Back in 2020 Julia and I talked about preserving her legacy. We agreed that the Babb Family Association would carry her work forward by making it available in perpetuity through the Babb Family Association on Babb Unabridged. She was quite the proliferate author, but we were able to digitize 3 of her books that relate to the Isles of Shoals and to Phillip Babb (1).

Not wanting to take revenue from her we agreed that through the rest of her life we would offer her books for sale through our site and forward her 100% of the proceeds. With her passing, the time is right to bring them into the Babb Archives to help spread the joy of her work and to protect her Intellectual Property/Copyrights.

As of today, the books are available to those who have purchased Archives Memberships (which is separate from the Annual Memberships).

The Isles of Shoals Collection

First and foremost we have This Desired Place, which I consider to be the most important book ever written about Phillip Babb (1). It captures his spirit in a way that I could never have dreamed. It really brought him and his children to life for me.

It is the first installment of what was meant to be a 3-part series.

The second installment is The Island Queen, in which Phillip appears as a ghost haunting the shores of Appledore Island. It is the story of Celia Thaxter set in the late 1800s.

Julia was very tight lipped about the 3rd installment but did confess to me that she had decided that Phillip would again make an appearance in it. The timeframe appeared to be that of her youth, the 1960s, when she spent summers on the Isles of Shoals. Sadly, this manuscript was never finished. Her life partner was suffering from dementia and needed constant attention. The toll through Covid, was no doubt overwhelming and she passed on 17 Apr 2021 a month shy of her 80th birthday.

Rest in Peace my dear Julia. Your legacy is safe with us! We miss you!