Virginia Books

The work of Virginia Wilson in this book is to be praised. People with RLS will get so much out of this book, it is easy reading for everyone. Because of her hard work and dedication I have learned so much about RLS, having it myself after 11 back surgeries I can now tell my doctors to read the symptoms of other people that I have been complaining about for years. Because of this book I am taken seriously, I take her book to my doctors and have them read some of the pages. One of my doctors (Whom I admired dearly) put me on myopex, now I can sleep a few hours at night, compared to no sleep at night before. I don't dread bedtime anymore. Virginia, I can't thank you enough for what you have done for me and hopefully for so many sufferers. I read your book all day and thank God not all night. God Bless. Joan D'Agostino

This is a must read for RLS sufferers and their family. I have been suffering from RLS and its "cousins" for at least 23 years. For the most part, doctors have never taken me seriously. This book says it all. It describes the syndromes, the reactions of freinds, family, and the medical community (we are imagining it all), and offers some help and comfort. The latter in knowing what we knew all along: we have a real ailment that is making our lives miserable! Pressure your doctors to look into this disease. Change doctors if you must until you find someone who listens. It was infuriating for me to learn that Dr. Daniel Picchietti, a noted expert in the field referenced in this book, has been working at Carle Clinic, where I have been a patient for 17 years, and no one ever told me about him or refered me to him. I have an appointment now. Thank you so much, Virginia! [Footnote: I did see Dr. Picchietti and found relief. Daily doses of Mirapex have been a great help. For once I am being taken seriously and treated that way. Get help, fellow RLS sufferers.]

The work of Virginia Wilson in this book is to be praised. People with RLS will get so much out of this book, it is easy reading for everyone. Because of her hard work and dedication I have learned so much about RLS, having it myself after 11 back surgeries I can now tell my doctors to read the symptoms of other people that I have been complaining about for years. Because of this book I am taken seriously, I take her book to my doctors and have them read some of the pages. One of my doctors (Whom I admired dearly) put me on myopex, now I can sleep a few hours at night, compared to no sleep at night before. I don't dread bedtime anymore. Virginia, I can't thank you enough for what you have done for me and hopefully for so many sufferers. I read your book all day and thank God not all night. God Bless. Joan D'Agostino

Virginia Wilson pins it down it down to a t when she gives an excellent and concise overview of RLS and how it affects it's victims. She and the doctors who wrote with her also give hope to the millions of those afflicted with what I call the scourge of my life, RLS. The book is a good source of info and places to get help. As a health care professional I felt the book was a good source for medical professionals and laymen.

This book lit a fuse for me. I have suffered from Restless Legs Syndrome for 30 years, and until I ran across this book, I had basicly given up on any help. I received the book three weeks ago, saw a neurologist at the Swedish Hospital's Sleep Disorder Clinic in Seattle two weeks ago, and am set up for a sleep test in two weeks! I am so thoroughly excited about all this & have this book to thank. I was only 8 years old when this syndrome started taking over my nights and I have been labelled "dysfunctional" ever since. I can't and rarely try anymore to sleep at night (daytime sleep comes a little easier for me). I have hurt myself and my husband with my flying legs, it has made me doubt my own sanity, and just the possibility that they may be able to help just makes me emotional! I wish to thank the author, Virginia Wilson, for writing her story and sharing it. If she hadn't, I don't know how long it would have taken me to realize they are learning about it. I have since ordered the book for my three brothers, who are already checking into seeing a neurologist also. It runs strong in my family - in fact, two of my four children seem to have it too. Very valuable info - I loaned it to my family doctor, who obtained some valuable info and a little insight on the subject. Thanks again!

Since I am originally from New Jersey, I felt I needed a book on snakes specific to Virginia. I am not one to kill snakes because I know they serve a purpose in nature. I also find them interesting from a distance. This book has been helpful to me for identification purposes and has also spared the life of a Mole Kingsnake that my husband thought was a copperhead! I would highly recommend this book!

Didja know that some juvenile snakes may not look anything like adults? Wanna identify them all, positively? Wanna know EVERYThing about them, where they hang out, what they like to eat, when and where to find them?
THEN BUY THIS PUPPY!!! You will not be disappointed. My name is in the library book 4 times in a row, back in my borrowing days - now I own one.

