From Booklist
Gr. 9-12. Each volume in this new series places an oft-assigned classic within historical context, with almost no emphasis on traditional literary analysis. Porterfield opens Treasure Island with a brief biography of Stevenson and a plot precis, then colorfully covers nineteenth-century seafaring and piracy, relating each topic to specific passages in the novel. Carlson's plot summary of Uncle Tom's Cabin is less prominently positioned, appearing almost as an afterthought to deft discussions of early American theories of race and the patronizing assumptions inherent in Stowe's (and many abolitionists') views. Both titles are generously illustrated with what the series terms "Primary Source Images," a somewhat curious designation that refers primarily to period engravings and photos of artifacts or documents. Only these images receive the thorough, page-specific attributions that one would expect in a series somewhat grandiosely called Looking at Literature through Primary Sources. Buy these for well-written content that crosses curriculum boundaries, not for the scholarly rigor. Jennifer Mattson
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