August 2009

So the time has come when I need to start looking into graduate schools. This upcoming academic year will be my last as an undergraduate. I am certainly more than ready to move on. I’ve been looking into some different graduate schools around the US. A couple of my favorites so far have been the … more →

It is really quite amazing to read through some of the theories produced during the 19th century about the origin of the Native Americans. As I talked about in my last post, I am currently reading the memoirs of George Custer about his life on the plains and his personal experiences with the Indians. The … more →

Last night I finished Ghost Stories of the Old West by Dan Asfar. Other than several editing mistakes (spelling, grammar, etc), the book was actually quite good. You always hear about legends and myths from Europe about haunted castles and so on, but to read the legends of some of America’s own haunted places is … more →

So I decided to take a break from reading non-fiction and treat myself to a book full of short ghost stories of the old west. The book I found is appropriately titled Ghost Stories of the Old West and is by Dan Asfar. I really haven’t gotten very far into it at all; only a … more →

You don’t hear about a lot of hoaxes that are as successful as this one was. A friend pointed me to an article that tells about a hoax played on a large number of 19th century rare book collectors. I’ve posted part of it here: Jean Nepomucene Auguste Pichauld, Comte de Fortsas, was a man … more →