This is the first book chronicling the Benson family, through the eyes of two sisters, Willow and Emilee. It takes you through their struggle to make it in a world that is so against them. Through their whole childhood, the two girls have but one wish: to make it out of the prison they call home. As they grow and mature, only one girl will make that wish come true. Where will these two Benson girls end up? You will have to read the story to find out.
Benson J. Lossing (1813-1891), whose career as a populizer of United States history spanned nearly sixty years, is the focus of this study of the production and uses of history in nineteenth-century American culture. After an introduction on relevant theory and methodology and the background for American historical writing, nine chronological chapters trace Lossing's career from an impoverished youth in rural New York through a thirty-year sojourn in New York City and later periods of voluminous writing. A conclusion discusses how Lossing's reputation suffered after the rise of academic historians who perceived him as lacking scholarly exactitude.
Of the many attempts to discover Jack the Ripper's identity, few omit the name of James Kenneth Stephen, tutor to Queen Victoria's eldest grandson, fondly known as Prince Eddy. While Stephen superficially fit the profile investigators established, was he really capable of the demented violence perpetrated by England's most famous serial killer? This volume takes an in-depth look at the life and experiences of James Kenneth Stephen, examining the relevant evidence and attempting to determine whether or not Stephen could actually have been involved in the Ripper murders. Delving into what little is known of Stephen's early years, the work discusses his relationship with his mother and his family's struggle with a hereditary mental illness. It follows him through his formative years at Eton, which he considered his true home and where he was introduced to the Greek notion of homosexuality. The work's primary focus is Stephen's relationship with Prince Eddy, who also became a suspect in the infamous London murders. The way in which Stephen's life intertwined with those of Prince Eddy and Montague Druitt, another Ripper suspect, is examined in detail. Other incidents of the fateful fall of 1888 and Stephen's final surrender to mental illness are also discussed. Appendices contain Stephen's poetry and details regarding his family ancestry.
