Historical Studies

Brewer, Priscilla J. Shaker Communities, Shaker Lives. Hanover, N.H: University Press of New England, 1986. JXE 86-78. This is an historical analysis of the Shakers with a particular emphasis, according to the author, on "the Society within its own boundaries, as it was experienced by its members." This study is a valuable work for those wishing to understand the inner social and religious dimensions of Shakerism. Bibliography, descriptive notes, and demographic tables.

Campion, Nardi R. Ann the Word: The Life of Mother Ann Lee, Founder of the Shakers. Boston: Little, Brown, 1976. JFD 78-389. A popular biography of Ann Lee.

Melcher, Marguerite. The Shaker Adventure. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1941. ZXWC. An introduction to the history and thought of the Shakers. Bibliography.

Robinson, Charles E. A Concise History of the United Society of Believers Called Shakers. Westport, Conn.: Hyperion Press, 1975 reprint of 1893 edition. JXD 76-39. A late nineteenth-century history of the movement by a sympathetic observer. Illustrations.

Shakers. Testimonies Concerning the Character and Ministry of Mother Ann Lee and the First Witnesses of the Gospel of Christ's Second Appearing. Albany: Packard, 1827. ZXWC. A valuable account of Ann Lee and the early Shakers. A second edition published in 1888 with a slightly variant title (Testimonies of the Life, Character, Revelations and Doctrines of Mother Ann Lee . . .) is available in microfilm under these call numbers: *ZAN-T3340, reel 484, no. 3642, and *ZAN-T3340, reel 463, no. 3438.

Stein, Stephen J. The Shaker Experience in America. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1992. JFE 92-8717. A comprehensive examination of Shaker history, thought, and practice.

White, Anna. Shakerism: Its Meaning and Message. Columbus, Ohio: Heer, 1904. *Z-4487, no. 4. This is an historical account of the Shakers with a description of their beliefs by a member of the community.