Paper Trails: The US Post and the Making of the American West

by William J. Wilson in 1859. Gochberg sticks with the literary sources, though one could easily imagine her book “sparking” many fruitful inquiries into more concrete practices. Teachers looking to assign Useful Objects to undergraduate students will find its deliberate structure helpful. Each chapter has a clearly marked introduction and conclusion, and is subdivided into focused readings of particular texts. A standout chapter on Emerson, Whitman, and the United States Patent Office Gallery (which Whitman knew during its time as a Civil War hospital) could be assigned separately in any course in American Studies, history, or literature. Yet, at a brisk 192 pages, there is no real need to leave anything out. Near the end of Useful Objects, Gochberg explores the connection between William James’ experiences as a collections assistant to Harvard professor Louis Agassiz and the relationship between museum work and James’ Pragmatism, the idea that “theories of truth must be flexible enough to accommodate new experiences” (180). It is an apt note for discussions about modern museums. In reading Gochberg’s book, we may find that there is not much “new” about the demands to the question the underlying assumptions of museum collections—their violence, their categories, their audiences. These discussions are as old as the museums themselves. By exploring their nineteenthcentury incarnations, Gochberg provides a useful opportunity to discuss their present and future.