Missouri Books

I saw Mrs. Burroughs give a quick interview on CSPAN during a book fair back in November. From that I decided to purchase this book of her husband's photographs. I must say I wasn't disappointed. There are some real gems within, and I highly recommend it to anyone who has a passing interest in presidential history and/or photography.

Fabulous narration and photographs. Very intelligent and informative and also humorous at times. This book makes you long for news the way it used to be.

This book gives us a marvelous peek at history via these wonderful photos, complete with the photographer's own impressions of each incident. It couldn't be more like being there.

After reading (and enjoying) "A Youth in the Argonne," I decided to pick this one up. I like Triplet's writing style. He has a self-effacing sense of humor and is pretty witty. Besides that, he was a good soldier and a respected troop commander. This book provides an interesting look into his experiences as a field-grade commander in both training and combat. I noticed a few minor mistakes in the footnotes and picture captions (as one of the previous reviewers commented), but overall, I enjoyed the book.

"A Colonel in the Armored Divisions" by William S. Triplet, Edited by Robert H. Ferrell, sub-titled, "A Memoir, 1941-1945". University of Missouri Press, 2001.

Robert H. Ferrill, Professor Emeritus, Indiana University, has again taken the writings of William S. Triplet, of Sedalia, Missouri, edited the writings and produced an excellent first person history of an Army colonel's experiences in the Second World War. William Triplet had served as a sergeant in the First World War, began West Point in 1920 and graduated with the class of 1924. This book is really a professional diary of the years from December 1940 up to the cessation of hostiles in Europe, May 1945.

The front half of the book is devoted to Triplet's experiences in weapons testing and in developing amphibious craft for the many beach invasions by General MacArthur. At the command for testing the effectiveness of various weapons and devices, Triplet recorded his efforts in examining the effects of the Molotov Cocktail, (ineffective against armor), the prototype for the Jeep and various forms of sleeping bags. With the amphibious craft, Triplet discovers that many (most) Navy personnel do not understand the effects of ocean waves and tells us, quite a few times, that the Navy makes strong coffee. "I sipped the black brew and got it down without wincing. ... tough people these navy types". P. 64. Again, no love is lost between Col. Triplet and "Admiral Buships", who questioned the veracity of Triplet's reports on the seaworthiness of the M8 howitzer-turret on the LVT(A-1) hulls. P. 84. The Admiral even "Declined my offer of a cup of coffee, which is the lifeblood of the navy". P. 84.

Perhaps of greater interest to World War II buffs is the last half of the book, recording the Colonel's combat experiences. Triplet appears to be one of the few higher-grade officers to actual go up to the front line during combat. For example, he recounts his surprising an Army sentry who calls back that there is a chicken colonel up here. Unexpected! Triplet mildly disguises his impatience with privates, or generals!, who are reluctant to advance or who appear to be bordering on incompetence. In many cases, he does not record the names of the offending parties. He received one excuse so often that it is used for the title of a chapter: "They've Got a lot of Stuff in There". At the very end of the book, Triplet recounts, in a matter of fact fashion, the gunfight he had with two German soldiers. After being blown out of his jeep, Triplet draws his .45 Automatic Pistol and shots at two Germans who thought they had finished everybody. Triplet is wounded in the thigh, but escapes and limps back to his command.

Professor Ferrell's editing is so unobtrusive that you are only aware, once in awhile, that you are reading the corrected and revised words almost fifty years or so after Triplet had been written down. For example, Prof. Ferrell will italicize the word "illegible" to denote that he could not decipher what Col. Triplet wanted. An excellent job of editing.

Tripp, as I am told he was called, wrote a wonderful triology of his military life from WW2 through the post ww2 period. He paints a wonderful picture of life in the army, and my regret is that it looks like some of the mid-war material may have been left out. (Oh yeah, and there are some errors in the footnotes - oh well.) other than that just a wonderful set of books. I am told by men that served with him, "Yup, he was like that, a great guy!"

