Virginia Books

All too often, George Washington comes across as a monument rather than a person. As the victorious general of the American Revolution and as our nation's first president, he is often depicted as the indispensable figure in the struggle to establish America as a nation, with his decisions and actions almost providential in nature. Yet Washington the man is lost amidst the adulation, leaving the reader with an incomplete picture of who he really was.

This collection of Washington's writings is an indispensable aid in the process of understanding the man behind the legend. The editor, John Rhodehamel, has selected 446 key documents from Washington's life, including letters, addresses, and general orders issued to his men. Written in the strictly formal style of the Virginia planter seeking to maintain the dignity of his position in society, his prose often cloaks the anxiety he felt about his status, the revolutionary cause, and the survival of the new republic. Together they convey a distinctly human figure, one whose stature only grows with a better understanding of the difficulties he surmounted. This is the book for anyone seeking to supplement other works on Washington with the original sources, or for those who simply want to read about Washington's life in his own words.

Like Robert E. Lee, George Washington might be considered the marble man of his time, a revolutionary whose passion doesn't burn as bright on the pages of history as, say, Thomas Paine, or as clear as Thomas Jefferson. He may be admired and revered, but not necessarily loved, certainly not in the way as old Marse Lee.

Whether Washington the man can be reclaimed from Washington the statue is a task left up to biographers and fiction writers, because after thumbing through this collection of his writings, it is with some certainty that the man from Mount Vernon can't do it himself.

Once gets the impression that Washington was a man who believed in duty, to himself as an eighteenth-century man of means, and to his country, whether it be England (for whom he participated on several expeditions against the French in Pennsylvania), or his newly created United States. The man who, in 1755, volunteered to join the British commander in chief, General Edward Braddock, on what became a disasterous expedition into western Pennsylvania, became by 1775 the man who would write to his wife announcing his appointment to head the rebel army, that, "I have used every endeavour in my power to avoid it [command]."

Even his ascention to the presidency was performed in very reluctant steps. In a letter to Henry Knox, he wrote, "I can assure you . . . that my movements to the chair of Government will be accompanied with feelings not unlike those of a culprit who is going to the place of his execution."

So why serve? "It was utterly out of my power to refuse this appointment without exposing my Character to such censures as would have reflected dishonour upon myself, and given pain to my friends," he wrote Martha Washington.

Perhaps an early clue to his character can be found in the first entry, a collection of 100 maxims he composed when he was 15, rules for living which range from the practical ("Put not your meat to your Mouth with your Knife in your hand neither Spit forth the Stones of any fruit Pye upon a Dish nor Cast anything under the table"), to the inspirational ("Let your Recreations be Manfull not Sinfull"), and even a bit of the poetic ("Labour to keep alive in your Breast that Little Spark of Celestial fire Called Conscience").

Sober, practical, firm-minded, George Washington was not a man to inspire devotion through force of personality, only through a far-sighted competence which does not make for glorious history, but to those who cherish the ideals and promise of America, one can be thankful that he was in the right place at the right time.

George Washington is far more revered than known; but, as this splendid book proves, when you come to know him you feel even more admiration for him. This installment in the indispensable LIBRARY OF AMERICA series gathers hundreds of Washington's letters, as well as his more formal public statements as Virginia legislator and revolutionary leader, Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army, advocate of federal constitutional reform, and First President of the United States. The formal public statements display the heavy style that Washington fell into when consciously speaking to posterity. It is in his letters that Washington's vigorous mind, strong emotions, and sound judgment emerge most cleary -- and that portray his humanity and his nobility most clearly and accessibly. Readers of this volume would be well-advised to read John Rhodehamel's superb chronology (appearing at the back of the book) first, and then turning to the text. If they do this, they will have! a sound chronological and historical basis for setting Washington's writings, public and private, in context and for seeing the critical founding decades of the American republic as he saw and experienced them.

