All Items 86 Collection 1 Archives & Special Collections 86 Contributor 3 Nelson, Arthur W., 1880-1958 11 Nelson, Elmer H., 1878-1930 10 Brown, John, 1800-1859 1 Location 3 White Mountains (N.H. and Me.) 3 Goshen (N.H.) 1 New Hampshire 1 Topic 20 Juvenile fiction 68 Imaginary places 44 Adventure and adventurers 39 Imaginary wars and battles 19 Juvenile literature 16 Hunting 10 Indians of North America 10 Agriculture 9 Trapping 5 Description and travel 4 Frontier and pioneer life 4 Land settlement 4 Naval battles 4 Pictorial works 4 Camping 3 Catalogs 3 Flags 3 Seafaring life 3 Skating 3 American wit and humor 2 show more 15 show fewer Part Of 1 Nelson Family Juvenilia Collection of Pamela Russell and Murray McClellan 86 Genre 17 Children's literature 86 Periodicals 39 Booklets 35 Fragments 7 Catalogs (documents) 5 Clippings 5 Children's art 3 Diaries 2 Manuscript maps 2 Robinsonades 2 Editorials 1 Envelopes 1 Gazetteers (dictionaries) 1 Inventories 1 Juvenile fiction 1 Notes 1 Sketch maps 1 show more 12 show fewer Settlement on Round Continent. Chapter 2 Chapter 2 of a story about the colonization of the fictitious Round Continent. James Vertigo voyages to Round Continent and establishes a prosperous colony there. After some time, the inhabitants are threatened by Indians and the hero Donald Ferry saves the day. The final page does not seem to follow the narrative and it is possible that a portion is missing. It is unclear which of the Nelson brothers is the author. Settlement on Round Continent. Chapter 2 Littles catalogue of trees and shrubs A portion of a fabricated seed catalog. The catalog features brightly colored illustrations and an advertisement for "Our Little Gems." The bottom of the advertisement give the address of William J. Little, the alter ego of Arthur Nelson, who may have been the author of this unattributed work. Littles catalogue of trees and shrubs The mountain news, 1894 March 7. Premium list A special supplement of the Nelson brothers' periodical "The Mountain News." The Premium List, "published by W.R. Nelson" and presented in a two-column format, is a fictitious catalog of books and toys for purchase or as reward for new subscribers. Each item includes a description and price and the toys are accompanied by illustrations. Books include stories of battles, sea life, and adventure. From among the toys offered, subscribers may choose toy boats, a toy steam engine, a fife or toy trains. The mountain news, 1894 March 7. Premium list Nelson Bro's seedsmen A portion of a seed-catalog created by the Nelson brothers that begins on page 37 and is presented in a two-column format. The catalog is arranged by type of vegetable, then by specific variety. Each entry includes detailed information about planting and caring for the variety and many are accompanied by detailed illustrations. Nelson Bro's seedsmen Nelson bros novilties [sic] A seed catalog featuring real and imagined seed varieties described in rich detail by the Nelson brothers and presented in a two-column format. The extensive catalog is organized by type of crop, then by variety. There are several Nelson brothers varieties that tend to be hardy, tasty and prolific. The catalog mainly consists of vegetable seeds but also includes fruit, trees, grains, plants and bulbs. Each crop description includes a little history or origin of the seed, sowing and growing tips and descriptions of taste, look, and feel. Included are detailed illustrations plus two full-page color illustrations. The cover illustration depicts a farm scene. The second color illustration is an advertisement for Nelson Brothers value seeds and can be found in the middle of the catalog. The end of the catalog features an extensive index of all the seeds and crops and includes pricing information along with page numbers. Nelson bros novilties [sic] Book depicting military uniforms An unattributed catalog of military uniforms from the countries of the Nelson brothers' fictional world. Each uniform is illustrated in full color and accompanied by a detailed description of the uniform and its cost. The uniforms of many notable characters created by the Nelson brothers are described in this catalog, including William Little, Burt Green (sometimes referred to as Birt) and Ethan Allen. Book depicting military uniforms The world, volume 2, number 1 Nelson, Elmer H., 1878-1930 An undated issue of the Nelson brothers' periodical "The World," containing three stories of adventure and presented in a two-column format. The cover indicates it was "published by E. & A. Nelson and Co." "Whaling" by Arthur Nelson recounts the adventures of a whale ship near Pager Island, their attack by dogfish and subsequent catch of a whale. "Surrounded" by Elmer Nelson tells of the schooner "Skipper" as it is surrounded