Customer Reviews

Retrospect of Western Travel (American History and Americana Series)

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In 1835, English woman Harriet Martineau traveled to America and stayed there for two years, documenting everything she saw there. Martineau was an interesting observer: deaf, single, and a self-employed writer whose work supported her entire family. She was one of the most famous essayists and sociologists of the Victorian era. She has a disarming, open writing style and an opinion on everything. Like Austen, she is one of the more readable writers of the nineteenth century.

In this volume, Harriet gives her first hand account of the social worlds of Philadelphia, Boston, Baltimore and Washington D.C. She describes meals with President Jackson, observations of the Supreme Court, and a first hand account of a slave auction. She talks about personalities of famous people and the rhythms of daily life. I laughed out loud at her description of half-built, muddy little Washington D.C. and her opinion that it could not possibly last as the United States Capitol.

I found it entertaining, gossipy and insightful. If you are looking for a primary source that depicts daily life in the 1830's, take a look at this charming travelogue.

Note: I didn't purchase this volume. I read the book after finding a google books epub and converted it to my Kindle using Calibre. It was definitely one of the best free books I found for my Kindle.