Great book for anyone in Virginia who wonders about snakes. I enjoyed it and reccomend it. It helps puts to rest worries about whether a snake is "dangerous" or not, and generally adds insight into these much maligned reptiles. It is also going to be a big help when my grandchildren visit me in the Roanake area from Manhattan and ask about "Mr. Snake."

I checked out this book from the library and liked it so much I had to have my own copy! It's a great reference book and has good pictures of the snakes and maps of the areas of Virginia they are found in. The text is informative and has subtle humor in places. These guys really like snakes, and it is contagious, even to someone who really doesn't like them! It has helped my daughter's fear of snakes greatly.

I was so glad to find a snake book that's centered on our area. I have a field guide for the broader East Coast but this is a neat one in that it centers in on species right here. The maps are full-page maps (with VA counties delineated) showing with dots where the particular species has been seen. I wish they had also used color or gray-scale to shade the counties rather than just the dots but having the counties shown is so neat that I'm willing to get my colored pencils out and shade in the maps when I need to. The descriptions of the snakes are terrific too. They cover description (colors, patterns, sizes), habitat, range (beyond VA borders), habits (what they do during the day, night etc), reproduction, food, enemies, success/failure of keeping them in captivity, and folklore which I find interesting too. A great reference on snakes. There are photographs too - all at the center of the book, about 54 in all, as well as line drawings in other places of the book

I'm only about 1/3 through, but I can tell that this is an awesome piece of work. I'm surprised not to see more feedback here.

Tanner does an excellent job of presenting the Confederate deatils of the early valley campaign. He gives an excellent quick history of the valley as far as original colonization, American Revolution tie-ins, etc. He also paints a good picture of the strategic importance of the valley. So far reading, I'm surprised that more action did not take place within the 2 mountain ranges that make this "valley."

Tanner covers every level of the campaigns from simple private, to captains, to regimental colonels, to brigadier generals, all the way up to division commanders and of course General Jackson. Detailed troop movements are given, yet I did not find myself lost in details. Maps are excellent and numerous.

Also, very important, is reference to other Eastern developments which caused the ebb and flow in the Valley. You get the details as to why certain troops found themselves headed in or out of the valley, especially for the Union side.

The writing is very clear, concise, and at times very poetic. I wouldn't say Tanner is another Catton or Foote, but he comes pretty darn close. Much better than a typical dry account of campaigns you usually see out there.

I've been doing a lot of reading on ACW lately. I wasn't quite sure whether to read this because there seemed to be so many other more important works out there. But I'm glad I'm reading it as Tanner does an excellent job of briging this often forgot and vital campaign to life.

Remember it is Jackson's brilliance in the campaign which delays McCellan from striking Richmond by causing panic in Washington and delaying troop concentrations, and more importantly, it is his superiority in the Valley which allows him to break loose and help kick off the 7 Days (although he was MIA in helping).

Any serious ACW student should read this book.

Very well written, detailed account of Jackson's dazzling Shenandoah valley campaign. The valley campaign, Jackson's last significant independent activity before attaching himself to General Lee, makes for great civil war history. The author writes in a way that makes you feel like you're a part of Jackson's army, from lowest private to brigadier general. The maps, most of which are reproductions of Jed Hotchkiss's maps drawn at the time, could stand a little more detail but the narrative fills in most of the gaps pretty well. Focuses entirely on Jackson during the campaign and his place in the overall picture at the time. While this book is probably not for novices, it is an excellent and informative read for those with an interest in Jackson and/or the Northern Virginia theater of the war.

I have always been fascinated by the Valley Campaign, and surprised that nothing appeared to have been written specifically on the Campaign itself - at least nothing definitive.

I just knew Tanner's book was what I was looking for, just by the appearance of it. And in fact it is THE definitive account of the Shenandoah Campauign of 1862.

This is a remarkable campaign history. Never does Tanner's pacing seem off. He tells the reader precisely what he or she wishes to know. At proper moments he gives a literary touch to th writing; at other times he tells us what the soldiers were thinking; and at other times he tells amusing anecdotes.

THe sheer amount of research that must have gone into this book is phenomenal. Most books on civil war battles and campaigns tend to rely on accrued secondary evidence, and those pieces of primar evidence that are already widely known.

