Diana Davis As a kid, I remember watching Anne of Green Gables deliver a dramatic reading of (part of) “The Highwayman.” I could tell it was a very romantic portrayal—so much so that I wasn’t sure what a highwayman was. This is authentic to the time: in the 19th and 20th centuries, as the threat of actual … Read more
While I was researching for Freedom’s Ring, I read a LOT about the radicalism and the ideology of the American Revolution (including both Pulitzer Prize-winners by those titles!). The Revolution showed a big change in the way the average citizen saw the world and even what it means to BE a citizen. Today, we look at the … Read more
In Freedom’s Ring, Temperance Hayes loves games of strategy—whether they’re board games or games of the heart. Check out all the games we refer to! Nine man morris One game they mention several times in the book is nine man morris (also called nine men’s morris, mill(s), cowboy checkers and more). Each player places 9 … Read more
In Freedom’s Ring, Temperance Hayes loves games of strategy—whether they’re board games or games of the heart. Check out all the games we refer to! Believe it or not, one of the very first games a child learns to play actually led me to a research rabbit hole when I couldn’t figure out what my … Read more
In Freedom’s Ring, Temperance Hayes loves games of strategy—whether they’re board games or games of the heart. Check out all the games we refer to! Dissected maps Temperance doesn’t use this one, but her sisters are playing with a dissected map in one scene. This is not an early biology lesson, but an early puzzle! … Read more
In Freedom’s Ring, Temperance Hayes loves games of strategy—whether they’re board games or games of the heart. Check out all the games we refer to! A Journey Through Europe The first board game by an individual designer! (Before this, board games are “folk games,” developed over centuries.) Designed in 1759 by John Jefferys. Players start … Read more
In Freedom’s Ring, Temperance Hayes loves games of strategy—whether they’re board games or games of the heart. Check out all the strategy games we refer to! Checkers/draughts I was really excited to call checkers “draughts,” but when I consulted the definitive Oxford English Dictionary, I found that checkers became the term in British America as … Read more
In Freedom’s Ring, Temperance Hayes loves games of strategy—whether they’re board games or games of the heart. Check out all the strategy games we refer to! Fox and geese Fox and geese is played on a + shaped board. One fox and 13 or more geese pieces are placed on vertices of the lines on … Read more
A lot of the time, we look back at 18th century clothing and develop a serious case of presentism: we decide that our clothing today is so much more practical and comfortable. However, 18th century women’s clothing was designed for practicality and comfort in their daily lives–and maybe fewer serious body image issues! Here are … Read more
In A Gentleman’s Daughter, Cassandra and Helen wear riding habits for travel. That was inspired by this 1770s riding habit at the Victoria and Albert Museum. ©Victoria and Albert Museum. Used with permission I also liked the idea of having them wear a fashionable Brunswick traveling ensemble, but I thought that might be harder to … Read more