I'm often asked to share my favorite resources for making historical fiction writing rich and deep. Besides the Foxfire books which I used extensively while writing The Frontiersman's Daughter, one name stands head and shoulders above all other research material. Meet Eric Sloane:) To me and many others, he is the premier illustrator and biographer of early American life. Blessed with a quick wit, a beautiful drawing hand, and a gift of words, his legacy continues to linger. I am trying to collect every book he's ever written. Some of my favorites are below. His work is truly a feast for the heart and soul:)
Many libraries have his books or you can order them on Amazon and through other booksellers. Blessed you are if you find them in vintage bookshops or other places! He gives an in-depth look at what it was like living in years past, right down to the nitty gritty details. If you want to make your writing come alive, Eric Sloane's work will help you do that. Often I've become so lost in his books I forget all about the time, my own writing, or that I'm in modern day America. His gift is making the lost things of yesteryear unforgettable.
If you've heard of Eric Sloane or have his books, I'd love to know! I only wish I could have met him!
Thank you for sharing your love of his books! That last picture makes going to meeting look so cozy sitting there with a warm blanket. But I'm afraid the point was that if they didn't have those things they might have frozen to death at church. I love all the great illustrations depicted.
ReplyDeleteCarla, Eric has written volumes on your neck of the woods and beautiful New England:) You're so right about being cold in church. I actually came across a record of a family whose children became so cold when sitting through those long Sabbath services that they cried from it and then when they went home their father dosed them with flip to warm them back up! I snuck that into one of my books:)
ReplyDeleteSloane is one of those illustrators and authors that sweep me away! Bless you for sharing the JOY:)
Thank you, Laura! These books look great! I'm going to see if I can order some. :-)
ReplyDeleteMaryLu, I think you'd love them even if you're on the sea most of the time! They're hands down my favorites:) Bless you for being here!
DeleteThanks for being such a dear and sharing this resource. The pics remind me so much of growing up in rural upper Michigan in the upper peninsula. We were living a little behind the times, I believe, but so pretty up there and lots of lovely farms and of course the national forests.
ReplyDeleteCarrie, Michigan has a beauty all its own - I'll never forget my time on the UP and Isle Royale. I'm still haunted by the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald and a die-hard Gordon Lightfoot fan:) You must miss it at times but bet the southern temps and the history are better for you where you are now. Oh, if only I could join you!!
DeleteCarrie, Laura has sold me on another author,and those pictures are worth a thousand words! Yes, the pictures do share quite a likeness to the rural areas of Michigan. Maybe he lived in the upper peninsula at some point too! You and I have spent enough time here in Michigan to see the resemblences. I'm going to have to purchase a few of Eric Sloane's books, I think.
DeleteOh, so good to meet you here, Nancee! Thanks for your gracious words. I do think you'd love Sloane's books. They are so peaceful and lovely to look at - like a good fiction book, they just sweep you away. You're so right about the similarity to the UP and Michigan, etc. Hubby is wanting to go on a trip there. I tell him it's a lot like Washington State but without all that rain!
DeleteIt's amazing how you can get lost in a picture, or in researching, and forget about getting back to your WIP. Those rabbit trails are my downfall. Thank you, Laura, for another escape.
ReplyDeleteJanet, Bless you for saying that about rabbit trails. I take a million in an Eric Sloane book:) But that's one of the joys of research I guess - when it doesn't feel like work but more play! I had a rabbit trail today regarding steamboats and French Creole food for my WIP... OH MY!
DeleteYes, his books are great. I have a few and my library, thankfully, has a few more. Fun to just leaf through and like Janet said, get totally sidetracked.
ReplyDeleteYes, his books are majorly side-tracking! And so beautiful as art. I wish I could frame my favorite prints of his on my offic wall - even the living room!
DeleteWhat great resources, Laura. I hadn't heard of this author, but will certainly check into getting copies of his books.
ReplyDeleteSusan, I think you'd love his work and writing style since your books are so historically rich. I am always amazed at how little I know when I lose myself in his books. And I'm always blessed by his love for God and the archaic way of things. I hope you will be, too.
DeleteLaura, sorry to be so late in commenting but I was at conference all last week. You have featured one of my FAVORITE authors! I have so much material that I have gleaned from Eric Sloane's books! I own several and hope to add more at some time. I think he is near the top of my list for favorite research tidbits. LOVE his drawings!
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