All Items 16 Collection 1 Archives & Special Collections 16 Contributor 3 Nelson, Arthur W., 1880-1958 16 Nelson, Elmer H., 1878-1930 2 Brown, John, 1800-1859 1 Topic 19 Juvenile fiction 9 Adventure and adventurers 7 Imaginary places 6 Imaginary wars and battles 5 Flowers 4 Pictorial works 4 Juvenile literature 2 Bull Run, 1st Battle of, Va., 1861 1 Childhood and youth 1 Crop improvement 1 Death and burial 1 Food crops 1 Hunting 1 Naval battles 1 River boats 1 Schooners 1 Seafaring life 1 Shipwrecks 1 Whaling 1 show more 14 show fewer Part Of 1 Nelson Family Juvenilia Collection of Pamela Russell and Murray McClellan 16 Genre 7 Children's literature 11 Booklets 9 Children's art 4 Drawings (visual works) 4 Periodicals 2 Account books 1 Robinsonades 1 show more 2 show fewer 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 Drawing with yellow flower Nelson, Arthur W., 1880-1958 Drawn by Arthur Nelson, this still life with a yellow flower and chair is one of several done on the back of advertisements for Ayer's Pills, a cure for bilious disorders sold by Farr and Tandy of Goshen, New Hampshire, where the Nelson brothers lived. The scene also includes a view out the window of mountains in the distance. Drawing with yellow flower Prospect City Savings Bank depositors book for Arthur Nelson Nelson, Arthur W., 1880-1958 A deposit book belonging to (and presumably created by) Arthur Nelson for the fictitious Prospect City Savings Bank in Prospect City. The book contains fabricated transactions amounting to thousands of dollars and reflects the Nelson brothers' understanding of practical and financial matters. Prospect City Savings Bank depositors book for Arthur Nelson Drawing of red flowers in yellow window Nelson, Arthur W., 1880-1958 A drawing of red flowers in front of a yellow window is one of several done on the back of advertisements for Ayer's Pills, a cure for bilious disorders sold by Farr and Tandy of Goshen, New Hampshire, where the Nelson brothers lived. The drawing is unsigned but is very similar to another signed by Arthur Nelson and it has been inferred that Arthur drew this one as well. Drawing of red flowers in yellow window Adventures on the scud Nelson, Arthur W., 1880-1958 A real-life story written by Arthur Nelson that describes his and his brother's struggle to maintain their boat against melting ice as they cross a river with a load of cargo. After the boat is hit by timbers, the boys are left with no other choice but to repair their boat with some helpful donations from the townspeople. Adventures on the scud Drawing with red flowers and blue table Nelson, Arthur W., 1880-1958 This still life with a pot of red flowers on a windowsill, a blue table and chair, and a bird in a cage is one of several done on the back of advertisements for Ayer's Pills, a cure for bilious disorders sold by Farr and Tandy of Goshen, New Hampshire, where the Nelson brothers lived. The drawing is unsigned but is very similar to another signed by Arthur Nelson and it has been inferred that Arthur drew this one as well. Drawing with red flowers and blue table History of Long Continent Nelson, Arthur W., 1880-1958 One of several fictional histories written by the Nelson brothers to document the development of the imaginary world they were creating. Written by Arthur Nelson, this history describes battles and other key events in the history of Long Continent. Two full-page color illustrations have been taped into the fold on smaller scraps of paper. The first is captioned "William J Little" and the second is captioned "Birt S Green" (sometimes referred to as Burt), the alter egos of Arthur Nelson and Elmer Nelson, respectively. Walter Nelson's alter ego, Ethan Allen, is not pictured although he and his men are described as having fought bravely. History of Long Continent The fight of the boys Nelson, Arthur W., 1880-1958 Describing a hard-fought battle between East Siders and West Siders, "The Fight of the Boys" was written and illustrated, in color, by Arthur Nelson. The cover does not mention Arthur Nelson by name, but advertises that this work was written by the author of "The Mountain Fighter," a story signed by Arthur Nelson. The battle described in "The Fight of the Boys" was fought with "clubs, canons, wooden spears, wooden sords [sic], and bow guns." In addition to the heavy fighting, some prisoners are taken who later escape from the jail with help from the outside. The fight of the boys The mountain fighter Nelson, Arthur W., 1880-1958 Arthur Nelson's Civil War story that contains references to "rebels" and "Union" fighters, a chapter titled "The Battle of Bull Run," as well as two chapters on the capture and hanging of John Brown. The story centers around two rugged men from the White Mountains, Ethan (misspelled by Arthur as Eathen) Allen and William Little, described as stout men whose height of six feet four inches is often remarked upon throughout the story. The two men meet after Little saves Allen's son from a wolf. They meet again some time later and join in battle against the rebels in the