Connecticut Beautiful, by Wallace Nutting

NORTHEAST. 
History / Touring / Architecture, 1935. 

With Connecticut roots in and amongst the Regionals staff, discovering this tucked away gem in a back shelf of an estate sale took on an almost magical importance. And we are not exaggerating in using the word gem. Here is a book-length love letter to the state’s preserved past in the process of, itself, passing into history—the book itself nearing a century old. Published in 1935 (there may have been an earlier version, though that is unclear), this is as thorough a record of Connecticut’s colonial, early republic, and 19th century character still evident across the early 20th century as could be. Even in black & white, the hundreds of photographs and illustrations speak to the unique color of what is, by American standards, an ancient record. Focusing on vintage scenes in smaller towns and villages (every road pictured is still of dirt), domestic architecture (both exteriors and interiors), and natural settings within the state’s abundant (still to this day) rural locales, Nutting never missed an opportunity to add documentation of, if not celebrating outright, the state’s history of mechanical ingenuity and working prowess. There are many photos of houses and interiors and furniture with a c. 1700 date attached, with a handful dating to the earliest European settlement in the 1600s. Interspersed with poems by Mildred Hobbs, this volume is as scholarly seeming as a labor of love from that era can be, a big slightly oversized beautiful book in its own right. With chapter titles and captions such as “A Cottage in Willimantic”, “The Unbroken Flow of Pomperaug River,” “Facing the Light”, “The Old Mantel”, and the caption of an image capturing a beautiful stonewall scene simply reading: “Peace,” the book itself feels like a hardbound piece of wistful nostalgia. From our 21st century perch, “Connecticut Beautiful” provides us an artistic narrative and visual mix of appreciation stretching back four centuries—a truly unique corner of this incredibly beautiful nation. [Condition: Used Very Good. This big thick volume is in exceptional shape for its age. There are only a few slight bent edges on its boards, with none of the usual and expected shelf wear along the spine. The binding is tight with no signs of age. There is only slight discoloration along the end papers and page tops, but the interior pages suffer from hardly any significant signs of age.] 

Condition: Used Very Good. 
Travel / Touring. 
Wallace Nutting. 
Garden City Publishing Co., Inc. (in cooperation with Old America Co.), 1935. 
Hardcover, 256 pgs, 7 x 10” / 2.5 lb