Spirit of America Bookstore

Nostalgic  Americana  Page

Automobile Brands Nostalgia Page
The American Circus Pages
Drive-In Theaters Page
Fifties Culture Nostalgia Page
American Food Traditions Page
Movie Palaces Page
Old Time Radio Page
American Railroads Pages
Roadside Americana Page
Roadside Diners Page
Route 66 Books Pages
Surf Shack Page
Surfing Woodies Page
Tractors & Farm Equipment
                22-cent U.S.P.S. 1999 Uncle Sam commemorative stamp                on this page:
Amusement Parks & Rides
Baseball
Bears, Beaver & Buffalo
Dolls & Action Figures
Life On The Farm
Lighthouses, Barns & Bridges
Nostalgic Media
Railroads
Rodeo
Sailing Ships
Square Dance
Toys & Games


Some things are more American than others:
the standard 'Old Glory and Mom and apple pie and Sousa marches',
as well as this sampling of quintessential elements
of nostalgia for times gone by . . .



Collectibles / Americana catalog at Amazon

Remembering Woolworth's book by Karen Plunkett-Powell  "Remembering Woolworth's: A Nostalgic History of The World's Most Famous
Five-and-Dime" [1999] by Karen Plunkett-Powell

St. Martin's Griffin 9x7 pb [7/2001] out of print/used
St. Martin 9¼x7¼ hardcover [12/99] out of print/used
Downtown America book by Alison Isenberg  "Downtown America: A History of The Place & The People Who Made It"
[2004] by Alison Isenberg

Univ Chicago Press 9x6½ pb [6/2005] for $22.50
Univ Chicago Press 8¾x6½ hardcover [7/2004] for $29.25
L.L. Bean / American Icon book by Leon Gorman  "L.L. Bean: The Making of An American Icon" [2006]
by Leon Gorman

Harvard Business School Press 9¼x6¼ hardcover [10/2006] for $5.39

L.L. Bean [est. 1912] official website

Curious History of Everyday Things book from Readers Digest  "The Curious History of Everyday Things: Fascinating Stories of Genius, Invention, and Accidental Discovery" [2012] from Reader's Digest
Reader's Digest 9x6¼ pb [7/2012] out of print/used
Reader's Digest pb [7/2012] out of print/used
From Main Street to Mall / Department Store book by Vicki Howard  "From Main Street To Mall: The Rise and Fall of The American Department Store"
[2015] by Vicki Howard

Kindle Edition from Univ Pennsylvania Press [4/2015] for $19.22
Univ Pennsylvania Press 9¼x6¼ hardcover [5/2015] for $26.85
Shopping Mall book by Matthew Newton  "Shopping Mall (Object Lessons Series)" [2017]  9/2017
by Matthew Newton

Kindle Edition from Bloomsbury Academic [9/2017] for $9.99
Bloomsbury Academic 9x6¼ pb [9/2017] for $10.96


Girl Scouts of the U.S.A.
Boy Scouts of America
John C. Campbell Folk School [est. 1925]
Electric Launch Co. [est. 1892] of Athens, NY
American Bowling Congress [est. 1895] now U.S. Bowling Congress [merger 2005] in Wisconsin

CHEFS Catalog kitchen tools [est. 1979] based in Colorado Springs, CO        Lehman's: Serving the Amish since 1955

The Vermont Country Store: Purveyors of the Practical & Hard-To-Find [est. 1946]

Woolrich Outdoor Clothing [est. 1830] in Woolrich, Pennsylvania
Plow & Hearth 'country living' catalog [est. 1980] based in Virginia

"Nostalgia ain't what it used to be."
NOT said by Yogi Berra, but by Peter De Vries [1910-93], in his 1959 novel "The Tent of Wickedness"


Nostalgic  Media

weekly newspaper supplement www.Parade.com
weekly newspaper supplement www.AmericanProfile.com based in TN
weekly newspaper supplement www.USAweekend.com

Spirit of America Bookstore's Old Time Radio Page

Classics Illustrated Cultural History book by William B. Jones, Jr.  "Classics Illustrated: A Cultural History, with Illustrations" [2001]
by William B. Jones, Jr.

