This post isn't directly related to genealogy but is a good cause. I found a good classic book, Hudson Bay, by Robert M. Ballentine written in 1848. I don't know how I lucked out on this find. My sister works on the military base, Camp Atterbury in Indiana. She told me on my last visit, you have to go with me to see this little library, they have some really good stuff. I'm sure other military bases must have the same set up for its soldiers. They have a small library housed in a mobile home type building. Their policy is that all military and base personnel can come to the library and take as many books as they want - no charge. They can take as much reading material as they can carry when they go overseas. The books come into the library mainly as donations.
What surprised me was their historical collection. About 1/4 of their collection consists of all types of books on American and World History, Politics, WW1 and WW2 historical accounts, and even a few books on genealogy related subjects. There is one section on American History that stays at the library for all to come in and read.
Back to my book, the title grabbed my attention because it was a semi-historical account of the Hudson Bay Company. It was written as a fiction but by a writer that was a member of this aged company in the early 1840s. Another selfish reason is that I have Hudsons in my family and have always wondered if there is a connection to Henry Hudson for whom Hudson Bay was named. But that is a future research subject. I'm just three chapters into the book and am totally engrossed. I think it will give me a good historical view of those times in the history of our continent and its exploration. If you have some good books laying around donate them to military base libraries.
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