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Historic New England Publications

Sharing New England stories through magazines and books

Historic New England publications include the award-winning Historic New England magazine, a benefit of membership published three times per year, and the Historic New England book series.

Magazine: The print edition of Historic New England magazine, published three times a year, is an exclusive benefit of membership. Back issues are archived online for public browsing. Join or renew your membership today to subscribe to Historic New England magazine.

Book Series: Historic New England launched the book series in 2006 to introduce our collections to a wider audience. Drawing on the rich resources of our archival and object collections, these thoroughly researched, beautifully designed, and heavily illustrated publications enrich our knowledge of New England and the wider world. To order your copy of any Historic New England book, please call 617-994-5925, or look for them in our museum shops. Members save 10%.

Historic New England Magazine

Become a Member to Receive the Latest Issue

Winter 2023

Historic New England’s Winter 2023 magazine cover story showcases an extraordinary collection of house plan books dating from 1900 to 1970. This issue also introduces Garden City, Rhode Island’s model mid-century suburb; takes a look at the library at the Codman Estate in Lincoln, Mass., from an author’s point of view; explores the story behind the woman who created a quilt to memorialize twenty different colonial women; expands on the story of slavery at Casey Farm in Saunderstown, R.I.; summarizes our 2022 Summit; and much more.

 

 

 

 

 

Fall 2022 

Historic New England’s Fall 2022 magazine explores new initiatives, new stories, and new engagement opportunities. Our cover story focuses on exploring opportunities at the Historic New England Center for Preservation and Collections. The issue also delves into the research done by our Recovering New England Voices scholars; the other side of the story behind saving a Beacon Hill meeting house; how Maine educators are integrating Indigenous and African American pasts into curricula; moose hair embroidery; and Historic New England farms.

 

 

Summer 2022 

Cover Story: The study of New England’s rivers and other waterways provides important information about the region’s past and its peoples. This issue also delves into the exhibitions More Than a Market, Historic New England’s work on the history of immigrant food markets in Burlington and Winooski, Vt.; Loud, Naked, & In Three Colors, which explores the history of tattooing in Boston; and Women’s Work at Lyndhurst in Tarrytown, N.Y., which tracks the influence of women’s historical craft traditions on the work of contemporary artists. Other features include the late-18th-century trend of tintype photography and a biographical article of Ellen Irons (1862-1938), lifelong resident of the historic Clemence-Irons House in Johnston, R.I.

Cover of the Winter 2022 issue of Historic New England magazine with an image of an urban farm.Winter 2022

Cover story: The Fowler Clark Epstein Farm in the Mattapan section of Boston, once part of a 330-acre, 18th-century agrarian estate, is now a successful small-scale urban farming operation, transformed through preservation and adaptive reuse by the non-profit redevelopment organization Historic Boston Incorporated. This issue also features late-nineteenth-century women’s fashion; the story of Sarah Moore Field and her family home, Field-Hodges House, in North Andover, Mass.; women woodworkers; and the role that Joshua Coffin played in freeing captives of the “Amistad” in 1839-1840.

Cover of magazine showing image of Black woman and the text, "Staying Strong in Trying Times."Fall 2021

Cover Story: Acquisition of several images by photojournalist Katherine Taylor documenting New Englanders’ responses to the COVID-19 pandemic and protests against systemic racism. This issue also features an introduction to Historic New England’s multiphase project, Recovering New England’s Voices; how the mail-order kit houses boom in the mid-twentieth century created an affordable living trend; preservation strategies and policies anyone can use to save historic buildings; and Otis House’s continued presence in Boston’s West End neighborhood through centuries of change and urban renewal.

Summer 2021

Cover Story: Reproduction of the pillar and arch wallpaper at Hamilton House in South Berwick, Maine, refreshes the property’s historic decor. This issue also features exterior restoration work at Hamilton House; Historic New England’s western Massachusetts presence in partnership with Greenagers and the Appalachian Trail Conservancy; the permanent Dimensions of Diversity exhibition at Otis House in Boston; and a Burlington, Vermont, archaeological discovery of burials from the War of 1812.

Cover of the Winter 2021 issue of Historic New England magazine, featuring items from Derin Bray's tattoo collectionWinter 2021

The cover image of a man with full-body tattoo introduces an article about the early twentieth-century history of body art. This issue also features images representing Historic New England’s A Time to Remember COVID-19 crowd-sourced collection project; a photo essay documenting the changing streetscapes and gentrification of Boston’s Chinatown; and articles about the Wabanaki Confederacy’s response to European settler encroachment in the region; slavery in New England and at the Codman Estate, a Historic New England property in Lincoln, Mass.; and the 1817 founding of the American School for the Deaf in Connecticut.

Fall 2020 Cover of Historic New England MagazineFall 2020

This issue is devoted to the exhibition Artful Stories: Paintings from Historic New England, on view at the Eustis Estate in Milton, Mass. It features stories on New England’s women artists, collectors, and patrons; nineteenth-century itinerant painters; Edward Mitchell Bannister, a Black artist in the nineteenth century; paintings of architecture and landscape; men’s clothing in portraits; and the structure of paintings.  It also includes Historic New England’s FY20 annual report.

