Amy Walton's novel, 'The Hawthorns. A Story about Children,' is a prime example of Victorian children's literature, known for its moralizing and educational focus. Set in a quaint English village, the book follows the adventures of a group of village children as they navigate friendships, challenges, and life lessons. Walton's charming and descriptive writing style transports the reader back to a simpler time, evoking a sense of nostalgia for an idyllic past. The themes of innocence, camaraderie, and the importance of moral values are prevalent throughout the narrative, making it a timeless piece of literature for all ages to enjoy. Amy Walton's ability to capture the essence of childhood in a bygone era shines through in 'The Hawthorns,' making it a classic in children's literature that continues to resonate with readers today.

An engaging introduction to the ancient hawthorn tree and its varied roles in human history One of humankind's oldest companions, the hawthorn tree is bound up in the memories of every recorded age and the plot lines of cultures across the Northern Hemisphere. In Hawthorn, Bill Vaughn examines the little-recognized political, cultural, and natural history of this ancient spiky plant. Used for thousands of years in the impenetrable living fences that defined the landscapes of Europe, the hawthorn eventually helped feed the class antagonism that led to widespread social upheaval. In the American Midwest, hawthorn-inspired hedges on the prairies made nineteenth-century farming economically rewarding for the first time. Later, in Normandy, mazelike hedgerows bristling with these thorns nearly cost the Allies World War II. Vaughn shines light on the full scope of the tree's influence over human events. He also explores medicinal value of the hawthorn, the use of its fruit in the world's first wine, and the symbolic role its spikes and flowers played in pagan beliefs and Christian iconography. As entertaining as it is illuminating, this book is the first full appreciation of the hawthorn's abundant connections with humanity.

Now in her fifties and a grandmother, Rose Hamilton has much to be thankful for in the steady love of her husband John and their relative prosperity. But she is concerned for her children: Sarah, recently widowed, is burdened with grief and worried by signs of trade union discontent in the Sinton family mills. Sam, married to cold, selfish Martha, is struggling to bring up his six children. Only Hannah, happily married and living in England, causes Rose no worry, though she misses her dreadfully. As world events impinge on the family at Ballydown - the sinking of the Titanic and the outbreak of the First World War - Rose and Sarah face new challenges and tragedies in their daily lives.

One of humankind’s oldest companions, the hawthorn tree, is bound up in the memories of every recorded age and the plot lines of cultures all across the Northern Hemisphere. Hawthorn examines the little-recognized political, cultural, and natural history of this ancient spiky plant. Used for thousands of years in the impenetrable living fences that defined the landscapes of Europe, the hawthorn eventually helped feed the class antagonism that led to widespread social upheaval. In the American Midwest, hawthorn-inspired hedges on the prairies made nineteenth-century farming economically rewarding for the first time. Later, in Normandy, mazelike hedgerows bristling with these thorns nearly cost the Allies World War II. Bill Vaughn shines light on the full scope of the tree’s influence over human events. He also explores medicinal uses of the hawthorn, the use of its fruit in the world’s first wine, and the symbolic role its spikes and flowers played in pagan beliefs and Christian iconography. As entertaining as it is illuminating, this book is the first full appreciation of the hawthorn’s abundant connections with humanity.

Donated by Alain Arts, 2010, and autographed by author.

Provides natural history narratives and identification information for sixty different species of trees found in Pennsylvania and the northeast.