The Dutchman’s Fireside

The Dutchman’s Fireside is a novel written by James Kirke Paulding, first published in 1831. The story is set in colonial New York and revolves around the Van der School family, a wealthy Dutch family living in the Hudson Valley. The patriarch of the family, Adrian Van der School, is a proud and stubborn man who clings to his Dutch heritage and traditions, even as his children and grandchildren embrace the changing times and adopt American ways.The novel is structured as a series of interconnected stories, each told by one of the family members as they sit around the fireside in the family’s ancestral home. These stories range from humorous anecdotes to tragic tales of lost love and family strife. Through these stories, Paulding explores the themes of tradition versus progress, family loyalty, and the evolving identity of the American people.The Dutchman’s Fireside is notable for its vivid descriptions of Dutch culture and customs in colonial America, as well as its humorous and satirical tone. The novel was well-received upon its initial publication and is considered an important work of early American literature.There is certainly in the majesty of nature, its hoary rocks, its silent shadowy glens, foaming torrents, and lofty mountains, something that awakens the soul to high contemplation and rouses its slumbering energies. But there is in her gentler beauties, her rich and laughing meadows enamelled with flowers, and joyous with sprightly birds, her waving fields of grain, her noiseless glassy streams, a charm not less delightful and far more lasting than the high wrought enthusiasm of the other. Both have, without doubt, their influence on the human character.This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world’s literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.