Pennsylvania Books

I agree completely with the review in the July issue of Library Journal and couldn't say it better myself. The Journal stated: "In this extensively researched, detailed, and skillfully written work of natural history and familial squabbles, Stroud, a scientific scholar and author of Thomas Say, New World Naturalist, presents a historical, political, and scientific account on the leading ornithologist of the 19th century--who also happened to be Napoleon's nephew. In a clear, precise, and witty manner, she conveys the life of Charles-Lucien Bonaparte (1803-57)from birth to death through his own letters and publications and through the letters and correspondence of his contemporaries: Agassiz, Audubon, Gould, Huxley, Owen, Say. and many other great naturalists of the 19th century. A wonderful read, this biography, the first ever of Charles-Lucien, includes a vast bibliography and over 30 pages of notes. Recommended for all libraries." Review by Michael R. Blake, formerly with Harvard Univ. Lib. Alexander McCurdy

Adding The Emperor of Nature to your "must read" list will be one resolution that you will find a joy to keep. The author's graceful style in this scholarly, yet never pedantic, biography of the complex, heretofore little recognized naturalist and ornithologist, Charles-Lucien Bonaparte, is sparked by insightful and witty asides. Players in this intellectual and political history--the contraversial Bonaparte family, both its men and women, James Audubon, Thomas Say and other natural historians--emerge as distinct personalities as we read Bonaparte's lively--often impassioned--correspondence. The drama of Bonaparte's life, marked by his lifelong dedication to the science of natural history, is deftly enhanced by rich descriptive detail as each "scene is set". Equal attention is given to the underbrush of family and scientific disputes and jealousies, to the complications of early 19th century travel and the preservation of specimens, and to physical and psychological health issues. The abundant illustrations throughout, including many from the author's own collection, (it is always so disappointing when the illustrations in a biography, no matter how erudite, are limited to a tiny center folio of tired old photographs!) were a delight to this fascinated reader.

One does not have to be an ornithologist, and I am not, to become absorbed in this scholarly yet eminently approachable biography. The life of the nephew of the Emperor Napoleon is placed confidently in the turbulent times on both sides of the Atlantic. While its focus is on the man who "helped to lay the foundation for the modern science of ornitholoy, upon which Darwin based his theory of evolution," it is, at the same time, a history of the era in which he lived. Ms. Stroud turns quite a phrase ("the ground rumbling with revolution") and I surprised myself by reading it from start to finish in one long pleasant afternoon.

Fans of the Bonaparte family and of 19th-century science have had to wait a long time for a biography of Charles-Lucien Bonaparte, Napoleon's nephew and the leading ornithologist of his age -- this is the first. Happily, it has been worth the wait. Stroud has crafted a masterly portrait of a gregarious, complicated, hugely talented man, who published the first volume of his famous American Ornithology when he was just 22. By drawing on Bonaparte's own voluminous correspondence and those of others to and about him, which fortunately survive in great abundance, Stroud brings alive a man full of contradictions. Bonaparte was fiercely devoted to his scientific efforts, though drawn away from them by radical politics. He loved his wife and children dearly but neglected them, often for months at a time. He was ever concerned about money, yet on numerous occasions gambled away what little he had. Bonaparte's time and contemporaries are equally well-drawn, with some of the foremost scientific, literary, and political figures of the day drifting in and out of Bonaparte's rich life with pleasing regularity -- luminaries like Louis Agassiz, James Fenimore Cooper, Isadore Geoffrey Saint-Hilaire, and, of course, Napoleon himself. One of the book's great contributions is a highly readable fleshing out of Bonaparte's close yet often tempestuous relationship with Audubon. Stroud has enlivened Emperor of Nature with luscious illustrations (including a beautiful color insert) chronicling every stage of Bonaparte's life, and she supplies complete reference notes and bibliography. If you liked Stroud's biography of the naturalist Thomas Say, you'll love this.

