At least 29 different authors throughout the years have noted various neighborhoods in Boston in their books.  Some of the authors are quite famous, like Nathanial Hawthorne and William Faulkner.

Venturing to different spots all over the city, the authors captured the essences of the neighborhoods at the time.  From Allston to Brighton, from Fenway to Jamaica Plain, you’ll probably find your neighborhood mentioned in one of them.

Check out the following books if you’re interested in a little bit of Boston history.  The neighborhood referenced in the book, name of the book, author and year published are all noted.  Some of these books are still available, even some of the older ones.  I found some for sale on the Internet.

Allston –

• The Sound and the Fury – William Faulkner (1929)
• American Note-Book – Nathaniel Hawthorne (1868)

Fenway –

• Hub Fans Bid Kid Adieu – John Updike (1960)
• Eugene O’Neill’s self-written obituary (1953)
• Murder at the Gardner – Jane Langton (1988)

Jamaica Plain –

• The Godwulf Manuscript – Robert B. Parker (1974)
• An American Politician – F. Marion Crawford (1884)

West Roxbury –

• The Blithedale Romance – Nathaniel Hawthorne (1852)

Hyde Park –

• Harvard Yard – William Martin (2003)

South End –

• The Cardinal – Henry Morton Robinson (1950)
• The Late George Apley – John P. Marquand (1937)
• The Promised Land – Mary Antin (1912)
• The Rise of Silas Lapham – William Dean Howells (1885)
• Boston Boy – Nat Hantoff (1986)

Roxbury –

• Blance Cleans Ups – Barbara Neely (1998)
• The Autobiography of Malcolm X (1965)
• The Given Day – Dennis Lehane (2008)
• Agnes Surriage – Edwin Lassetter Bynner (1886)

Mattapan –

• Mattapan – Blue Hill Avenue – Mark Mirsky (1972)

Dorchester –

• The Lost Constitution – William Martin (2007)
• Darkness, Take My Hand – Dennis Lehane (1996)
• The Diagnosis – Alan Lightman (2000)

East Boston –

• Revere Beach Boulevard – Roland Merullo (1998)

Charlestown –

• Oliver Wiswell – Kenneth Roberts (1940)
• The City Below – James Carroll (1994)
• Old Ironsides – Oliver Wendell Holmes (1830)

South Boston –

• Boyos – Richard Marinick (2004)
• All Souls – Michael Patrick MadDonald (1999)
• Zodiac:  The Eco-Thriller – Neal Stephenson (1988)

With all these beautifully written stories of Boston, how could you not want to check out the real estate in some of these neighborhoods?  There is a plethora to pick from.