Isaac Harby of Charleston, 1788-1828: Jewish Reformer and Intellectual
Between the years 1795 and 1815, Charleston, South Carolina, experienced prodigious economic growth resulting in a remarkable period of cultural efflorescence. After 1815, however, the city entered a period of economic decline, the effects of which were perceived in every aspect of Charleston's communal infrastructure. This revealing new biography of Isaac Harby (1788-1828) sheds much light on the rise and fall of Charleston during this period. As a newspaper editor and publisher, a...
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Between the years 1795 and 1815, Charleston, South Carolina, experienced prodigious economic growth resulting in a remarkable period of cultural efflorescence. After 1815, however, the city entered a period of economic decline, the effects of which were perceived in every aspect of Charleston's communal infrastructure. This revealing new biography of Isaac Harby (1788-1828) sheds much light on the rise and fall of Charleston during this period. As a newspaper editor and publisher, a playwright of some distinction, a highly regarded drama critic, an essayist, and a political and social commentator, Harby earned a position of respect and prominence within the thriving cultural milieu of antebellum Charleston. Harby, together with a small group of contemporary litterateurs, spent considerable energy trying to establish and legitimate letters as a profession. Unfortunately their desire to make a living in the world of the literary arts - the leitmotiv of a generation of literati - was a dream that went largely unfulfilled. Nevertheless, these individuals struggled to stimulate the growth and development of a native literary tradition in this country. By studying Harby, one of the few Jews in his city's literary circle, we add significantly to our understanding of Jewish life in the South during the early national period. Harby's active role in the establishment and advancement of the Reformed Society of Israelites (incorporated in 1825), the first formalized effort to reform Judaism in North America, has attracted considerable scholarly attention. Zola demonstrates that Harby's particular interest in the reformation of Judaism was very much related to his lifelong desire to improve society through the cause of intellectual enrichment. Drawing from local newspapers, government documents, and other contemporary sources, together with the newly discovered contents of Harby's personal library and papers, this book constitutes an entirely new analysis of Harby's life. Booknews Drawing on his recently discovered library and private papers as well as other primary sources, presents a new biography of the newspaper editor and publisher, playwright, educator, political and social commentator, and member of Reformed Judaism in a center of 18th-century American culture. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
ForewordPreface1The Formative Years12Early Literary Ventures203Pedagogy, Publishing, and Politics484In Pursuit of a Livelihood745The Reformation of Judaism1126The Final Years150Epilogue169Appendix A: Isaac Harby's Academy Cashbook, 1819- 1820, A Summary175Appendix B: Reformed Society of Israelites Members Listed in the KKBE Books of Offerings, 1811, 1813, 1814, 1819, and 1823180Appendix C: Reformed Society of Israelites Members Buried in the KKBE Cemetery182Appendix D: Authorship of Various Prayers Found in the Prayerbook of the Reformed Society of Israelites183Notes185Selected Bibliography259Index273
\ BooknewsDrawing on his recently discovered library and private papers as well as other primary sources, presents a new biography of the newspaper editor and publisher, playwright, educator, political and social commentator, and member of Reformed Judaism in a center of 18th-century American culture. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)\ \