Tanner, on the other hand, has miraculously discoverd sources NEVER before seen. He is so thorough that the bibliographu and notes take up a seriously large portion of the book. And the information is important - a good deal of it clarifies points that have always been puzzling. For example, he proves that the famous Staunton maneuver, where Jackson seemed to deliberately leave the Valley on foot, only to return by train, was actually ad hoc, and probably not intended.
On the other hand, the new evidence regarding the march south from the Battle of Winchester really makes you feel sorry for the Valley soldiers - my feet really almost felt sore even reading about walking that fast, and going without sleep for so long.

Jackson himself comes across as a flawed genius, which he undoubtedly was. While he was a remarkable soldier, one must admit that there were certain aspects of his character that nearly defeated him on occasion; his almost continuous friction with his subordinates, his extreme strictness, his extreme inflexibility, his religious fervour, his inability to know when his soldiers were past breaking point.
Yet we also see Jackson's incredible energy, his strategic genius, his unerring instinct for what to do next.

Ultimately Tanner's book is about as definitive as a campaign book can get, and is highly recommended to anyone interested in the Civil War.

Tanner has written an excellent summary of the Valley Campaign that established Jackson as a Civil War legend. He manages to describe the experiences of privates and officers who fought in the campaign. While the majority of the book focuses on the Southern side, Tanner is fair and objective in his description of the abilities of the main characters.

Before going into the campaign study, Tanner describes the early history and importance of the Shennandoah Valley and why the area was such an important objective during the Civil War. The maps were okay but could have been more detailed and numerous to enable the reader to better understand the campaign movements and locations.

I particularly appreciated Tanner's fair treatment of Jackson: while we Southerners tend to idolize Jackson, Tanner points out Jackson's most serious flaws: secrecy and inability to get along with subordinates. Indeed, both tendencies probably would have kept Jackson (had he survived the war) from attaining the status of Lee, Grant, Sherman, Thomas, and Johnston. Admittingly, I have read of Jackson's tendencies in several other books.

I highly recommend the book as the standard for a study of the 1862 Shennandoah Valley Campaign. Read and enjoy!

A well-written and thoroughly researched account of one of the most impressive military campaigns in history. Mr. Tanner's portrayal is an enjoyable read without the sappy hero worship yet with all the details that gave us the Stonewall legend. No one can doubt the genius of this unlikely military leader nor his place in military history. Few could compare to the Elder Jackson's pious and quiet humility in victory and genious of maneuver. The valley campaign is studied to this day as a model of the indirect approach and the importance of maneuverability. Mr. Tanner gives us the best account yet of that campaign to thrill and inform. Very highly recommended.

This book is very informative and very accurate. It is told from the viewpoint of the Black People. I would recommend it to everyone who is interested in the truth about the history of the Civil War and Stonewall's compassion for the Black People.

REJOICE IN THAT DAY WHEN THEY CAST OUT YOUR NAME AS EVIL

REJOICE

This book has had my name on it and I had a hard time finding it. The book is dear to my heart in that I do not think the whole truth has been told about the South and the Civil War. Somehow I may be related to Stonewall Jackson. Most of my ancestors were protestants from Northern Ireland as were Jackson's.

This is the book to read to reveal a gentler glimpse of slavery in the Old South. Stonewall Jackson broke a Virginia law by teaching his slaves to read and teaching many others about Christianity. Mr. Williams presents this untold story of the famed Confederate General as Stonewall's most enduring legacy. Many descendants of Jackson's black Sunday School class completed divinity studies and have pastored untold hundreds of others in the way of the cross. The blacks of Lexington, Virginia loved Stonewall Jackson and that love was passed down for generations to people like Richard Williams.

The book is a true gem, not to be missed for a completed view of slavery in the Old South. Thank you so much, Mr. Williams.

This side of the Civil War story has not been told. Little do you know the real reason why Thomas Jackson left the U.S. military. His commanding officer was using his influence, as we would say today, to obtain sexual favors from a little slave girl. Such were some who liberated the slaves and their descendants are here with us today. The abolitionist movement was christian supposedly too, yet what a huge mess they made in my neck of the woods. O.K. Being a christian man of honor, (would that there were more these days), he quietly left the service, though his immediate family knew the real reasons. Most people see white southerners as hypocrites. We live in the bible belt, but we're not really christians in that many of us had slaves at one time. I could go on and on about this subject. Careful who you listen to, careful who you ally yourselves to; 99.99999999999999999999999% of self-professed christians ARE NOT.