Battle of Bull Run. Of note in the second half of the booklet is Ethan Allen's pursuit and capture of John Brown as well as Brown's subsequent hanging. The mountain fighter The voyage of the Francis Nelson, Arthur W., 1880-1958 This simple story by Arthur Nelson tells of the ill-fated fishing vessel, "Francis." While at sea fishing for salmon the ship encounters a storm and the entire crew is stranded for ten days before being rescued by a passing ship. While stranded the men face limited rations and cold weather conditions but are kept alive and safe thanks to their Captain, Ethan (presumably the Nelson brothers' fictional hero, Ethan Allen). The voyage of the Francis Thirty days war, volume 1 Nelson, Arthur W., 1880-1958 An account of a war in the Nelson brothers' imaginary world attributed to William J. Little (Arthur Nelson's alter ego) and published by their fictitious company Green and Little, representing the alter egos of Elmer and Arthur respectively. William J. Little gives his account of a large battle between the three main continents in the Nelson brothers' world. William Little of Long Continent and Burt Green (sometimes referred to as Birt) of Round Continent work together to fight against Ethan Allen, leader of "the blues" of Big Continent. This detailed account is divided into five chapters titled as follows: "The Beginning," "The Blues Are Planning Something," "We Go to Prison" and "Scouting at Allenstown." Chapter 4 is untitled. Thirty days war, volume 1 The intellectual farmer, March Nelson, Elmer H., 1878-1930 The Nelson brothers intended this realistic periodical to serve as an inexpensive publication for the sharing of information among farmers so that all farms might be more productive and the lives of all farmers made easier. Using one of their fictitious publishing firms, Nelson Bros. & Co. of Goshen, New Hampshire, the Nelson brothers offer the publication for fifty cents a year. The first article, written by Arthur Nelson, concerns the cultivation of Albany strawberries. The other two articles were both written by Elmer Nelson. One reminds farmers of the many benefits that come from taking good care of a farm and its crops; the other is on the virtues of the pearl bean, a novelty variety with a very high yield. The issue is presented in a two-column format. The intellectual farmer, March History of the wourld [sic] Nelson, Arthur W., 1880-1958 Written by Arthur Nelson at a very young age, the "History of the Wourld" is one of the earlier attempts by the Nelson brothers to outline the imaginary world they were creating together in their writings. Some fictional locations that receive more detailed treatment in later works, such as Poplington, Grassington and Big Continent are mentioned here. This early description of Big Continent lacks the New England feel of some later works and is presented here as an equatorial region with orange trees, prickly cactuses, alligators, crocodiles and hippos. History of the wourld [sic] American family Robinson, volume 2 Nelson, Arthur W., 1880-1958 The second volume of The American Family Robinson, written by Arthur Nelson, is full of many adventures, including dangerous encounters with hyenas and lions. Fearing the dangers of their first shelter, the family moves to Alligator Island where Alice, Jimmy and Fred are attacked by two bears and then later by a lion. The story is composed of six chapters entitled "The Hyena and the Sawmill," "Alligator Island," "The Water Melons," "The Death of the Ostrich," "Shark Island" and "The Lemons the Grapes." This booklet has an unattached cover indicating title, volume number and author. American family Robinson, volume 2 Eathan [sic] F. Allen and his family Nelson, Arthur W., 1880-1958 This book by Arthur Nelson is richly illustrated with color drawings depicting events from the life of Ethan Allen, the Nelson brothers' imaginary hero who is modelled roughly on the historical figure and who appears throughout their writings. This book introduces the reader to Ethan's wife, Mary Allen; their ten year old son, Jimmy Allen; and their nine year old daughter, Alice Allen. The story tells of battles fought as Ethan Allen rises to the presidency of Big Continent, one of the primary locations in the Nelson boys' imaginary world. The details of this imaginary world are surprisingly consistent across the many works written by the Nelson brothers, and in this story Arthur Nelson carefully refers the reader to a specific page number in another work where additional detail can be found. Eathan [sic] F. Allen and his family Drawing of plant with red flower Nelson, Arthur W., 1880-1958 A drawing of a potted plant with a large red flower in a window with a pink valence is one of several done on the back of advertisements for Ayer's Pills, a cure for bilious disorders sold by Farr and Tandy of Goshen, New Hampshire, where the Nelson brothers lived. The drawing is unsigned but is very similar to another signed by Arthur Nelson and it has been inferred that Arthur drew this one as well. Drawing of plant with red flower
