Virginia Books

Creative projects for homemade Christmas decorations make this book a great gift.. If you can part with it!

This book has lovely ideas for decoarting using natural materials. I found many of the ideas could be done very inexpensively.

I bought this book for my neighbor and when it came I wanted to keep it! She had recently visited Williamsburg and came back with stories of how she loved the Christmas decorating and wanted to emulate things for her own home.
I've never been to Williamsburg myself, but this book was beautiful! The pictures were professional (I've seen books where they were not) and there were instructions on how to make the decor yourself. Well worth it! I will probaly get one for myself for next season!

Since I love boxwood growing in the yard and using the beautiful greens at Christmas, I found this book to be one of the most informative books I own about Christmas greens. The instructions on how to create many decorations for the inside and outside the home are very clear. The pictures are gorgeous. I have learned to make garlands, wreaths, centerpieces, swags, boxwood trees, and other lovely items. The book features many different types of greens to use for creating holiday decorations. I have taught many others how to make holiday decorations that are featured in this book.

Wallace Coburn was my great-grandmother's cousin and to see his work still enjoyed is pure joy to me and to our family. His books are terribly difficult (code for insanely expensive) to get ahold of now, so ANY of his poetry is a gift to read - and to get the gift of reading the works of OTHER cowboy poets who are keeping the tradition alive....well.....Wallace and his half-brother Walt (also a writer) would have been, I'm sure, thrilled!
Please keep doing what you're doing - the Old West as it once was may be long-gone, but the tradition of the cowboy poet keeps at least a small strand of that alive and well.

I've been a poetry fan, and a cowboy poetry fan, for years. Cowboy poetry climbed out of obscurity in large part because of the Elko Cowboy poetry festival in Elko Nevada. This book is a gathering of 20 years of some of the best poetry presented at this festival. Some poetry is old, some new, some from new authors, some from classic (meaning dead) authors.

Comparing this book with other similar books convinced me that this is one of the better collections. Similar in tone to the 15 year old book from the same publisher, this book is real cowboy poetry with no new-age political stuff snuck in. (Yes, even in Cowboy poetry, authors occasionally try to fool the readers with political rants and vague, high-falutin' literary allusions.)

The poems are divided up in chapters on horses, ranching lifestyles, humor, family and nostalgia. Most are less than 2 pages but bursting with humor, wisdom and wistfulness for days and people gone by.

If you're new to cowboy poetry, give this collection a try.

For over 20 years now, cowboy poets have been gathering in Elko, Nevada every January -- sometimes timing calving season so they can make the trip -- to share poetry, music, and fellowship. This book celebrates last year's 20th anniversary of that gathering, which, in 2000, was named by the US Senate "The National Cowboy Poetry Gathering."

Contained between the book's two covers are some of the most eloquent, emotional, humorous poems you'd care to read. Ranchers and cowboys (and cowgirls) write with an honesty and straightforwardness that's hard to resist.

The book is divided in six sections: Hosses, Jest fer the Fun of It, Reflections of a Lifestyle, Family & the Community of Cowboys, Lookin' Back Down the Trail, and Characters. I cried real tears over some, and laughed out loud over others. All of them sang with the sounds of the range. In some poems, I could hear hoofbeats and feel the rocking lope of a cow pony. In others, I could smell the campfire where the tall tales were told.

In searching for this book's title to write my review, I saw that there were lots of other collections of cowboy poems. This book has made me want to read more of the gems these gritty and witty folks have to offer. These poems are truly national (and international -- some of the writers wrote of Australia and other lands) treasures.

Fans of Cowboy Poetry might imagine the perfect event: "the greats" all gathered: the best from long-ago, Henry Herbert Knibbs, Bruce Kiskaddon, Badger Clark; talents from the recent past, Buck Ramsey, Sunny Hancock, and Larry McWhorter; and the modern masters, Wallace McRae, Jeff Streeby, Dennis Gaines, Andy Wilkinson, Dee Strickland Johnson, Yvonne Hollenbeck, Pat Richardson, Joel Nelson, Red Steagall, Paul Zarzyski, Debra Coppinger Hill... Cowboy Poetry: The Reunion, edited by poet Virginia Bennett is a fans' dream come true, with selections from those and dozens more of today's top Cowboy Poets under one cover.

