Virginia Books

This book is a gem if you are a teacher, elementary or secondary who is interested in using literature in the classroom. Often called literature circles, literature study and here, book clubs, this book provides the theoretical background as well as the in-class applications for use in any situation. Students become motivated, engaged lovers of reading.

The Book of Kings is a must read if you're from Bristol. VN "Bud" Phillips brings the King family to life in such a way that I find myself thinking about different situations many months after reading the book. Such as when Rev. King would take the slave children up on the hill to pick strawberries on a summer afternoon or the grief that was felt throughout the whole family when one on the slave children accidentally drown. I almost felt I was on the banks of Beaver Creek with them. I'll read this book again and again.

I can't believe I'm the first person to rate this exceptional work of fiction! This novel is so real it's almost unreadable - it can be breathed. Pharr holds a key to the lifestyle and lingo of a wonderfull black south.
The Book of Numbers describes the coming up of young Dave Greene, who leaves home after his wannabe-lawyer father's death and quickly becomes the king of numbers, leading a fast and lucrative sporting life of the depression-era south. Business begins booming before Dave has a chance to realize he knows little to nothing about maintaining a business, he only had a dream. Now that it has taken off he worries briefly if he can handle it all. He manages well, though, and becomes a hero and a millionare. Dave, with the help from his best friend and sort of mentor Blueboy, try to maintain the numbers operation under the noses of jealous and curious white citizens by dealing only with the negro occupants of the Ward. Gambling,murder, alcoholism, police brutality, sex, and race all play a powerfull role in this book. This is a phenomenal piece of black history. Go get this book! Amazing!

Seems to me that there is a lack of good books written about the free men on the Ohio River frontier. And by free men, I do not mean the tribalists nor the military men who killed "in the name of freedom." There were some hunter/trappers who simply lived freely in the woods, men like James Sherlock and Adam O'Bryan, but it seems like authors never choose them to write about. You can get glimpses of them in books like Glenn Lough's NOW AND LONG AGO and like Lucullus V. McWhorter's volume here.

There are some excellent novels about the free hunter/trappers who lived later in the Rocky Mountains and on the plains, but there is no eastern frontier equivalent to, say, Vardis Fisher's THE MOUNTAIN MAN, upon which Robert Redford's JEREMIAH JOHNSON was based. A few others spring to mind, all later and west of the Mississippi.

Here is Lucullus Virgil McWhorter on historical Ohio Valley trapper Adam O'Bryan:

"When asked how he came to seek the wilderness and encounter the perils of sufferings of frontier life, he answered that he liked it and did not mind it a bit and in further explanation said that he was a poor man and had got behind hand and when that's the case, there is no staying in the settlements for those varmints, the sheriffs and constables, who were worse than Indians..."

"That after the King's Proclamation for all the settlers and surveyors to remove east of the big ridge from off the western waters, there was no white people on the west side except those who had run away from justice, and they were as free as the biggest buck a-going, and after the peace of sixty-three, it was all quiet in the backwoods..."

"He said that they lived quite happy before the Revolution, for then there was no law, no courts, and no sheriffs, and they all agreed pretty well, but after a while the people began to come and make settlements; and then there was a need for law; and then came the lawyers and next the preachers and from that time they never had any peace any more, that the lawyers persuaded them to sue when they were not paid, and the preachers converted one half, and they began to quarrel with the other half because they would not take care of their own souls, and from that time they never had any peace for body or soul, and that the sheriffs were worse than the wildcats and painters and would take the last coverlet from your wife's straw bed or turn you out in a storm, and I tell you, mister, I would rather take my chances and live among savages than live among justices and lawyers and sheriffs who, with all their civility, have no natural feeling in them..."

At first glance, this looks like a childrens' book: large colorful photos of young animals, some of them remarkably adorable. But the Simpsons are naturalists and college teachers as well as photographers, and the text accompanying the images contains details that will hold the interest of adult readers. Also, many of the photographs are unusual because baby animals are often well-hidden and protected by a parent, so photographers more often take pictures of adult animals rather than their offspring.

