Kentucky Books

Anyone who enjoys REAL country music will love this book, and the the unique place it is about. "It All Happened In Renfro Valley" tells the story of the late John Lair, and the country music entertainment center he created in the foothills of Kentucky's Cumberland Mountains, Renfro Valley. You'll read of how over the past 60 years Renfro Valley has grown to become one of the best and most unique homes for country music in the world, and how it has been the launching pad for the careers of now-legendary entertainers including the late Red Foley, and one of country music's first sucessful all-female acts, the late Lily May Ledford & The Coon Creek Girls. Perhaps most fascinating of all is the story of how through 60 years of ups and downs, and many changes, the unique spirit of the "Valley Where Time Stands Still" can still be found in this special place today. You'll learn of how the Valley is now in its second heyday so to speak, having underwent a much-needed revitalization and expansion about ten years ago, and how it is, as a result, once again drawing the kind of large crowds it did many years ago. In the book, Pete also tells about himself and many of the other great current and former entertainers who perform on the "regular" Renfro Valley shows like the Barn Dance and Jamboree, as well as how some of country music's biggest names now also come for concerts in the Valley. You'll also read of the Renfro Valley Gatherin', which is now the third oldest continuous radio broadcast in the nation. All in all, this is a great look back at the history of a one-of-a-kind true country place that is near and dear to the hearts of true country music fans and radio listeners all over the country and around the world. Pete also includes a few stories of his own amazing career as a country comedian and entertainer, songwriter, and disc jockey. In addition to having been a regular Renfro Valley performer since 1952, Pete was also a regular on country music's first televison show, Red Foley's Ozark Jubilee, during the mid 1950's, and was also Dolly Parton's road manager for a time in the 1970's. (She does still remember Pete, and was kind enough to write the forward to his book!) All of these experiences combine to allow Pete to tell the amazing story of a very special place in a way that only he could. "It All Happened In Renfro Valley," and you'll sure be glad if you read this book and let Mr. Pete Stamper tell you all about it!

WOW! This is a great book for those who love the Singing cowboy group "Riders in the Sky". If you have never heard of them, try their music! You won't be disappointed!

This book covers nearly EVERYTHING a first time Riders fan could need to know (although there are a few areas of interest missing from this book! Guess you can't include everything in just one volume). A great book with fantastic stories, info and pictures (althought they deleted a few pics from the pre-publication copy....I have an editor's edition and they should have left in ALL the pictures in the final run of this book).

Riders in the Sky are reminescent of Roy Rogers & Gene Autry....but with a bit of "tongue-in-cheek" humor and a bit of their own twists added in. Regulars at the Opry and with a regular tour schedule sure to be hitting a state near you! Check out www.ridersinthesky.com for more info!

This book sheds devastating new life on Joyce's life and art, and is a must read.

The infection he contracted in his teens cause Joyce's iritis and near blindness, his funny walk, sexual impotence, his wife's miscarriage and hysterectomy, his daughter's madness, his early death and much else besides.

Ulysses and Finnegans Wake are crawling with allusions to syphilis and its symptoms, as is "The Sisters" of which the first version was composed in 1904, the year in which Joyce was first treated for the disease.

Victim of a nasty joke, Joyce responded to his miseries by clowning. His masterpieces are also confessional. Ferris asks us to "suspend Ellmann's construct of Joyce as a secular humanist" and see him "as a guilt-ridden, diseased, deracinated Catholic who repented his sins" and remained a frequent church-goer.

This book is well written and is a necessity to anyone researching their family regarding the sur names, Money, Noe, Sidebottom, Skaggs, Wright and many more.
This book has a lot of great history involved in it and is labor intensive, I would hate to think of the years involved in just preparing it to be written.

I had the pleasure of talking to Harold Money before his death, he was truley a remarkable man..

Joe Saylor

This is a regional study looking at many aspects of Japan, including its physical setting, history, population, agriculture, politics, urban areas, economics, environment, and future challenges, all liberally laced with illustrative photos (B&W), maps, and diagrams. Before the publication of this book, the only comprehensive work on Japan was done by Glenn Trewartha, last published in 1965, a 1945 update. With the relevance of Japan in today's world, it's surprising that something hasn't been done sooner.

Each chapter has a valuable list of references at the end, with dates from Ellen Churchill Semple's time to modern journal articles published in 2002, which make an interesting work in itself.

99% of the photos were taken by the author, so this is more of a first hand account of what's there than a library study.

This is a good book to find out what's actually occurring in Japan and why.

Jewish Communities on the Ohio River chronicles the establishment, rise and decline of the Jewish community on the banks of the Ohio River. In the introduction, Shevitz says that her research focuses on twenty-four communities. The two most different seem to be the communities in Cincinnati and Pittsburgh.