IF the truth be told.

This is an excellent work on the in-depth Christian character of Thomas (Stonewall) Jackson. Mr. Williams has obviously spent countless hours gleaning the information contained in this volume. His interviews with several direct links to the Lexington Colored Sabbath School add just the right touch to tie all the information together.
I highly recommend this book to anyone seeking information on the true character of T.J. (Stonewall) Jackson.

I find this book extremely interesting. The other side of General T. Jackson and the work he accomplished within the Confederacy. A must for the students of Stonewall Jackson.

This is an excellent book about a side that most people do not know about Stonewall Jackson. Not only was he a great general, but he was also a great man and christian. I found this book easy to read and really enjoyed it.

The book begins with Henry Stoddard writting his thoughts and experiences while living in the silver mining town of Virginia City, Nevada, On January 1, 1900. What follows is a grand tale of life and love in a booming mining town!! Any fan of Historical Fiction will love this book!! I read it while I was vacationing in Virgina City, Nevada and it made me feel as if I was there in all the excitement of the COMSTOCK LODE!!!

The book says the author was Richard S.Wheeler. The real Author was a man by the name of Dickey Dey. For many years he was the private secretary of Mr. John Mackay.

This really an interesting report on the working of Virginia City and more about the people and characters that lived there than it is about mining.

A must read for all fans of the Comstock Lode.

I discovered Richard Wheeler a month ago. What a great discovery! He's an intelligent novelist who develops rich characters and weaves his narrative into the history of the old west. He educates and entertains.

Sun Mountain is an excellent read and strongly recommended. Learn about Virginia City, Nevada during its heyday. And what a heyday it had! Its roots are solidly in the pre-railroad days when everything had to be hauled hundreds and hundreds of arduous miles over the Sierras from California during the early days of that state. Then came the railroads and transformed Virginia City, as they transformed every town they touched. Wheeler instructs the reader on the Comstock Lode and the technological innovations developed there that changed mining around the world. He deftly covers the full gamut of human nature and existence in such a place at such a time.

If you have yet to read a Richard Wheeler novel, Sun Mountain is an excellent place to start.

At last: a historical novel with a sense of humor. Undeniably acknowledged as a master storyteller and flawless in his knowledge of the historical West, Wheeler fully unveils yet another talent from his already amazing repretoire: humor. While the real stars of Sun Mountain are the Virginia City's silver mines, narrator Henry Stoddard nearly steals the show with his sly perceptions of the city's inhabitants and his inept campaign to leave bachelorhood in a near womanless town. His search to find true love and the city's innovations to unearth its riches made me smile-one with affection, the other with admiration.

I can think of few historical novels-as-memoirs of the American West that are as memorable as Richard S. Wheeler's SUN MOUNTAIN--Brian Garfield's WILD TIMES comes to mind but few others. Wheeler's narrator, Henry Stoddard, a newspaperman with the Virginia City Territorial Enterprise, was present at the beginnning of the Comstock silver boom in Nevada in the 1860s and was there at the end of it two decades later. He witnessed every significant event and knew every personage, from young Samuel Langhorne Clemens to the forgotten miner--Welsh, Irish, Chinese--who spent his days in the hellish mines wresting the silver ore free to make other men rich. SUN MOUNTAIN is an unforgettable, powerful, touching novel set in a tumultuous time and a story that could only be told by this towering figure in Western fiction.

This book is a welcome breath of fresh air in a world that seems to pretend that death never happens. It does, and this book reminds that denial will cheat us from what matters in life. My experience as a physician reminds me every day that death is an essential part of life. The book is filled with moving stories about people's confrontation with death and lessons to help us lead a richer life.

Although I am an RN and have wrapped many patients for the morgue in my day, I still fear death and if I will feel anything when I am dead. This book was affirming, validating and inspiring. It will help me live my life. How does so young a person have such insight into this topic? Of note an article entitled "Could the clinically dead feel pain" in ABC Science Online is fascinating. Thankyou Virginia. Buy the BOOK!

