In Association with Amazon.com

I'm happy to offer online ordering in association with Amazon.com.  This is a fabulous service and they offer very good discounts on the books.  They have various shipping options, great customer service, and they offer secure and  private payment options.  They even offer gift wrapping and delivery to anywhere in the world!!

To order a book, just click on the title and you are on your way to owning it!  :-)

Also, please note that many of these books are available at the Visitor's Center at Fort Toulouse/Fort Jackson - you can call 334-567-3002 to order them, and help support the forts!

History:

Fort Toulouse: The French Outpost at the Alabamas on the Coosa by Daniel H. Thomas

Required reading for reenactors at Fort Toulouse!

Ft. Pontchartrain at Detroit: A Guide to the Daily Lives of the Fur Trade and Military Personnel, Settlers, and Missionaries at French Posts by Tim Kent

Two-volume set of books, has a massive amount of material covering the French in New France. Has chapters on gardening, health and sanitation, clothing , sewing, material culture, etc. Expensive!

The French Colony in the Mid-Mississippi Valley by Margaret K. Brown, Lawrie C. Dean

($8.00) Relive the lives of the early French settlers in the heartland. This publication will place you in the 18th century alongside this region's first permanent European inhabitants, the French. Read personal accounts of their lives as they struggled to survive in this new wilderness. Full color photographs, illustrations, and early maps will show you the French dress, household items, architecture, and the growing communities they established. Also included is a tour guide map of the colonial district. 50 maps, photographs and illustrations in full color and B&W.

France's Forgotten Legion: Service Records of French Military and Administrative Personnel Stationed in the Mississippi Valley and Gulf Coast Region, 1699-1769 by Carl A. Brasseaux

($45.00), Publisher: Louisiana State University Press; ISBN: 0807124834; Cd-Rom edition (June 2000)

Frenchmen and French ways in the Mississippi Valley

(Out of print, available from Amazon starting at $28.75) 304 pages, Publisher: University of Illinois Press; ASIN: 0252784111

The French in the Mississippi Valley, 1740-1750 by Norman Ward Caldwell

(Out of print) 113 pages, Publisher: Porcupine Press; ASIN: 0879913304.

Cooking:

French Cooking in Early America by Patricia B. Mitchell

Great little book. Only $4, how can you go wrong?

Savoring the Past: The French Kitchen and Table from 1300 to 1789 by Barbara Ketcham Wheaton

Great history book, recipes at the end.

Costume:

Costume in New France From 1740 to 1760 by Suzanne & Andre Gousse

An excellent resource as it describes each and every piece of clothing, giving historical documentation and period illustrations, and describes how the clothing is worn. Buy this book for information on making garments for men, women, and children.

Tidings From the 18th Century by Beth Gilgun

A useful book, as she gives good illustrations and patterns for creating the clothing, although the book is a bit more geared to a later time period and more English than French. The main problem with her book is that she doesn't differentiate between French and English styles, and doesn't note specific time periods for the clothing. Used in conjunction with the Gousses' book for historical accuracy, Gilgun's book is a good resource.

Historic Colonial French Dress: A Guide to Re-Creating North American French Clothing by Mary Moyars Johnson, Judy Forbes, Kathy Delaney

Not nearly so useful - the illustrations are modern, and the documentation is found at the back instead of with the clothing descriptions, and some of the clothing descriptions are suspect, but there are decent guidelines for creating the garments in the back. Use this book with care, and only in conjunction with the previous two books.

Fitting & Proper by Sharon Ann Burnston

Contains mostly late-period fashions, and British/American rather than French, but still a good reference. Fitting & Proper provides a rare opportunity to examine the clothing of ordinary 18th century Americans. Over 40 original garments from the collection of the Chester County [Pennsylvania] Historical Society are described and featured in top-quality photographs. In addition, 38 of these garments are rendered as detailed, inch-by-inch graphed patterns by 18th century costume authority Sharon Ann Burnston. This is the first book to focus exclusively on an entirely American collection of 18th century clothing.