Many have written about Ste. Genevieve, MO, the oldest permanent European settlement in what once was the Upper Louisiana Territory. No one has created a more insightful or more scholarly look at 18th century life in the small Mississippi River town, however, than Carl J. Ekberg has done in his Colonial Ste. Genevieve.

Ekberg uses his expertise in 17th and 18th century European politics to connect the villagers of Ste. Genevieve with the larger world around them. He examines the daily lives of the hardy French Creole (that is, those born in North America, of French ancestry) settlers, probing family, business, religious and slave/master relationships, as well as the settlers' means of making a living and defending themselves from Indian or Anglo attack or from the dangerous Mississippi. The mighty river forced the inhabitants to relocate two miles uphill from the original townsite, late in the 18th century.

Ekberg is best known in Missouri for debunking a number of old myths, such as the town being founded in 1735 or before (He establishes its founding at shortly before 1750.) and the move to the new townsite being made almost en masse, right after the disastrous summer flood of 1785. (He has translated thousands of Spanish letters and documents, confirming that the move took nearly a decade and had started even before the flood, due to widespread erosion of the riverbank.) He also tackles "puffed-up" dates on historic homes in the town, which now relies on heritage tourism for economic growth. These findings have made him unpopular in some Ste. Genevieve circles. They have also marked him as the most important scholar to research the town.

Despite his scholarly prowess and the intimidating inch and a half depth of the book spine, this book is a reward for the reader, not a punishment! Ekberg is no academic hack. His prose flows gracefully, often reading more like a historical romance novel than a history book. For anyone with an interest in French or Spanish Colonial settlements in the Louisiana Territory, or in the history of Missouri, this is a must-buy and must-read. Ste. Genevieve was and is a unique community and Ekberg's is the defining scholarly work on the town.

Ekberg's "Colonial Ste. Genevieve" still stands as the ultimate scholarly work on Ste. Genevieve. While Ekberg's demolition of many old wivestales about the city's history generates the most talk among locals, this is just a footnote to the true value of his work.Through locating and translating thousands of Spanish and French documents from the colonial period, Ekberg succeeds in bringing the period to life and presents the most accurate picture to date of what life must have been like in colonial Ste. Genevieve.Like a compressed computer file, Ekberg somehow squeezes an unfathomable amount of information into this work. Yet it reads quickly and enjoyably. So many inticing issues are addressed: black-white, Indian-white relationships, family structure, economics, religion, romance, etc.Two books should be read by anyone interested in Ste. Genevieve (or French Colonial history in Mo.): Gregory M. Franzwa's "The Story of Old Ste. Genevieve," and Ekberg's chronicle.

Colonial Ste. Genevieve provides an excellent view of Eighteenth Century life in Ste. Genevieve, in particular and in French North-America in general. Founded in the early 1750s, not 1735 as popular history records, the story of Ste. Genevieve provides a view into the changing life in the Mississippi Valley as French gave way to Spanish colonialism and American ways took over, first at the governmental level and, gradually socially as the population changed from being primarily French to Anglo-American. The story of Ste. Genevieve mirrors the story of other French settlements in the area, such as Cahokia, Kaskaskia and St. Louis.

From his role as a European history professor, Carl Eckberg relates events in Ste. Genevieve to developments in Europe which affected the town.

His book is divided into various topics, such as relationships between settlers and Indians, the role of slavery in the community, the economy based in agriculture and lead mining, health care, town and regional government and church organization.

For anyone interested in French colonial life in the heart of America, Colonial Ste. Genevieve is a worthwhile read.

This book is for anyone who craves a deeper
comprehension of Morrison's seminal work. In
fact, it's indispensable for the "active" reader or
student who wants to observe how Morrison has seamlessly
interwoven myth and folklore into a complex
tapestry which reflects the afro-american experience
in America. CROSSING BORDERS deftly unravels each thread
for the reader, but paradoxically and exquistely leaves the
tapestry in tact. Kudos to Dr. Brown!