I found this book to be extremely informative and easy to follow. The illustrations were useful and guide helpful

I was able to meet the author of this book. I found both the book and the author very helpful. Bill has been hunting mushrooms all his life, and actually Penn State Press came to him to write this book and with good reason. The book has great photos and useful descriptions that are useful for the novice mushroom hunters, but plenty helpful for the experinced too. The author also give mushroom walks. I can't wait to go on one.

Author of "Hobo Finds A Home" and editor "Of A Predatory Heart"

It is a wonderful book. Lots of color photographs and packed with detailed descriptions of mushrooms. The field guide allows the reader to identify mushrooms that are common to the Mid Atlantic, but also the Eastern United States. Included are many tasty recipes that make mushroom hunting the joy that it is. It is an essential guide for both amateur and professional alike.

As a PA resident, I found this book invaluable. It is clearly written, and has great photos as well. Anyone intersted in mushrooms should... make that must, have several references, but if you live in this part of the world this is the first book to look at! Other books I've read are not always clear as to a specific mushroom's distribution. I know the fungi in this book are found here, and that focus makes identification so much easier.

Although this study is situated within some african american communities in the Carolinas, it - rather than reading gospel as a "folk expression" - takes into account gospels deep involvement in the devotional life and christian experience of its "audiences" and "artists" (each concept here inapropriate within a more christian frame of referance). To acheive this the author Glenn Hinson (who's a folklorist/anthropologist) approaches christian onthology and epistemology in a more respectful way than what has been common in the social sciences. At least in order to understand the believers point of view (concerning gospel) one has to pay closer attention to their stories. Much space is therefore left to (nonreduced) extended citations from various interviews, live testemonies, prayers, sermons, songs, private conversaution and other sources. Hinson also deliberately shares with the readers from his own process of trying to understand, his own failures and ethical problems in the dual role as seeker/researcher. A very sympathetic book indeed, and a human achievement I hold in high regard.

Fire in My Bones is an examination of Afro-American gospel surveying the gospel music program as a whole, considering how it works to join performer and audience, prayer and singing into part of the worship service and how Afro-American Christians have made gospel an integral part of their world. Fire in My Bones is a fine in-depth examination of devotions and devotional services.

This book is an excellent study of religious expression and gospel music in African-American congregations. Hinson takes his readers through an anniversary service for a gospel group while providing thorough and insightful descriptions of salient aspects of the context for the religious expression that he presents in this sensitive and articulate study. Although Hinson allows for a range of interpretations about what the participants are experiencing in religious devotion, he makes a strong argument that is too easily dismissed in academic research. Namely, rather than explaining away encounters with the supernatural as physical or psychological phenomena, the researcher will gain a different understanding of culture if he or she takes the claims of a believer as a valid starting point for ethnographic inquiry. Hinson suggests that experiencing divine presence provides a new way for readers to truly "understand" what he writes of in this book. I have attended countless gospel services, and Hinson's book provides an excellent resource for gaining a greater awareness of what I have seen as believers "have church." Hinson's methods, theories, and insights as a folklorist provides an incredibly rich and accurate way to complete ethnographic study. This book is also beautifully illustrated with the superb photography of Roland Freeman.

This examination of Afro-American gospel examines the gospel music program as a whole, considering how it works to join performer and audience, prayer and singing into part of the worship service and how Afro-American Christians have made gospel an integral part of their world. A fine in-depth examination of devotions and devotional services.

True Color

I, a son of Wilkes-Barre, spent weekends with my father and grandfather in the Heights Section of this fabled coal-town. Though, my time there came years after Cohen's published street work, I can still relate to those dusty images, a virtual urban playground for little boys. Tackle football in the backyards, bordered by massive, dilapidated fences; the distinct, sharp smell of cigarettes in the hands of kids no older than 13; boarded windows, with peep-holes just my height. The alleys I walked never struck me as eerie, they were the norm, they were Wilkes-Barre and to some degree the same is true today. Cohen's unique visual-ethnographic study of urban banality, makes beautiful the unusual and awkward character of Northeastern Pennsylvania.

