Revisiting Henry Wadsworth Longfellow on his birthday
Today is appropriate for revisiting a 2009 post I wrote about Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and a book purchase he made in 1880. Today is Longfellow's birthday. One of America's most famous poets, Longfellow was born in 1807, 216 years ago. Below is my blog post from November 27, 2009, Longfellow's Receipt . In 1880, the revered American poet and scholar, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882), bought a book printed in Pennsylvania German from H.L. Fisher, a York, Pennsylvania lawyer and poet. Fisher evidently self-published the book and had pre-printed receipts ready for the sales. I have in my collection the receipt he made out to Henry W. Longfellow for his purchase of a copy of 'S Alt Marik-Haus Mittes In D'r Schtadt, Un Die Alte Zeite , a centennial poem in Pennsylvania Dutch. So what interest did Longfellow have in some obscure German language book from a Pennsylvania lawyer who liked to write? That was one question I had when trying to determine...