ABNER DOUBLEDAY

QUESTION: What do the Battle of Gettysburg and the American sport of baseball have in common?

ANSWER: Abner Doubleday (1819 - 1863)

Yes, the man who is best known as "the man who 'invented' baseball" is the same General Abner Doubleday who served admirably on behalf of the Union in this country's Civil War.

Early this month, the Battle of Gettysburg (July 1-3, 1863) was commemorated with a reenactment on its 150th anniversary. For those of you who experienced that event and want to learn more about that battle and the war in general, we recommend that you take a look at this book in the collection:

Chancellorsville and Gettysburg

by Abner Doubleday, published by C. Scribner's Sons, New York, 1882

General Doubleday commanded the entire First Corps after the death of General Reynolds early in the morning of that initial day of the battle. He used his first-hand knowledge in writing this book, which includes astute insights into Generals Meade and Howard and analyses of both battles.

So ... as we think of the Battle of Gettysburg or the sport of baseball, let's quietly pay homage to a versatile man who could both defend and entertain his country.

COOOOL!

We are at the beginning of another week of very warm, muggy weather here in this area. And as we do our gardening, ride our bikes, or hike the canal path, some of us wish for a cooler environment in which to carry on these summertime activities. However, we know that we have no control over the outdoor weather and that we simply have to endure.

However, if the hot weather gets too unbearable, we can seek more moderate climes indoors--and that includes the Bullis Room. One of the needs of preserving older books is climate control, and this room has a special system that maintains the heat and humidity at optimum levels year round.  The books in this collection "live" in a cool climate that is ideal to maintain their good condition.

When the snow is flying outside, some of us humans find the Bullis Room temperature a bit chilly. This time of year, however, the room feels so cooool ... and we love it. So we invite you to stop by the room to sit a while with us, and while you're there we'll show you some of the books that make this collection so cool.

If you're wondering what kinds of books we're talking about, just browse back through our posts from the last year or so to get an idea of some of the good reading that awaits you in this cool room.