Pennsylvania Books

The darkest thing about the so-called Dark Ages is the darkness of our ignorance of them. I'm speaking in general of educated readers, many of whom will be surprised to learn that there was a "Norman Conquest" outside of England, and of the best historians, whose ignorance is directly proportioanl to the scarcity of reliable sources.

Yes, there was a Norman Conquest of Sicily, and then of large chunks of the boot of Italy, and the Norman kingdom which resulted is well worth studying for its importance in the expansion of Europe. But this book plunges even farther back into the darkness, to examine the state of things in southern Italy before the Normans, in the Ninth and Tenth Centuries. The author writes: "In this early medieval period, southern Italy was in effect a giant laboratory, one in which polities were tested and where Byzantium, the Lombards, the Islamic world, and the Latin West constantly intersected." In other words, much of the interfacing of European, Byzantine, and Persian-Arab knowledge and technology that we Western European historians have studied so carefully in Renaissance Spain and northern Italy had already been previewed in southern Italy. Another quote from Dr. Kreutz: "...the lower half of the Italian peninsula...first became a separate and distinct geopolitical region in 774, with the Carolingian conquest of northern Italy. It is true that it was not politically unfified until the late eleventh century, under the Normans. From 774 on, however, southern Italy mostly pursued its own separate destiny, and indeed, as the Kingdom of Naples, it continued to do so until the unification of Italy in the nineteenth century."

This is not a book that makes concessions to a popular readership. It's all solid scholarship and stolid prose. Much of its drama focuses on the reliability of monastic sources. So, unless you're a Calabrian nationalist, why should you give a hoot? Because this fragmented and triangulated region was probably the most important gateway/marketplace through which Greeks, Muslims, and Latin-German Christians exchanged ideas! It was through this region, for instance, that Indian numerals using zero entered Europe. Most of the flow of knowledge was into Europe from Byzantium and North Africa, to the very great long-term detriment of the Islamic world. Frankly (and there's a pun), Europe was receptive while Islam was beginning its long exclusion of infidel science.

Benevento, the inland southern capital of Lombard Italy, is not much of a tourist destination these days, but it was a city of greater sophistication in the 9th C than anywhere north of Rome. Its liturgical music has been imaginatively reconstructed by Marcel Peres on his CD of Beneventan chant. Amalfi, the Lombard/Greek city state on the seacoast, is indeed a spectacular place to visit today, though most of its architecture dates from well after the Lomabards. There are good reasons to suppose that Amalfi was a hub of exchange of musical and poetic styles, north and south, long before the Spanish court of Alfonso el Sabio. Somehow, in southern Italy, the characteristic instruments of both Islamic and European music encountered each other and re-absorbed the dominant Hellenic instruments. The basic double reed of ancient Greece, for example, became the shenai of Arab/Persian music and the shawm>oboe of European. Translations of ancient Greek texts also flowed through pre-Norman and Norman Italy - translations from Greek to Arabic to Latin and also some from Latin to Arabic, though Arabs were almost never the translators.

Only readers with a general knowledge of Mediterranean history over the millennia will find this book intelligible. Still, if you are a person who reads history regularly for pleasure, you won't find many books with more new knowledge to impart.

I first encountered this book during my undergraduate studies at SUNY Geneseo. I was taking a human rights class and this book literally changed the way I view the world. This is a dense read, with a lot of detail, and reading the footnotes is a MUST, however if it does not change the way you view the world around you you haven't read it right. This is a must read for anyone who believes that the horrors that governments can perpetrate need to be illuminated.

When one thinks about the early American history and the colonial period it's natural to associate this history with the New England region. But if there is one area outside of New England that can boast a history that is just as rich and as important, it is certainly the city of Philadelphia. "Ben Franklin's Philadelphia" by Tom Huntington is equal parts a tour guide, Franklin Biography, and a history, all blended in one enjoyable, and informative book.

Huntington takes readers on a tour of colonial Philadelphia, stopping at many well known, and many unknown historical buildings and landmarks, including many of those frequented by Franklin himself. Along the way Huntington provides biographical information about Franklin in relation to these various stops. 2006 marks Franklin's 300th birthday and there is no better time to visit historical Philadelphia than during this year long celebration of one of America's greatest Founding Fathers. In all there are just over two dozen different places to visit in the guide and Huntington greatly assists readers by providing the address and phone number of each site, hours of operation, admission prices (if applicable), and finally, a walking map with each site numbered so you can plan your route when you visit.

Certainly many people know about Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell Center, both of which can be visited free of charge, but there are many other interesting, out-of-the-way sites that are not quite as well known but are equally tantalizing for history buffs. For instance this is Elfreth's Alley, which has the distinction of being the oldest, continually occupied residential street in America, with homes that date back to the 1720's. Two of these buildings served as the Elfreth's Alley museum with a modest admission price.

Near Elfreth's Alley is the Fireman's Hall Museum. The Museum recognizes Ben Franklin's contributions as the founder of the city's first fire company in 1736. Another marvelous site is Christ Church where he and his wife Deborah attended services on occasion. It was Franklin who helped organize the funding for the church's massive 200-foot tall steeple that has become one of the city's most visible landmarks.

The Franklins are buried in Christ Church Burial Grounds, which, oddly enough, are actually a few streets over from the church. A large slab covers Franklin's final resting place and it has become a tradition for visitors to toss pennies on the slab for good luck.