I lived on Grim Street . In the mid 1970's I lived in the Heights Section of Wilkes-Barre Pa where Mr Cohen did many of the photos in this fine collection. He was a quiet fixture on those streets on a late Sunday afternoon. One would see the tall lanky stranger in his army fatigue jacket and horn rimmed glasses walking along those streets occassionally stopping to quickly photograph a stray dog or an unwashed child along the sidewalk. There was almost a random approach to his subjects but he would bend and sometimes stoop as he would click off 4 or 5 quick "snaps" of his subject and then be off after his next subject. I was in my early 20's at the time and curious as to how anyone could find interest in those mundane often grimy if not grim scenes in that neighborhood. I now have the answer over 30 years later. This fascinating collection evokes a time and place that could represent any of our inner city neighborhoods. The black and white of the pictures captures the mood and feel of the subjects. I recommend this volume as a must have for any serious student of photography or urban life over the past century.

"A lot of it is mood driven, but I don't exactly know where the motive and inspiration to take pictures comes from. So it's very spontaneous work; there's not a lot really to plan." So it would seem at first glance upon Mark Cohen's masterful collection of work presented in his first (and hopefully not last) book Grim Street . From this revealing quote by the author, we are lead to believe that Cohen himself discovers in his darkroom much of the beauty portrayed in his work.
As anyone who has followed Cohen's work knows, Mark has been influenced greatly by the renowned street photographer Cartier-Bresson with his ability to capture the unfolding "decisive moment." But Cohen's work is anything but unfolding, on the contrary; it is literally in-your-face obtrusive, grabbing on film fleeting sublime moments, otherwise lost forever in eternity. One can almost amusingly imagine Cohen, armed with his trade mark flash and wide angle lens, scurrying around a photo-opportunity with Bresson. While Bresson contemplates from a distance the "decisive moment" to release the shutter; Cohen (in his own words) uses "grab shots" often without even the use of a viewfinder to capture what could be called "multiple moments." It is apparent from this exquisite body of work that Mark Cohen is the heir apparent to the recently deceased Bresson, and, one might say, an "impatient" 21st Century updated version of the master.
Ignoring for a moment the obvious psychological and sociological content of Cohen's work, the visual subject matter of Grim Street is indeed at first glance difficult to digest. It is anything but "cheery", often times seedy, sometimes voyeuristic, and occasionally downright lascivious. But the ultimate irony is that these qualities of course are passing and superficial, as fleeting as Cohen's flick of the shutter. For it's only with pausing and contemplating the work that the disquieting subject matter "disappears" and the true mastery reappears. That perfect wisp of hair, that "just so" turn of a cat's tail, that flawlessly lit foreground and carefully nuanced background, those repeating diagonals inside exquisite compositions, and all the artistic universals that forever have withstood the test of time, are there to be discovered in this collection.
May this reviewer be so bold as to suggest an answer to Mr. Cohen's own query about the source of his inspiration referred to earlier? A grim street is down-and-dirty, mean and often times dangerous. Surely there is no inspiration to be found in such a secular reality, unless one has the genius and magical gift to capture a transcendent glimpse of a more perfect place. The source of that gift, the inspiration is not temporal. Undoubtedly we're all traveling on a type of "grim street." Thank God we have inspired and graced artists such as Mark Cohen to give us an occasional glance at our idyllic destination.

Mark Cohen is a restless poet of a photographer. In GRIM STREET he demonstrates his enormous ability to grasp a winking moment of life in the back streets, isolated fleeting views of the ordinary made extraordinary. This very fine book of photographs is less attuned to compositionally correct images as emotionally charged ones. As such it is a monograph of the smarmy, dark, seedy and at times embarrassingly immediate life of the underbelly of America as represented by the streets of Wilkes-Barre, PA.

Cohen's successful forays in to this territory are accompanied by 'interviews' conducted by Anne Wilkes Tucker and Thomas Southall. The composite result is a book that 'reads' like a novel and will remain compelling present in the mind's eye long after perusing it. Fine work! Grady Harp, August 05

This book is as complete a work on the development of USN torpedoes used in World War II as one is likely to find.

