Chemist and mineralogist Thomas P. Smith maintained a five-volume journal during a tour through Europe between 1800-1802. Elected to the American Philosophical Society in 1799, Smith bequeathed his journal to the APS with the request that it be published if found to contain information "useful to the manufactories of my country." Although his observations tend to concentrate on European technological improvements in manufacturing and mining (sometimes with rough diagrams), these volumes also document his travels across Europe and comments on European society and culture. Of particular note may be his accounts of Luxemburg (7/14/1800), Hamburg (7/15/1800), and Stockholm (8/22/1800), excerpted in Selected Quotations. Notably, the third volume features a "Resume du Cours del Mineralogie," written in French and English. The Thomas P. Smith journal may interest scholars researching Europe at the turn of the nineteenth century, Smith's career in mineralogy, as well as the institutional history of American Philosophical Society.
 

Russell's 1938 travel diary begins with attention to sightseeing and recreation (skiing) in Norway, but, within a few entries, they begin to record news from the south. "We are listening to radio news with interest, as Hitler has taken over Austria and there is a huge meeting of workers in Paris today, apparently ready to stir things up," he writes on 3/14. "I expect to go ahead with all summer plans, but the situation at least looks as if there may be some ugly clouds develop on the horizon." Russell ultimately continues in his travels, which carry him through some of Europe's largest cities.
 
First, he books a rail ticket to Paris, that takes him through Berlin. While in Germany, he attends a vaudeville performance bookended with Nazi propaganda films, a passage excerpted in Selected Quotations (4/3). From Paris he continues to Marseille and then Florence, where Adolf Hitler is slated to visit. "The station at Florence is new & modernistic--it is one of the finest I have seen south of Stuttgart, probably the finest," writes Russell on 4/26. "Hitler is to visit Florence and passports are being scrutinized as never before." Several days later, he recounts the fanfare accompanying Hitler's arrival: "Hitler passes in the morning, so Italian & German flags hang from windows along the whole route. At [Brenner], the border station, there were red carpets in the station--he will apparently cross the border on float" (5/2).
 
Russell continues onto Austria and Innsbruck, where he cannot escape Nazi changes. In Innsbruck, he writes that the "Jewish shops are designated" (5/2), and he finds himself "Awakened to the singing of marching troops up the Swastika bannered avenue" (5/3). Russell discusses the changes with two friends—Anna and Hans—both of whom appear critical of the Nazis. He fears for Hans's Steinmeyer organ business (excerpted in Selected Quotations).
 
From Innsbruck, Russell travels to the Nazi strongholds of Munich and Vienna. In Munich, he notes a celebration for "2000 years of German culture" (7/5). In Vienna, he notes the tenuous alliance between Italy and Germany. "The Germans are going to get mighty tired of their allies, in fact the ordinary 'man-on-the-street' is already has little to say when you mention the boys wearing the red & green ribbons, who exhale garlic fumes and crowd the street cars," Russell writes on 7/10. "Few people understand Italian and few Italians know any German. The whole alliance is repulsive to most Germans I think."
 
Russell's two geological notebooks begin in mid-August 1952 and contain notes concerning his travels throughout Morocco, such as Tiznit and various other small towns and villages. The second volume, dated October 1952, contains notes from Turkey, including excursions to Ankara, Adapazarı, and Izmit.
 
Russell provides studious observations concerning sand dunes, bedrock, and beaches
 
highways and roads
 
settlements and ruins
 
and his various modes of travel. For example, in a passage describing the journey between Notfia to Aoreora, he writes, "6-wheel-drive Dodge, 2-ton "personnel carriers had no difficulty, but a common automobile would find the road from difficult to impassable."
 
Elsewhere, he provides careful sketches of topography, and occasionally, even qualitative assessments of destinations. For example, he describes Assa as "an interesting and populous oasis" which was only "pacified" in the late-1930s.

The Richard Joel Russell papers contain a two-volume travel diary of geographer and geologist Richard Joel Russell provides a detailed, on-the-ground account of the Europe on the eve of World War II. The diary follows Russell from a skiing strip in Norway through Berlin to Paris and into both Italy and Austria. These volumes document how Nazi and fascist propaganda comes to shape even prosaic affairs, such as going to the theater. Researchers interested in Europe at the threshold of World War II will be richly rewarded by this extraordinary pair of volumes.; The papers also contain two geological notebooks pertaining to Russell's 1952 expeditions. These volumes ought to interest researchers examining the Russell's research and the geology or geography of Morocco and Turkey.
 
Russell's 1938 travel diary begins with attention to sightseeing and recreation (skiing) in Norway, but, within a few entries, they begin to record news from the south. "We are listening to radio news with interest, as Hitler has taken over Austria and there is a huge meeting of workers in Paris today, apparently ready to stir things up," he writes on 3/14. "I expect to go ahead with all summer plans, but the situation at least looks as if there may be some ugly clouds develop on the horizon." Russell ultimately continues in his travels, which carry him through some of Europe's largest cities.
 
