Ghosts of Newport
Despite the title, this is not a post about the Chrysler Newport.
An old friend (and soon-to-be owner of the toyoland.com site), John T. Brennan, has written an excellent book of Newport, Rhode Island history. While the focus is on, as the subtitle proclaims, “Spirits, Scoundrels, Legends, and Lore,” the book provides a large amount of background on Rhode Island, the Providence Plantations, and, of course, Newport itself.
If you ever go to Newport, one-time playground of the world’s wealthiest men, this book is almost essential; and even if you never plan to go, it’s interesting, well-written, and nicely illustrated. I was grabbed in the first chapter by the story of the Jailhouse Inn, a renovated colonial prison:
The Newport Jailhouse was not designed to be completely escape-proof. It was never considered particularly strong or secure. Especially early in Newport history, jail sentences were rare; colonists preferred public humiliation as punishment for crimes.
John is not just an old, old friend, or a lifetime denizen of Rhode Island (save for two mis-spent years in New Jersey). He is also a tour guide, actor, photographer, former caretaker of the mentally disabled, former car parts maker, and much more. Frankly, I’ve spent decades watching John and wondering when his unique talents and creativity would be put to good use, and it’s terrific to see his name finally appear on the cover of a book jacket - especially when the book is so well written. I was surprised myself to see just how good it was - and how good most of the photography was (though some photos are a bit muddy, which I believe is the publishers’ fault based on my experience with print).
I should also add that John is incredibly popular and probably has more friends than Allpar has regular forum posters, in an incredibly diverse set of groups. You can’t go anywhere with him unless you plan to spend half your time waiting while people say hello. None of this has ever gone to his head.
More to the point, John’s diverse background and travels with different groups of people - old sailors, actors, pub folk, historians, and others - have led him to have a rather well-rounded view of history and quite a diverse number of tales. I’m sure he also did considerable research, but then, he’s always been interested in Rhode Island history, and even when we were in college, I was fascinated by his stories of the little state.
It is, therefore, with some fervor that I recommend you visit your local book-sellers or the inevitable Amazon.com and pick up a copy of (here’s a clickable link!) Ghosts of Newport.