Last year, I said that the summer was one of the coolest and wettest I’d ever seen in Tennessee. It hasn’t been as wet this year, but it’s been unseasonably cool until this week.
This summer, I focused on three research projects. The first was completing Andrew Jackson and the Rise of the Democrats, which ABC-CLIO will publish next year. The second was beginning writing on The Log Cabin and Hard Cider Campaign, a new book on the 1840 presidential election, for The Johns Hopkins University Press. Finally, I also started writing a paper on Andrew Jackson and his alleged hatred of the British for LSU-Shreveport’s Battle of New Orleans bicentennial symposium, at which I will be presenting this fall.
In addition to these projects, two other major events occurred. First, I changed offices. Given the number of books I owned, that was no easy task. My wife convinced me that purging during the move was a good idea. Thankfully for my back’s sake, I took her advice. I have a window now, which has made a world of difference in my mood. I also have a plant; my take on that development is still pending.
The second was a trip to New York City to speak at Bryant Park Reading Room. My friend and Van Buren expert and blogger James Bradley hosted me. I didn’t get the time I wanted to tour, but over 100 people came to my talk. I then traveled from NYC to Philadelphia for the annual SHEAR meeting, where I had the pleasure of sharing panel co-commenting duties with Harry Watson. As always, it was a great conference.
Classes start this week, marking the official end of my summer. Here’s to a productive semester.
Jacksonian America: Society, Personality, and Politics 