First, he books a rail ticket to Paris, that takes him through Berlin. While in Germany, he attends a vaudeville performance bookended with Nazi propaganda films, a passage excerpted in Selected Quotations (4/3). From Paris he continues to Marseille and then Florence, where Adolf Hitler is slated to visit. "The station at Florence is new & modernistic--it is one of the finest I have seen south of Stuttgart, probably the finest," writes Russell on 4/26. "Hitler is to visit Florence and passports are being scrutinized as never before." Several days later, he recounts the fanfare accompanying Hitler's arrival: "Hitler passes in the morning, so Italian & German flags hang from windows along the whole route. At [Brenner], the border station, there were red carpets in the station--he will apparently cross the border on float" (5/2).
 
Russell continues onto Austria and Innsbruck, where he cannot escape Nazi changes. In Innsbruck, he writes that the "Jewish shops are designated" (5/2), and he finds himself "Awakened to the singing of marching troops up the Swastika bannered avenue" (5/3). Russell discusses the changes with two friends—Anna and Hans—both of whom appear critical of the Nazis. He fears for Hans's Steinmeyer organ business (excerpted in Selected Quotations).
 
From Innsbruck, Russell travels to the Nazi strongholds of Munich and Vienna. In Munich, he notes a celebration for "2000 years of German culture" (7/5). In Vienna, he notes the tenuous alliance between Italy and Germany. "The Germans are going to get mighty tired of their allies, in fact the ordinary 'man-on-the-street' is already has little to say when you mention the boys wearing the red & green ribbons, who exhale garlic fumes and crowd the street cars," Russell writes on 7/10. "Few people understand Italian and few Italians know any German. The whole alliance is repulsive to most Germans I think."
 
Russell's two geological notebooks begin in mid-August 1952 and contain notes concerning his travels throughout Morocco, such as Tiznit and various other small towns and villages. The second volume, dated October 1952, contains notes from Turkey, including excursions to Ankara, Adapazarı, and Izmit.
 
Russell provides studious observations concerning sand dunes, bedrock, and beaches
 
highways and roads
 
settlements and ruins
 
and his various modes of travel. For example, in a passage describing the journey between Notfia to Aoreora, he writes, "6-wheel-drive Dodge, 2-ton "personnel carriers had no difficulty, but a common automobile would find the road from difficult to impassable."
 
Elsewhere, he provides careful sketches of topography, and occasionally, even qualitative assessments of destinations. For example, he describes Assa as "an interesting and populous oasis" which was only "pacified" in the late-1930s.

Warner's diaries provide an intimate record of his far-flung travels. Alongside visits to zoological and mineralogical collections, Warner patronizes numerous places of worship, for which he often provides sketches of murals and architectural features. (His most impressive color illustrations begin around March 1863). Notably, he visits a Jewish synagogue in the Netherlands (10/13/1862) and a mosque in the Middle East (3/31/1865). He copies verses from a tombstone (9/8/1862), and when he tours the Egyptian pyramids, he records hieroglyphics (4/26/1865). He encloses descriptions of natural scenes—e.g. the Wetterhorn (8/31/1862) and Rhone Glacier (9/4/1862)—and also urban spaces, including a locomotive works in Amsterdam (1/26/1863), a foundry in Greenock (1/30/1863), a prison in York (4/7/1863), a gypsy settlement in Romania (6/13/1865), and even an early account of the Grand Kremlin Palace (8/2/1868).
 
Throughout those travels, Warner recollects his native Pennsylvania to draw evocative geographic and social comparisons. For example, he equates a town outside Belgrade to Burlington on the Delaware (6/9/1865). Upon meeting a foreman at machine shop, he compares the conditions of the poor in America and Germany (8/25/1862). Of particular note, he compares the governor of Nazareth to a "Philadelphia negro" (4/15/1865).
 
At various points in his travels, Warner is compelled to confront U.S. domestic affairs, most especially the Civil War. For example, traveling by rail in Germany in late-1865, he writes, "Met in the [train] car Mr. Joseph Kommer, Lincoln Logan Co., Illinois, a few months back to Germany, now on his way home via Hamburg. He had served in the Northern Army
 
related many things respecting the war and was a good union man" (11/8/1865). Several years later, he visits a castle where he notes a "revolver presented to the King by President Lincoln" (7/9/1868). Although Warner rarely discusses politics directly, he registers his own political activities and sympathies. For example, he attends a "Peace Society" (5/19/1863), a "temperance tea" (9/15/1863), and a lecture on "dwellings for workingmen" (1/6/1866). He records at least one conversation about U.S. nativist movements, particularly the Astor Place Riots, writing, "Met an Irishman who had been in the U.S. some years ago. He doubted whether the Irish, in New York had been incited—as a clan, especially—to take part in the late New York riots, and on account of jealousy of the blacks as competitors for work—he was further opposed to Mr. Lincoln's emancipation edict" (8/18/1863). In another prescient entry, he records an exchange with a Polish miller about poll taxes. "A miller spoke to me, among other subjects, of Poland," Warner writes. "He said Austria and Prussia assist to subjugate Poland, because 'they are all tyrants together.' Of our country, he said there would soon be poll tax" (9/14/1864).
 
