Kentucky Books

This book is full of excellent information about horses, their ailments, potential illnesses, and this doctor's sage advice on keeping our horses healthy. I read medical journals all the time, and this reads more like a great story being told by your favorite teacher! There are real-life situations that are hilarious and those that give you pause. I read it cover to cover and loved it the whole time! It is a great reference book for your library.

This book is exactly what Brent Kelley set out to write: an entertaining, easy to read horse vet book. Its a perfect blend of anecdotes and technical information. His stories and experiences not only make the various equine aliments easier to understand, but more memorable as well. Definitely a "must have" for any horse owners who have ever struggled through books on equine veterinary medicine.

Finally, a veterinary guide that actually helps a horse owner understand the illness or disease his horse is facing. Dr. Kelley uses to his advantage many actual case stories or studies to help the reader understand technical veterinary terms/diseases. For example, he'll write about a horse he treated for canker/thrush, then he'll go into detail the clinical aspects of canker/thrush. Very interesting read!

Set in rural Kentucky around WWII, this book is so good, it should replace Huckelberry Finn as "the great american novel". It is a shame that it isn't better known, but unfortunately Arnow-Simpson is thought of as a regional writer. This is a very deep book, but it also has some very funny parts. Her description of pre-consumerism country life is very detailed and insightful. She saw how the world was changing, and captured a piece of it that is now long gone. I'm not even an hunting type, and I wanted to go out and get a couple of hounds after reading this. Better even than The Dollmaker, and not half as sad. Highly Recommended!

This book captures the spirit, character, and complexities of the mountain people of eastern Kentucky better than any other I have read. The individuals are simple, strong-willed, and proud like many of the people I grew up with. The descriptions of the landscape are detailed, accurate, and compelling as I remember them. For anyone interested in a better understanding of the depth of human character explained in a very readable way, this is a terrific book

If you've never read Harriette Arnow, or only know her through The Dollmaker, you'll be shocked at how stunning this novel is. Beautiful written, with some of the most complex and moving characters in literature.

I grew up in Kentucky and traveled as a nurse for 4 year. My last assignment was truly the best one and was in a state other than Kentucky. Although the company I worked for gave me a going away gift, I wanted to leave them with something that would connect us and they would be able to see pictures and learn something about where I was from. I chose this book and it was a solid gold hit! They loved it. The book is so bautiful and the pictures are breathtaking! Highly recommend this book and the photographer's work.

This book is filled with outstanding photography from Kentucky, the beautiful Bluegrass state! You will find pictures of the famous landmarks in the area, as well as ones of more remote and hidden treasures you might otherwise never see! In fact, on page 49, you can see a good old-fashioned baptism in a creek, conducted by the church where I attend! This book is much less expensive here than on other online purchasing sites, as well! You will not be disappointed! Enjoy!

Stunningly beautiful photographs of the history and character of the commonwealth of Kentucky. A must have for the Kentucky collector.

Contrary to popular interpretations by Garry Wills and Pauline Maier, in his book Jefferson's Declaration of Independence: Origins, Philosophy & Theology, University Press of Kentucky (1998), Allen Jayne makes the most compelling case yet for understanding the ideas and ideals in the Declaration.

Garry Wills in his Inventing America (1978) credits the Scottish Enlightenment as Jefferson's primary source of ideas. But Allen Jayne meticulously shows that Jefferson was much more "eclectic," building from Henry St. John, Lord Viscount Bolingbroke; John Locke; Henry Home, Lord Kames; and Thomas Reid. Furthermore, quite beyond justifying our separation from England, Jayne focuses on what he calls a "heterodox theology" in the first paragraph of the Declaration, which replaces the Judeo-Christian orthodoxy with the "laws of Nature and of Nature's God." The "laws of nature," both moral and scientific, as Jayne explains, rejects not only the doctrine of predestination and original sin, but the idea of a chosen people. Instead, "Nature's God" created mankind as a social being endowed with a "moral sense" and "reason," by which individuals are capable of discovering truth on their own, without the aide of church or revelation. As Thomas Jefferson Foundation Professor of History at the University of Virginia Peter S. Onuf observes, it was Jefferson's "first paragraph that changed the world."

Throughout his book, Allen Jayne demonstrates that Jefferson's vision in the Declaration while not containing, in Jefferson's words, "new principles or new arguments never before thought of," is not only an engaging and benevolent conception. It is a coherent philosophy as well.

Moreover, Jayne makes laughable the claim by Pauline Maier in her American Scripture (1997) that the various other Declarations (at least 90) issued throughout the 13 colonies (between April and July 1776), say much the same thing as Jefferson in his Declaration. Given this reasoning, the several hundred composers who lived and worked during the time of Mozart, deserve as much acclaim as Mozart.

Of the more than 6,000 titles in the Jefferson bibliography, Allen Jayne's book is a most welcome and profound work. It is a new level of scholarship on the Declaration. Nothing could be more important than for Americans to understand their founding document.

