What can a teenage girl's reading list reveal about life in nineteenth-century New England? Jane D. Cairns explores the 43 books Abby Locke recorded reading in 1867, from Dickens and Shakespeare to Sunday School stories, historical fiction, travel writing, and sensational romances. Abby's diary offers a fascinating glimpse into the reading habits, interests, and imagination of a real Civil War-era New England girl—and the inspiration behind Exalted Objects.