Oregon Books

I grew up in Oregon and spent most of my summers on the Oregon Coast. I live in Sourth Carolina now, and when I look at this book, it makes me cry ---every time. I am not an experienced travelor, but I know what beauty is. The Oregon Coast defines beauty for me. This book presents pictures that are breathtakingly beautiful. I remember as a teenager, walking with my girlfriends, lost in the Coastal mist, singing our hearts out. I was too young to appreciate the glorious visions that are there in my beautiful Oregon, just so abundantly available. When I go to the Oregon Coast,now, I just fall apart with emotion. Now more than ever, because my father is buried there, and he loved it SO much. When you look at the pictures of this book, remember my father, in his grave site on the cliffs, overlooking the beautiful sea. What a glorious final resting place. I dedicate this review to you, Dad. Thanks for showing me all the beauties of Oregon and our beautiful Pacific Coast. Barra (Remember our Oregon Coast song? I do!)

Since this book is out of print, I've been looking for a good quality used one. This was in good condition, with an added benefit not advertised; signed by the author!

I am so glad that books like this are readily available to the public. I am very glad that I was published. I hope one day a Publisher will see my work and request another story.

For all you rock, mineral and Gold hounds- This book is a must! Shows all known old mines, stakes and finds for all types of minerals and products.
This book also has old tributary maps, ghost towns, stage routes and indian settlements. Elevations are also included. This is a MUST for any treasure hunter!

What a great book! Not your typical guide book - this one features local businesses, and excellent color pictures - I ordered about 10 guide books on Portland, and this is the ONLY one with colorful photographs.... can't wait to move and try out all the places featured!

I stumbled across this book years ago in a Border's remainder bin, and on a whim decided to see what other people thought of it. I was surprised to see that not even one person had reviewed it yet! Overall, this book is a strong collection of short stories, each one containing completely believable, if not always sympathetic characters. If you have read and liked The Mermaid's Singing, you'll probably like this one, since it shares a lot of similar themes, though Mary Morrissy's writing is stronger.

I believe my friend and fellow woodlot manager Wally Skyrman first introduced me to an earlier edition of this book, co-authored by Alan Campbell III, Oregon State University Extension Forester for Jackson County, now retired. The book has been revised a couple of times, first in July 2003 and now April 2005. This revision now includes beautiful color photographs, contributed by Edward C. Jenson.
I like the organization of the book for its inclusion of forest types within the state. There are eleven forest types in Oregon, described beginning on page 122. The eleven types are Douglas Fir Forests, Sitka Spruce/Western Hemlock Forests, Siskiyou Mixed-conifer Forests, Coast Redwood Forests, Urban Forests, Hardwood Forests, Ponderosa Pine Forests, Lodgepole Pine Forests, Subalpine Forests, Western Juniper Forests, Western Larch Forests.
Another delightful feature of the book is its usefulness for tree species identification. Using a system taught at Oregon State University, dichotomous branching (pun intended) is as simple as the childhood game of Animal, Vegetable or Mineral, yet effective enough to assist the woodland manager or weekend forest traveler in narrowing down a certain genus-species for any Oregon tree of interest.
At $12.00 list price, it is cheap by today's standards for any text of value.
Limitations: This is a book dealing with Oregon's trees, yet any visitor to Oregon who is interested in trees would be greatly benefited by having such a book for reference. The technique of "dichotomous branching" (see note above) alone makes this book a practical and wonderful science text for the casual forest tree enthusiast and woodlands manager alike.

In "An Editor for Oregon," Floyd McKay provides a thoroughly-researched, eminently readable account of Sprague's life and times. McKay, a journalism professor at Western Washington University, brings unquestioned qualifications to this work. Before entering the academic world, he spent many years as a working journalist, both in broadcast and print. His first job was on the Oregon Statesman, working under Sprague, its owner and publisher. But though his admiration for his subject is clear, it's also a straightforward and honest account.

McKay traces Sprague's birth and youth in Kansas, his migration to Washington state and the influence the Progressive movement had on shaping his political outlook, his entry into the newspaper business, and his arrival in Oregon in 1925. A few years later he acquired the Statesman, a newspaper from the state's pioneer era that had fallen on difficult times. Sprague grew quickly in stature and influence, yet his nomination and election to the governorship over incumbent Charles Martin in 1938, only 13 years after he had come to the state, was something of a surprise.

His single term as governor was dominated by the state's response to the outbreak of World War II. In 1942, the same voters who had embraced Sprague only four years earlier turned their backs on him, ousting him in the Republican primary. Although a competent governor, Sprague's time in office turned out to be only a prelude to his greatest service to the state. For the next 25 years, with his front page column "It Seems To Me" and on the Statesman's editorial page, Sprague evolved into the most widely-read and respected opinion-maker in the state. Yet his active public service was not at an end; he served for a time as an alternate delegate to the United Nations.

"An Editor for Oregon" provides not only a compressive look at Sprague's life and career, but a history of the state's political evolution from the Depression through the sixties. It's a first-rate work.--William C. Hall

One of the best espionage novels I have ever read. I wish this author would write another novel of any kind. I would definately read it.

I really enjoyed this book. The story of McCullough's life is very interesting, and his legacy is profound. He has built so many bridges around the state, and they are all beautiful! I highly recommend this book if you are at all interested in bridges or just a little Oregon history.