 |    Friends and Colleagues, Noah wrote last week rather movingly about the intersection of ferns and his childhood. The image of his mother’s rabbit foot fern in the living room window has stuck with me. It was there when Noah was quite small. It is still there. The mid-19th century obsession with ferns was such a “thing” that it even has a name – Pteridomania. Fern collecting, terrarium like cases in parlors, decorative motifs in pottery, metal and textiles – ferns were everywhere! A writer of the period (Sarah Payson Willis) even took as her nom de plume Fanny Fern. The observant readers of our weekly list will have noted that we must have bought as collection of mid to late 19th century books on ferns – some with really glorious plates. This list brings to an end our exploration of Pteridomania. We have found it quite pleasant, and hope you have too! Cheers, Nick | | |  | | | |
