MiembroWKSpence

Extremely varied, but focuses on adventure and sailing books. Heavy on documented works, i.e., journals, biographies, and classic works in the adventure genre.
Categories range from Engineering to Aesop's Fables, including most of National Geograhics 100 greatest adventure books along with items as varied as Elie Wiesel's "Night" and a complete and uncondensed English translation of the original version of "Mein Kampf," as originally published in 1933.
Having joined the "Library Thing" I have an excuse to organize and categorize my library. Mostly, I just read.
But .... I am now writing a book based on the immigration of the Scots-Irish Spence family based on their migration to Charleston, SC in 1772. The background work has been both fascinating and revealing. I find that the Scots-Irish were both a different breed and culture: The English author, Raymond Campbell Paterson:
"With the outbreak of the Revolution in 1775 the Scots-Irish, in interesting contrast to many of their Scottish cousins, were among the most determined adherents of the rebel cause. Their frontier skills were particularly useful in destroying Burgoyne’s army in the Saratoga campaign; and George Washington was even moved to say that if the cause was lost everywhere else he would take a last stand among the Scots-Irish of his native Virginia. Serving in the British Army, Captain Johann Henricks, one of the much despised ‘Hessians’, wrote in frustration ‘Call it not an American rebellion, it is nothing more than an Irish-Scotch Presbyterian Rebellion.’ It was their toughness, virility and sense of divine mission that was to help give shape to a new nation, supplying it with such diverse heroes as Davy Crocket and Andrew Jackson."
The book is about Will and Sam Spence, aged 14 and 12, who are sent to Belfast to deliver passage reservations for 76 Scots-Irish passengers aboard the Pennsylvania Farmer. Their destination is to Charleston, S.C. Although the reservations are made, the boys have unplanned adventures and take an extra year to find their parents.
Much of this story is based on actual events and as much historical accuracy as can be found.

Still trying to find a way to get some adventure back into my life.
Have run out of books by my favorite author,F. van Wyck Mason and would like to find more books like his, i.e., "dramatic history" (as he describes them). Love his style and have come to fully understand and appreciate our "War for Independence" from his works.
Interested in almost anything that relates to man's struggle to understand and improve his condition.