I bought this book because I am starting to volunteer at a convalescent home. I recommend it for anyone who is going to comfort the terminally ill.

The book's true stories and descriptions of what extreme life-saving measures doctors often resort to, have made me want to have a very specific advanced medical directive. Artificial breathing / ventilation and feeding tubes are not for me!

Virgina understands that remembering is part of healing.
I also use Write from Your Heart, A Healing Grief Journal in my classes. It is good to find books such as these.
For the children I teach I use After the Tears, A Gentle Guide to Help Children Understand Death.

A powerful and positive call to action that inspired me to "make death part of life".

Like most Americans, I come from a family in which the very thought of death is always put off until it's much, much too late. Ms. Morris's book changed all that for me. It defanged the "death monster" and turned it into a facet of life that I will think about, talk about and prepare for with my family and friends in a manner that will ease the passage of the dying invididual as well as those who love that person.

I never thought a book about death could be so life-affirming!!

Michael Hardy is the consummate writer- he does his research-in depth, collects his material-much of it first-hand, then writes a book that is a cross between a textbook and a biography. I,too, am descended from men who were in the 37th NC of whom I knew nothing before I read this book. Now I do.

Even if you are not related,this book is excellent reading in order to understand how and why young men from rural western NC were willing to risk it all for a cause they did not all support. This is a tremendous book and a great read.

this was a great written book ,i had relatives that served in company E of the 37th nc and it was great getting to know there effords in supporting the southern cause.i suggest this book for anyone.

This book is loaded with in-depth research and provides a well written history on the 37th. My great-great Grandfather served in Company H and it has been a pleasure to learn of his exploits.

My husband and I are reading this book at present. His great-great-grandfather was in the 37th NC Infantry of the CSA, and this book helps bring to life what these soldiers endured. From the beginning of the War to the end, anyone who reads this account will be moved. The book is very well-researched and is very detailed. I highly recommend it to anyone wanting to know more about the experience of a Confederate soldier.

Michael Hardy has written a detailed and fascinating account of the 37th North Carolina in the Civil War. It is especially good in its use of first-hand sources - letters, diaries, etc. - of the soldiers who served in the unit. Formed in the late summer of 1861, the 37th participated in most of the major campaigns in the eastern theatre, beginning at New Bern and continuing through Gaines Mills, Second Manassas, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, Fredericksburg, and Petersburg to Appomattox. Hardy traces the whereabouts and actions of the unit in rich detail, sometimes on a day-to-day basis, which is especially useful while they were on the march. In addition to their battlefield actions, Hardy provides a complete roster of the 37th by company and a list of all the unit's courts-martial during the war. The book is an excellent history of the 37th and a useful reference source as well. And Hardy's generous use of the soldiers' words themselves make for very interesting reading. The book is another excellent addition to the many regimental histories published by McFarland in the last half-dozen years or so.

I was really intreged by this book because it was understandable, interesting, and filled with facts about this amazing man that I've never read or heard about before.

Thomas Jefferson is to me: one of the most admirable people in history.This book has an amazing fictional aproach but yet it is still factual and educational and you can still be one of the biggest Jefferson buffs out there and not have to do years of studying.This book is to me the most animated biography that mosturizes dry facts to fertile entertainment.

As a life long Jefferson fan, I enjoyed this book immensely, but am concerned that Bober does not offer a critical analysis of her subject. She says that one of her goals in writing this book is to make Jefferson appear more human. While she goes into great detail about Jefferson's family values and other interests aside from politics, she omits any mention of his mortal flaws which are exactly what make him human. Any reader can tell that Bober reveres Jefferson like a Revolutionary God (and indeed he was one), but she is unable to maintain any degree of impartiality as a biographer.

For instance, Bober enthusiastically discusses the various ways Jefferson tried to bring an end to the peculiar institution of slavery through his writings, but she never questions why if this was so important to him, he failed to take advantage of his executive power as president to ensure that the Louisiana territory he purchased in 1803 remained slave free? Why didn't he fight harder to retain the clause prohibiting slavery in his original draft of the Declaration of Independence? The Jefferson of Bober's imagination is not capable of such double standards or inconsistencies in character.

