Arkansas Books

Judge Arnold has once again illuminated the record on colonial history in the Louisiana Territory, specifically in Arkansas. In this work , he skillfully outlines the precarious balance between life and death at Arkansas Post, the remote French, then Spanish, then American garrision above the mouth of the Arkansas River as it enters the Mississippi.

The territorial commandant of the Post is a drop of colonial authority in vast ocean of Indians and unruly hunters and trappers. His ability to govern was primarily based on the annual "present" to the Quapaw Indians. This annual gift of needed gunpowder, blankets and, more often than not, rum, was critical to annual relations. A close second was a culture of routinue intermarriage of the French trappers and hunters and their Quapaw neighbors.

A second theme in the work revolves around the relationships between the colonial powers of England, France and Spain with the Quapaws, as well as other tribes. The Quapaws were decidedly francophiles and disliked the handoff of Louisiana to Spain. Therefore, the Spanish Governor in New Orleans continued to employee principally French commnadants for his Arkansas Post.

The Quapaws were in constant struggle against their foe, the Chickasaws, who lived across the Mississippi River. Backed by the British, the Chickasaws led frequent raids into Arkansas.

The book is well written, enlightening and entertaining for the serious academic and the history loving reader alike. It is well documented and is the result of significant research of orginal French and Spanish colonial archives.

The Rumble Of A Distant Drum is a research work on the founding, flourishing, and fall of Arkansas Post, the first European settlement (1686) in Jefferson's Louisiana Purchase. Precariously perched on the banks of the lower Arkansas River, the history of the French outpost founded by Henry de Tonty presents many convincing examples of peaceful and productive coexistence and symbiotic interaction between the Quapaws and Frenchmen in five to six generations. Both culture's languages and bloods intermixed in this time span. Based on traditional archival research and also including a finely detailed interpretation of an 18th century Quapaws painted buffalo robe currently at Musee de l'Homme in Paris, The Rumble Of A Distant Drum is an elegantly written scholarly interpretive summary of Quapaw culture and history as viewed through European sources. Arnold portrays the Quapaws as rational economic actors, not stereotypic noble savages. Carefully examining all available preconceptions, Arnold posits nothing without solid foundation. He concludes that this was a biracial interrelationship of its time characterized by balance and respect despite heavy population losses (Indian) due to disease and historic racist tendencies of the Europeans. The Rumble Of A Distant Drum is a fascinating book to read as well as a great contribution to this period of Native American studies. Students of anthropology, early American art, and history of this area will be intrigued.

Nancy Lorraine, Reviewer

This book is a breath of fresh air. It is beautifully photographed, capturing the uniqueness of a quaint histoic town nestled in the rolling hills of the Ozark mountains. The creative soft hues of the photographs that comprise this work are fresh, new and inviting. Eureka Springs is a magical place and this wonderful book brings this little known secret to the reader.

What an amazing book! My first visit to Eureka Springs was when I was 5 years old, back in the 1950s. I fell in love with the place and have returned many times over the years. There's very little in print about this unique mountain town beyond a few photos of what it looked like in the late 1800s. But White's book goes beyond trying to capture the antique storefronts and quaint Victorians homes of the historic district, looking instead into the soul of the quirky tourist town. His images, taken by infared photography, seem to capture the quality of life that you don't often actually see as a tourist. Artists, crafters, writers and creative people live tucked away in the hills of town, living real lives alongside 5-star restaurants and excellent entertainment. Some of the most pristene views in all of North America are the backdrop of this beautiful book. I give it a hearty 5 stars and a big thumbs up!

"Some Degree of Power" is a close examination of primary sources from the American revolutionary printing trade, and is the first coherent attempt to create a database of the active, political American working class. The project antedates Sean Wilentz's "Chants Democratic", and undertakes a larger mission.

Dr Lause recovers, from their own voices, the political life and discourse of the radical printing elite of the Atlantic Enlightenment. This book tracks the employment, political associations, publications, military and revolutionary activity of almost one thousand printers from the eighteenth into nineteenth century.

He demonstrates that workers were articulate, organised and made their own significant contributions to civic culture and political events, other than as "the crowd in history." It is evident from this work that printers were the literate and organising elite among workers in the eighteenth century as weavers and masons were in medieval work forces. This corrects the concept of worker as "tool of the bourgeoisie, and follows the interpretive tradition of E.P.Thompson.