Revolution in Fashion : European Clothing, 1715-1815 by Jean Starobinski, Philippe Duboy (aka THE KYOTO BOOK)

This is an outstanding exhibition catalogue from Japan (thankfully written in English). It has the most fabulous, clear photos of 18th, early 19th century costume. Found on the Kyoto Costume Institute website for $30, including shipping from Japan to US. Email the contact address for information. Apparently it takes about two weeks, and they can only send it COD. (Out of print, rare, $200 when you can find it used - available through interlibrary loan, try the library first)
"Revolution in Fashion" 1989, 167 p, 2,200 yen, + S&H Fee: 380 yen for 1, 520 yen for 2 copies. EMAIL: info@kci.or.jp, http://www.kci.or.jp/cgi-bin/catalogue .cgi?lang=e

Dress in France in the Eighteenth Century by Madeleine Delpierre

While much attention has been paid to the period dress of Great Britain, continental Europe has been ignored for the most part. This book adds significantly to the available literature on French fashions during the last century of the French monarchy. Readers and researchers alike will find it invaluable and very interesting!

The Cut of Women's Clothes, 1600-1930 by Norah Waugh

This is the definitive period costume book for historical patterns. Perfect companion book to The Cut of Men's, and Corsets and Crinolines, all by the same author. This book is not meant for beginners, but is an extremely useful tool.

Costume in Detail: 1730-1930 by Nancy Bradfield

Any artist or draughtsman would agree that this book - which is composed of hundreds of line drawings - is an incredible achievement. Nancy Bradfield's tireless research and shining talent with a pencil have produced one of the most incredible and singular costume reference textbooks in a long time. Original costumes and accessories have been taken by this artist, studied inside and out, measured methodically and every seam and mark noted - and then drawn down. Some of the costumes are far too fragile, or too soiled and damaged ever to be mounted for photography, and will probably never be available to the general public. But in Nancy Bradfield's drawings, they become fresh, vivid and whole once more, three-dimensional garments. The annotations to the drawings themselves are very informative - colour notes accompanying a silk pattern, the measurement of the waists and shoulders, observations upon the styling or similarities between this and another item.

Fashion in Detail : From the 17th and 18th Centuries by Avril Hart, Susan North

NEW EDITION for 2002 available, check under "Historical Fashion in Detail." This sumptuously illustrated book offers the first up-close view of the richness and variety of historical dress of the 17th and 18th centuries. Drawn from the Victoria and Albert Museum's world-famous collection, these garments display skills that are now lost, yet continue to inspire today's leading designers. Avril Hart is an expert in historical dress who has published books on Englishmen's dress in the 17th and 18th centuries, ties, and fans with the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. Susan Hart is Assistant Curator in the Department of Textiles and Dress at the Victoria and Albert Museum.

The Art of Dress: Fashion in England and France 1750 to 1820 by Aileen Ribeiro

Ribeiro, head of the History of Dress Department at the University of London, explores 18th century fashion by examining how period artists portrayed individuals. English and French portraits from 1750-1820 are utilized to show how social and cultural changes were reflected in fashions and art depictions of the times.

Textiles

A Lady of Fashion : Barbara Johnson's Album of Styles and Fabrics by Natalie Rothstein (Editor)

A notebook of fabric swatches kept by an 18thC lady. This book reproduces the notebook, with color photos of the swatches. Barbara Johnson not only posted the swatches, but often told how much she bought, what she paid for it, when she bought it, and what she intended to make from it.

Printed Textiles: English and American Cottons and Linens 1700-1850 by Florence Montgomery

An amazing book, not only for its content but for its price! Some critics say that she only discusses fabrics for interior decorating, not clothing.