The publisher notes that the anthology was released "In honor of the 20th National Cowboy Poetry Gathering recently celebrated in Elko" and the majority of the seventy-five poems by seventy-five writers are from those who have graced the stage at Elko. Along with those mentioned above, Elko favorites Waddie Mitchell, Mike Logan, Colen Sweeten, Red Steagall, Georgie Sicking, and Chris Isaacs are included, as are Wylie Gustafson, R. W. Hampton, and Tom Russell, excellent writers better known for their music. But appearance at the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering was not the basis for inclusion in this book. Quality and authenticity were the obvious overriding criteria.

This volume is a model of well chosen poetry, a satisfying survey of Cowboy Poetry as practiced by many masterful writers. Few of the poems have been anthologized previously, and the many new pieces from familiar poets offer the serious enthusiast new words and worlds to ponder. Humorous and serious pieces are gathered in chapters such as "Hosses," "Jest Fer the Fun of It," and "Family & the Community of Cowboys." There's a good representation of classic poetry and among the modern gems are Buck Ramsey's "Skysailing," Rod McQueary's "Remembering a Middle-Aged Bronc Ride," Larry McWhorter's "The Retirement of Ashtola," Darin Brookman's "Tempered Souls," Georgie Sicking's "Doctoring Worms," Linda Hasselstrom's "Priests of the Prairie," Andy Wilkinson's "We Were the Horseman," Doris Daley's "Love is Blind," Mike Logan's "Behold a Pale Horse," and Ross Knox's "Memories."

Editor Virginia Bennett's passion for poetry and the "family of poets" is as ardent as her commitment to ranching life. Her dedication comes through in the book's carefully considered selections, and her inspired introduction uncovers the beating heart of the art of Cowboy Poetry: "For cowboy poems have a life of their own. They are built with words that are spawned not only from labor, but also from an occupation with which the poet's very existence is linked. A cowboy or rancher lives where he or she works, and what they do in their work determines their survival. Therein can be found the essence of cowboy poetry and the explanation for why its popularity grows."

"Cowboy Poetry: The Reunion takes its place alongside publisher Gibbs Smith's other Cowboy Poetry standards, including: "Cowboy Poetry: A Gathering," "Cowgirl Poetry" (also edited by Virginia Bennett), "Humorous Cowboy Poetry," and "Maverick Western Verse." This latest volume goes beyond those classic offerings in the depth and breadth of its selections and surely will long stand as a definitive representation of the state of the art.

Margo Metegrano, editor, Cowboypoetry.com

This is a beautiful and informative book. Cynthia Norwood has gone the extra mile in having these rugs photographed professionally. She is a talented fiber artist herself and she has given us a beautiful book that deserves a place in every traditional rug hookers' library. You will want one for yourself and several to give as gifts.Creating an Antique Look in Hand-hooked Rugs (Framework)

Great Book. Cynthia did a wonderful job on research and details on old and new rugs.

This is a great book. It is written very well. The photographs are good. I am delighted to have it in my library.

Well written book and rich colored photos. Easy to understand and helpful. I like it so much that I purchased two - one to keep and one to give as a gift.

Strolling through the Mall I decided to stop in for a brief visit to the mass market oriented bookstore. Thumbing through the Civil War offerings I picked up this outstanding book. I did not recognize the name of George Walsh. He is a Yankee writing on the army whose story has been so well told from Southern superstars such as Douglass Southall Freeman, Clfford
Dowdey and Shelby Foote. Why plunk down a Visa card to purchase it?
Curiosity satisfied is the answer! Walsh writes in a personal style introducing the men and the units making up Lee's fabled Army of Northern Virgnia. Even an old Civil War buff such as I learned new things about the Victorian warriors of Dixieland who lend the forces of Lee against the enemy.
This book is an excellent survey of the war in the Eastern theatre. It is a valuable additon to my Civil War library. I highly recommend Walsh's book to anyone even casually interested in learning more about the American Illiad that is our Civil War!