Bober only briefly mentions that while Jefferson professed to be against slavery, he owned several hundred slaves at Monticello and his other plantations. Why was his rhetoric inconsistent with his actions? Bober conveniently ignores the fact that Monticello was built entirely by slaves. (This I know because I have a degree in history, but a less informed reader would be misled). Jefferson may have thought that ending slavery was a good idea, but he did not pursue this cause with the same passion with which he fought for the freedom of white Americans from the British.

Bober dismisses the notion that Jefferson had an affair with his slave Sally Hemings and instead suggests that the president's nephew was the father of Sally's children, yet Bober's evidence to support her argument is scant. In fact, she spends as little time as possible on this topic, preferring to discuss Jefferson's contributions to his country. While this approach is refreshing when compared to the massive number of volumes out there on "Jefferson's scandals," Bober has neglected an important part of Jeffersonian history. Recent DNA testing has proven that Sally Heming's children were fathered by a Jefferson male which could be Thomas or possibly someone else.

All this said, Bober does an excellent job of bringing Thomas Jefferson to life and articulating his accomplishments in a meaningful way. It's a shame that her work is decidedly unbalanced and therefore irresponsible from an historical point of view.

A magnificent book for an incredible man. Told in story book fashion, as all history should be, Bober's writing style is a mesmerizing tribute to the subject.It is a shame that a man of Jefferson's character and vision would probably be unelectable in today's visionless sea of pluralism and status quo where the details of the day outshine the necessities of tomorrow.

Probably one of the best books I've ever read- it is very informative, but I was able to read it like I would a novel- a rare trait in nonfiction literature. It was written in a way that even one who is not a history buff can enjoy it. It shows that Jefferson was quite ahead of his time, but he was not superhuman as some sources lead us to believe.

Jeff Pasley's "The Tyranny of Printers" is a fresh look at American politics and journalism in the early Republic. The traditional narrative of journalism in the early Republic is that a weak press tyrannized by political parties produced some of the most subservient and unfree journalism ever seen in America. Pasley turns this narrative on its head, arguing that printers and newspapers in fact created the modern party system. Far from being party stooges, printers were in fact politicians with a major stake in the issues of the day; far from politically subservient, printers provided the organizational glue that held the early parties together.

Pasley argues that newspaper editors provided the crucial ideological and organizational tools that were needed to negotiate the chaotic political waters of the early Republic in part because printers were the only truly professional politicians of the time. Parties lacked permanent organization in the early Republic; campaign season brought political operatives and candidates out of the woodwork, but for the rest of the year it fell to editors to mediate between politicians and constituents.
Newspaper offices, which often doubled as local post offices and as reading rooms for out-of-town papers, were logical locations for official party meetings and informal affairs. Editors were uniquely placed to gauge public opinion because of the volume of other papers that passed through their offices. By reprinting accounts of party rallies, toasts, speeches and marches, newspapers spread the party's message to many more people than ever could have seen the event in person and created an "imagined community" of party followers spread over the entire nation. The printing of toasts and speeches also allowed editor-politicians to simultaneously forge a national party ideology and to tone down the parts of that ideology that might not play well in certain states or regions.

Pasley argues that the first party to understand and use newspapers in politics was Thomas Jefferson's Republican party. The Republicans were able to deploy the press effectively as a weapon at least partly because of their willingness to let a certain class of people into the political arena - artisan printers. The Federalist newspapers that sprang up to counter the Republican press were generally run by young aristocrats who wrote and copied articles from other papers but didn't actually do the hard manual labor of setting type and printing papers. Republican editors, by contrast, tended to be printers themselves, raised in a declining artisanal tradition and realizing that the road to success might lead them down an untraditional path. By understanding artisanal editors to have played such a large role in the birth of political parties, Pasley provides fresh new evidence for the idea of a great democratization of politics occurring in the early Republic. The party editors of Jefferson's and Jackson's days were certainly not of the lowest class of people, but they were manual laborers who conformed to an old, hard-drinking tradition that was anathematic to refined Federalist or neo-Federalist aristocrats.

The most revolutionary aspect of Pasley's book may be found in the way it understands the relationship between journalists and politicians. The received wisdom of the journalism world focuses on notions of objectivity and partisanship; the era of the political press is seen as a low point of American journalism. Pasley's argument suggests that printers of that era may well have had more influence over politics and that ordinary voters may have been much more well-informed than voters are today. The union of journalism and politics that Pasley describes is one that held many advantages for both the printers and the parties of the day.