The work covers the topic in a clear, easy to understand format delving in to the development of these weapons systems. It covers the technical developments without becoming so technical as to make the text difficult to read.

This book will make any reader aware of this story and the tecnology/development of a weapons system that is often mentioned but rarel explained in any depth.

This book is an excellent reference source for anyone interested in the development of American torpedoes during WW2 and is highly recommended.
The reason for the four star rating is because the work contains some minor errors and is unclear in some more important areas. OK first the minor errors. Page 68 describes hydrogen peroxide as "H2O2O". Funny when I received my degree hydrogen peroxide was H2O2. Next the line drawing on page 42 illustrates what is known as a "steam" type torpedo and yet the illustration is labelled with an electric motor as being the propulsion unit even though the illustration contains no batteries. It does show the air and fuel flasks of a "steam" type torpedo and the description accompanying the drawing is consistent with a "steam" type torpedo. Actually, although small, the drawing shows what appears to be a turbine and bevel gear unit- again consistent with a "steam" type torpedo engine- even if they are labelled as an electric motor.
OK So much for the minor errors. I consider them unimportant as they in no way detract from the value of the book and any skilled reader can easily compensate.
The problem comes on page 48 where the Japanese "Long Lance" type 93 torpedo is described as being driven by "liquid hydrogen peroxide". Although not a US torpedo this book is so authoritative and well written that all its disclosures clearly carry weight. Given the state of the art in the 1930's I would tend to believe that compressed pure oxygen gas was used in the type 93(ie not H2O2) and indeed a number of web pages support this view. (search for yourself to check this out).
Unfortunately the author does not help matters as at page 135 he says "during the war the japanese skippers preferred the "oxygen" hydrogen peroxide torpedoes". Now although when hydrogen peroxide decomposes it does produce oxygen as well as high temperature steam it is a different chemical species to oxygen and within the naval world an "oxygen torpedo" is one that uses compressed O2 gas. A peroxide torpedo is a peroxide torpedo. I have been unable to track down the authors references for the peroxide Long Lance but from the book they do not appear to be primary sources. Given that the Japanese Long Lance had twice the speed and around five time the range of the best US torpedo and came as an almighty shock to the allies I would have preferred some more details from the author to support his views on the Long Lance.

Silent Victory contains a fair amount of data regarding the torpedo problems experienced by the U.S. Navy's Pacific Fleet Submarine Force during the Second World War. This book goes into considerably more detail regarding the background to those problems and their solutions--both bureaucratic and engineering--and how U.S. torpedo technology literally moved two generations ahead during wartime.

This is a magnificent book about the torpedo development in the US Navy. Mainly focused in the WWII period, the book details all the problems that plagued US torpedoes and the way they were solved. This is a great book. Every person interested in WW II naval technology, submarines or naval weaponry shall be delighted with it.

There are many books about the AT, but this one is superb for it's detail and attention to partial sections for hiking. Can be used for thru hiking as well. Gives day and overnight parking details, profile of terrain, degree of difficulty, recommended direction, water and shelter locations, topo maps, mileage etc. Everything that a hiker needs!! Excellent.

I have 2 books in this series, and have frequently used photocopied pages from them on my AT section hikes. I never needed to buy the AMC versions of the maps since comprehensive maps are provided within this book, along with mileage charts for road crossings, springs, campsites, landmarks, etc. for every section of the Trail.

Although this book is obviously geared for the day-hiker or overnighter, it has also come in handy on my longer hikes. And the writers have narrowed down every section into either 1- or 2-day hikes, along with directions to the trailheads (even in the remote 100-Mile Wilderness section in Maine!), proving that the AT can be enjoyed by casual hikers as well as hardcore mile-crunchers.

Cons: This book, and the others in the series, is seriously due for an updated edition. Lots has changed along the trail even in 8 years. (carrying up-to-date pages from the ALDHA Thru-Hikers' Companion is necessary to have the full info). Also, the maps are two-color, making certain features hard to read, i.e. roads are the same color as elevation markings.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE are NOT 170 hikes in the book. The whole series must contain that many.