"Damage Them All You Can:" Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia written by George Walsh is quite frankly one of the best accounts of The Army of Northern Virginia that I've ever read. General Robert E. Lee assembled the best army to ever, to this point in time, fight on American soil. In fact, The Army of Northern Virginia man for man, out Generaled, out fought all that the North could throw against it.

Walsh's book is a true delight to read, the principles in the book seem to come alive as you read on in the book. The prose is written with vivid descriptions and the author gives the reader insights albeit shrewd of how the battles were fought.

I got the inpression that I was there with the incisive insights the author gives the reader, from the Generals, to the commanders, right down to the trenches, told with deeply moving detail. I encourage anyone interested in reading about the Civil War or the "Yankee War of Aggression" to read this book.

I've read Foote, McPherson, and Catton's writings about this time in American History, but Walsh's account here is the best and most personal one that I've ever read, with a probing into the character and the battles that made them feel like they were fought right before your eyes.

This book is, by all accounts, for a single volume the best book written about one of the best fighting armies the Confederacy ever had... the Army of Northern Virginia. This book is worthy of a place in your library on American History.

I am the author of "Damage Them All You Can." Would you please run the subtitle of my book on your web page?
The subtitle is: Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia.
By running it you will provide the potential buyer with instant information as to what the book is about.
Thank you.

George Walsh hit a grand slam with DAMAGE THEM ALL YOU CAN: ROBERT E. LEE'S ARMY OF NORTHERN VIRGINIA. Told almost exclusively from the point of view of the Confederate side this book does a wonderful job of getting into the hearts and minds of the men who fought for the Confederacy. The stereotypes of the lost cause or southerners as a pack of racists are replaced by a very human portrait of the men (and sometimes their loved ones too) who fought and died for what they believed in. Walsh has done a very real service to the memory of the Army of Northern Virginia. The battle narratives are really good as is the analysis of Lee's thoughts, decisions and occasional frustration with his subordinates. An excellent treatment!

I am learning a lot about writing by reading this book. I have peeked at it because I'm reading another book right now, but I have liked what I have read so far.

I have a feeling I wouldn't like Virginia Woolf if I met her, any more than I'd like any of her friends in the Bloomsbury Group, but I love her novels and her diary is a wonderful insight into the mind of someone who wrote novels of genius, especially Mrs Dalloway and To The Lighthouse. I'd recommend this to anyone who wanted to get into her novels.

Woolf is fascinating, even when describing the most mundane details of daily life. Her writing style is as beautiful here as in her fiction, and so the diary is well worth reading for that alone. Plus, nearly every page contains a reference to Lytton Strachey, Dora Carrington, or some other Bloomsbury luminary. She isn't always completely truthful or straightforward, but she is always supremely entertaining. However, despite a number of very helpful footnotes, the editor cannot provide explanations and clarifications for every entry, so it helps to be somewhat familiar with Woolf's life before reading her diaries.

"The Diary of Virginia Woolf, Volume One: 1915-1919" was truly magnificent. I never was so interested in every day, mundane goings-on as I was while reading this diary. As a journal keeper, I was in awe over the way she expressed her thoughts and explained her day(s). I've never read anything by her, but in reading this has really sparked my interest. Editor Oliver Bell put much time and hard work into this book, but I found the footnotes on the bottom of the pages bothersome, and it took me a while to get used to them being there. If you're interested in Virginia Woolf, then read her diary. I recommend.

THIS 1998 EDITION HAS BEEN UPDATED. We came out with a new second edition in May 2003; and amazon.com does carry it. However after six months of trying, we've been unsuccessful at getting amazon to reflect this on their websites. You can find this newer second edition on amazon, but you must type in the title field, and verbatim, "Discovering The Tidal Potomac, Second Edition." OR you can purchase this book from many marina ship stores along the Potomac. OR you can purchase an autographed copy directly from me. Please visit the webite, "www.heronislandguides.com" or send me an email: "rkrhodes@hotmail.com" Captain Rick

Better laid out, but color is gone. Still the best guide around.

