Overview

For more than twenty years, Tim Grove has worked at the most popular history museums in the United States, helping millions of people get acquainted with the past. This book translates that experience into an insider's tour of some of the most interesting moments in American history. Grove's stories are populated with well-known historical figures such as John Brown, Charles Lindbergh, Meriwether Lewis, William Clark, and Sacagawea-as well as the not-so-famous. Have you heard of Mary Pickersgill, seamstress of the Star-Spangled Banner flag? Grove also has something to say about a few of our cherished myths, for instance, the lore surrounding Betsy Ross and Eli Whitney. Grove takes readers to historic sites such as Harpers Ferry, Fort McHenry, the Ulm Pishkun buffalo jump, and the Lemhi Pass on the Lewis and Clark Trail and traverses time and space from eighteenth-century Williamsburg to the twenty-first-century Kennedy Space Center. En route from Cape Canaveral on the Atlantic to Cape Disappointment on the Pacific, we learn about planting a cotton patch on the National Mall, riding a high wheel bicycle, flying the transcontinental airmail route, and harnessing a mule. Is history relevant? This book answers with a resounding yes and, in the most entertaining fashion, shows us why.

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9780803249721

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Reviews

Tim Grove has combined a thought-provoking and entertaining memoir with an insider's guide to behind-the-scenes history. - Libby H. O'Connell, chief historian, History Channel.

An enjoyable read. -Bill Markley, Roundup Magazine -- Bill Markley Roundup Magazine An engaging, entertaining and educational read. -Bill Schwab, eMissourian -- Bill Schwab eMissourian Though he's not fond of battlefield re-enactments, Grove thoroughly enjoys re-creating the past with appropriate objects. Essentially about the author's career in educating with artifacts, his account makes snippets of American history accessible to casual readers, who may learn of the utility of mules, the history of airmail and such miscellanea. -Kirkus Kirkus Grove's book is both an inspiration and a template for those who want to kick history out of the attic and put it back where it belongs: in the national living room, slightly to the left of the television. -James Norton, Washington Post -- James Norton Washington Post This semiautobiographical journey of a versatile, peregrinating public historian is instructive and inspirational for museum docents; informative for history buffs, especially those interested in the background of educational institutions outside the academy; and helpful for administrators of public programs. All readers will appreciate the author's learning techniques for eliciting questions, sparking the imagination, and promoting transcultural understanding, as well as his acknowledgement of cultural sensitivity, multiple perspectives, and changing interpretations. -Frederick J. Augustyn Jr., Library Journal -- Frederick J. Augustyn Jr. Library Journal [A Grizzly in the Mail and Other Adventures in American History] is an invitation for further exploration a guidebook that suggests not just possible sites to visit and explore, but ways in which to think about what's presented. -Karen Carcia, Wapsipinicon Almanac -- Karen Carcia Wapsipinicon Almanac

Hands-on learning is what history museums do best. Tim's adventures of providing fun educational experiences are engaging and inspirational. --Cathy Gorn, executive director, National History Day--Cathy Gorn (09/20/2013)

Author Information

Tim Grove is chief of museum learning at the National Air and Space Museum. He is the coauthor of The Museum Educator's Manual and received the 2008 Smithsonian Individual Achievement in Education Award.

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