Shevitz takes readers through the duel challenges of "frontier" life and being a minority community (sometimes unwelcomed) in small-town America during pre-modern times. Along the way, readers witness the pressures of assimilation, the reinterpretation of self and the evolution of Judaism in American life, and the not always peaceful co-existence of different religious beliefs along the Ohio River. Readers also learn of the economic opportunities that presented themselves as a result of the changing economic and political climate (such as the advent of the railroad and the changing colonial influences in the region).

In addition to the external factors, readers learn about the opportunities that the Jewish communities created for themselves (through their structure, closeness through communications, self-reliance, and redefined sense of identity). Stories of the families who lived through these times humanizes the entire experience, and help readers appreciate the various forces that sometimes draw the community apart and sometimes create solidarity with the community.

Shevitz describes the Jewish experience of being part of a community within a community, being different from mainstream Americans, and trying to find one's voice within the Jewish community and within the larger community. She narrates the community's self-reliance, but self-reliance has both positive and negative effects. While it makes towns more independent, it also isolates different sub-populations. The latter would create a sense of "other" for the Jews, and may breed anti-Semitic sentiments among non-Jews.

The experiences related here can be applied to other minority communities in the United States. The treatment of Japanese-Americans after World War II is one such example. In recent times, our attitudes towards American Muslims in general, and Arab-Americans in particular come to mind.

While Shevitz has penned a historical account, it is hoped that we learn from the lessons that history holds for us, and that Shevitz and other have portrayed for us.

Armchair Interviews agrees.

This book is an excellent companion piece to Milton studies, whether one is an undergraduate reading Milton for the first time, or a Milton scholar of a quarter-century's standing. Prof. Shawcross is recognized by his peers as the premier authority for Milton biography among scholars living today, and his former teacher, William Parker, held that rank for the previous generation. Though its approach is sufficiently psychological to earn it a classification among the works of that discipline by Library of Congress, it is densely populated by matters biographical. It addresses textual issues intermingled with a reliable account of the events of Milton's life, and includes a goldmine of insights gleaned over the decades of Prof. Shawcross's own meticulous readings, making Milton's works not only more comprehensible to the novice, but enriching the experience of reading them even for an "old hand."

Prof. Shawcross's writing style is lucid and non-pedantic, and the effort is a masterful one (not surprising, to anyone who knows his previous output). Like Nicolson's _Reader's Guide_ of several decades ago, _The Self and the World_ provides the rich background modern students need to understand the relevance of Milton studies to today's world -- only it does so even more successfully, in my opinion (and I have the greatest respect for Prof. Nicolson's work).

I would recommend this book to anyone teaching or studying Milton, at any level of expertise -- without reservation.

Johnny Green was one of the very few to survive nearly 3 years of hard fighting, living and dealing with the hardships of war. His regiment lost nearly all of its strength in two years while the remaining joined up with the Cavalry in late 1864 for the remainder of the war. Johnny Green brings firsthand accounts to the battles of Shiloh, Vicksburg, Chickamauga, Chattanooga, Atlanta and various skirmishes inside the Tennessee,Georgia and South Carolina regions. His writing is not the best nor is spelling and pronounciation superb though he manages to tell his story well. Many he times writes about the confusion, lack of food, foraging, sharpshooting and massive artillery bombardments that would make it unstandable as to why nearly nobody lived. He brings you to camp and makes you feel as if you are there with the soldiers on a daily basis. He expresses his thoughts about his fallen comrades and his dovotion to the Southern cause when he is captured by Union troops near Atlanta. This interesting, tragic, humorous and deadly tale is brought together in 207 pages and covers a lot the Orphan Brigade's life. Great photographs, renderings and maps are included to match those mentioned in the book like Colonels, Generals,etc. This book is a great source of information for those interested in reading about Kentuckians involved in western campaigns and also about a decimated brigade in the Civil War.

This book screams out the problem Ross would have in naming his books: the novels were not confined to any one state by this point. Heck, the novel was over 2/3s of the way thru before Toby even set foot in Kentucky. Still, you have intrigue (assassination plot on Grant), turmoil over the 1973 depression, and international turmoil with Henry Blake over in Europe. A fun read.
NOTE: this is the book that introduces us to Alexandra, who would later play such a pivotal role in this series and the HOLTS series.

The "Portrait of America" series is a wonderful introduction for pre-teens to the 50 states and to the places and events that shaped the history of the United States. This "Kentucky" installment is particularly good. The book is broken down into sections like "History", "Culture", "Economy" etc., and each section is thoughtfully written and edited. And this edition is loaded with several beautiful photographs. The "Culture" section is my personal favorite.

This book, as well as the entire "Portrait of America" series, will prove to be a valuable teaching tool to all primary school educators.