Silk Designs of the Eighteenth Century: In the Collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum by Natalie Rothstein

THIS IS THE BOOK EVERYONE RAVES OVER!!! (Do NOT buy the book of the same name, but edited by Clare Browne) - This book is a very good resource for the study of 18th century fabric design, especially of English (Spitalfields) silks. The introduction outlines the change of tastes through the century, two chapters give backround information on the formation of the design collection at the V&A and the biographies of the designers, and the rest is just plates, plates, plates. Wonderful plates! Not just pictures of fabrics, mind you, but of the original watercolours - and their artistic quality, on top of the inventiveness they exhibit, make me go green with envy.

Textile Designs: Two Hundred Years of European and American Patterns Organized by Motif, Style, Color, Layout, and Period by Susan Meller, Joost Elffers

You can see 1740 through 1940 fabrics - 90% of the swatches pictured are life size.

Textiles for Colonial Clothing by Sally A. Queen

A workbook that is a hands-on approach to textiles used in colonial clothing. Includes 32 modern textile samples to give a "feel" to what are good representations of oznabrig to linsey-woolsey to broadcloth to silk satin.

Textiles in America 1650-1870 by Florence M. Montgomery

(Out of print, usually $250 when you can find it) A Dictionary Based on Original Documents, Prints and Paintings, Commercial Records, American Merchants' Papers, etc. Comprehensive source for the serious researcher, based on original documents. Hundreds of photos of textiles, pattern books, commerical records, etc. Information is arranged in a dictionary format.

Militaria:

The Equipment of New France Militia, 1740-1760 by Steve Delisle

The French Soldier in Colonial America by Rene Chartrand

Colonial American Troops 1610 - 1774 by Rene Chartrand

This book will be published in April 2002.

Indian:

Deerskins & Duffels: Creek Indian Trade with Anglo-America, 1685-1815 by Kathryne E. Holland Braund

Adair's History of the American Indians by Samuel Cole Williams

The Indians of the Southeastern United States by John R. Swanton

Buy a used reprint from Amazon or other source, but buy it! It should cost $20-40 for a used copy in reasonable shape. This book serves as a primary "jumping off point" for further research into any aspect of Southeastern Indian culture. It summarizes the primary sources of information available on the Southeastern cultural groups at the time of publication.

Southeastern Indians: Life Portraits, a Catalogue of Pictures 1564-1860 by Emma Lila Fundaburk

The History of Louisiana by DuPratz (ISBN: 0875110304) - Claitor's web site says the volume is out of print, but it's not - they just re-released it. You'll need to email them to buy it.

Von Reck's Voyage: Drawings and Journal of Philip Georg Friedrich Von Reck (Lost Views of Georgia in 1736) - Edited by Kristian Hvidt (ISBN: 0-88322-002-4)

The Southeastern Indians by Charles Hudson

Their Bearing is Noble and Proud (Vols 1 and 2) by James O'Neill

This gives a quickie reference for Eastern Woodland clothing. It includes excerpts from most any primary source that O'Neill could find with a reference to clothing. Vol. 2 (just released) is supposed to have a lot of trade lists included too. You can order Volume 2 straight from the author by sending $20 ($18 for the book and $2 for the shipping and handling) to Jim O'Neil, 898 Thorndale Dr., Centerville, Ohio 45429.

Tunica Treasure by Jeffrey P. Brain

Cambridge, Mass.: Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, Harvard University; Salem, Mass.: Peabody Museum of Salem, 1979, 329 p. This book is out of print, but I found a copy by going to Abe Books. You just have to keep checking!

Indian Languages:

Mobilian Jargon : Linguistic and Sociohistorical Aspects of a Native American Pidgin by Emanuel J. Drechsel

A Dictionary of the Choctaw Language (Hardback) by Cyrus Byinton

A Dictionary of the Choctaw Language (Paperback) by Cyrus Byinton

Used Book Sources:

Abe Books - You can plug in the book you want, and it'll search multiple listings by sellers.

Book Finder - Not only does it pull up ABE's books, but it pulls up several other book search engines as well. Plus pulls up new listings, as well as used, giving you a nice comparison shopping list.

Half.com - Specializes in used books, but they don't always list the hard-to-find ones. If it's listed, but not in stock, you can put in on a Wish List.

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