As we celebrate the Bicentennial of McCracken County on January 11th, 2025, I have been thinking about what life was like in Western Kentucky in 1825. Take a journey back in time to find out! Below are the books that people in Kentucky were reading in 1825, and some books set in the early 1800s to set the scene for you. Follow the links to search for these materials in the library catalog or online. Many of these older works are available for free online through the Library's apps or Project Gutenberg.
I also invite you to watch Roy Hensel's Bicentennial History of McCracken County presentation on McLibTV for a deep dive into the history of the county.
What people were reading in 1825:
Horatio Hornblower series by C.S. Forester
Everything by Lord Byron, including his poems and the novel Don Juan
Leatherstocking Tales series by James Fenimore Cooper (which includes The Last of the Mohicans).
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Irving Washington
Books by James Hogg, including The Three Perils of Man and The Three Perils of Woman
What kids were reading in 1825:
The Great Quest by Charles Boardman Hawes
Books of local interest set in the 1820s:
The Revenant: A Novel of Revenge by Michael Punke
The Beauchamp-Sharp Tragedy by J. Winston Coleman
World Enough and Time by Robert Penn Warren
How the West was Lost by Stephen Aron
Home Rule: Households, Manhood, and National Expansion on the Eighteenth-Century Kentucky Frontier by Honor Sachs
...and last but certainly not least, McCracken County, Kentucky: Bicentennial Edition by Acclaim Press. This book is set to be published later in 2025. You can pre-order this book now (follow the link above).