Photographs by Paul Wainwright

With historical essay by Peter Benes

A book for both readers of history and lovers of historic architecture and fine black & white photography, this book combines Paul Wainwright’s elegant large-format photographs with an essay by noted colonial historian Peter Benes that showcases the beauty and history of the few remaining Colonial Meetinghouses in New England.

A perfect gift for yourself or others - It doesn't get any more "New England" than this!


As seen on television: New Hampshire Chronicle

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"To understand the significance of the New England meetinghouse is to understand the power and the promise of the American Dream."
- Brent D. Glass, Director Emeritus of the National Museum of American History at the Smithsonian

Awards:

  • AASLH Leadership in History Award of Merit

  • Independent Publishers Gold Medal

  • New England Book Festival Winner

  • New England Bookseller Association Finalist

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Media praise:

  • "Wainwright's photographs are caretakers of memory and history."
    - Justin Shatwell, Yankee Magazine

  • "You have to settle in with the book for a few moments, and stop to study its contents. Read the scattered quotes from hymns written by William Billings. Ponder. You will be rewarded."
    - Lisa Parsons, Hippo Press

  • "As a new arrival in Boston, a Midwesterner with a history of confronting the cultural history of “out (or “back”) East,” and a long-time admirer of Paul Strand’s Time in New England, I can feel a synchronous meshing with Wainwright’s project and with the society these gathering places served."
    - George Slade, Program Manager/Curator, Photographic Resource Center at Boston University

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Reader Comments:

  • "Your book is a true masterpiece! Congratulations and my deep respect for the work that went into it and the craftsmanship displayed."
    - Lutz Wegner, Kassel, Germany

  • "[You have captured] not only the essence of these buildings but the spirit of the people that made them in the 18th century, which is the same spirit as the people who made your nation... Your work is really, how do you say?, a masterpiece."
    - Paolo Franceschini, Rome, Italy

  • "... It truly is stunning and I hope it gets the recognition that it deserves. I am looking forward to sitting down with it and having a leisurely stroll through all the beautiful pages."
    - Bonnie Bryant Hiller, New York, NY

  • "It is truly a beautiful book... It makes me homesick - the photos - they are beautiful."
    - Victoria Kneip, Mobile, Alabama

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Principal essayist Peter Benes is also author of the recent book Meetinghouses of Early New England, published by the University of Massachusetts Press. It is the definitive study of a hallmark of early American vernacular architecture.
New:
HABS/HAER Large-Format Photography
This page was last modified on: 12 Feb 2024