This fascinating book traces the evolution from a relatively apolitical printing trade to a highly politicized press, from the founding of the republic up through the Jackson administration. While the book is a solid contribution to historical scholarship, it is written in a highly accessible style, providing plenty of context for those of us who have forgotten many of the details of high school US History class. But what makes the book most readable is Pasley's style of substantiating his general accounts of demographic and political trends with numerous engaging mini-biographies of specific printers, a colorful lot of characters, to illustrate his points. For me, the book also went beyond forgotten high school history to explain things I never knew about the development of party politics, about the "Federalists" (who stood for the opposite of what is called "federalism" today) and the "Republicans" (the precursor of the modern Democratic party). Given today's highly polarized political climate, it is especially interesting to read about the founding fathers' fears of party politics. In 18th century elections, it was considered quite unseemly for a candidate to campaign or promote himself in any way. Thomas Jefferson was conflicted in his views of the press, working behind the scenes to encourage a pro-Republican press, while making every effort to personally disassociate himself from newspapers.

This book first came to my attention in the course of my family history research, as it turns out that my great-great-great-great-grandfather Charles Holt is one of the printers given biographical treatment in the book. Holt served as an example of printers who became politicized by the infamous Sedition Act under John Adams' presidency. He started publishing his newspaper intending to be neutral, printing all viewpoints, but quickly discovered that the Federalists who utterly dominated Connecticut would not countenance a newspaper that published any viewpoints other than their own. Just for publishing diverse views, he was labeled "a Jacobin, a Frenchman, a disorganizer, and one who would sell his country." (Sound familiar?) Frustrated in his attempts to be a neutral printer, he dug in, editorializing:

There are generally *two sides* to every subject. To the
public opinion, in a free country, there ever will and should
be. And it is the duty of an impartial printer to communicate
to the public on *both sides* freely. But nine tenths of the
newspapers in Connecticut are decidedly partial to *one side*,
and keep the *other* totally out of sight. This is not
fair.... The public may therefore rest assured that so long as
my brethren in this state print on *one side only*, so long
will I print on *the other*.

(In other words, Holt anticipated by a couple of centuries Rush Limbaugh's quip that "I am equal time.") Eventually, Holt was convicted under the Sedition Act, heavily fined, and jailed for six months. But as Pasley shows through Holt's example and many others, the Sedition Act, which criminalized criticism of the government, and which intended to stifle the much-feared evils of a politicized press, instead had the opposite effect. A whole generation of printers became more politicized than ever before, and The Sedition Act was not only repealed, but a newly energized explicitly Republican press put Thomas Jefferson into office.

It is amazing how timely and relevant some of the issues of 200 years ago seem, with parallels to today's politically divided climate. (Just as one example, I was struck by Pasley's comment on a trend in the wake of Jefferson's election: "there was a sudden awakening of libertarianism among some Federalists now that some of the weapons of state were in Republican hands." Not unlike our present-day Democrats who are rediscovering federalism, and our Republicans who think government should be small except when they're in control of it.) I really enjoyed getting to know the many colorful characters who enliven this history. I think anyone who enjoys politics and history will greatly enjoy this book.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch chose "Tyranny of Printers" as one of the best books of 2001 in its November 25 edition (...).

The Tyranny of Printers is a history book that accomplishes a lot at the same time. On one hand, it offers a new and fascinating look at journalism during the Revolutionary Period. Pasley essentially argues that rather than being tools of the parties, journalists themselves were responsible for dictating the rise of party politics.

The book is very well-written and manages to be entertaining enough for a general audience but also incredibly useful for the academic world, which is very tough to do. Pasley mainly uses a series of biographical portraits to construct his narrative, which makes the book easy to digest but does restrict his ability to apply his conclusions to a larger population, but I never doubted his findings.

As with any book, Pasley obviously takes sides. The newspaper men emerge as the true heroes: bold and fearless spreaders of democracy who had a fundamental role in the rise of party politics of the period. Extending that, the Jeffersonians (and not the currently chic Hamiltonians) are the politicians who were more in tough with spirit of democracy that the nation was founded on, and this propellem them to their dramatic victory in the election of 1800.