A series of comic books based on American & other literature that began in 1941, continued
thru the 1970s, with several recent attempts to restart publication of the various series.

McFarland & Co. 2nd edition 11x8½ hardcover [8/2011] for $55.00
McFarland & Co.11½x8½ hardcover [11/2001] out of print/used
more info on Spirit of America Bookstore's "Classics Illustrated" Comic Books Page


Good Old Days Magazine [est. 1964, from D.R.G. Publns, est. 1925]
Good Old Days
Magazine

subscribe at Amazon
6 issues/year for $$17.95

magazine website

Looking Back Magazine [from D.R.G. Publns, est. 1925]
Looking Back
Magazine

As-of the Jan-Feb 2013 issue of Looking Back, subscriptions are merged into sister magazine
Good Old Days {at left}
Reminisce Magazine [est. 1965, from Reiman Media Group]
Reminisce
Magazine

subscribe at Amazon
7 issues/year for $17.98

magazine website

Movie  Palaces  &  Drive-In  Theaters

Movie Palaces Page at Magic Lantern

Drive-In Movie Theaters Page at Magic Lantern

see also Spirit of America Bookstore / American Food Traditions / Candy & Nuts & Gum Page
for candy like you had at the movies


Nostalgic Toys, Dolls & Games
This section, grown large, was cut to its own page in Summer 2018.
top of pagelinksToys Dept.Dolls Dept.Games & Puzzles Dept.works about toys & gamesmovies & TV, other mediaimage gallery

Spirit of America Bookstore's Scale Model & Toy Trains Page
Spirit of America Bookstore's Monopoly™ Game Page
Spirit of America Bookstore's "Thomas the Tank Engine" Books & Toys & TV Pages
Spirit of America Bookstore's Mattel's Barbie® & Friends Page   7/2023




Nabisco Barnum's Animal Crackers box (polar bear)     Nabisco Barnum's Animal Crackers box (moose)     Nabisco Barnum's Animal Crackers box (gorilla)     Nabisco Barnum's Animal Crackers box (giraffe)

The  Circus    circus calliope version of "March of The Gladiators" [26KB midi file plays 2:16
this section also kept growing and was cut to its own page in 2013

top of page   •   brief history   •   books   •   movies & TV   •   stageplays, other media    •   toys & games   •
legendary circus people   •   American circuses   •   circus music   •   links

Spirit of America Bookstore's Circus Film Festival Pages

Spirit of America Bookstore's P.T. Barnum [1810-91] Page

Spirit of America Bookstore's Circus Fiction Page

American  Railroads

'To Trains' {pointing right) tin sign       American Railroads Pages

Railroad Film Festival Pages

'Railroads in Fiction' Pages
Railroads in Fiction - Books For Young Railfans Page

'Non-Fiction Books About Railroads' Pages

Scale Model & Toy Trains Page
"Thomas the Tank Engine" Pages

Travel U.S.A. / Railroad Museums Page

G.E. Nordell's Arizona Travel / Railroads Links Page
G.E. Nordell's California Travel / Railroads Links Page
G.E. Nordell's Colorado Travel / Railroads Links Pages
G.E. Nordell's Nevada Travel / Railroads Links Page
G.E. Nordell's New Mexico Travel / Railroads Links Page
G.E. Nordell's Utah Travel / Railroads Links Page

      'To trains' (pointing left) tin sign


National Baseball Hall of Fame & Museum [est. 1939]

