Wing of Fame, a novel based on the life of James Smithson

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Summary

Ms. Hackney uses the few known facts about the life of James Smithson, founding donor of the Smithsonian Institution, as the launching pad for a fanciful, romantic novel. Hackneyed is the appropriate adjective to describe the writing and the portrayal of Smithson. Very little in the book is factually correct.

Subject

Smithson, James 1765-1829

Category

Smithsonian Institution History Bibliography

Notes

This is a novel rather than a non-fiction work.

Contact information

Institutional History Division, Smithsonian Institution Archives, 600 Maryland Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20024-2520, SIHistory@si.edu

Date

1934

Topic

  • Gifts
  • Fiction

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