Gleanings from the Harvest-Fields of Literature a Melange of Excerpta, Curious, Humorous, and Instructive

Gleanings from the Harvest-Fields of Literature was compiled by Charles Carroll Bombaugh and first published in the mid-19th century. Intended as a comprehensive anthology for the intellectually curious, the volume functioned as a literary commonplace book, gathering an eclectic mix of anecdotes, poetry, historical trivia, and aphorisms that were popular in the parlor culture of the Victorian era. Bombaugh sought to curate a vast repository of human knowledge and wit, reflecting the period's fascination with encyclopedic collections that provided both entertainment and moral edification.

The design of the collection aligns with the 19th-century tradition of the miscellany, where dense, varied content was intended to be sampled rather than read in a linear fashion. The work was received as a useful resource for those looking to expand their general knowledge or find ready references for social conversation. Over time, it gained status as a notable example of American anecdotal literature, appreciated for its breadth and the meticulous, if idiosyncratic, labor of its editor in preserving ephemeral cultural snippets for posterity.