Baseball
"Baseball teaches some useful lessons: play by the rules, be part of the team, do your best,
learn from errors, enjoy the rewards."   —  Margaret Coel

this section also kept growing and was cut to its own page in 2013: click here

Ken Burns's Baseball P.B.S. series DVD box set  "Ken Burns's Baseball" mini-series [WETA/P.B.S. Sept 1994]
9 two-hour episodes; the nine 'innings' titles are "Our Game", "Something Like A War", "The Faith of Fifty Million People", "A National Heirloom", "Shadow Ball", "The National Pastime", "The Capital of Baseball", "A Whole New Ball Game", and "Home" – the 10th disk is called "Extra Innings"; Produced, written & directed by Ken Burns; narrated by Aidan Quinn; won Emmy for Outstanding Informational Series
P.B.S. Home Video b&w/color DVD [10/2000] 10 disks - out of prodn/used
P.B.S. Home Video b&w/color VHS [4/95] 9 tapes for $32.75
Nonesuch soundtrack CD [6/94] 31 tracks for $10.08
full credits at IMDbP.B.S. official site

Magic Lantern's Baseball Movies Film Festival Page


The  Rodeo
Bill Pickett Rodeo Tour
Professional Bull Riders Circuit [est. 1992]
National Western Stock Show & Rodeo [Jan 2013 = #107] in Denver, Colorado


Life  On  The  Farm

John Deere 1956 logo tin sign      Allis-Chalmers Model U tractor tin sign      Farmalls Sold Here tin sign

Run Green - for all things John Deere      Burpee Seeds / W. Atlee Burpee Co. [est. 1876]

Spirit of America's Tractors & Farm Equipment Page

Ardenwood Historic Farm [est. 1978] in Fremont, California
New Mexico Farm & Ranch Heritage Museum in Las Cruces, New Mexico
Vintage Woodworking Machinery [est. 2000] website

annual Old Farmer's Almanac  "The Old Farmer's Almanac" [est. 1792]
each annual issue is published in September
softcover annual edition for $9.95
hardcover annual edition for $15.95
Canadian Edition for $25.73
company website
Plowman's Folly book by Edward H. Faulkner  "Plowman's Folly" [1943 bestseller] by Edward H. Faulkner
Agronomist Faulkner was a controversial figure in his time but is now regarded as a pioneer of no-till and soil conservation practices.
Kindle Edition from Univ Oklahoma Press [1/2015] for $10.49
Univ Oklahoma Press 8x5 pb [2/2012] for $16.95
Grosset & Dunlap 7½x5¼ hardcover [7/1943] out of print/used
Furrow's End Anthology of Great Farm Stories book edited by David B. Greenberg  "Furrow's End: An Anthology of Great Farm Stories" [1946]
Edited by David B. Greenberg, Introduction by Louis Bromfield [1896-1956]

Greenberg Publng hardcover [1946] out of print/used
18 stories by authors Louis Bromfield (My Ninety Acres); Henry Exall; Harry G. Huse; Johannes V. Jensen; Roderick Lull; Angus McDonald; Mary King O'Donnell; George Sessions Perry; Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings (A Crop of Beans); O.E. Rolvaag; William Saroyan (Pomegranate Trees); Esther Shephard; Weldon Stone; Jesse Stuart (Squatter Woman); Jim Thompson (Mr. Simpson Makes a Sale); Leo Tolstoy (How Much Land Does a Man Need?); Rudolph Umland; Raymond Weeks (Arkansas); and E.B. White (A Shepherd's Life)
A Second Look book by Edward H. Faulkner  
"A Second Look" [1947] by Edward H. Faulkner
'a greatly expanded version of his soil conservation theories as published
in "Plowman's Folly" in 1943'
Univ Oklahoma Press 9x6 hardcover [1947] out of print/used
Farm and Ranch Living Magazine  "Farm & Ranch Living Magazine" [est. 1978, from Reiman Publns]
1-year subscription (7 issues) for $17.98
1-year auto-renewal subscription (7 issues) for $17.98
magazine website
Storey's Basic Country Skills  "Storey's Basic Country Skills: A Practical Guide to Self-Reliance" [1999]
by John & Martha Storey