In "Crossing Borders" Dr. Billinglsea-Brown gives the reader an in-depth analysis of the components that surround borderlines. Anyone who reads this book will become enraptured with Dr. Billinglsea-Brown use of language to convey the ideas that surround a complex identity such as the African American woman. Her book is reflective of historical, cultural, and social movements. Through this book I have gained the knowledge to come to a point where I can understand part of the meaning and significance of folklore and its connection to the Afrcian American literary tradition. I enjoyed this book not only for its light language but the author's ability to weave the reader into the world of Morrison, Satyr, and other African American women writers that influenced our history and cultural outlook.

Folklore--"the boiled down juice of human living," as the writer Zora Neale Hurston defined it--has always been employed by displaced African people to reaffirm their identity within the dominant culture. In the 1960s, when the separation of the black and white worlds was challenged, black artists began to use folklore as a means of "crossing the borders" that maginalized African Americans. By embracing folk idioms (legends and tales, quilts and dolls, and even archetypes and steretypes like Aunt Jemima and Sambo), these artists, who were frequently women, devised a new aesthetic that reclaimed and redefined their multiple identities. In this study, Alma Jean Billingslea-Brown, an associate professor of English at Spelman College, takes a close look at how four African American female artists--writers Toni Morrison and Paule Marshall and visual artists Faith Ringgold and Betye Saar--have mined folklore for the evocative images that have enabled their work to transgress social, cultural, and political borders from the 1960s until today.

This very personal look at young Harry S. Truman (1884-1972) should be of interest to history buffs and fans of our 33rd President. The book is primarily a collection of letters that Truman sent to his girlfriend (and later wife) Bess Wallace (Truman), the letters being found in her home shortly after she passed away at age 97 in 1982. Most of these letters were written by young suitor Harry Truman prior to the First World War, when he was a struggling farmer and she a desirable beau from a prosperous (if dysfunctional) city family. Sadly, Harry didn't save Bess' letters to him, and those are lost to history. In these letters Truman comes across as decent, honest, and intelligent - if slightly prejudiced against immigrant workers in Kansas City. If his presidential talent isn't evident in these letters, his sturdy Missouri roots clearly are.

First of all, the potential buyer of this book should know that it will throw you back to the years when Harry, the lower-middle-class farmer's boy from outer Jackson County, was courting Bess Wallace, a moderately rich girl and young woman (albeit from a very dysfunctional family) from prosperous Independence. In the 1910s this was done, as it is done in every generation, but only with great difficulty and some soul-searching on both sides.

So buy and read this book if you want to read about young Harry's epic quest. Bess' letters to Harry are lost, but Harry Truman's letters are so vivid that their contents can be partly reconstucted. The two were real soul mates in the end - in the true sense of this most over-used phrase. They could actually converse by letter. How many of us are so lucky?

Buy and read this book if you want to see these two attractive people in the vanished world of 1910s Missouri. If you're looking for President Harry Truman, you won't find much of him here. By 1945 this pair had been married and living together for 25 years and were no longer writing daily letters to each other. But if you are one of those people who think that Truman was one of our greatest Presidents because he never forgot who he was and where he came from, you may want to know where he came from. He came from here, in this book.

The courtship of Harry Truman and Bess Wallace, is *the* over-looked love story of the century. Dear Bess is the most romantic book I have ever read. Harry's simplicity and honesty is a joy to read, and Bess would have been a fool to turn him down a second time.

From a historical standpoint, this book is a glimpse into the everyday, pre-presidential life of HST. The respect and dignity this Missouri farmer had for the Office of the President is refreshing. I come away from the book feeling like I know Harry. Coupling Dear Bess with David McCullough's Truman gives a picture of the man and his times in a very compelling fashion.

Dear Bess is a must-read for anyone who wants to know what love and responsibility are.