I own 3 books in this series. The Southern Appalachian, the Virginias, and the Mid-Atlantic States guide. I have found these books to be a great aid in planning hikes, especially 2-3 day backpacking trips. Since most of these hikes are either one-way or round trip (as opposed to circuit hikes) you either need to have two cars or plan on seeing the same sites twice. I'm not saying this is a bad thing, but other books have better circuit hikes.

This series IS very informative, not only with regards to the actually hike, but also the history both natural and otherwise of the area you are hiking in.

I have only done a few of the hikes in the Mid-Atlantic Guide, all of which have been out and back day hikes, and this book has been very informative during these hikes. The maps could be a little better, as they are topographocal maps with a green line for the trail.. They are adequate, but I've seen better.

All 41 hikes come with a description, a map, an elevation profile, and an itinerary, as well as various other information.

When planning for a hike I do tend to use this book in conjunction with other books, but I usually take this book (or copies of the pages) on the actual hike itself. The fact that the pages are so small allows for easier handling and storage of the laminated pages during the trip.

So if you enjoy hiking and are near the AT while in PA, you may want to take a look at this book. It is well worth the money.

It is clear that these authors were not kidding when they stated that they have a love affair with the Appalachian Trail. The descriptions not only cover all you need to know to be prepared to hike a certain section, but there's lots of history and local color as well.

I've used this book successfully to plan hikes for a youth group. I must admit I disregarded the advice that a certain section (Knife's Edge) was not for those suffering from vertigo and sure enough, the group of kids I took on this section included one who suffered severely from fear of heights. But the kids worked together to get through that section and all was very well in the end.

This book is by no means dry. Sprinkled here and there are humorous passages, like the classification of vampire rocks versus jumping rocks. A pollution-damaged section is described as "shaved clean."

An experienced hiker who has decided to hike section-hike or day-hike the trail between Harper's Ferry and the New York / Connecticut state line needs no other guide. I also recommend this book for the library of every youth group, particularly scouts, in this geographic area that would (or should) plan hiking outings as part of their yearly plans.

Ms. Latuchie's debut novel rings out quite nicely. Told in a "non-liner-made-simple" style, the story showcases several characters who infect each other's lives with love, distrust, friendship and loss. Mostly, The Honey Wall shapes up around the pitfalls of infidelity, the ill-obsession that comes afterwards.

Nina, a mechanic gone mechanical-artist, will drain you with worry over her significant other, Tony, an artist-painter, college instructor . Ms. Latuchie does a fine job in depicting the constant, aching wonder that fills Nina's head. Throughout a good chunk of her life, Nina finds herself consumed with the possibility that every woman or student Tony meets, will be the one he sleeps with. This couple seems to thrive on cheating or at most the idea behind it, and yet they possess a striking, monogamous passion for one another.

There is hardly a plot to this project, the denouement sort of distilled. However, Ms. Latuchie's novel would probably make a resonant independent film. The prose closely examines body language, gestures, glances, touches, stares and smells. Nature. Senses are provoked and interpreted. Physical movement in the book is described carefully. It often juxtaposes the complications and perils of dwelling inside the head, living too near spite, of veining too spiritually in jealousy. I so enjoy the more complex novels with non-linear structures. But this was a nice break and decently entertaining.

I can't tell you what a pleasure it was to read this novel. Karen Latuchie fills every page with flawlessly constructed sentences which convey mood and atmosphere in the simplest ways. I found myself marveling over her mastery of language...truly amazing. The story is wonderfully simple and is propelled along by the complex characters that she has created. I can't explain how much I loved this book and I hope it finds it's way into as many hands as possible. Read this book!!

This is a thoroughly enjoyable, memorable novel. The tangled relationships between the principal characters are complex, conflicted, and nuanced, yet familiar and never tedious. The author's lucid and sharp descriptions of important landscape, setting, and life history details are remarkable, and aid an understanding of the characters and their lives. I have recommended this novel to friends.

