Preface: “The Quill Is My Plow”

Chapters in this book

1. Frontmatter i
2. Contents vii
3. List of Illustrations ix
4. Preface: “The Quill Is My Plow” xi
5. Acknowledgments xix
6. Note on Sources, Methods, and Abbreviations xxiii
7. Introduction: “Pages of a Mystical Character”; German Manuscripts in American History 1
8. 1 “Heaven Is My Fatherland”: Manuscript Culture in an Age of Evangelical Piety 15
9. 2 “The Spirit of the Letter”: Calligraphy and Spirituality During the Long Era of Manuscripts 46
10. 3 “Worship Always the Scripture”: Teaching Literacy and Pious Wisdom in German Pennsylvania 83
11. 4 “Incense Hill”: Song, Image, and Ambient Manuscripts 112
12. 5 Marching to “Step and Time”: Text, Commemoration, and the Rituals of Everyday Life 134
13. Conclusion: “Errand into the Wilderness”; Making Meaning from Manuscripts 166
14. Notes 177
15. Bibliography 201
16. Index 224