Prof. Wilson has gathered together a number of essays exploring various aspects of the thinking and writing of the late M.E. Bradford, professor of English at the University of Dallas. In addition Dr. Bradford was a rhetorician, historian, politician, and defender of the Agrarian ideal most clearly expressed this century in I'll Take My Stand but whose earliest antecedents go back to Jefferson and John Taylor of Caroline. Bradford was a candidate for chairman of the National Institute of the Humanities but whose nomination was sidetracked (by George Will, among others)when Dr. Bradford's less than laudatory writings on Lincoln came to light. The essays, contributed by Bradford intimates like Tom Landess and fellow historians Eugene and Elizabeth Fox-Genovese, reveal a man of enormous erudition who believed a society works best when it faithfully adheres to the traditions bequeathed to it by earlier generations. For Bradford, those traditions are best illuminated by the Constitution and by the literary works of men and women who honestly record the lives of a community bound by duty and honor. Let's hope this book leads to a widespread interest in Dr. Bradford's work.

~A Defender of Southern Conservatism: M.E. Bradford and His Achievements~ is an informative overview of the life, legacy and scholarship of the late Mel Bradford who died in the early 1990s. The southern historian Clyde Wilson has assembled a powerful anthology of essays in tribute to the late Mel Bradford. It should be duly noted that no true blue conservative can study the American founding, the Constitution, and southern history without eventually encountering the name Mel Bradford. Bradford was an heir to Southern Agrarian movement centered at Vanderbilt University and left a legacy of constitutional scholarship and literary achievement. He served as professor of English at the University of Dallas and gained notoriety for his southern literary criticism He was 1980 nominee to chair the National Institute of the Humanities chair under the Reagan administration, but Bradford lost to the former Democrat and neoconservative Bill Bennett. Bradford caused quite a stir as his views over Abraham Lincoln became a source of controversy. The budding neoconservatives mounted a smear campaign, and the political activism and anti-Lincoln sentiments of Bradford may well have cost him the nomination. In the aftermath, the paleoconservative movement became more self-conscious as the fissure deepened. Their passionate and principled dissenting tradition served as a reminder to their neoconservative tormentors about what conservatism really embodied. Bradford frequently sparred with Claremont Institute's resident egalitarian Harry Jaffa who was a cheerleader for Lincoln's constitutional revolution that forever changed the American polity for better or worse. In my humble opinion, the jurist Marshal DeRosa's exposition of Bradford's constitutional theory is perhaps the most sterling and informative piece of prose contained therein.

This book packs quite a punch, and praise is due to the editor Clyde Wilson for putting together such a potent tribute to such a worthy luminary amongst southern conservatives. M.E. Bradford left a legacy of scholarship-both literary and political-that needs to be examined for years to come.

In many years of reading about the American Founding, the history and culture of the South, and conservative politics, I kept encountering the name M.E. Bradford. But apart from reading the occasional article, I had neglected to pay him much attention. But that is an oversight I am definitely going to work on repairing, now that I have completed this thorough look at the man's work and influence.

Mel Bradford was both a student of the Southern Agrarians and perhaps the definitive expositor of their view. By interest and vocation, his mind explored history and politics, but also literature and poetry, from the ancients to the most contemporary. The essays in this collection cover similar ground, analyzing Bradford, his work, the influences that shaped him, and his own influence, across a variety of disciplines. Generally sympathetic but not uncritical where criticism is warranted, the nine contributions here pack a lot of insight and information into a relatively few pages. And like so many of the books I seem to enjoy best, it produced a long list of additional books to add to my must-read list -- Bradford's own, most obviously, but many others as well.

The influence of the Southern Agrarians on history was admittedly slight, and Bradford's own lasting significance is open to debate. What's blessedly clear, however, is that he and his legacy have not yet been eclipsed. The fight over Bradford's nomination to head the National Endowment for the Humanities early in the Reagan Administration was one of the earliest fault lines in the much-discussed "conservative crackup," and an early milestone in the neocon ascendancy. That ascendancy is far from absolute, however, and heat is still rising from the cracks and fissures. This book serves as a useful reminder of the issues at stake there, too.

Mostly, however, "A Defender of Southern Conservatism" is a fine testimonial to an influential scholar and an admirable gentleman. It's definitely inspired me to dig more deeply into his life and work, and I expect other readers shall have the same reaction.

