West Virginia Books

Halka Chronic's "Pages of Stone" is a well-written introduction to the geology of the Colorado Plateau. Her book, following a general introduction to the geological formation processes of the plateau landscapes, is organized around the numerous national parks and monuments in this remarkable area. These include the biggies, like the Grand Canyon, Bryce, and Mesa Verde, as well as lesser known locations like Sunset Crater, the Black Canyon of the Gunnison, and Wupatki. Each park and monument is treated with a detailed description of its principal geological features, how these features fit into the overall geology of the plateau, and is illustrated with black and white photographs (there are a number of color photos in a center insert). I have only one complaint about Chronic's book, but it was enough to knock off a star from what could be a five-star volume. That's the lack of detailed park maps that would make it easier to locate some the places that she discusses. I have an earlier edition of this book, so if this has been corrected in this latest edition, then simply add a star to my review. All in all, this book, and Chronic's Roadside Geology series, are a good way for the layperson to familiarize themselves with one of the truely great American regions.

This book does a nice job providing an overview of competition between wildlife and humans in 3 east African countries. Using 3 case studies, Ofcansky provides a context for the colonial decisions that shaped game preservation. The book is a fast read and provides a stimulant for future exploration into the topic.

Christy and Jeff Little have provided us with a vast collection of postcards (many have never before been published) and a brief description of each. Historical accuracy was assured by careful research in local newspapers and interviews with older residents of the city. If you have any interest in Parkersburg, or are curious about how to write a book about your city, this is an excellent read.

The book is organized by county. Cohen does a good job of concentrating on the militay operations. The book does a wonderful job of pulling out little known sites as well as the more famous sites. The book has been of great help in my travels.

I was very pleased with how smoothly Pinnick Kinnick Hill read. "PKH" is similar in story telling to some of the feel-good stories of Italian Americans - coming to America genera- that you see in movies. And also similar to the movie "Avalon." An enjoyable read. This was reviewed by the Washington Times, and I have to agree with the review that while it is not high literature, it does make you feel good about stories of the American dream.

This is a must have for any owner of a home built in Fauquier county in the 18th or early 19th century. It is also appealing to general historians and residents of the county and of Virginia.

While I was disappointed that my 150 year old home was not listed or its carpenter discussed (he was after all a Yankee transplant after the war between the states) the historical information was fascinating and is a very good reference for both County history and Architecture.

I very much enjoyed reading Tim McKinney's Civil War Chronicle "Robert E. Lee at Sewell Mountain". I read the book because several of my ancestors and their relatives were members of the 19th and 27th Brigades of The Virginia Militia (from Southern West Virginia). The book chronicles the conflict of Union and Confederate troops in West Virginia during August through October of 1861. The author provides a good description of the feud between Confederate generals Floyd and Wise - an important factor in the logistics of the Confederate retreat. The book emphasizes the cold rains, which nearly immobilized both Union and Confederate Armies. The author provides several good photographs and sketches to help document his chronicle. The book includes an extensive bibliography.

Julian Steward was a highly influential anthropologist who is often credited with founding the field of cultural ecology. Aside from his theoretical contributions, Steward also helped reorganize the AAA in the 1940s and influenced a number of his students who would go on to play important roles in post World War II anthropology. Despite the fact Steward's work is often sited, Kern's detailed and meticulous biography reveals a myriad of facts about his life I was unaware of. In short, her book is a model of anthropological biography.
Kern's work demonstrates that all too often the history of anthropology is not written by anthropologists but by historians such as George Stocking. Thus her work underscores the fact an adequate anthropological history of anthropology has yet to be written. I hope her biography will inspire other theoreticians and anthropologists to undertake similar studies for biography is woefully under represented in the discipline (this is the case despite the fact a number of biographies are being published by the University of Nebraska Press--see Sally Coles work on Ruth Landes, William Peace on Leslie White and Jerry Gershenhorn on Melville Herskovits).

Phil did a great job researching material for this book. It's worth buying. Unfortunetly, Phil passed away in Hinton, WV early February 2003 while conducting reseach for his next book.

I recently visited Harpers Ferry on a vacation where I was touring eastern Civil War battlefields and found the place so facinating that I wanted to learn more about it's history. While Harpers Ferry was an important location during the Civil War, in most Civil War books it's a sideshow of something larger such as the battle of Antietam. Fortunately with Chester Hearn's book it gets center stage treatment.

The book itself is well written and is a nice 300 pages in length. John Brown's raid, Lee's invasions of 1862 & 1863 as well as Early's 1864 raid are all covered and covered in depth in the book. Hearn's writing style is enjoyable and the book is well researched.

Unfortunately the maps in the book don't live up to the writing. The four maps are some of the worst I've seen in any Civil War book. The first two are barely acceptable. The one of the town itself doesn't even show the Bolivar Heights. The last two are the worst. They are so dark and the lettering so small that most of the wording on them is unreadable and they do not help the reader in any way. None of the maps show such important landmarks like Sandy Hook and not until the last one is even the Bolivar Heights shown but the lettering so small that you can barely read it.

This is a good book and Civil War buffs will enjoy it. You will be left with a better appreciation for the role Harpers Ferry played in the war. However Hearn would have served his work better and the reader would have gotten a better understanding of the events had he provided better maps and perhaps some photos of the area. It's one thing to read about the Loudoun and Maryland Heights and another to see them. A picture of these heights from the town would have greatly assisted the reader in understanding the terrain of the area and the difficulties they brought to defending it.

I do recommend this book but if you pick it up I strongly suggest you search online for maps of the Harpers Ferry area and perhaps some photos showing the Maryland and Loudoun Heights.