Daniels' title came in part from the Puritans' own phrase "sober mirth." The point was that mirth was a fine and dandy thing but it had to be controlled before it went too far.
At Amazon.com, earth's biggest bookstore, they have this synopsis of the book:
"This cultural history of colonial New England will forever change the way readers think about America's early 'Puritans.' Daniels reappraises the accuracy of this grim portrait by examining leisure and recreational activities, including music, dinner parties, sex, alcohol, taverns and sports."
Daniels himself seems to enjoy a bit of sober mirth. A professor of history at the University of Winnipeg in beautiful downtown Winnipeg, Manitoba, he ran in the last United States election. (He's a dual citizen, so he can do that kind of thing.) If you're feeling nostalgic, you might want to take a look at the presidential election page put together by George Magazine On-Line. Daniels is there between Charles Collins and Bob Dole. But don't click on his name to get to his Daniels for President page. That is history and Mid-Town Ford now has that address.
But this column is about books and to bring it back to that, I want to mention one of my favorite topics — the virtue of trade books by university professors and their ilk. These are not just for students. These are not books to suffer through, as you highlight paragraph after paragraph in yellow or lime green. These books offer a richness and a depth you don't always find in off the rack tomes. If you're a serious fan of a topic, check out your local university bookstore or library. It's a goldmine.
Speaking of dual citizenship, next week, I'll tell you a little about another Winnipeger with dual Canadian-United States citizenship — Carol Shields. She has the rare distinction of being a Canadian who won the Pulitzer Prize for Literature.
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