the Collins House and thoughts of conversations the judge and the missus may have had amongst themselves and their children or Sunday guests. In today's world we anxiously await a new movie release and perhaps a new novel from a favorite author. The latter would have been the norm of the day back then. It seemed appropriate to create a page, for those who want to take pause from today, and share some of the things the Collins family may have discussed and enjoyed back then.

Just think of the anticipation folks like D.D. and Elizabeth had when a favorite author's works were published. Not quite so instantaneous like in today's world.

 

Below are some of the most popular American authors of the day. Thanks to websites like archive.org we post their works via PDFs via the magic of our technological digital age for those of us who can't dust off a copy from our personal library. Now you can take your family back in time by reading and sharing some of the classic works of the 1800s. 

 

Enjoy ~

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Click image for zoomable PDF.

Herman Melville

(August 1,1819 - September 28, 1891)

Born of Scottish and Dutch heritage, Herman Melville's roots are deeply embedded in American history. His grandfather, Major. Thomas Melvill (original surname spelling), was a member of the Boston Tea Party.

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According to Britannica:

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In 1826 Allan Melvill wrote of his son as being “backward in speech and somewhat slow in comprehension . . . of a docile and amiable disposition.” 

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Perhaps one of his most popular works is "Moby Dick,"  so we begin with a remarkable volume published by Spinner in 2002 with classic ship illustrations and photots.  We also include, thanks to archive.org, an actual scan of the volume collection of short stories entitled, "The Piazza Tales" published in 1856. 

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Ready? Let's step back into the mid-1800s ~ simply click the buttons below for a printable PDF of each of the classics . . .

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Phone:  Call Lavadna at 618.420.0288         

Mail: c/o 104 Irene Dr., Collinsville, IL 62234 
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