When it comes to the topic of slavery, Warner reveals abolitionist sympathies via ephemera. He encloses a newspaper clipping from "Aborigine Protection Society," after which he remarks on the emigration of freed slaves to Liberia (5/20/1863), and encloses another clipping entitled "Negro Emancipation" (6/17/1863).
 
Scholars of nineteenth century material culture will be richly rewarded by the diaries. Alongside hand-drawn maps of buildings, cities, and architectural features, Warner encloses numerous newspaper clippings (e.g. (1/10/1863), engravings (9/27/1864), advertisements (7/9/1865), and theatrical programs (10/6/1865). While the majority of those materials are in English, some ephemera—and Warner's own entries—are in German, French, or Italian.

With 55 volumes spanning 7/8/1862-11/23/1872, the John Warner diaries provide a detailed account of his time abroad (1862-1868) and travels throughout Europe. Although many entries are devoted to talks and lectures (mostly pertaining to zoology), Warner proves also a studious observer of people, cultures, and cultural and religious institutions, which he records through numerous sketches and ephemera. In fact, these volumes present a wealth of research opportunities for scholars of material culture, thanks to Warner's curation of nineteenth-century newspaper clippings, advertisements, programs, and personal illustrations.
 
Warner's diaries provide an intimate record of his far-flung travels. Alongside visits to zoological and mineralogical collections, Warner patronizes numerous places of worship, for which he often provides sketches of murals and architectural features. (His most impressive color illustrations begin around March 1863). Notably, he visits a Jewish synagogue in the Netherlands (10/13/1862) and a mosque in the Middle East (3/31/1865). He copies verses from a tombstone (9/8/1862), and when he tours the Egyptian pyramids, he records hieroglyphics (4/26/1865). He encloses descriptions of natural scenes—e.g. the Wetterhorn (8/31/1862) and Rhone Glacier (9/4/1862)—and also urban spaces, including a locomotive works in Amsterdam (1/26/1863), a foundry in Greenock (1/30/1863), a prison in York (4/7/1863), a gypsy settlement in Romania (6/13/1865), and even an early account of the Grand Kremlin Palace (8/2/1868).
 
Throughout those travels, Warner recollects his native Pennsylvania to draw evocative geographic and social comparisons. For example, he equates a town outside Belgrade to Burlington on the Delaware (6/9/1865). Upon meeting a foreman at machine shop, he compares the conditions of the poor in America and Germany (8/25/1862). Of particular note, he compares the governor of Nazareth to a "Philadelphia negro" (4/15/1865).
 
At various points in his travels, Warner is compelled to confront U.S. domestic affairs, most especially the Civil War. For example, traveling by rail in Germany in late-1865, he writes, "Met in the [train] car Mr. Joseph Kommer, Lincoln Logan Co., Illinois, a few months back to Germany, now on his way home via Hamburg. He had served in the Northern Army
 
related many things respecting the war and was a good union man" (11/8/1865). Several years later, he visits a castle where he notes a "revolver presented to the King by President Lincoln" (7/9/1868). Although Warner rarely discusses politics directly, he registers his own political activities and sympathies. For example, he attends a "Peace Society" (5/19/1863), a "temperance tea" (9/15/1863), and a lecture on "dwellings for workingmen" (1/6/1866). He records at least one conversation about U.S. nativist movements, particularly the Astor Place Riots, writing, "Met an Irishman who had been in the U.S. some years ago. He doubted whether the Irish, in New York had been incited—as a clan, especially—to take part in the late New York riots, and on account of jealousy of the blacks as competitors for work—he was further opposed to Mr. Lincoln's emancipation edict" (8/18/1863). In another prescient entry, he records an exchange with a Polish miller about poll taxes. "A miller spoke to me, among other subjects, of Poland," Warner writes. "He said Austria and Prussia assist to subjugate Poland, because 'they are all tyrants together.' Of our country, he said there would soon be poll tax" (9/14/1864).
 
When it comes to the topic of slavery, Warner reveals abolitionist sympathies via ephemera. He encloses a newspaper clipping from "Aborigine Protection Society," after which he remarks on the emigration of freed slaves to Liberia (5/20/1863), and encloses another clipping entitled "Negro Emancipation" (6/17/1863).
 
Scholars of nineteenth century material culture will be richly rewarded by the diaries. Alongside hand-drawn maps of buildings, cities, and architectural features, Warner encloses numerous newspaper clippings (e.g. (1/10/1863), engravings (9/27/1864), advertisements (7/9/1865), and theatrical programs (10/6/1865). While the majority of those materials are in English, some ephemera—and Warner's own entries—are in German, French, or Italian.