This is so beautifully written, and lush, and it really draws you into the lives of its characters. It's not about action, or plot; really it's about lives lived in the past and present and the emotional toll our actions and relationships have on us. It seems quite real and vivivdly imagined. Just a stunning book and a very satisfying read.

I had this book recommended to me by someone in one of my genealogical mailing lists.

I highly recommend it.

There is much to be written about the Irish in Philadelphia and this book certainly goes into great detail about the emigrants. It tells the conditions of the city, famillies and how they lived, worked, died. I have read it several times and will read it again and again.

A family member in Northern Ireland picked up my book and read bits of it while visiting. I was asked to get a copy for them to take back to Ireland as they wanted to know more about the emigrants and their lives after they left the old country.

This was a very informative book about how the Irish in Philadelphia affected the city, and how the old establishment of the city was able to keep the Philadlephia Irish from gaining the same political power as those from New York and Boston. It is not a very easy read, due to the fact that it contains many facts and figures, but is nonetheless a very informative work about the forgotten Irish-Americans of Philadelphia, and why they were forgotten.

The thing I most liked most about this book was that the author went into detail about the conditions of life in Ireland for these people. Whether they came before the famine or after, these folks didn't just get off the boat and become Americans. They brought with them a rich culture and way of life. If you are Irish and from Philadelphia, this book will mean something to you.

I was captivated from the first page to the last. This gripping tale of evangelical artisans struggling to adapt to an emerging capitalist culture while keeping their producerist principles in 19th century Baltimore kept me up way past my bedtime in order to finish it. Even Dr. Sutton's footnotes are well worth reading!

This is the most informative and well-written book I've ever read. I was captivated by it from beginning to end and I think that William Sutton is the greatest history writer of all time. Buy this book! It's a classic!

Having borrowed this book twice from the library I have just now decided to buy a copy to keep in my bookshelf. This is an excellent book, and one which owes a good deal to E. P. Thompson's ground-breaking "Making of the English Working Class" in its method of historical analysis. In other words instead of relying on boring statistics and trends to explain the history of the common people it focuses on the people themselves and the actions that they took. This makes it interesting for the reader who is thus able to identify and empathise with the historical figures that Sutton describes. This is history as it should be written, a human story, about ordinary people and their lives, and how they reacted to events that seemed beyond their control.

The book itself examines how craft workers in Baltimore faced the challenges posed by industrial capitalism. How they saw their livelihoods being undermined by its cheap goods and the actions they took in response. In a sense it describes how the true Republic was lost. It also looks at the role that their religion played in that struggle. This is indeed a "peoples' history".

Writing history in this way, Sutton joins other excellent American historians like Ronald Schultz, Sean Wilentz, Bruce Laurie, and the late Christopher Lasch. All of these are well worth reading if you want to know how the common people lived before the crass materialism of modern capitalism stamped itself on American history. This history reconnects one to an older and more just and moral American Republic now sadly lost to corporate greed and warmongering. The American people are indeed well served by historians of this calibre.

Dr. Sutton effectively brings Jacksonian Baltimore to life in this morality tale that has become a cult classic. Dr.Sutton is indeed the greatest history writer ever in addition to being the rawest history teacher in the world. Journeymen for Jesus changed the way I thought about Jacksonian Baltimore and for that I am forever indebted to the master, Dr.Sutton.

This is a great book for anyone who loves nostalgia and the way the old parks used to be. For those of us who grew up in the area and who have treasured memories of Kennywood, this is like having a family album around the house.

If you like Kennywood Park, and are a roller coaster fanatic, this book is for you.

This is the essential book for avid lovers of the park, visitors, or anyone. Pittsburghers especialy will like the old pictures and references to the days of old.

Any coaster enthusiest, history buff, or Pittsburgher will love this book. The pictures of the old rides, coasters, and swimming pool bring back fond memories of warm summer nights and afternoon thrills. A little dated since a lot has happened at Kennywood after 1982, but its a perfect companion for Jacques new book.