Missouri Books

A lively, descriptive and exciting narrative of Thomas James' adventures up the Missouri River in 1809-1810 and to Sante Fe in the years 1821-1823. His writing abilities are brilliant and the reader will find themself anxiously flipping through the pages to see what happens next. In 1809 James joined the St.Louis Missouri Fur Company and relates the experiences of his crew being mistreated by Manuel Lisa, then joining up with John Colter, along with several other personal accounts of the day to day activities and survival strategies they encountered. He was one of the first to describe and take part in the trade business from St. Louis to Sante Fe and it is absorbing to read of his confrontations with the Comanches and the Spanish during these years. This is a must read for early American West enthusiasts.The book itself may be difficult to find, but it is certainly well worth the effort.

Like many a frontiersman, Thomas James late in life decided to put into book form the tales of his adventures as a younger man in the West. He concentrated on three expeditions he had made: the first in 1809 when he accompanied Manuel Lisa to the headwaters of the Missouri; the second in 1821 when he brought supplies to Santa Fe by keelboat at first, and then overland, via the lower Arkansas and Cimarron Rivers, returning the next year by way of a route approximating the Santa Fe Trail along the Kansas stretch of the Arkansas to present day Wichita, and then overland to the Osage River and down it to the Missouri; and finally in 1823 when he attempted a trading expedition with the Comanches west of Fort Smith across present-day Oklahoma. None of these endeavors proved successful, and they landed James in debt for most of his life. They were high in adventure, however, which is related marvelously in this book.

James had limited formal education, and apparently these memoirs were dictated to Nathaniel Niles, an attorney in Belleville, Illinois. James was pretty straightforward in his criticisms in the book (he blames the "unprincipled" Lisa and the Missouri Fur Company for not getting paid for the 1809 expedition and doesn't hide his dislike toward the missionaries he'd encountered), and the book was suppressed after it was first published (the fact that the publisher tried to gather up all the published copies and then destroy them made the book extremely scarce). But James's account of his travails - the harsh weather (once he and his companions awoke with three feet of freshly fallen snow on top of them), the swollen streams, the scarcity of game, the unpredictability of the Indians, the sheer size and wildness of the country itself - are all captured magnificently. He also had his prejudices ("the Spaniards were all liars, but the Americans never lie"), but the Indians receive respect if not outright admiration from him, even after the Comanches rob him of $12,000 worth of goods. As an early portrait of life on the plains, the book is highly valuable and creditable.

It's a pity more readers haven't read Peter Schneeman's collection of short stories. But it's a complete tragedy that he hasn't followed up with more!

As a Penn State English Lit. student some years ago, I had the pleasure of studying under Mr. Schneeman. Not only is he a terrific writer, but he's also an inspiring and excellent lecturer.

While this collection and I have both aged a bit, it is still just as fresh as the first time I read it. Very thoughtful, surprising, and absorbing. It stil holds an honored spot on my overstuffed bookshelves.

I don't know if Mr. Schneeman is still teaching, but I hope other PSU students have the chance to read a great book by a wonderful writer.

P.S. He handed out copies of the book to our entire class -- gratis! The only thing better than a good book, is a FREE good book. :)

Well, Mr. Evans was my reading teacher in 7th and 8th grade and he used the book in class. He put a lot of work into this book and he did a very good job. The book tells the story behind the story of the writings of Tom Sawyer. This book is a great teaching ade, so please buy it and support Mr. Evans.

The main portion of the book is "Puddnhead Wilson", but Twain writes a fascinating intro to "Those Extraordinary Twins" to explain how he started writing one book and ended up with the other. The twins were originally conjoined (Siamese), and were the main characters. The side characters of Tom and Roxy developed into main characters in an entirely different story. what you end up with is a tragedy and a comedy, that occur around the same time, in the same town, with most of the same characters. Its amazing how much a few little twists change everything.

Skye Fargo is just passing through Springfield, Missouri, when he makes the acquaintance of comely Lucille Sparks. Lucille has had her fill of the frontier and when she takes the stage out of town, a local gang of lowlifes led by Mad Dog Terrell swoops in and kidnaps her. Now, as part of a ragtag posse, the Trailsman is going to teach Mad Dog some new tricks...like playing dead.

As is expected from a Trailsman novel this book is filled with action, cliff-hanger situations that keep you reading, and great characters.

Mad Dog and his gang of outlaws are beautifully created and will have the reader urging Fargo on to deal them some frontier justice.

The members of the posse are equally well drawn and the conflicts of character amounst them make for some great reading, not to mention some hilarious dialogue.

And what of the women? Lucille Sparks and Bobbie Joe, both are strong in character and are more than just conquests for Fargo, both having important parts to play in the fast moving storyline.

The plot is extremely well crafted and you have to wonder how Fargo will escape with his life from a number of dangerous situations he finds himself in. And as the book races towards its bloody finale the reader can't help but get caught up in the twists and surprises the author has waiting for them.

Great, too, to see references made to a previous Trailsman book - #149: Springfield Sharpshooters.

Another very good entry into the Trailsman series, one that I highly recommend to all fans of westerns.

I am listed as a co-author of this book. I helped with the study of the Minnesota Legislature that engendered this book. The study took place from 1984-1986, and was commissioned by the Minnesota Legislature.

The study was a rich and layered look at the Minnesota Legislature, and at how state legislatures have changed over time. If there is an animating finding in this book, it is a working hypothesis that state government has grown complex, and that therefore state legislatures need to professionalize.

This belief gives rise to a call for higher pay for legislators, for annual budgeting periods, and for unicameralism. Many of these reform suggestions are animated by a concern for the increasing empowerment of the executive branch, at the expense of legislative powers and governance.

Twenty years later, the book is still quite good. Some details need to be brushed up, yet the sections of the book charting the changes from the non-partisan legislatures of the middle twentieth century to the more partisan era today are decent and have held the test of time.

I admit to a bias in favor of this book, which I helped research and in a very small sense write. It would not be of interest to any who is not a lover of state legislatures, or of the Minnesota legislature, or both.

The Truth Will Set You Free is Samuel L. Hoard's autobiography. Beginning with his childhood in St. Louis, Missouri, going on to his college years in Ft. Wayne, Indiana, and continuing with his service to people from all walks life as a pastor and military chaplin, this personal memoir is laced with anecdotes revealing the subtleties and cruelties of racism both with society and withing the church. The Truth Will Set You Free is an account of an enduring passion for communicating the Gospel despite social, cultural, and racial roadblocks. The life story of Pastor Samuel L. Hoard is strongly recommended reading, especially for those engaged in their own struggle against injustice and discrimination both within the Christian community and the broader secular society.

Words cannot express how grateful I am that Cornell University saw fit to republish these two papers. You read about points of view from a variety of historians, but there is nothing like the words directly from those living the lives and voicing their beliefs in their own words. I will never again look at this period of our nation's history in the same way. Anyone trying to understand that period of our nation's history and trying to understand how we ended up fighting amongst ourselves should read this. Thank you Cornell.

I love the blunt honesty of the student voices in this guide. It really makes you feel like you're talking directly to a student instead of reading something wholly technical. There are sections on everything from diversity to nightlife, to academics of course. Everyone thinking about University of Missouri should get this Prowler book.