Mr. Rhodes, I will recommend this book to every boater I have met and to those I will meet. I wish you the best of luck. To those of you reading, please note my recommendation.

This is definitely the BEST cruising guide that I've ever owned. Each of the many maps are annotated, for ease of reference. The restaurant reviews are consistent with our experiences, as are the descriptions of the places to visit and see.

This mystery held my interest throughout, both the evil guys and the good ones. After reading this book, I went out and bought the ealilier ones in the series which captureed the purity of life in West Virginia.

Plot overview: Transportation investigator Owen Allison recently left his lucrative consulting practice in California to help his mother back home in West Virginia in her fight against cancer. His ex-wife and current lover, Judith, is also back on the West Coast, and now that his mother has mostly recovered, he's itching to get back to his life, to stimulate both his portfolio and his love life.
But before he has a chance to leave his small hometown of Barkley, West Virginia, a local dam breaks, sending a black ribbon of coal sludge cascading miles and miles through the hollows across the region. Four people lose their lives in the accident, and the ambulance chasers gnash their teeth and formulate strategies for the inevitable lawsuits against big coal.
It turns out that Owen knows the owner of the coal mine, a good ol' boy from his high school class whose success has surprised everyone, even himself. What's more, the classmate knows that finding out why things fail is Owen's specialty, and he hires him on the spot to figure out just what went wrong. Judith and his California practice will have to wait, but Owen is only half-worried about letting those things slide. He's thrilled to be back in the thick of things, and readers will be, too, in another quirky, engaging installment in John Billheimer's unusual and winning series.

Failure analyst Owen Allison plans to return to Palo Alto to reconcile with his ex-wife Judith though he was delayed by his need to be with his mother in West Virginia when she underwent chemotherapy (see DISMAL MOUNTAIN). However, further problems in West Virginia postpone Owen's trip to the West Coast.

The dam by the Canaan II mine erupts, killing four and filling DRYBONE HOLLOW with coal sludge. Owner Anson Stoke hires Owen to persuade environmentalist Judge Carter Vereen that despite the toll, his operations remain safe and should stay open. Judge Vereen orders an investigation of all impoundment dams sitting on mines, which leads to state attorney general Hayes Boyer asking Owen to head the inquiry, but demanding a kickback of 15% of Owen's fee. Owen rejects the offer, but turns to his friend Sheriff Thad Reader to set a trap to expose those using fixed contracts, but the law enforcement official deals with a full plate already as a local has probably been abducted. So Owen plunges ahead knowing he will receive limited support from his buddy, but mine engineer Emily Kruk makes it worth while to stay in West Virginia a bit longer.

Though the "will he reconcile or not" becomes a bit annoying, readers will appreciate the latest Owen Allison investigative tale. Most of the audience will kick themselves when they see how obvious John Billheimer's plot solves the mystery as the clues are all provided, but so devilishly done that most fans (including this sore reviewer) will fail to see it. The cast is a delight with the hero at his best when he investigates.

Harriet Klausner

Another great Owen Alison book. As usual, we get to meet an array of quirky, well-drawn characters, including the larcenous Cable Stokes, his brother Anson, and mining engineer Emily Kruk. Billheimer's book are always a fun blend of humor and excitement--the book really races along.

One of the pleasures of this series is watching Owen's relationships with other characters deepen an grow as the books progress. Though you don't need to have read any of the other books to enjoy this one, if this is your first Owen Alison book you'll want to go back and read the others just to find out what's happened in the past. These books are one of my favorite mystery series.

Fans of John Billheimer's Owen Allison series will enjoy this latest episode. Billheimer's talent for dialog reveals more about the West Virginia psyche in this book than all the others combined. And the action is fast paced from beginning to end. I could not put it down. Especially interesting is the re-emergence of characters from earlier books who play a key role. Billheimer character development continues to an unexpected ending. You come away asking if there could be other scams this region of the country could suffer. I expect we will see this answers in upcoming books from this fine author.