Storey Publng 11x8½ pb [9/99] for $16.47
Storey Publng 11¼x8¾ hardcover [9/99] out of print/used
publisher website
Country Wisdom & Know-How  "Country Wisdom & Know-How: Everything You Need To Know To Live Off The Land" [2004] by the Editors of Storey Books
Black Dog/Leventhal 13¾x10½ pb [9/2004] for $13.57
publisher's bookpage
Farming Down Memory Lane DVD from U.K.  "Farming: Down Memory Lane" documentary film [indep 2004]
"A nostalgic look at farming as it used to be and a way of life now changed: This entertaining and informative video features thrashing, horse ploughing, corn cutting, the cattle market, and stooking corn"
U.K. product all-regions color DVD [3/2004] out of prodn/used
Tips From The Old Country Folk  "Tips From The Old Country Folk" [2005] Compiled by Elizabeth Drury
Conari Press 6½x6½ hardcover [1/2005] for $9.95
"Tips From The Old Gardeners" [2005] Compiled by Duncan Crosbie
Conari Press 6¾x6¼ hardcover [1/2005] for $9.95
"Tips From The Old Housewives" [2005] Compiled by Elizabeth Drury
Conari Press hardcover [1/2005] for $9.95

American Farm docufilm by James Spione  "American Farm" documentary film [indep 2005]
A passionate portrait of the lives of the men and women working the farm where the filmmaker's mother grew up, a property that has been in the family for eleven generations, showing both the beauty and the back-breaking work. Co-produced & directed by James Spione
Passion River color DVD [2/2008] for $21.82
full credits at IMDbofficial movie site
Little Heathens by Mildred Armstrong Kalish  "Little Heathens: Hard Times & High Spirits On An Iowa Farm During The Great Depression" [2007] by Mildred Armstrong Kalish
A memoir, a how-to book & a cookbook by an 84-year-old first-time author; listed on New York Times® 10 Best Books of 2007
Bantam 8x5½ pb [4/2008] for $10.08
Bantam 8¼x5½ hardcover [6/2007] for $14.96
The Sugar Season book by Douglas Whynott  "The Sugar Season: A Year In The Life of Maple Syrup, and One Family’s Quest For The Sweetest Harvest" [2014] by Douglas Whynott
Author chronicles three main threads: the daily life of Vermont maple syrup entrepreneur Bruce Bascom; the surprisingly modern sugar industry (a barrel of maple syrup is worth more than a barrel of crude oil); and mounting evidence that the Climate Crisis is causing a drastic decline in maple sap.
Kindle Edition from Da Capo Press [3/2014] for $11.99
Da Capo Press 8¼x5½ hardcover [3/2014] for $15.23

"Maple Sugarin' In Vermont" [] by Betty Ann Lockhart

Pioneer Settler website [est. 2013] based in Vermont
Pioneer Settler article '34 Must-Have Tools For The Homestead'

quilt pattern         quilt pattern         quilt pattern - bear's paw         quilt pattern - blue star         quilt pattern - yellow X         quilt pattern

Life  On  The  Road

Roadside Americana Page
top of page  • •  general books & links   • •  motels  • •  gas stations  • •  motorcycles & scooters

Automobile Brands Nostalgia Page

Roadside Diners & Coffee Shops Page

Woodie Surfing Wagons Page

Route 66 links pages             Route 66 books pages


American  Food  Traditions
now on a separate page
top of pageLinks & BooksBarbecue Dept.Coca-Cola® Dept.
Hot Dogs & Hamburgers Dept.Ice Cream Dept.Popcorn Dept.Soda Pop Dept.Nostalgic Cookery

Spirit of America Bookstore's Candy & Nuts & Gum Page

Spirit of America Bookstore's
American Beer, Wine & Booze Pages

Spirit of America Bookstore's
Beer, Wine, Booze Reading Material Page

G.E. Nordell's New Mexico Beer Industry Links Page
G.E. Nordell's Oregon Beer Industry Links Page


