Customer Reviews

Newport: A Lively Experiment 1639-1969

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This is a beautiful art book quality edition of the history of Newport, Rhode Island. I can't think of many small towns that deserve such a lavishly produced volume, especially one with a present-day population of fewer than 30,000 people. However, this small community had a very large impact on the ideas of religious freedom and civil government.

While this book has many beautiful reproductions of paintings of the town, portraits of people who played a part in Newport's history, maps, photographs, and other illustrations, it is also a book of well-written text. The author is Rockwell Stensrud whose background as a novelist and journalist has prepared him well for this project. "Newport - a Lively Experiment" is published by the Redwood Library, which is more than 250 years old and the oldest lending library in the United States. This is a volume to be proud of. Anyone interested in Newport, Rhode Island, Colonial America, and the how this town came through its ups and downs from its founding in 1639 until today should get a copy for their library.

The founding of Newport is fascinating and covered well in this book. The subtitle of the book, a lively experiment, comes from the charter granted by Charles II on July 8, 1663. It refers to its being a living experiment that "a most flourishing civil state may stand and best be maintained, and that among our English subjects, with a full liberty in religious concernments; and that true piety rightly grounded upon gospel principles, will give the best and greatest security to sovereignty, and will lay in the hearts of men the strongest obligations to true loyalty ..."

As noted earlier, Newport was founded in 1639 by nine men who are still well remembered in the history the city today (all the streets and places named after them sure help). There were jealousies, conflicts, and lots of energy. About half of this book covers the colonial and Revolutionary periods. Newport flourished until the destructive activity of the Revolutionary War heavily involved the city. It had recovered by the mid-nineteenth century and near the turn of the twentieth, it had become favored among the ultra wealthy. There are still many beautiful mansions there today. However, the structures of the founding were fast disappearing. There was also a hurricane in 1938.

About this time, Doris Duke and others decided to do what they could to preserve and restore what they considered to be treasures. At the time, not many others did. Now we all enjoy seeing the fruits of their hard work and expenditures.

This is a very richly done, informative, and enjoyable book of American history.

It is unusual for a history to be visually engaging or for a coffee table book to have intellectual content. This is one of the very rare books published today that is both beautiful and brainy.

In the late 17th century the idea of religious freedom was an alien idea not only around the world but here in the North American too. In Massachusetts they were hanging people for the high crime of being Quakers ( I kid you not...).

This book tells the story (in an extremely readable fashion) of the rare circumstances that led to the rise of the concept of religious freedom in a town that is now an out of the way genteel resort, but which was in its day one of the most important early American settlements.

As intellectually engaging as it is interesting, this book is a great acquisition for anyone interested in American history, colonial architecture or religious freedom. In this day and age, with the challenges facing the country and world, a reminder of the great benefits of religious tolerance could not be better timed or more needed.

Although this looks like another expensive coffee table book, it's also a very well-written and drama filled history of America's founding and revolution and development with Newport as the orientation point. The hardships of 17th century life, the privations of the Revolution, are described in living detail, as well as the resort life of the nineteenth century when Newport became the Queen of Resorts. If you've ever been to Newport or Rhode Island and liked it, a must. Many thanks for Gilbert Kahn and John Noffo Kahn for supporting the research for what has turned out to be a hard-to-put-down history book. Beautifully written and illustrated with primary sources.

You might be tempted to purchase "Newport" as simply a gorgeously produced coffee table book. While it would indeed fulfill this purpose, I hope you read it too. It's magnificently written - a highly engaging and enlightening look at the history of a town that changed our country. After receiving my copy I immediately purchased another for a gift.

I've actually bought 2 of these books for Xmas gifts. They were recommended by the captain of a sailboat we chartered in Newport, R.I. I have not removed the plastic wrapping, but our captain highly recommended the book for anyone who enjoys R.I. The cover is beautiful. I would buy as a coffee table book just for that! A perfect gift for those people who have everything. Newport: A Lively Experiment 1639-1969