Speaking of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, here's a book written by his grandfather, General Peleg Wadsworth. The title is A Story About a Little Good Boy: How he became a great man and had little good boys of his own. General Wadsworth was born in Duxbury, a part of Massachusetts that is still part of Massachusetts. He joined the patriot cause early and rose to general during the Revolution. At one point he was captured by the British, but managed a daring escape by carving a hole in the ceiling of his cell. Wadsworth went on to serve as a Federalist congressman from Massachusetts for 14 years, later retiring to that part of Massachusetts which is now Maine. His home in Portland is known as the Wadsworth-Longfellow House and is now a museum. This autobiography was written by the general around the turn of the 19th century, but was not published until the turn of the next, 1903, by a descendent. The poet Longfellow was son of Wadsworth's first of eleven children, daughter Zilpah. Now you know Longfellow's mother's first name. Item 112. $125.

Here is the 1719 version of Court TV. It's A Compleat Collection of State-Tryals; and Proceedings upon Impeachments for High Treason, and other Crimes and Misdemeanours... This is four volumes of crime, some perpetrated against, some by, the British state, during the years 1407-1710. You can read about the heresy or treason trials of such figures as Thomas More, Mary Queen of Scots, Sir Walter Raleigh, Charles I, William Penn, and Captain Kidd (he for piracy). Item 58. $2,500.

Helen R. Kahn Rare Books may be found on the internet at www.hrkahnbooks.com and reached by phone at 514-844-5344.