The thing that strikes me about all of the sites in Huntington's guide is the modest admission fees for visiting most of them. Many of these sites can be toured for free, while others are less than $20 for a family of four, making them not only historically enriching, but a heck of a bargain as well.

If you plan on visiting Philadelphia, do yourself a favor and pick up this book and have a great time walking around old Philadelphia.

Reviewed by Tim Janson

Best Companions is a 532 page compendium of letters between Eliza Middleton Fisher and her mother, Mary Hering Middleton. The letters bridge Charleston, Philadelphia to Newport, through the years 1839-1846. This seven-year conversation, encompassed in some 375 letters, connect the cultural and social life of the North and the South even as other forces conspired to tear America part from within. Enhanced with an Epilogue, extentensive bibliography, and comprehensive index, Best Companions is intimately showcases the joys, sorrows, frustrations, and widespread opinions of a close mother and daughter. Best Companions is not to be missed!

Pennsylvania German recipes are combined with Betty Groff's childhood memories as told to Diane Stoneback in the Betty Groff Cookbook. The delicious recipes are augmented with full color photography by Blair Seitz. From Cornmeal Fried Chicken with Herbs; Beef Pie; and Cream of Watercress Soup; to Baked Tilapia; Apricot-Nut Bread; and Soft Sugar Cookies, the Betty Groff Cookbook is as much fun to browse through as it is to plan meals with!

Between Justice & Beauty: Race, Planning, And The Failure Of Urban Policy In Washington, D.C. by Howard Gillette Jr. (Professor Of History Rutgers University) examines how, as the only American city directly under congressional control, Washington D.C. has historically been used to test federal policy initiatives and social experiments. Some results have been positive; many have not, and the best of intentions striving to bring social justice to the largely black populace have failed. A large federal presence has been created, but to what ends? Gillette claims that this bloated and all-too-often ineffective federal presence is a triumph of beauty of justice, and searches for a more effective means to bring help to the city dwellers who need revitalization the most. A scholarly, well-researched treatise, sparsely illustrated with black-and-white photographs, Between Justice & Beauty attacks longstanding social problems head-on in search of solutions.

It's a family reunion of sorts in Lewis's newest offering, a story collection in three parts to update her devotees on the progress of the Amish and "fancy Englischer" characters in her previous novels, all held together by the common thread of their Pennsylvania Dutch country setting. "Hickory Hollow" describes Katie and Daniel's wedded bliss (The Heritage of Lancaster County series) and Katie's overtures toward her family and church friends, who have shunned her. We find the characters from The Postcard, Rachel and her husband, Philip (a former "fancy Englischer"), settled into family life in Bird-in-Hand. Philip struggles to gain acceptance from his Amish peers as he helps to fight a fire and tries his hand at a barn raising. In "Grasshopper," we are brought up to speed on Lydia's courtship by Levi (from The Redemption of Sarah Cain). Although the book is touted as "perfect for Lewis fans and new readers," it would be a tough introduction for someone unfamiliar with her work. The dialect "wonderful-gut," "redding," "perty" and "jah" can make the reading as slow as molasses for the uninitiated. One wonders why each of these vignettes wasn't a full-fledged sequel; it feels a bit like Lewis threw three unfinished novels into one book. But Lewis fans will be pleased to find the same consistent writing they've come to enjoy, and to catch glimpses of how their favorite characters are faring. (Oct.)Forecast: Although many critics find Lewis's Amish-themed novels as overly sweet as shoofly pie, her fans are loyal and legion. More than three million copies of her books are now in print. Her followers will enjoy this, jah.

In following the precepts of revisionist history, Robert Weier avoids the traditional analysis of institutional history of the Knights of Labor. In its place emphasizes in understanding the men, women, and ethnic groups that composed this organization and focuses on the culture it envogued during the Gilded Age era. In which strongly attracted large amounts of workers to the Knights of Labor platform; however, those tools did not reinforce the universal values desired among its membership. The KOL proceeded through five stages during its existence. It began as a fraternal, secretive brotherhood organization to insure the livelihood as an entity. The next ushered in the evolution from a secretive to a public established organization. The third phase, which is the main focus of the book, is the experimentation, modification, and creation of a worker culture defined by the Knights of Labor. Then KOL experiences a period of decline and decentralization allows more flexibility of local KOL taverns initiatives. The dwindling of membership and the leadership witnessing the union die, attempted in a last ditch effort to unify and re-solidify itself it reverted back to its fraternal beginnings. The culture that manifested itself under the KOL leadership encouraged a more cooperative relationship between labor and capital. The songs had motifs of Jesus condemnation of Mammon worship, KOL as the true beholders of true Christianity and patriots. The literature was less direct in nature regarding a clear potential conflict between labor and capital.

The book arrived in good speed and condition.

Many don't realise that the freedom we experience today is due to the long development of an attitude of toleration. This book gives an excellent account, through a variety of essays on how this move was made possible. It is very readable, and is suitable for the beginner who has an interest in the subject, or the more advanced student/lecturer who appreciates the accuracy and depth that this book has to offer.

Please give this book a go - it is a highly facinating subject, and you will not be disappointed. I strongly recommend everyone develop an understanding of such important subject matter. Many today argue that morality be enforced by the law - without understanding the complexity and history behind the move to remove it. It is through toleration that the quality of our lives today are made possible. If you want a better understanding of this development, I have read an abundance of material, and I can honestly say, that this title is one of the best. Give it a go.