by many other schooners. The skipper draws its cannons, escapes to a harbor and drives the other schooners back. "Out Hunting" by Arthur Nelson is the story of a hunting party that goes out while their steamer ship is being repaired. While hunting they were confronted by a large buck. The world, volume 2, number 1 Five years in the White Mountains, volume 2 Nelson, Elmer H., 1878-1930 This second volume of "Five Years in the White Mountains" picks up the story of the three brothers' outdoor adventures at the beginning of their second year in the mountains. The volume is incomplete, featuring only the beginning of a story entitled "Lost in the Mountains." In the story the narrator and his two brothers headed upstream to go hunting but soon lost their bearings after pursuing a rabbit one of them had shot and only wounded. Forced to make camp for the night, the story ends abruptly with two of the boys trying to put the third one at ease about the loneliness of sleeping in the woods at night. The book is unattributed but it has been inferred that Elmer Nelson, the author of volume 1, is the creator. Five years in the White Mountains, volume 2 The trapper, volume 1, number 1 This unfinished issue of the Nelson brothers' periodical "The Trapper," was published by their fictitious company, Green & Little Publishers, representing the alter egos of Elmer and Arthur respectively, and is presented in a two-column format. "The Great Mountain Gold Mine" is the only story in this issue and is incomplete. The story begins with two brothers lost on the fictional Great Mountain. There is space for an illustration but no illustration is present. The trapper, volume 1, number 1 A partridge Nelson, Elmer H., 1878-1930 An account by Elmer Nelson of a time when a family cat brought a dead partridge into their home. Their uncle found the bird and Elmer removed the tail feathers to make a fan. The story includes a detailed physical description of partridges. A partridge The America [sic] family Robbinso [sic] Nelson, Elmer H., 1878-1930 An adventure story written by Elmer Nelson that was inspired by works like Swiss Family Robinson (1812) and Robinson Crusoe (1719). In the story, the characters Jimmy and Alice go sailing and spot an island. They decide to explore the island and encounter sharks and monkeys as they go about securing food and shelter. Arthur Nelson wrote a second volume that continues this story, which is labeled on the cover as volume 2. Although there is no volume number on this story by Elmer Nelson, it has been inferred that it is volume 1. The America [sic] family Robbinso [sic] The rough it club, or, The famous gulf city club Attributed to William Little, the alter ego of Arthur Nelson, "The Rough Club" tells the story of a rivalry between the Red Bud Boys and the Gulf City Club and takes place in the imaginary world of the Nelson brothers. Hutch Harvard is the leader of the Red Bud Boys and Jimmy Allen (son of the Nelson brothers' character Ethan Allen) leads the Gulf City Club, also known as the Rough It Club. The story follows two main narratives. First is the tale of Jimmy Allen and the Rough It Club pursuing a bank robber. The Rough It Club pursues the outlaw over one thousand miles and is aided along the way by a whaling ship and a schooner from Big Continent. The Rough It Club is able to sneak up on and board the criminal's vessel and bring it back to Gulf City. The second narrative follows the rivalry between the two clubs. The rivalry begins with a boat competition and escalates to a battle by the end of the book. The cover indicates it was "published by Green and Little," the Nelson brothers' fictitious publishing house representing the alter egos of Elmer and Arthur Nelson respectively, and the book features both color and pencil drawings. The rough it club, or, The famous gulf city club The western world An unfinished and undated issue of the Nelson brothers' periodical "The Western World," containing news and stories of their fictional characters and places, presented in a two-column format. The front page indicates the issue was "published by W.R. Nelson." The first story, "Jimmy" tells of Jimmy Allen, the son of Ethan Allen and is attributed to Walter Nelson. Jimmy is swept up in some large waves while canoeing. Consequently his boat is ruined and he must fight to get to the shore. Jimmy is put to bed to recover and Ethan Allen builds Jimmy a new boat. The next section, "Words Concerning the Navy," is an account of two gunboats, "The King" and "The Banner." The description of "The Banner" is unfinished. The remaining half page and one full page are formatted for columns and images but not filled in. The last page is a two-column list of assorted agricultural and hunting supplies. The western world Gazetter [sic] of the world One of the longer works by the Nelson brothers, "The Gazetter of the World" is formatted like real reference works the boys would have seen. With a cover page, a subject index, a preface by the editor and appendixes for maps and statistics, the volume gives ample evidence of the Nelson brothers' careful attention to the details of their imaginary world. Included are detailed entries describing the places that feature prominently in their fictional works. The text is enhanced by finely done ink drawings which, as the unnamed editor explains in the preface, "help to show to the readers the lands through which they pass in their reading." Gazetter [sic] of the world Map and facts about the Nelson brothers' imaginary world An unattributed and seemingly unfinished piece about the four continents that comprise the Nelson brothers' imaginary world, composed on a sheet of paper originally folded in half. A map on the exterior shows the eastern hemisphere including Long Continent, Round Continent and Forest Continent. The item may be the beginnings of a primer as the text on the inside appears to be a brief lesson regarding the geography of this world. The text and a small map on the inside include mention of Big Continent as well. Map and facts about the Nelson brothers' imaginary world Sunny Shore (editorials) The editorials section of the Nelson brothers' periodical, "Sunny Shore," presented in a two-column format. The first editorial praises the Sunny Shore farmland as being fertile and plenty. The writer suggests that every eager farmer come over to Sunny Shore to start their farms. The second editorial is a short contrasting piece about the failure of the writer's farm and his desire to give it up. Included is a brief section covering news from Long Continent. Fictional advertisements fill the rest of the pages. Advertisements include, The Swifter bicycle, a musical catalogue, "The Bulletin of the Plains" (another periodical), Lightning Canoes and Floweret Guns. Sunny Shore (editorials) The war news, 1895 June 24 An issue of the Nelson brothers' periodical featuring military news of their fictional characters and places, presented in a three-column format and published by their fictitious enterprise, the War News Pub. Co. This issue opens with a detailed account of the Great Battle by Ethan Allen. In this battle that involves much of the Nelson brothers' world, Ethan Allen leads his troops to victory while instilling fear in his enemies. The issue concludes with summaries of war-related new from New Poplington, United Division, and Big Continent. The war news, 1895 June 24 Horse rase [sic] This booklet begins with a story by one of the Nelson boys about a horse race won by their character Ethan Allen. The next piece in the booklet is a poem about their home town of Goshen, New Hampshire, written by Elmer Nelson. The third piece, entitled "A Valentine" is unusual for the Nelson brothers because the story is told from a girl's perspective. This unattributed story is followed by a poem by William J. Little about the importance of their work and play in the hay of their grandfather's barn. The booklet ends with a bit of self promotion as the Nelson brothers describe the difficulties of writing as a line of work, but then go on to describe themselves, and their alter egos William Little and Bert (sometimes referred to Birt or Burt) Green, as being among the world's best writers of history and adventure. Horse rase [sic] The canoe and rifle Written by the Nelson brothers as an outdoorsman's periodical, "The Canoe and Rifle," published by the fictitious Allen Publishing Co., contains articles on the Colt revolver and large gage guns, a story entitled "Paddle for Life" about a log jam that threatens a town and the poem "Buffalo Bill Shooting a Buffalo." Also included are several advertisements. One of the advertisers, the John P. Lovell Arms Co., was a real company and a publisher of an illustrated catalog. The canoe and rifle The weekly telegram An undated issue of one of the Nelson brothers' periodicals featuring news of their fictional characters and places, presented in a two-column format. The cover indicates the periodical was "published by The Telegram Publishing Co.," one of several fictitious Nelson brothers' enterprises. This issue opens with a detailed spotlight on Allenstown. There are drawings and descriptions of major Allenstown buildings including the recently opened Allenstown Fair and much of the issue is devoted to covering the fair. Prizes from the agricultural tent are detailed and there is a descriptive account of a parade in the town center. The remainder of the issue covers news briefs from around the Nelson bothers' world including exploration, agriculture and development. The weekly telegram
