The Intellectual Devotional: American History by David S. Kidder and Noah D. Oppenheim [$24.00]

The second in a series of daily meditations for the mind, this simple book of intellectual exercise (average one page of reading per day) is designed to revive the reader’s memory and provide fresh insights into American history. As the title implies, the concept is modeled after books of prayer and inspiration. Indeed, each day of the week for each reading is marked; a red ribbon is affixed to the spine for a bookmark; and the pages are slightly yellowed, with rough edges — all that’s needed is a leather cover and the aesthetics of a book for the “devout” would be complete. It’s a slightly pretentious approach, yes, but the entries of seven interspersed fields of knowledge are not at all patronizing or annoying, like so many of the “books for dummies” out there. This truly will revive the historically inclined mind with entries such as a refresher on Abigail Adams (Politics & Leadership), a refresh on the First Great (Rights & Reform) a brief biography of Carnegie Steel and his empire (Building America), and an interesting bit of trivia about Humphrey Bogart (Arts).