Pasley's book is inventive, enjoyable, and highly informative. I suggest to any casual or serious student of the Early American Republic. It is a welcome antidote to the current trend in Founding Father hagiography.

The Tyranny of Printers: Newspaper Politics in the Early American Republic written by Jeffrey L. Pasley is a book that gives an overall picture of the power of the press in our early American Republic from the Revolutionary period to the Jacksonians. Newspaper based politics is a term used much in this book to describe the type and level associated with the local party.

The classic case of newspaper-based politics was when Thomas Jefferson used one paper in Philadelphia to do his bidding against Alexander Hamilton... not to mention that Jefferson got caught. Newspapers were the central source of news, outside of word of mouth, and a network of newspapers really gave both the candidate and the paper momentum and political life. The late eighteenth and early nineteenth century was a real hotbed where newspapers breathed, newpapers were the republic's central political institutions, working components of the political system rather than just commentators on it. This was true all the way to the end of the Jacksonian era of democracy.

This book has a narrative that flows quite well and keeps the reader well informed and is full of anecdotes. Jefferson, Madison and Monroe all used the press to their collective advantage as they striped the power away from the Federalists, but not only is this book about how they politician used the press. The most interesting story is how the author enlivens his narrative with accounts of the colorful but often tragic careers of the individual editors.

There is a companion web site that readers should consult at: [url] serving as an extension of the book... this site contains important supporting material information. The book has endnotes rather than footnotes concentrating all of the supporting information toward the back of the book. There is a very good bibliography with this book that supports the writing very well.

As time marchs on... reading this book give us a glimpse in the window of a time where political goals were linked to the newspapers and their editors making the full circle of the political process, linking parties, voters and the government together... the newspapers were the linchpin of early political power. This book is very informative and gives a rare look into the life at times of some of the more interesting minor players of early American Politics the editors.

I enjoyed reading this book as it still had a familiar theme but the players were the most interesting as the Americian political process still worked, a very interesting book, indeed.

My patients loved the book.I had an original copy signed by Ginny. I lent it out so many times I can not seem to remember who I gave it too. So I am getting another copy, but it will never replace my signed copy.. Hi, Ginny if you are reading this is is Bea Tom's ex-wife. Say hello to everyone. Bea
ps How is Granny?

This is a delightful and uplifting book that any survivor of a serious illness would do well to read. It is a wise and wonderful addition to any library. I cannot express what a consolation it was to me and many friends and relatives who survived disease. I applaud Virginia Goff Green on her wonderful words.

As a cancer survivor, this book is a perfect gift to a loved one who's just been diagnosed with any form of cancer or long-term illness. It reminds the patient that taking care of themselves, both spritually and physically, during the medical journey is so important. Nice illustrations with sparce words makes it a book that has great meaning with very little effort to read. I have this in my kitchen on a book stand, changing the pages frequently, to remind me that it's always good to take a few minutes to "smell the flowers" and I'm eight and a half years from my treatment. Perfect gift --- much better than flowers or candy as it lasts longer!

Delightful is the best word to describe this charming little book. And it is a very strange word indeed to describe a book that deals with the problems of serious, chronic illness, but the combination of few words presented in lyrical style, along with beautiful, brightly-colored watercolor prints of flowers results in a delighful presentation of practical information on a very sensitive subject.
The two women responsible for the book - the author and the illustrator - have "been there, done that". Both are survivors of serious illness and have - along with their families - faced the questions that surround such illness, including the decision to use (or reject) life support and to move ahead with life despite some limitations following illness. They provide lots of practical, insightful information that can be useful to anyone - male or female - facing serious illness and/or surgery, but do so without losing sight of the inherent joy of life which, like the flowers that they use to illustrate emotions, seems to occasionally wilt as we face crisis situations.
The book is more than delightful; it is a charming, useful, practical guide to anyone undergoing a life crisis.
It seems strange to say that I enjoyed it - but I definitely did and plan on ordering additional copies to pass along to friends when they face similar situations. I highly recommend it!

This is a totally enjoyable feel-good book. I loved every word and the drawings were marvelous. I cannot say enough good things about this masterpiece. If only I could give 6 stars!