Varian Carpenter Burkhardt's delightful memoir, I Remember Wildwood Farm, gives us a glimpse into her childhood in the early 1900s on a farm near Yakima, Washington. Published in 1996 by Hudson River Press, the text is 36 pages in length, 8.5 x 11 inches in size (as are the volumes below as well), and is accompanied by eleven personal photographs.

Its sequel, in effect, is Dear Lad, a compilation of Varian Carpenter's letters to her future husband, E. Walter Burkhardt--250 pages of text, with illustrations and photographs and accompanying documents, published in 1999. In this volume, Varian Carpenter describes her final years of high school in Yakima, Washington, and her experiences working as a bookkeeper in neighboring Toppenish. She then attended Washington State College in Pullman from 1917 to 1921, during which years the First World War and the "Spanish" influenza epidemic loomed large. In her letters Varian Carpenter reveals the emotions of a young woman encountering the conflicting demands of family responsibility and personal ambition.

Continuing the story in From New York to Quebec and Montreal, Varian Carpenter Burkhardt moved to New York City in 1924, having finally made the decision to marry, and that summer made a car trip with her husband and some friends up the eastern seaboard to Maine and then to Canada. The description of contemporary hotel accommodations is priceless, as is the commentary on manners and customs of people encountered along the way. Visiting relatives in Constable, New York, on the return trip, Varian renews ties with her father's family and enjoys a brief return to farm life. The book has 36 photographs and includes also a Carpenter family genealogy.

To order, send check or money order, made out to Alison Thomas, for:

I Remember Wildwood Farm $16.00

Dear Lad $32.00

From New York to Quebec and Montreal $14.00

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Alison Thomas

Hudson River Press

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New York, NY 10033

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