Roadside  Diners  &  Coffee  Shops

now on a separate page


Old  Time  Radio

now on a separate page

History of Radio & TV Pages at Magic Lantern


Bears,  Beavers  &  Buffalo

Beaver  Country

Buffalo  /  Bison  Country

American Bison book by Dale F. Lott  "American Bison: A Natural History" [2002]
by Dale F. Lott, Foreword by Harry W. Greene

Kindle Edition from Univ California Press [2002 edition] for $15.63
Univ California Press 9x6 pb [11/2003] for $20.44
Univ California Press 9¼x6¼ hardcover [9/2002] out of print/used

Bear  Country

Smokey Bear [est. 1944]

Smokey Bear entry at Wikipedia
Smokey Bear Historical Park [est. 1979] in Capitán, New Mexico
Smokey Bear's Hometown Assn. [est. 2005]
Smokey Bear Days [April 2007 = #4] in Capitán, New Mexico
Smokey Bear Stampede [July] in Capitán, New Mexico

Hot Foot Teddy  
"Hot Foot Teddy: The True Story of Smokey Bear" [2007]
by Sue Houser

M.T. Publishing Co. 11¼x8½ hardcover [4/2007] for $15.95

Grizzly Bears

Teddy Bears
Teddy Bear Review Magazine: 1-year subscription [6 issues]
Classic Teddy Bears


Lighthouses,  Barns  &  Bridges

National Society for the Preservation of Covered Bridges
N.S.P.C.B. annual membership {with quarterly magazine} for $28.85
New York State Covered Bridge Society
Covered Bridges of Kentucky
Covered Bridges of Virginia
Covered Bridges of Ohio
"Covered Bridges Across America" [] by Conwill

M.D. Barn Master in Northern California
Friends of Minnesota Barns [] based in Forest Lake, Minnesota

Old Barn Book  "The Old Barn Book: A Field Guide to North American Barns & Other Farm
Structures" [1990] by Allen G. Noble & Richard K. Cleek

Rutgers Univ Press 9x6 pb [9/96] for $10.91
Rutgers Univ Press 9¼x6¼ hardcover [8/95] out of print/used
Michigan Barns, Et Cetera book by Jerry R. Davis  "Michigan Barns, Et Cetera: Rural Buildings of The Great Lake State" [2011]
Drawings & text by Jerry R. Davis

Fifty full-page b&w drawings of barns, churches, covered bridges & other rural buildings in Michigan
Artemesia Publng 8¼x10¾ pb [8/2011] for $17.99

Barns from the Land of Enchantment book by Jerry R. Davis  "Barns From The Land of Enchantment" [2012]
Drawings & text by Jerry R. Davis

Fifty full-page b&w drawings of barns in New Mexico
Artemesia Publng 8¼x10¾ pb [12/2012] for $14.03

New Jersey Light House Society
Florida Lighthouse Assn.
National Lighthouse Museum on Staten Island, NY
U.S. Lighthouse Society in San Francisco, CA
Maine Lighthouse Museum
American Lighthouse Foundation
Lighthouse Friends website
Lighthouse Directory at University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill
New England Lighthouses Virtual Guide website
Lighthouse Depot Online

"Lighthouse Encyclopedia" [] by Ray Jones
"The Ultimate Book of Lighthouses" [] by Crompton & Rhein

Lighthouse Digest Magazine [est. 1992]  
"Lighthouse Digest Magazine" [est. 1992]
from Foghorn Publishing in Maine

subscribe: 6 issues/year for $34.95
magazine website
Augustin Fresnel biography by Theresa Levitt  "A Short Bright Flash: Augustin Fresnel and The Birth
of The Modern Lighthouse" [2013] by Theresa Levitt

W.W. Norton & Co. 8¼x5½ hardcover [6/2013] for $16.44

Well, buckle my swash!    Pirates
While the pirates, buccaneers, privateers & corsairs of the XVIIth and XVIIIth Centuries were often British or French or Spanish, the skull-and-crossbones lifestyle mostly took place in the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico and off the eastern coast of North America.