If you want to know what early American printers read,wrote, and believed, and what they did as citizens, this is your portal into their world.

...Some Degree of Power is a detailed study and an enlightening look at printers and their many plights and subsequent importance in the early history of The United States. The meticulous care and lengthy detail that have gone into the book, as well as copious research, make it a must-read for those interested in broadening their perspective of early American history. The author, Lause, seems to be a true patriot in the American Colonial sense, and not a detractor of America. Lause's sources reflect top-notch research and no errors of substance can be found.

I LIKE HER BOOK's ( I have all of them in arabic ) she is .... i dont know what to say :) i like her a lot , she is talking about me ,she is opening new doors , u must open & explore this book , it's something new GO 4 it

Being one fanatic person when it comes to Ghada Samman's works, The Square Moon is definitely one of my favorite books. Easy to read, yet makes one think and use their horizon in examining the unusual. This book says a lot -without preaching-and encourages the reader to explore more in their own lives. Great stories, so unusual...still so true! Runa

This is a fabulous collection of poems based on well-known fairy tales and nursery rhymes - but with a modern point of view and a wry, often grim twist. Imagine an advice columnist responding to the wife in "Bluebeard", or Hansel and Gretel's appearance in juvenile court... Here's a sample from the poem based on the story of the princess and the frog, as told by her parents:

"...
As for that fairy tale she likes to tell
About the frog who scrambled from the well
And gave her back her ball (all dripping wet),
Then turned into a Prince (that's how they met),
We know he's not a Prince; the point is this:
Our poor romantic daughter thinks he is."

Some of the takes are very funny, but nearly always disquieting. (There's a poem based on "Old Mother Hubbard," from her dog's point of view - sounds goofy but it's utterly heart-rending.) I re-read the poems often, and thoroughly enjoy them. Recommended!

Hay's collection of poetry explores many of the well-known fairy tales, nursery rhymes and fables from our childhood. While other poets, such as Anne Sexton, have been focused on adult audiences, Hay's poetry can be used with younger audiences, too. The book is filled with themes which adults can enjoy, however. The collection offers inspiration to poets to explore the themes in the folklore of our childhoods with grace and charm. Happily ever after is not expected by Hay, but she does not express a hopeless future either. The characters from the tales deal with the potential realities that come after their original "happily ever afters."

I'm in the U of A band and never had any idea of what happened in the past years of the band. It breaks down what each director did during their period. I highly recommend it! Go Hogs!

This is an excellent record of the history of the University of Arkansas Razorback band. I have a daughter who played in the band and this book personalized the history for me. Dr. Thompson did a thorough job of researching the band back to its beginning. The hundreds of pictures tell its story from infancy to the proud band it is today. This is a very worthwhile part of the University of Arkansas' history.

Up against the wall by Curtis Austin is a superb achievement. This is the
first book in my opinion which brings a long overdue objective perspective
to the history of the Black Panther Party.
The author highlights historical evidence related to the BPP while
carefully placing the facts into context and avoiding sensationalism.
It is a crucial contribution to Afro-American history.
It is a compelling book and I profoundly appreciate the author's
understanding of the party. Luce Masset

This book provides an important look at the Black Panther Party in all of its complexities. Although the main focus is on violence in the creation and deterioration of the BPP, the book has a wealth of historical information about the time period as a whole. As someone who has only a limited education on the Black Panther Party and the Black Power movement, I found this book to be a major contribution to my knowledge base, understanding and awareness. Austin gives insight into the climate of the nation prior to the founding of the party, so it was easy for me to see why the Black Panther Party was initially needed in the local community and why it later gained national popularity. As the book unfolded, it also became easy to see why the party had failures in some areas...
This book has truly been invaluable in my understanding of not just black history, but also of American history. I would not only recommend this book to those who wanted to increase their historical knowledge---I would recommend the book to anybody who is looking for an engaging read. This book is an absolute page-turner! It is filled with story after story detailing the rise and fall of the BPP, which includes anything from day-to-day life as a Panther and armed defense against police attacks to the COINTELPRO operation and government infiltration. Although I started the book slowly because of my busy schedule, I became increasingly engrossed as it went on---the more I read of the book, the less I wanted to put it down!

