American Antiquarian Society
185 Salisbury Street
Worcester, MA 01609
United States
Join us for a thoughtful conversation with Nicholas A. Basbanes about this new book, Cross of Snow: A Life of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Led by AAS Vice President for Programs and Outreach James David Moran, the conversation will explore Longfellow the poet—the public side—and Longfellow the consummate New Englander and family man—the private, personal side. How did Longfellow interact with the print culture of his day? What influence did his family life have on his poetry? How did national politics impact his work?
Nicholas Basbanes is the author of ten critically acclaimed works of cultural history, with a particular emphasis on various aspects of books and book culture. A Gentle Madness: Bibliophiles, Bibliomanes, and the Eternal Passion for Books (1995), his first book, was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award and a New York Times Notable Book. On Paper: The Everything of Its Two Thousand Year History (2013) was one of three finalists for the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence. Basbanes is also an award-winning investigative journalist and was literary editor of the Worcester Sunday Telegram. His articles have appeared in the New York Times, the Washington Post, and Smithsonian. He lives with his wife in North Grafton, Massachusetts.