Pirates Page: historic pirates & links & books at Spirit of America Bookstore

Pirate Film Festival at Magic Lantern

'Pirates of The Caribbean' Movies Page at Magic Lantern

'Treasure Island' Movies Page at Magic Lantern


barque tall ship James Craig, built 1874
Sailing  Ships

Kalmar Nyckel tall ship based in Wilmington DE

barque James Craig tall ship [built 1874]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Craig_(barque)

biennial Australian Wooden Boat Festival [Feb] in Tasmania on the Hobart waterfront


photo of surfboarding class in New York
The  Surf  Shack

Spirit of America Bookstore's Surf Shack Page

Surf Shack Page / Surf Movies & TV Shows Dept.

Spirit of America Bookstore's 'Woody' Surfing Wagons Page

Spirit of America Bookstore's surfing legend 'Gidget' Page


Square  Dance

"Square Dance Jubilee" [S.G.P./Lippert Pictures Nov 1949] /tt0041914/ starring Don 'Red' Barry, Mary Beth Hughes,
Spade Cooley (and his band), Max Terhune, Thurston Hall, Cowboy Copas & Wally Vernon

"Let's Go Square Dancing" TV series [1960] /tt3989034/

"Square Dance" [March 1987] starring Winona Ryder /tt0094020/

"Square Dance Caller" documentary [2010] /tt1723052/


Amusement  Parks  &  Rides
carousel & amusement park portal
carousel band organ MIDI files
George Washington Gale Ferris & Ferris Wheels
Coney Island [NY] Museum
Merry-Go_Round Museum in Sandusky, Ohio

"Strike Me Pink" [1936] starring Eddie Cantor, filmed at NuPike in Long Beach, California

"Palisades Park" [2013 novel]
Tells the story of the renowned amusement park as seen by the young daughter of concessionaires, who dreams of becoming a daredevil high diver;
performers, pitchmen, civil rights demonstrators picketing the gates, underworld bosses meeting in secret across the street ... all are entwined in a story
told 'in Ragtime style, mixing fact and fiction - it’s a memorable trip'.


Sesame  Street children's television series  [est. 1969]
'Sesame Street' TV series entry at Wikipedia
browse Sesame Street® books at Amazon
Sesame Street® videos: on DVD | on VHS
browse Sesame Street® music at Amazon
official website

"40 Years of Sunny Days" on DVD

http://www.amazon.com/Street-Gang-Complete-History-Sesame/dp/B0029LHWHC/

"Sesame Street" Section on Magic Lantern's 'The Muppets' Page


here on the Nostalgic Americana Pages at Spirit of America Bookstore

top of pageAmusement Parks & RidesBaseballBears, Buffalo & BeaverThe CircusDolls & Action FiguresLife On The Farm

Life On The RoadLighthouses, Barns & BridgesNostalgic MediaRodeoSquare DanceToys & Games

Spirit of America Bookstore's American Beer, Wine & Booze Pages
Spirit of America Bookstore's Fifties Culture Nostalgia Page
Spirit of America Bookstore's American Food Traditions Page
Spirit of America Bookstore's Old Time Radio Page
Spirit of America Bookstore's American Railroads Pages
Spirit of America Bookstore's Tractors & Farm Equipment Page

Movie Palaces Page at Magic Lantern Video & Book Store
Drive-In Theaters Page at Magic Lantern Video & Book Store

                                   

Visiting this webpage from outside the U.S.A.? It is possible to make purchases from these coded Amazon (USA) links
via other Amazon sites: just follow these instructions.

Online sales in association with  American Pictorials catalog at Amazon

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