A Lesson in Time - What One (Very) Old Book Taught Me

In my work as a writer and memoirist I have had the privilege of telling what I consider compelling life stories of some very interesting people. And in doing so, it has been my experience that what seems at first to be the littlest of stories can actually reveal a lot about the profound influences that drive us to become the persons we are. In literary terms this is called backstory.

My advice to anyone looking to make, or better understand, changes in their life is to first give some serious thought to their own backstory.

A case in point with me – one of the possessions I treasure greatly is an old book. How old? Well, in the Publisher’s Notice at the front of the book the editors proclaim this to be Volume I of a history of the Civil War, with a promise that a follow-up Volume II “will be prepared as fast as the receipt of authentic material by the Author will permit, and be issued within six months after the close of the war."

In other words, what I have is a book about the Civil War that couldn't be completed in a single volume because the author didn’t know yet how the war was going to end.

Now that's old.

And what’s more, there is an air of mystery about this book because I’m not even sure how I ever came to hold it.

Published in 1862 by Hurlbut, Williams & Co. of Hartford, Connecticut, The Great Rebellion; A History of the Civil War in the United States, Volume I, was written by Joel Tyler Headley (1813-1897). A New England Yankee, Headley was, at turns in his professional life, a clergyman, historian, author, newspaper editor and politician. In his roles as historian and author he wrote prolifically about such notable figures as Napoleon Bonaparte and Andrew Jackson. (With a few travel arrangements and a lot of luck he could have interviewed them if he wanted to.)

Headley then turned his pen to what he conspicuously refers to “The Rebellion of 1861.” Apparently it wasn’t even being called the Civil War yet, at least not by the esteemed editors of Hurlbut, Williams & Co. of Hartford, Connecticut. In 500-plus pages Headley gives his best narrative for every major battle and military commander from the time the first shots were fired at Fort Sumter through June of 1862 when General Robert E. Lee was given command of the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia. (A little internet research verified that Volume II to The Great Rebellion was indeed published later in 1866, though all I have is Volume I.)

For all its weathered vintage, my copy of Volume I remains in remarkably good shape. The engraved hard cover is worn and cracked, but the binding remains solid. Its pages remain gilded a handsome gold at the edges and include “fine steel Engravings” which depict sketched portraits of various Generals and battle scenes. In its neat typeface, every word still holds clearly and legibly. So all in all the book is in pretty good shape for being over a century-and-a-half old.

It was almost by happenstance that I came to be its latest keeper. My father was a Civil War buff and somehow he came in possession of Headley’s book, but he passed away before I ever had any interest in such things so I never got to ask him how that came to be. I found it casually tucked in with some other books on a shelf in the basement when I was cleaning out my parent’s house for the last time. When I first cracked open the cover and saw the publishing date I was impressed, to say the least. It’s not every day that works of art and history over a hundred-and-fifty years old just fall into one’s lap without some kind of explanation. But this one pretty much did.

The only clue regarding any of the books’ prior owners is a faded, almost ghost-like name written on the inside front cover. In a delicate, swirling style reminiscent of an earlier time is the signature of I.L. Whitmore. And I have absolutely no idea who I.L. Whitmore ever was. It could be the name of a soldier who fought in one of the campaigns described in the book and wanted to relive it by reading about it years later. Not all that likely, I suppose, but still…

See, that’s one of the things I enjoy about history and writing people’s life stories. I’m drawn to the little facts and anecdotes that reveal more about people than they might have ever realized about themselves. I also like it when a little mystery is involved. I let my mind wander a bit when it comes to imagining the stories behind the bigger story. Take this book, for instance. I page through it now and then and think about my father and the untold others who must have found some pleasure in it over all those years. They’re all gone, but somehow this book still survives.

Everyone has backstories – lots of them actually – and they can tell us a lot about ourselves. I think my fascination with the history of this grand old book says a lot about me.  

So no matter where you are or what you’re trying to figure out in life, it might be a good idea to take a few minutes and think about some of your own backstories. Who knows where they might lead?