By Sydney N. Stokes, Jr.
Chairman
The Jefferson Legacy Foundation
www.jeffersonlegacy.org

For generations, historians have examined the Declaration of Independence looking for the source of Jefferson's ideas. Many have looked to John Locke and his Second Treatise on Government as the main source. While acknowledging Locke as an important source for Jefferson, Jayne also suggests that there were other sources for Jefferson's thought. In researching for this book, Jayne examined Jefferson's Commonplace Books, where he recorded selections from various authors. He compared these selections to the ideas in the Declaration and found ways that different authors influenced Jefferson's thoughts as they appeared in the Declaration of Independence.

Allen Jayne's "Jefferson's Declaration of Independence" is a fantastic book. Jayne explores the Scottish Enlightenment and the religious liberalism of Lord Bolingbroke, a hero of Jefferson. Also Jayne shows how Jefferson's own religious liberalism influenced his philosophy behind the Declaration when he referred to "Nature's God". This was not Jehovah, but the God of Reason, and the Universe. Jayne shows the influence of the "moral sense" Scottish philosophy on Jefferson as he formulated a coherent philosophy of freedom, and religious liberty. It is also shown how Jefferson believed that religious tyranny to be the worst of all tyrannies since it crushed the freedom of thought. Jefferson, a tireless opponent of mental slavery, used the theological influences of Lord Bolingbroke to inaugurate the new nation. A great study.

This is absolutely one of the finest books about the early pioneering in our country. Giles writes in a low-key manner, but brings vivid pictures to the mind as the reader follows the travels and travails of one of those pioneers as he makes his way through the wilderness of the Appalachian Mountains into the "wilds" of Kentucky and a new life. As a new-comer to Kentucky in my middle twenties, back in 1957, "The Kentuckians" was a great introduction to the strength and character of those earliest developers of this State.

My first meeting with Ms. Giles' novels actually came through her third novel in this particular series: "The Believers", wherein the granddaughter of those first settlers becomes involved with the Shaker Community in Kentucky. THAT was so beautifully written, that I HAD to go back to read about the protagonist's parents ("Hannah Fowler") and then on back to "The Kentuckians". Each book was better than the first!

And each book drew me in so closely to the people and places involved that I felt as though I was right there and each left me hating to leave their presence! If the Kentuckians ever is reprinted in hardback, I'll be the first in line!

Giles should be better known; her multi-volume set of historical fiction is genuinely excellent. This is the first of the series and one of the best; the second, Hannah Fowler, I think is the best. That is followed by The Believers, also a very good read. Anyone who likes to read will love these books.

I am a great fan of Janice Holt Giles. I personally think that the story of meeting Henry, falling in love and marrying him, moving to Spout Springs, hunting for the logs and building their home is a beautiful romance. I regret that I never got to meet her, although my husband did actually meet her and also talked at length with Henry when once he was called to their home to repair a refridgerator. My favorite books by Janice, are therefore, the autobiographical ones. "Hanna Fowler" takes the number one spot in my heart for her fiction, however, coming in a close second is now "The Kentuckians" I think some of JHG's books are very well written, and others are not, but "The Kentuckians", written in the first person, rings so true to me that I wish I could drop her a line and tell her how very much I enjoyed it. I am a Kentucky native, almost 60 years old and I remember when I heard people talk the same way that she had the main character revealing his story to us in this book. I felt as if my grandfather were sitting in a rocker on the front porch telling me his life story. I think she did an exceptional job in getting the dialect down just right, especially considering she was not a native. It's also nice to know, when reading her books, that they are historically correct. She made a great effort to learn our quirks and way of speaking and in "The Kentuckians" she got it down pat. Thanks, Janice, wherever you are.

This is very helpful in understanding the history of the area, who first moved into the area and why, as well as providing lots of "where to look" references.

If you are into Kentucky Ancestory this is an excellent tool. The Bracken County Public Library has a copy that is never in the library. Every patron who checks it out, returns it and I have to order them a copy. It has become so popular with the members of the Bracken County Historical Society that I am now placing an order for the book to be added to the Historical Society collection. What better recommenation? It speaks well of a book when you can check it out of the library for "Free" but you want your own copy.

I'm a retired professional researcher and this book is one of my main references for locating Kentucky records. I've misplaced my book so I'm ordering a new one. If you want to know what Kentucky records are available and where to find them, you need this book!

I am a collector of Christmas books and with joy I have added this one to my library. I found that the memories evoked within the pages of Kentucky Christmas are touching and poignant without being overly sentimental. George Ella Lyon has captured the essence of Christmas through her collection of works by Kentucky authors. This is a book that I will pass on to my child and one that I will return to again and again.

Do you read your books and pass them on to friends and family, seriously depleting your library? Most of us who love reading and books do the same thing. "A Kentucky Christmas" is one of those rare books that will soon become a standard on your library shelf. You will be reluctant to let it leave your library.

Christmas is a season of many moods all competing for attention at a time when we are unusually pressured. The selections made by George Ella Lyon find ways to match our myriad of Christmas emotions.

Good friends will want to give the book early while they can steal a few minutes, a cup of tea and the delight of the very best of Christmas literature.

My friend showed me this book. I, being a Kentucky author, had to read it. The wonderful skill and warmth shined through as I turned each page. This is a book that you would want to hang on to until next holiday season. I'm sure the same warmth and spirit will spread when you open it up next year.