This book is based on a diary which the author began in 1927, when she was 15 and a farm girl in North Dakota, and covers the years from 1927 ro 1937. She worked very hard and lived in grinding poverty. She went to college and then taught school and fended off marriage proposals, and never in the book says a good word for the man she married--who was courting her thru the last years she was keeping her diary. This I found to be quite a book, unpretentious as it holds itself out to be. A most moving account of a time and place one seldom hears about. I recommend it unreservedly.

I absolutely adored this book. It was powerful for me because it gave me an honest, often humorous, but vivid account of a reality I craved knowing more about...the depression years in the Great Plains states. I think I know more about my mother, who grew up a poor tenant farmer's daughter, just a little better. I look forward passing it on to others, and even using it as a wonderful book to read to some of my older friends.

Wonderful narrative of a difficult time in America. Such perspective of events from close to home. I recommend this to anyone who appreciates history unrevised and truthful.
T. Addison

This review refers to the Unabridged Audio Cassette edtion of "The Essential Lewis and Clark" Landon Y. Jones, editor

These selections from the journals of Captains Lewis and Clark during their explorations in the early 1800's is not the complete text of their writings, but after 6 hours of listening you will come away with more then 'essential ' knowledge of what took place. The selections will take you the entire distance of this important and historical journey, and you will feel like you are part of it. Read by two great voices, Peter Friedman ("Brooklyn Bridge"), and Tom Wopat ("The Dukes of Hazzard"), each giving the Captains very individual and wonderful voices, and making it easy to know who's journals you are listening to.

Through the rivers and mountains, the Great Plains, you are there with them. It's not only an important piece of American History, but great adventures to get caught up in every step of the way, as they navigate unknown and untried routes, meet with native Americans, friendly and unfriendly, fight the elements, wild animals and mosquitoes that nearly ate them alive. So many adventurous episodes to savor in their words. They named the rivers, carved routes for the future, at times facing danger and hunger. I especially enjoyed hearing of their meetings and relations with the various tribes of Indians.

The selections read are unabridged and their every thought captured for us to savor. I found Lewis's writings to be very animated and lengthy detailed accounts of the journey. Clark's seemed more abbreviated, but, to the point. Both put you right there with them and are eloquently written. Exciting and adventurous as they are an important and treasured part of American History. There is also a narrator to set the scenes and follow the path.

Highly recommended not only for history buffs, but for those studying this part of American History in school.If I had had this audio edition 40 years ago in History class, I certainly would have paid more attention! The journals can't help but spark your interest. It is great for adventure story lovers.
There are 4 two sided cassettes with excellent sound quality.

For those looking for more explorations of the sea,check out:South a Memoir of the Endurance Voyage

Enjoy the read... I did...Laurie

... but the events described in the journals actually happened, and they are fascinating! Their means of travel, of survival, of communicating with the Indians, of hunting game and chasing and being chased by bears -- all described in such detail that you can easily picture it. In addition to being adventurers, these men were romantics and intellectuals. It is no wonder that once their journals reached the east, people started coming west in droves to see the beautiful lands and abundant game they described. The CDs are great for a long drive or the daily commute.

Are you a Lewis and Clark buff, just starting out? You've read "Undaunted Courage" by Stephen Ambrose, and perhaps a couple other Lewis and Clark books. It's time to read the journals, but you are daunted by the thought of all that early 19th century wordiness, spelling and such?

Me too.

This book is great. It's just what it says it is. All the good stuff from Lewis and Clark's copious journals, all the highlights, well edited. The value of this book is as a starting place, perhaps. It's short enought to be read easily over a few days. Like all good introductions, then, if you want more you know where to look, and you'll now know what to expect. Landon Jones provides all the accessibility; Lewis and Clark still provide the wonder.

I absolutely love this book! I use it for my family ideas, ideas to give friends and ideas for group gatherings. I have met the author and known her for several years. She works very hard every year to update as much as she can. If you think it's difficult to locate a copy of the book, your wrong. She provides copies to a majority of the major attractions in St. Louis to sell in their gift shops. Example: St. Louis Zoo and the Science Center. I update my book every year because I love it so much! I highly recommend anyone who will be visiting St. Louis or who lives here to own a copy or two. ENJOY!!!

