Jack Ayer, professor of law emeritus at the University of California Davis and author of the Underbelly blog, writes to recommend Betty Flanders Thomson’s 1958 book, The Changing Face of New England. In a recent post on cellarholes–the remnants of long-abandoned New England farmhouses–he includes a long quote from Thomson’s book. An even longer excerpt can be found in the online archives of American Heritage magazine.
Nearly twenty years after her New England book, Thomson published a study of the landscapes of the Midwest, Shaping of America’s Heartland. Both titles are now long out of print, unfortunately, as they are highly regarded for their quality of writing and science. Indeed, Connecticut College still remembers Thomson with an annual award for its best student in botany.
I picked up a copy of this book over 30 years ago on a remainder table at B&N for a buck – possibly the best $1 ever spent on reading material, as I still have it on my nightstand and enjoy the poetry and power of Betty’s writing all the time. I urge everyone who loves New England to find a copy. I’ve never read anything better about the forces that shaped and continue to shape its geology, woodlands, and natural beauty.
Well what a thrill! Great site!
And to think that many of these neglected titles may yet emerge into the light as ebooks.
In fact it would be nice if there was a notation on a neglected book which is now in ebook format.