Once Upon a Time: The Way America Was

LOVE all books by Eric Sloane!! He takes you back in history with highly detailed, hand drawn pics of tools, furniture, homes and utensils used by our forefathers (& mothers). Highly recommend all his books!

This is a quick read but very enjoyable take your time and enjoy more then once share it with your family and friends they will enjoy it too.

Eric Sloane, Journalist, Writer and Artist spent his life finding and presenting the best of America from the 19th and Early 20th Centuries. He started out as an antique tool collector, then branched out into HOW things were done in simpler days. A visit to any of his books is a journey into a kinder, gentler past, with people who were closer to the land, and understood it far better than we do. If you love Early America, any of Sloan's books are guidebooks into that wonderful time. His prose is lyrical, and his sketches are masterful. "Once Upon a time: The Way America Was" is a lovely introduction to his world.

I love this book. I used to get the hard cover version from our library and savor times gone by. I purchased Once Upon a Time, obviously, to have my own copy and keep it by me. However, though this is supposed to be unabridged, there are at least two items missing - passages about the ice house and passages about the uninterrupted sky. There is an illustration of an ice house, so I think I have the right book - perhaps, just a slight chance I am thinking of one of Sloane's other volumes - but, I miss his descriptions of the cool darkness, descriptions which inspired me to write a poem about a girl who grew up in Maine and recalled the ice house. I also missed the description of our once uninterrupted sky, now laced with white trails from jets. What will be next? Sloane asked. Still, bottom line - Sloane's books are absolutely worth buying! Our ancestors were amazing! Once Upon a Time: The Way America Was

Eric Sloane is an American Icon. He captures New England lore and exposes how the roots of today's culture in rural areas is still deeply rooted in the resourceful traditions of the colonial settlers. His drawings and language bring it to life vividly. Can't recommend any of his books highly enough! This is an excellent one to start with if you're new to him. This would also be good for an older child with an interest in country life (upwards of 10 years) due to the large amount of illustrations. The book is almost a work of art in itself. Would be lovely in a guest room!

This book's subject matter mostly deals with the eastern part of the United States. It was still interesting to this old westerner because of the skills it took to settle new country. Today people mostly specialize in one skill set and hire specialists to build their house, work on their car, or whatever their specialty does not cover. During the early years, people had to be able to build their own shelter, obtain their own food, heat their homes. etc. I wonder if modern people would be up to the challenge of pioneer living.

Eric stellar as always

Purchased several books by Eric Sloane as gifts for family members. They are well written and the illustrations significantly add to the overall enjoyment. The old timers love to recall the memories and the younger generation enjoy reading about the past. Once you open and start, you don’t want to put the books down. Simply done and truly enjoyed. Thank you.

Lovely book.

Le livre est arrivé tel qu'indiqué, neuf. Par contre la reliure externe etait coupé sur environ 3 centimètres, comme un coup d'exacto. L'interieur était intacte.