My wife and I vacationed in St. Louis with our 2-year-old son and used this book to plan our trip. It was invaluable, pointing out activities we never would have known about otherwise. This book helped make our trip one of the best vacations we've ever had.

I keep 2 copies of this book handy: one in the car and one by the phone. I have recently purchased an updated copy and found the information current and accurate. It gives information on places as diverse as parks, restaurants, bookstores, museums, and the zoo. There are many fun ideas included that I would have never thought of myself. For example, you can ride the Amtrak train from Kirkwood to Downtown very cheaply and the kids have a ball. My 4-year-old son used the facilities twice in the 1/2 hour it took just because it was such a unique experience! Anyone living in St Louis or just visiting shouldn't be without this book!

From desciptions of the Durfee and Peck traders to the health conditions at the fort, the construction of the fort itself...a work to be enjoyed. You can feel yourself sliding back in time, to the shores of the Missouri, when there was little west of you except open land and Indians. I relished this book, enjoyed each and every page.

Fort Union And The Upper Missouri Fur Trade by Barton H. Barbour (Assistant Professor of History, Boise State University), is a comprehensive history of the city of Fort Union, one of the most important and enduring fur-trading posts of the nineteenth century. Historian and author Barton Barbour transport the reader to a yesteryear teeming hub of communication and activity between pioneers, Native Americans, trappers, traders, and more. An involving discussion of the legal, political, and sociocultural influence this trading hub had upon American history, Fort Union And The Upper Missouri Fur Trade is an impressive work of deftly presented scholarship which has clearly earned its finalist ranking for the 2002 Western Writers of America Spur Award in the Best Western Nonfiction-Historical category.

When I found that I would be moving to Williston, ND, (25 years ago) I checked to see what all was in the area. I was pleased to notice that the North Unit of the Theodore Roosevelt National Park was in the next county. I also noticed that there was a National Historic Site nearby as well. The National Park is nice but I have been to the Fort Union National Historic Site far more often. I discovered that a significant chapter in our nation's history took place at the nearby confluence of the Missouri and Yellowstone Rivers. Thanks to this scholarly work by Barton Barbour, I have been able to read the most focussed, well-written, engrossing book ever published on this local monument.

When I came to this area, the site was comprised of a trailer home Ranger office/Visitor's Center and a roped out layout of where the various parts of the fort used to be. The subsequent reconstruction of the site (which was financed, in part, by significant local contributions) has resulted in a site that looks as impressive as its' history. Much of the local focus seemed to be about the many "celebrities" who came here during the fort's heyday. While there are many well-researched work about the Fur Trade, Barbour's book elevates the level of discourse to an analysis of significant issues. He presents a compelling theory that the fur-trading communities of the Upper Missouri exemplified a society of diversity that was well ahead of its' time. While there were hierarchies involved, there was also a recognition that all parties were interdependant of each other. The resulting respect and cooperation was well beyond the societal norms of the rest of European-settled America. Ironically, this existed at the same time the rest of the USA was fighting the Civil War over, in part, issues of racial equality.

There are chapters that examine the nature of the fur-trading industry and its' relationship to other industries as well as to the US Government and its' various agencies. These 2-3 chapters in particular do tend to slow the reading down a bit but Barbour offers a good overview of the Fur Trade's position in the American Economy and legal structure of the times. The political change that arose from the Civil War are stikingly presented by the author.

Mr. Barbour also offers a look at the effect that the Fur Trade had on the Native American Culture as well as its' impact on the Arts and Science of an emerging nation. He shows how the needs of trader and Indian alike created a market place that was respectful of each. The overhead may have been high but the quality was very good. His conclusions challenge many of the more recent stereotypes of European-American interaction with Native societies.

Barton Barbour has succeeded in creating a much-needed overview of the Upper Missouri Fur Trade. His analysis of Fort Union as the most significant site of its' kind is well-presented. It is much appreciated by those of us in the Missouri/Yellowstone Confluence area who knew that Fort Union was always more than just another fort on another river.