There were several photos that were particularly delightful: soft-eyed fawns, pileated woodpecker chicks being fed by their parent, a mother flying squirrel curling up with her sleeping babies, ducklings on the march, and a bear cub rolling on its back.

Although the edition I read is a paperback book, it is of extremely high quality and the sharp reproductions do justice to the exceptional photography.

As Continental forces and Virginia militia units were engaged in winning independence, American quartermasters and provisioners struggled to provide these units with all the necessities of life, from meals and guns to meat, fodder for horses, the horses themselves, firewood, and every other type of material. Much of this was requisitioned from the civilian population and certificates were issued payable in either continental or state funds, depending on the units supplied, upon presentation to court authorities. Thousands of these certificates issued to Virginians were duly entered by the courts, and they provide a fascinating insight into the period of the Revolution. These "Publick" Claims booklets contain interesting and useful information about the contributions of ordinary people to the Revolutionary War. They provide some details of people's service in the militia or as guards for prisoners of war; they indicate where some bodies of troops were at particular times; and they identify providers of horses, wagons, cattle, grain, or other supplies. Much of the information in these booklets cannot be found anywhere else, which makes the surviving records particularly valuable. Also remarkable is the fact that records survived from virtually every county in the state at that time with the exception of the newly formed Kentucky counties. This makes the collection even more valuable in covering areas which heretofore in this time period have suffered from a lack of personal data. The "Virginia Publick Claims" are published by counties. In addition to a faithful transcription by Janice Luck Abercrombie and the late Richard Slatten, a complete index is provided for each county booklet. This series is an extremely important genealogical tool for searchers in Revolutionary-era materials.

This book is a wealth of knowledge for those rare bread of educators who are truly interested in integrating scientific knowledge of children into their instruction and assessments. Berninger has a unique way of organizing information and theory into a concise model that allows one to quickly apply that knowledge to almost any situation in education: assessment, curriculum assessment, child assessment, lesson design, special ed lesson design, and child behavior problems.

As a devoted Diane Chamberlain fan, I have read every one of her novels. This one was particulary intense and compelling. Diane deals realistically with the fallout from sexual abuse and survivor guilt. Sisters Claire and Vanessa share sharply different memories of summers spent with their grandfather, who was in the process of restoring an antique carousel. Claire has nothing but happy memories of lazy summer days spent with her beloved grandfather. Vanessa, after overcoming drug and alcohol addiction has become an activist for molested children. Claire does not understand why her sister Vanessa will have nothing to do with her.

Claire is witness to a suicide that triggers flashbacks that she doesn't understand. With the help of the victim's brother, she uncovers the terrible truth about her grandfather and her perceived role in her sister's trauma.

Claire's struggle to come to grips with her memories, her guilt, and her attempts to make amends with her sister will touch the hearts of anyone who hold themselves responsible for causing unspeakable pain to someone they truly love.

Highly recommeneded!

Although other books provide more informative historical text, this is a fascinating book because of the pre-restoration photos of these wonderful houses and public buildings. See my review of the paperbound Dover reprint from 1970. Highly recommended for all interested in historic American architecture.

This is an unabridged republication of the work originally published by Architectural Book Publishing Co., in 1919. The title is a bit of a misnomer because some wood houses, such as George Washington's Mount Vernon, are shown and there is an emphasis on the finish millwork detailing. Aside from the Introduction and two chapters with notes which give a short historical blurb and sometimes a floor plan, there is no text. The black & white photos are often grainy or muddy, but they give a fascinating view of the properties in their pre-restored, preserved condition. In addition, there are some measured drawings showing a selection of some elevations and details such as chimneypieces and doorways, both exterior and interior. Architects have used this valuable resource for almost 90 years and this inexpensive paperbound Dover reprint makes it available to a wider audience -- professionals, students or simply those who enjoy historic American buildings.