I just finished reading this fascinating history of the Arkansas River from its source to the Pueblo Dam. I am looking for a copy for my own library as the one I read is a library copy. Author Virginia Simmons presents interesting geological information as well as the impact of man upon that environment. I looked for an explanation of the ridges that emanate east/west from the Sawatch Range between Salida and Buena Vista but found none. A small disappointment. The book contains maps and photographs which support the text. It would make an excellent reference for people who plan to visit the area as it did for me. I would like to have seen a few more detailed maps, but the ones it has are useful. Though containing no footnotes or a bibliography as such, Simmons cites the sources of her information in a section on Suggested Readings.

Virginia Simmons has produced a well researched look at the upper Arkansas including the evolution of mining and the creation of towns. It is well written and easy to follow. The book is enhanced by her fine photography. This book is unique in that it provides the first balanced history of this region including Lake and Chaffee counties.

We Are A People In This World: The Lakota Sioux And The Massacre At Wounded Knee by journalist Conger Beasley Jr. recounts the 1890 massacre of the Lakota Sioux at Wounded Knee, blending a grimly defining episode of Native American history with the author's personal story of participating in the commemorative Big Foot Memorial Ride some one hundred years after the slaughter. A compelling account that includes oral testimony from some who survived the killing, poignant and highly recommended historical event, We Are A People In This World is an invaluable and recommended contribution to Native American Studies reference collections and supplemental reading lists.

Having read all 0f Beasley's books, I am surprised that he justkeeps getting better. This book is an example of how an authorwithout an agenda can inform a book with honesty and make you want to read everything on the subject.

A nice fit between text and illustrations, with a clean, well-ordered layout. This book would suffice as the only reference book for any home gardener. Lots of details, and yet not too "botanical" for the beginning gardener.

Peeking out of my widow on an early Montreal spring morning I was depressed and horrified to notice snow on the ground! Although, where I live, you never know when winter ends and spring arrives; it still came as a shock!

In all probability, this would drive some to go for a swig of cognac in order to alleviate their winter blues, however, I decided to think positively and I began planning my garden.

Every spring I have this urge to get it right. Unfortunately, I seem to fall into my annual trap in being clueless as to where to start, and even if I knew, how to continue maintaining a beautiful garden.

Over the years, with all good intentions, I have either thumbed through or read from cover to cover one of the many gardening books. Most never seem to satisfy my needs. Moreover, they seem to presume that I know or should understand the basics of gardening. As a result, they devote very little space in delving into such topics as what is gardening, what is a plant, what plants need, what we need, where to start, and soil improvement.

However, recently, along comes a superb comprehensive coffee table tome, How To Be A Gardener, authored by Alan Titchmarsh with glorious illustrative photographs by Jonathan Buckley that just about answers all of my naive queries.

This beautifully rendered guide was published as an accompaniment to the BBC television series entitled, How To Be A Gardener. The guide not only explains how to garden, but why practicing certain techniques will aid us in achieving better results.

The author points out that gardening should be a pastime where one's imagination should run wild and free. Essential is that you get a feel for gardening by using all of your senses-touch, taste, smell, sight and hearing, as well as just plain ordinary "horse sense" or common sense. It should also be noted, as we are reminded, that gardening never finishes, it is an on going process. If you can't accept this fact, then forget about it.

Did you know you could learn a great deal about your soil by looking at the garden shortly after it has rained? All you have to do is rub a handful of soil between your fingers. In this way you can tell if it is sandy, clay, chalky, loamy, or peaty.
Knowing the kind of soil will go along way in determining what to plant.
The author points out another way to examine the soil by taking a handful of it and stirring it into a glass jar full of water. Allow the mess to settle, and then take a look at it.
Here again the author explains the various possibilities.

This is just one of many examples of the sage advice appearing throughout the sixteen chapters that examine the basics of gardening, the different seasons, maintenance, weeds, design, patio gardening, beds and borders, edible gardens, wildlife gardens, covered gardens, vertical gardening, and water features.

One of the preponderant features of the book is its strong emphasis on clear and crafted explanations mixed with generous lush photographs and illustrative tables.
In this way the reader's imagination and curiosity are awakened and interest maintained.

For most readers the book will be one to dip into rather than one to read cover to cover; although, I must admit, that once you begin reading the first introductory sections, you are prodded to read on and discover how to go about enjoying gardening.

Norm Goldman Editor of Bookpleasures