Three mysteries precipitate an investigation into an otherwise ordinary suburban property, revealing a past inextricably woven into four centuries of American history. When Eleanor Phillips Brackbill bought her suburban Westchester house in 2000, three mysteries came with it. First, from the former owner, came the information that the 1930s house was a Sears house or something like that. Thrilled to think it might be a Sears, Roebuck & Co. mail-order house, Brackbill was determined to find evidence to prove it. She found instead a house pedigree of a different sort. Second, and even more provocative, was the discovery of several iron stakes protruding from the propertys enormous granite outcropping, bigger in square footage than the house itself. When queried about them, the former owner told her, Someone a long time ago kept monkeys there, chained to the stakes. Monkeys? Was this some kind of suburban legend? A third mystery came to light at closing, when a building inspectors letter contained a reference to the house having had, at one time, a different address. Why would the house have had another address?Her curiosity aroused, and intent upon finding the facts, Brackbill gradually peeled back layers of history, allowing the house and the land to tell their stories, and uncovering a past inextricably woven into four centuries of American history. At the same time, she found thirty-two owners, across 350 years, who had just one thing in common: ownership of a particular parcel of land. An Uncommon Cape not only tells the story of an eight-year odyssey of fact-finding and speculation but also answers the broader question: What came before? and, through material presented in twenty-two sidebars, offers readers

When Eleanor Phillips Brackbill bought her suburban Westchester house in 2000, three mysteries came with it. First, from the former owner, came the information that the 1930s house was "a Sears house or something like that." Thrilled to think it might be a Sears, Roebuck & Co. mail-order house, Brackbill was determined to find evidence to prove it. She found instead a house pedigree of a different sort. Second, and even more provocative, was the discovery of several iron stakes protruding from the property's enormous granite outcropping, bigger in square footage than the house itself. When queried about them, the former owner told her, "Someone a long time ago kept monkeys there, chained to the stakes." Monkeys? Was this some kind of suburban legend? A third mystery came to light at closing, when a building inspector's letter contained a reference to the house having had, at one time, a different address. Why would the house have had another address? Her curiosity aroused, and intent upon finding the facts, Brackbill gradually peeled back layers of history, allowing the house and the land to tell their stories, and uncovering a past inextricably woven into four centuries of American history. At the same time, she found thirty-two owners, across 350 years, who had just one thing in common: ownership of a particular parcel of land. An Uncommon Cape not only tells the story of an eight-year odyssey of fact-finding and speculation but also answers the broader question: "What came before?" and, through material presented in twenty-two sidebars, offers readers insights and guidelines on how to find the stories behind their own homes.

"I know you've made me." Some of the most illustrious writers of the early twentieth century would recognize and endorse the sentiments contained in Joseph Conrad's letter to his literary mentor and friend Edward Garnett, the renowned publisher, critic, and editor. Over a career spanning half a century, from 1887 to 1937, Garnett wheedled, coaxed, and cajoled great books into being. Aside from having exquisite taste, he was also considered a mentor by many writers, including Joseph Conrad, D. H. Lawrence, Edward Thomas, John Galsworthy, Henry Green, and T. E. Lawrence.To be mentored by Garnett was to enter into a relationship as much personal as it was professional. In this fascinating biography, Helen Smith charts his relationships with legendary authors, from his early days with Joseph Conrad and his battles with D. H. Lawrence to his nurturing of a later generation of talent. He was instrumental in bringing Russian literature to a British readership and enthusiastically advocated the work of American and Australian authors, including Stephen Crane, Sarah Orne Jewett, Robert Frost, and Sherwood Anderson.The novelist Ford Madox Ford once declared that when in the States he never lectured or went to a university or a literary party without someone asking, "What about Garnett ! What sort of a fellow is he?"' Smith's biography of Edward Garnett provides a fascinating response to that question. Drawing on extensive archive material, some of which is previously unpublished, The Uncommon Reader presents an intimate portrait of the life and world of a man who did much to shape the literary landscape of early twentieth-century Britain and beyond.

Butterfly watching has begun to gain the popularity that bird watching has enjoyed for half a century. Much as birds served as a flagship of the conservation movement in this country, butterflies are coming to be seen as the rallying point for the protection of invertebrate species--now regarded as increasingly important for the well-being of all members of the ecosystem. Butterflies of New Jersey discusses the behavior, status, distribution, taxonomy, ecology, and conservation of butterflies in New Jersey. It is an innovative companion and complement to any butterfly identification guide of the Northeast. It pays particular attention to the place of butterflies in the ecosystem of New Jersey and neighboring regions and their relationships to other butterflies around the world. Its detailed species accounts of 140-plus kinds of butterflies found in the state and neighboring regions (out of 700 North American species) alert butterfly watchers to changes in populations over time. Where other butterfly guides typically include a section on collecting butterflies, this one includes a detailed chapter on protecting them by creating butterfly gardens and preventing habitat destruction. Butterflies of New Jersey is indispensable for everyone interested in the butterflies and natural history of the Garden State and its neighbor.