Rescued from Oblivion

"Rescued from Oblivion: Historical Cultures in the Early United States is a smart and clear-eyed assessment of how early historical societies shaped the way Americans thought about their past, for better or worse . . . It should serve as a valuable resource for anyone entering the public history profession."—The Public Historian 

"Henle’s attention to women’s history, race, and class makes Rescued from Oblivion the new touchstone study of historical societies in the early United States . . . That Henle’s book can be read in productive conversation with many new literary studies testifies to the interdisciplinary scope and significance of her work. Rescued from Oblivion does a service to studies of collecting, book history, and historical consciousness by providing a new foundational survey for future studies."—Early American Literature

"Rescued from Oblivion is abundant with the kind of details that make for stimulating history, with interesting personalities, decisions with lasting consequences, and the restoration to the historical record of women and others who have previously been neglected."—Robert B. Townsend, author of History's Babel: Scholarship, Professionalization, and the Historical Enterprise in the United States, 1880–1940

"In this richly layered study of archival history, Henle highlights not only the prejudices and priorities that members of early historical societies brought to their work but the various ways those prejudices and priorities were challenged by other historical actors."—Elizabeth Yale, author of Sociable Knowledge: Natural History and the Nation in Early Modern Britain