"Duel Between the First Ironclads" is probably the best book I have read about the historic clash between the CSS Virginia (Merrimac) and the USS Monitor. It relates the fascinating tale of the development and fight between the two great ironclads and their meeting on March 9, 1862.

William C. Davis is both a historian and a storyteller. He expertly weaves memoir and journal accounts from actual participants to reveal a human side to what many would consider 'dry' history. That Monitor and Virginia were the first Ironclads to meet in battle is notable. But it is the men who commanded those ships, fired their guns and worked their engines who were behind it all. Davis expertly captures that and brings it to life. It is this mesh of human drama and military might that makes this book so valuable.

Then there's the fact that it is simply well written, well paced and just entertaining. While this subject has been covered before in countless books on Civil War Naval history and military, none I have seen has gone into this much depth, both for the human side and the historical background.

I really enjoyed this one. I think it's written well enough that I could suggest this book to just about anyone who has an interest in military history, or just likes a good story.

The USS Monitor and the CSS Virginia (ex-Merrimack) were not the "first" ironclads... rather, it was the First Duel of Ironclads. It can only be supposed that the title was forced on Mr. Davis by the publisher. Still... this is perhaps the best of all books on the historic fight between the Monitor and the Virginia, stirringly re-created and well annotated, and is a vital work for anyone wanting to know what really happened on the water in the Civil War. Highly recommended.

I reviewed "The Battle Of The Ironclads" by Quarstein and called it the best book that I'd read on the Monitor and Virginia/Merrimack. That was before reading this book. This book has more source material and, consequently, more detail and is a better text. "The Battle Of The Ironclads" has more contemporary illustrations so both books complement each other in some ways. Despite the additional source material there are strange omissions in Davis' book, for one he does not mention why the Navy Department disliked Erickson: "The Princeton" affair wherein a gun, not designed by Erickson, blew up killing some high govenment officials when tested on the Princeton, a ship designed by Erickson, and Erickson was blamed for the deaths. Davis also casually mentions that the Confederacy was working on an ironclad called the Richmond when the Confederates abandoned the Norfolk Boatyard. In fact, work was proceeding on both the Richmond and Virginia simultaneously and it is possible that the Virginia could have been completed earlier with more devastating affect on the Union fleet if all work had concentrated on her.

Davis' work is the more scholarly of the two with an index and list of references. Either one is a great read with much detail and the true student of the Battle or of the Civil War will want to read both.

Wiliam C. Davis chronicles the race to build the ironclads as well as the dramatic battle that ended unresolved. All of the colorful charactors on both sides of the war are portrayed as both human and visionary, in their desperate gamble to win.. More importantly, however, Mr. Davis places this battle into its proper context as a crucial turning point in military and naval history. The chapter on the development of ironclad technology after the battle and war is the proper ending. For the first time, the true importance of this battle and the race to build the ironclads was brought home to me. Highly recommended.

When my mother first began work on her second book, I thought, what is she up to now? At any rate, she saw the project through, and it actually came out very good. It truly gives the reader or looker, a feel for life in Jackson Hole in the early days. My mother gave birth to me in 1951, (not the early days) and I had just opened my eyes, and she said "son, "Life" magazine is for people who can't read, and "Time" is for people who can't think. Her book covers both basis (bases), so is something an entire family can enjoy. If it passes my test, it's worth a peek. Jim Huidekoper Jackson Hole Wyoming 4/11/97

When my mother first began work on her second book, I thought, what is she up to now? At any rate, she saw the project through, and it actually came out very good. It truly gives the reader or looker, a feel for life in Jackson Hole in the early days. My mother gave birth to me in 1951, (not the early days) and I had just opened my eyes, and she said "son, "Life" magazine is for people who can't read, and "Time" is for people who can't think. Her book covers both basis, so is something an entire family can enjoy. If it passes my test, it's worth a peek. Jim Huidekoper Jackson Hole Wyoming 4/10/97

This wonderful book shows you the real spirit behind the town of Jackson. Before it became a resort and a vacation town, Jackson was a gateway through the Teton Mountains.

