Delaware Books

The authors do justice in refuting the many pessimistic views of Stephen Long's career as an explorer in this great little book. Long received a plethora of negative criticism, especially after his 1819-1820 expedition across the plains to the Rocky Mountains. Some of this may be justifiable, such as not searching out the sources of the Platte, Arkansas and Red Rivers, which he had orders to do; or his nomenclature of "The Great American Desert", referring to his return trip from the Rockies. The scientific contributions from his expeditions speak for themselves. Along with publications by Long himself, there were innummerable papers and a few books from the likes of Thomas Say (zoologist), Edwin James (botanist), William Keating (geologist) and art work from Titian Peale and Samuel Seymour to vindicate the efforts of these early nineteenth century explorers. The book was easy to follow and comprehend, and a total pleasure to read.

It is for scratching three words on a map of the southwestern part of the country he had recently explored, along with writing a short descriptive paragraph of the same area, that has condemned Stephen Long in the annals of western history. Those three words were Great American Desert, and the description said in part that "this section ... is almost wholly unfit for cultivation and [is] uninhabitable ...." Nichols and Halley try to correct, or at least shed a less damning light on, this harsh view of Long's opinion (for one thing, Zebulon Pike had pretty much the same impression after visiting that section of the country 10 years earlier). Long was also much criticized for not finding the source of the Red River, and the authors deal with that brouhaha as well. But they are not trying to make a wronged saint out of Long either, and are quick to point out his inefficiencies as an explorer, i.e. not exploring the headwaters of the Platte River and going into the Rockies.

After a brief summary of Long's apprentice years (1784-1817), the authors recount his major explorations: the 1817 exploration of the Fox and Minnesota Rivers, the 1818 exploration into Arkansas and the founding of Fort Smith, the 1819 expedition to the Rockies, the longer 1820 exploration of the plains along the South Platte and the Front Range (Long's Peak being named and Pike's Peak first climbed) to the Canadian and Red Rivers (this being the Great American Desert voyage), and the 1823 exploration of the upper Minnesota region. Their narrative of Long's life and career does not go beyond the Minnesota expedition.

The authors are impressed with what Long's expeditions accomplished, but believe with better organization and leadership could have done more. They place much of the blame on Long himself, but feel there "is little evidence upon which to base an examination of his personality or character traits," though at times he quarreled bitterly with his men and more than once subordinate officers refused to obey his orders. But details of these incidents are lacking. Their book is clearly written and fairly presented. It's an excellent, straightforward account of Long's explorations and their contribution to the scientific development of the country. Highly recommended.

Great book. Story of woman native American. Thought the Lenni Lenape Indians had died out. Find out they are alive and strong in NJ.

I had no idea I've been waiting for words of wisdom from a Native American Elder. But Strong Medicine is (forgive me) just what the doctor ordered.

Marion "Strong Medicine" Gould's story is a big one. She has suffered. She inspires. She laughs. She shares wisdom you'll want to reflect on. And she does not shrink down from saying what many of us think but might not say out loud. (Or in a book.)

I'm not a history buff, but I loved learning about Strong Medicine's life--precisely because of the way Hearth presented the information. I didn't feel like I was getting a lesson. I felt like I was making a new friend. A really compassionate and wise and funny one.

This book is a gem! I acutally felt each story as though it were "Stong Medicine" actually speaking directly to me. I felt all emotions, happy, excited, anticipation, and sad as she told this beautiful story.

Amy captured her and this book will truly capture you!

What a testimony of true Native American life.

Great book for pre-schoolers through second graders. My four and six year olds love this book and ask for it to be read to them over and over. Highly recommend it!!

Can't recommend this book more highly.... A great beginning for youngsters in geography and history... My 5 year old loves the characters and can relate to the simple facts through their eyes... I am impressed by the subtle addition of french, italian and spanish key words that he now delights in repeating at every opportunity. I hope amazon gets the rest of the states SOON !!!

Anyone who has visited this quaint and delightful town will love Connie Cooper's collection of essays about historic New Castle. Dr. Cooper is the Manuscript Librarian of the Historical Society of Delaware and her thoughtful manner is reflected in her choices of articles for this volume. I was particularly pleased to discover an essay about the Dutch in New Castle by C.A. Weslager; a 1795 description of the town by the Duke de la Rochefoucault; and Deborah Van Riper Harper's essay "The Gospel of New Castle: Historic Preservation in a Delaware Town,"which focuses on the work of Daniel Bates and mentions Louise Crowninshield. The book is fun to read, a refreshing piece of scholarship, and beautifully printed by Cedar Tree Press. It is a real collector's item that will give pleasure to readers for many generations to come.

Interesting book on a local incident. The author does a nice job of gathering the information and telling the story.

Very well written, insightful, a joy to read while at the same time gaining wisdom.

Anatomy of Perjury: Field Marshal Albert Kesselring, Via Rasella, and the GINNY Mission is a scholarly treatise piecing together the answer to a World War II mystery - and the lies that enabled German Field Marshal Albert Kesselring to escape execution for his war crime. In the failed GINNY II mission, an Office of Strategic Services operational group landed on the Ligurian coast north of La Spezia with orders to destroy party of the coastal railroad; when the mission failed, the Allied soldiers surrendered to enemy forces. Two days later, they were executed. Author Richard Raiber engaged in meticulous research of microfilmed German operational records to reveal that Albert Kesselring was present at La Spezia, and undoubtedly confirmed the order to execute captured American soldiers in regulation uniforms. His efforts to cover his tracks, including the perjury of his subordinates, saved him from the death sentence swiftly meted out to General Anton Dostler, who was also complicit in the war crime. A detailed, in-depth study, especially recommended for college library and World War II military history shelves.

It is refreshing to find an author who can find an intersection between serious feminist critique and a true love of Shakespeare's work. In this book, Evelyn Gajowski explores the tension between the role of women as objects of men's projections and their own experience of subjectivity in Shakespeare's plays. The author studies three characters - Juliet, Desdemona, and Cleopatra- in detail to show how Shakespeare created women protagonists who are subjective human beings, independent of the objectifications of the male characters.

I purchased this book when we first moved to Delaware - we have a golden retriever and have found the book to be indispensable.

Ziegler has to be one of the nations leading researchers on French Literature- as well as decadence. His tsudies and his conclusions are unique and well researched. This book shows his fantastic style of writing that works well with his interest in gothic and fantastic works that date all the way from the begining of French romanticism to Stephen King's and Ann Rice's novels popular today.