Literary Trail Of Greater Boston: A Tour Of Sites In Boston, Cambridge And Concord

Literary Trail of Greater Boston: A Tour of Sites in Boston, Cambridge and Concord

From Kirkus ReviewsA sprightly and informative little guidebook, packed with tidbits about literary figures, publishers, bookstores, libraries, and other historic sites on the newly designated Literary Trail of Greater Boston. Working with the Boston History Collaborative, Cambridge author Wilson (Boston Sights and Insights, not reviewed) has compiled a chatty, easy-to-follow companion to the three-part Trail. Opening with the Parker House Hotel, site of Charles Dickens's first American reading of A Christmas Carol, Wilson guides the tour-taker through three centuries of Greater Boston's literary history, paying homage along the way to some unexpected figurese.g., Ben Franklin, Kahlil Gibran, and Vladimir Nabokovas well as the expected Alcott, Hawthorne, Longfellow, Emerson, Thoreau, and Whittier. Contemporary writers have contributed essays on their favorite authorsRobert Pinsky writes about Elizabeth Bishop, Julia Child has a piece on Fannie Farmerand brief quotes have been inserted to illustrate various authors' styles. Besides three main tour segments in Boston, Cambridge, and Concord, there are ``Off the Beaten Path'' side trips to Beacon Hill and to cemeteries in the three cities where many of the famous literary figures are buried. Also included are tips on finding literary events at local bookstores, libraries, and museums, and information on contemporary local writers. Especially useful for the tour-goer is an appendix listing the addresses, phone numbers, web sites, and handicap accessibility of museums and other historic sites along the trail. All that a guidebook should be: compact, easy to use, informative, and entertaining. (5 maps, 80 b&w illustrations, not seen)-- Copyright