Through vivid photography, the author relay to the reader the struggles and hardships associated with living in a small western town during the turn of the century while also expose them to the joy and beauty that make people move to the Jackson Valley today.

Seeing Jackson in this early state makes you appreciate what is there today and what is lost of yesterday.

The photos collected in this book, about 150 of them, capture a period in time from 1872 to the early 1930s, when the area along the upper Snake River below Yellowstone was explored and settled. There are photos taken by seven photographers, the earliest of them William Henry Jackson (1843-1942) traveling with a scientific expedition and working with cumbersome equipment and 11x14 wet glass negatives.

The bios of all seven of these men recount the lives of 19th and early 20th century adventurers, intrepid trekkers across the wilderness and frontier to make a visual record of the West during its early years of settlement. Their images are joined by those of scores of amateur photographers, whose snapshots were collected for this edition and fill many of the pages of the book.

The book is organized by various themes, from rodeo (see cover) to farming and ranching, communities, dudes, hunting, and so on. An interesting sequence captures a landslide which blocked the Snake River for 2 years in the 1920s and then gave way, causing a flood that inundated the valley, wiping out the town of Kelly. Another sequence illustrates the years of change at Teton Pass, the only winter access to the valley, transport progressing from horses to automobiles.

Lest we think of this as entirely a man's world, there's a photo of the all-woman town council of Jackson, the first U.S. town to be governed entirely by women (1920-1924). There are photos of the first aeroplane landing, winter dog sled racing, and the environmental devastation caused by the damming of Lake Jackson. Photos record the vists of European royalty and the John D. Rockefellers, whose influence and money helped create Grand Teton National Park.

For lovers of the Old West and old photographs, the images reproduced here are a rich treasure. From significant and historic events to everyday life, the book is a picture album of Americana. I also recommend another excellent collection of old Western photographs in Richard Collins' "The American Cowboy."

A good resource for faculty. Well written with nice integrated examples. I always recommend this book to faculty looking to develop rubrics for their teaching.

While it may not seem like it to students, grading is a very complex exercise for teachers and instructors. Anyone hoping to go into that line of work will have to learn about how complex and uncertain the art of grading can be, and this book is a strong compendium of current theory on such matters. An especially valuable aspect of this book is its coverage of the different schools of thought on whether grading is really an accurate assessment tool at all, and how all parties in the education process (students, teachers, administrators, parents, employers) have different conceptions of the usefulness and value of grades. But while this book is hugely informative at the practical level, beware of a few larger theoretical weaknesses. Frequently, certain practices that are currently held in high esteem become overused examples of larger concepts. The most glaring example is the inaccurately-titled chapter "Establishing Criteria and Standards for Grading" which is entirely about just one method, Primary Trait Analysis. At a higher level, this book assumes that all instructors will have the privilege of smaller class sizes, or welcoming administrative environments, in which experimenting with grading methods is possible or practical at all. Meanwhile this book (and many others like it) fails to distinguish between future advancements in theory and the real world in which such theories and practices have yet to be implemented on any appreciable scale. [~doomsdayer520~]

Do you love to teach but hate the grading process? That's where I was when I picked up this book. Very practically written, "Effective Grading" shows you how to choose the proper grading model for a class, how to motivate students through properly communicating your grading system, and how to structure your assignments to increase student learning. All this while drastically reducing the amount of time you need to spend on grading papers. Within a week of reading this book, I've made some drastic changes in my courses which will benefit both my students and myself.

I admit I was skeptical when I started this book--so many pedagogically oriented texts seem to sacrifice content and standards for "feel-good" solutions to education. However, I have found this book to offer excellent suggestions for every aspect of structuring classes to teach and evaluate what you most want your students to learn. In my college English classes, I've used variations of Primary Trait Analyses and Gateway Criteria and they have made a big difference in the levels of thinking and writing in my own students. Giving students specific guidelines allows them to focus on what's important about the assignment, set their priorities appropriately, and makes things much easier for me when the time comes for grading. I highly recommend this book.