"Most books about Newport emphasize the castle-like 'cottages' built by America's financial elite during the Gilded Age, and the posh Society (with a capital S) that gathered within those elaborate halls. While Rockwell Stensrud's absorbing and beautifully-illustrated new book does not ignore this vital epoch, it distinguishes itself by highlighting more subtle and frankly) important slices of the city's history. . . .

Drawing on the rich collections of the Redwood Library, the Preservation Society of Newport County, the Newport Historical Society, and other such archives, this book is itself a grand and successful effort in restoration and conservation. It brilliantly succeeds in preserving old Newport in all its many intriguing and, at times, contradictory guises."

-Edward J. Renehan, Jr.,
Providence Journal

"It is unusual for a history to be visually engaging or for a coffee table book to have intellectual content. This is one of the very rare books published today that is both beautiful and brainy.

In the late 17th century the idea of religious freedom was an alien idea not only around the world but here in the North American too. In Massachusetts they were hanging people for the high crime of being Quakers.

This book tells the story (in an extremely readable fashion) of the rare circumstances that led to the rise of the concept of religious freedom in a town that is now an out of the way genteel resort, but which was in its day one of the most important early American settlements.

As intellectually engaging as it is interesting, this book is a great acquisition for anyone interested in American history, colonial architecture or religious freedom. In this day and age, with the challenges facing the country and world, a reminder of the great benefits of religious tolerance could not be better timed or more needed."

-Ross Cann,
AIA

"This is a beautiful art book quality edition of the history of Newport, Rhode Island. I can't think of many small towns that deserve such a lavishly produced volume. . . . However, this small community had a very large impact on the ideas of religious freedom and civil government. . . .

This is a very richly done, informative, and enjoyable book of American history."

-Craig Matteson,
Amazon.com

"The Lively Experiment" in democracy long relegated to obscurity is exhilarating in its full disclosure in Newport: A Lively Experiment 1639-1969. This narrative of the experiment and the lasting and beneficent consequences for Newport and the entire world reveals much that is new. Its relevance to what is happening today is abundantly evident and gives the reader a new perspective.

-Wendell D. Garrett,
Consultant, American Decorative Arts, Sotheby's,
and Editor-at-Large, The Magazine Antiques

"The history of Newport lies at the heart of America's history. This thoroughly researched and elegantly presented book provides a stimulating account of Newport's own history, which should be of broad national and international interest."

-Jane Roberts
Librarian, Windsor Castle