First published in 1901, “The Mayflower and Her Log” looks in detail into the historic voyage of the 'Mayflower', an English ship that transported early Pilgrims to the New World in 1620. The ship has since become an important part of American history and culture, as well as the subject of innumerable works of art, plays, films, poems, songs, books, etc. Drawing upon original sources, this fascinating account of the incidents and people aboard the famous ship is highly recommended for those with an interest in American history and culture. Contents include: “The Myth of the 'Mayflower', by G. K. Chesterton”, “Introductory”, “The Name—'May-Flower'”, “The May-Flower’s Consort the Speedwell”, “The May-Flower’s Charter and the Adventurers”, “The May-Flower—The Ship Herself”, “The Officers and Crew of the Mayflower”, “The May-Flower’s Passengers”, “Quarters, Cooking, Provisions”, etc. Read & Co. History is republishing this classic work now complete with the essay “The Myth of the 'Mayflower'” by G. K. Chesterton.

Reproduction of the original: The Mayflower and Her Log by Azel Ames

The phrase "separation of church and state", is one of the most well known and least understood phrases in modern American lexicon. A majority of Americans are certain it is contained in the Constitution but the dirty little secret is the term is not mentioned anywhere in that revered document.The phrase entered the American political environment when President Thomas Jefferson responded to a letter he received from constituents.Why could a portion of a single letter trump the United States Constitution? Why would a metaphor be taken literally and used for settled law?Jefferson was not even in the United States while the amendment was debated and adopted. Jefferson and Madison comprise less than 6%% of the total number of founders cited, but their words are used by Supreme Court Justices more than 79%% of the time. Heck, eight percent of Americans think Elvis is alive. Founders such as, George Washington, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Samuel Adams, Alexander Hamilton and Patrick Henry are virtually ignored.

In Drinking in America, bestselling author Susan Cheever chronicles our national love affair with liquor, taking a long, thoughtful look at the way alcohol has changed our nation's history. This is the often-overlooked story of how alcohol has shaped American events and the American character from the seventeenth to the twentieth century. Seen through the lens of alcoholism, American history takes on a vibrancy and a tragedy missing from many earlier accounts. From the drunkenness of the Pilgrims to Prohibition hijinks, drinking has always been a cherished American custom: a way to celebrate and a way to grieve and a way to take the edge off. At many pivotal points in our history-the illegal Mayflower landing at Cape Cod, the enslavement of African Americans, the McCarthy witch hunts, and the Kennedy assassination, to name only a few-alcohol has acted as a catalyst. Some nations drink more than we do, some drink less, but no other nation has been the drunkest in the world as America was in the 1830s only to outlaw drinking entirely a hundred years later. Both a lively history and an unflinching cultural investigation, Drinking in America unveils the volatile ambivalence within one nation's tumultuous affair with alcohol.