My husband read this book when he was 12 and now that he is 69 he still remembers the story. I think that this speaks for itself, this is a long time to remember a book. It is a great book for history and adventure.

Altsheler can paint a picture with words like no other author can. He is so descriptive with his words that you feel that you are right there in the midst of the story with the same feelings and senses as the protagonist, Henry Ware.

The Kentucky Frontiersmen is a newer version of the same book as the "The Young Trailers" that Altsheler wrote in the late 1800"s except a more modern version. The difference being that a lot of the slang is taken out and replaced with more modern words, there are illustrations and I believe that the print is larger.

I first read books from the "Young Trailer Series" back in the 50's when I was in grade school and they had a great influence on my life. I recently ordered some of the books from the Altsheler series from Amazon.com and enjoyed them again immensely. The theme represented throughout the series was the constant struggle to be the best and to be ready and prepared to prove it at anytime or it could cost an early Kentucky settler his life was a lesson that I took with me into competitive situations like sports, academics and the business world.

The "Kentucky Frontiersmen" teaches values that are so important especially to growing children that deal with responsibility, hard work, integrity, intelligence and the special type of people that built this country.

Every resident of Kentucky should read these books because historically they give an accurate view of what Kentucky was like back in the early days of settlement. What a special place Kentucky must have been and I'm sure, still is.

Sixty years ago when I first read this book it was titled The Young Trailers. I was ten years old. I'm delighted to find it still in print. It is still an exciting and educational read.

I grew up in a small town in the Pacific Northwest . Our little library carried all eight volumes of this frontier adventure series, of which The Young Trailers was the first episode. For several years I read and reread these marvelous stories. They made an indelible impression upon my mind and heart, and basically formed my image of America.

Author Joseph Altsheler was a newspaperman and prolific writer of romances and adventure stories of the American frontier. (The latter for readers of grades six through ten.) He was a knowledgeable man, well read in history, archeology, and botany (to mention but a few of his interests). He managed to weave his broad field of knowledge so skillfully into the narratives of his stories that the reader is unaware that he/she is being educated as well as entertained. He was a very successful and famous writer in the early 1900s.

Kentucky Frontiersman is written in Altsheler's usual master story teller, vivid, manner. Vivid is the key word here. Altsheler is a natural yarn spinner. We experience the primordial landscape through the acute senses of the young hero, Henry Ware, a teen-ager who is keenly perceptive of the unspoiled verdant forests, clear streams, mighty rivers, deep caves and abundance of flora and fauna of frontier Kentucky. (There are scenes of action, suspense, violence and death; but written appropriately for the age level.)

Without giving the plot away, there are just two points worth mentioning.

First is the sensible way Alsheler handles the irreconcilable confrontation with the Indians over the land. The Indians are not presented as inferior in any way to the Caucasian settlers. In fact the hero is captured by an Indian tribe and finds the primitive culture more amenable to his inner affinity than his settler upbringing. He happily "goes Native" and finds a deep spiritual affinity and unity with nature while living with the Indians.

Second, and importantly, Altsheler portrays in dramatic form the theory put forward by his contemporary, historian Frederick Jackson Turner. Turner's "The Significance of the Frontier in American History" was published in 1893, when Altsheler was age 31. Altsheler must have been familiar with Turner's work. Turner's thesis was that the spirit and success of the United States is directly tied to the country's westward expansion. According to Turner, the forging of the unique and rugged American identity occurred at the juncture between the civilization of settlement and the savagery of wilderness. This produced a new type of citizen - one with the power to tame the wild and one upon whom the wild had conferred strength and individuality.

The six volume set of The Young Trailers should be on the library shelves of all schools for grades six through ten. I know of no other comparable literature that conveys this important part of American history in such an accessible form for our young Americans. It is a part of American culture that is being lost, as our young citizens are being overwhelmed by trivia and gadgetry.

A wonderful coming of age saga full of wistful musings on the meaning of life. Highly recommended for any thinking individual.

Joe Coomer is truly a remarkable author. Kentucky Love is, in my opinion, his masterpiece. The story flows beautifully, and the characters are easy to relate to. If you're lucky enough to find a copy of this book, read it immediately!!

Joe Coomer is one of the finest authors of the twentieth century. Kentucky Love is poetic, funny, touching, and real. Anyone who has ever loved somebody too much will empathize with the main character in this story. And everyone who reads it will want his grandpa for their own.

Although this book was purchased as a Christmas gift for someone, I was advised that it is a GREAT book and would really be enjoyed by any Kentucky fan. Highly recommend.

The players' stories are interesting and spread out over the history of UK ball. Ralph Beard, Sam Bowie and Rajon Rondo are all here. Todd Svoboda even chips in.

Outstanding compilation of historical Kentucky players/legends sharing their thoughts regarding their most memorable game as a Wildcat. Their stories take on a fervor as they are being relayed to the reader through the hand of the gifted author, who is a true Big Blue fan. This is a must read for anyone who is interested in Kentucky basketball or just a fan of the college game.