Summer 2020

Historic New England’s newly appointed President/CEO Vin Cipolla shares his thoughts on how the organization can best serve the public and why preservation is an essential part of the region’s future. This issue also explores the material culture collection created by Bertram K. and Nina Fletcher Little; the role the Lyman Estate in Waltham, Massachusetts, in the movie Little Women; the untold story of slavery at Sayward-Wheeler House in York Harbor, Maine; a citizens’ advocacy guide for saving historic places, such as Clinton African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, which is associated with W. E. B. Du Bois; the partnership with The History Project in researching the life of Henry Davis Sleeper, a gay man, who created Beauport, the Sleeper-McCann House in Gloucester, Massachusetts; the domestic architecture of Eleanor Raymond.

Cover of the winter 2020 issue of Historic New England magazineWinter 2020

Learn about the three recipients of Historic New England’s Prize for Collecting Works on Paper. This issue also looks at some of the conservation preparations for the exhibition Artful Stories: Paintings from Historic New England. Other feature articles include the guest books that economist A. Piatt Andrew used to record visitors to his home, Red Roof, in Gloucester, Mass. Andrew (1873-1936) served as assistant secretary of the U.S. Treasury from 1910-1912, was the founder and director of the American Ambulance Field Service during World War I, and was a Massachusetts congressman from 1921 until his death. He was a close friend and neighbor of interior designer Henry Davis Sleeper. Also, read about the leadership role that women played in the early years of Historic New England, when it was known as the Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities; and view images of iconic architecture from the professional portfolio of photographer Steve Rosenthal.

Browse Earlier Issues

Read past issues of Historic New England magazine dating back to summer 2000

Go behind the scenes at Historic New England properties, meet fascinating historical characters and current innovators in preservation, get historic homeowner tips from Historic New England experts, and much more. Through evocative photography, rare archival resources, and informative articles by both Historic New England staff and guest authors, each issue offers new insights on more than four hundred years of life in New England.

Fall IssuesSummer IssuesSpring/Winter Issues
2019: Magic Markings2019: Beauport2019: Walter Gropius
2018: Sarah Orne Jewett2018: Bird Art Collection2018: Royal Barry Wills
2017: Paint by Number2017: Eustis Estate2017: Retro Glow
2016: Coolidge Point2016: Henry Sheldon Museum2016: Eustis Estate
2015: Haverhill2015: Laser Technology2015: The Root Club
2014: AH Davenport Archive2014: Quincy House2014: Cape Cod Canal
2013: Three-Deckers2013: Sayward-Wheeler House2013: Eustis Estate
2012: Boston City Hall2012: Maine Lighthouses2012: Silhouettes
2011: Lyman Estate2011: Codman Estate2011: Rural Churches
2010: Under One Roof2010: Roseland Cottage2010: Centennial
2009: Design Drawings2009: Castle Tucker2009: Kitchens
2008: Codman Paintings2008: Countryside Landmarks2008: Kitchens
2007: Faneuil Hall2007: Beauport Colors2007: Cogswell's Grant
2006: Sarah Orne Jewett2006: Bowens at Home2006: Browne House
2005: Alexander House2005: John Hancock House2005: Arnold House
2004: Verner Reed2004: Beauport Backstage2004: Roseland Cottage
2003: Gropius House2003: Treasures on Tour2003: Library & Archives
2002: Casey Farm2002: Rundlet-May House2001/2002: Partners
2001: Dairies2001: Hamilton House2001: Newbury, Mass.
2000: Fishing Lady2000: Hamilton House2000: Barrett House

Book Series

Everything for the Garden

A visual delight for garden aficionados, with colorful illustrations from Historic New England's collection. Purchase here.

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  • Everything for the Garden

    A visual delight for garden aficionados, with colorful illustrations from Historic New England's collection. Purchase here.

  • Keepsakes and Treasures

    Discover the stories behind Historic New England's collection of jewelry made and worn in the region. Purchase here.

  • From Guiding Lights to Beacons for Business

    This colorful history book examines the many ways Maine lighthouses have been perceived in our culture. Purchase here.

  • The Camera's Coast

    Photographs, postcards, and advertisements from Historic New England's collection paint a rich portrait of coastal activity. Purchase here.

  • America's Kitchens

    Find out what it was like to live and work in kitchens that had none of the conveniences we now take for granted. Purchase here.

  • Cherished Possessions

    Poignant stories of both famous and forgotten players in New England's story. Purchase here.

  • Drawing Toward Home

    Illustrates changes in taste and technology and presents drawings of homes as works of art. Purchase here.

  • Beauport

    The tantalizing personal statement of interior designer Henry Davis Sleeper. Purchase here.

  • Wallpaper in New England

    Selections from our historic wallpaper collection. Purchase here.

More to Explore

Become a member and receive Historic New England magazine at home.

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Visit the Library and Archives in Boston.

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See the winners of the Historic New England Book Prize.

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