-- Richard B. Bernstein, Adjunct Professor of Law, New York Law School; Daniel M. Lyons Visiting Professor in American History, Brooklyn College/CUNY; Book Review Editor for Constitutional Books, H-LAW; and Senior Research Fellow, Council on Citizenship Education, Russell Sage College

Written by teacher Virginia Brucker, Gifts from the Heart: Simple Ways To Make Your Family's Christmas More Meaningful lives up to its title by offering ways to celebrate the Christmas holiday centered upon sharing, giving, and community rather than simple consumerism. Chapters cover volunteering as a family, tips for getting organized and freeing up time, ways to reach out to friends and loved ones suffering from loss during the holidays, kid-tested craft projects, ways to celebrate with books and share the gift of literacy, and much more. A number of delicious holiday-themed recipes pepper this welcome antidote to the rampant commercialization of Christmas.

Does it feel like the only meaningful holiday experience you have with your kids involves sitting in front of a TV? Do you want something more for your family? Gifts from the Heart will show you how.

This wonderful book has long been a seasonal best-seller in Canada, where Ms. Brucker first created it as a fund-raiser to fight cancer. This book shows you how to take back the Christmas season. It features suggestions for volunteering as a family, tips to offset the "gimmies," and simple, but meaningful traditions and crafts. It's also a great book for families pulling together in the face of misfortune, like a serious illness.

This book can help your family create memories worth having and will help you believe in the holidays again. It's a book with a tremendous heart.

What a lovely book, just right for the season! This gentle, charming book reminds us of what the meaning of the holidays really is -- while providing hours of fun activities and recipes. Written by a teacher who knows what appeals to kids and families, it's the one book you need to share with your children and grandchildren the true meaning of Christmas.

Dr. Robert Bernard Hass' mind is a vast pool of information on the subject of Robert Frost. It is amazing to see the amount of information he found and interwove into his book. He sites intellectuals like Kant, Bergson, Thoreau, Emerson, and others, and enlightens us as to how each affected Frost's life and writing. Dr. Hass gives a lot of deep, explanations that clearly illustrate how the ideas of science and philosophy influence Frost's writing. (On a lighter side, Dr. Hass references William James several times. If you love William James the way I do, you will love this book!)

Dr. Hass' writing moves us to look at life in a different way. He shows us how intellectual ideas, both scientific and philosophical, affected Frost's writing. I love what Dr. Hass found and wrote, about Henri Bergson concerning intuitive vision. It is especially amazing to me how he finds the many ways to apply Bergson's, and other contemporaries' thoughts to Frost's poetry. Hass' ability to communicate this knowledge is amazing and each sentence is so full of thought. I find myself contemplating certain sentences over and over in my mind until a light comes shining through with illuminated intensity! "Going by Contraries" is a book that truly makes you think as you read, and I love that in a book.

"Going by Contraries" examines Robert Frost's poetry through the lens of nature by presenting Frost's conflict with science. Robert Bernard Hass, Phd., shows us the conflicts Frost wrestled with, by providing arguments of scientific and philosophical theorists, such as Darwin, Bergson, and many others. The book explores Frost's creative sources for writing and the inspiration behind his legendary poetry with examples such as "West Running Brook" from where the title, "Going by Contraries" was obviously conceived. Hass' book illustrates how scientific influence was inevitable in Frost's poetry because science was gaining popularity in the late 19th century and early 20th; the time Frost did most of his writing. If you are new to nature and travel writing, and literary theory or not, this book is a good place to start.
6/30/2008 Martha J. Rogus

Robert Hass not only recognizes the difficulties that Robert Frost encountered as a poet in such a technologically advanced environment, he further addresses the obstacles one must overcome in his/her aspiration to compose. He has written an eminently enlightening book that virtually any individual with an adoration of literature, philosophy, and/or science can appreciate and surely relate to. Along with an educated analysis of Frost's life and his works, particularly in regard to Darwinian concepts, Hass also recognizes the unfortunate fall of literature and its growing insignificance as technology replaces the need for aesthetics.

This book is an enjoyable and excellent read. It allows greater insight to the victims as well as a view of the mindset of others who suffered and experienced this tragic event than other books I've read on this subject. I purchased this Guide after learning that it was a source and reference for the music and story in the Believers Beware CD. This book, with its pictures and well researched references, convinced me that we have much to learn about ourselves from a study of history and a reflection on those who came before. Thank you David Brown. The Reverend John Hale (1702), may have said it first - but I think you've told it best.

It is not often that you can find a magical piece of literature that allows you to view the story as if you are getting a personal tour of the event. This wonderful creation is one of the best I have read on the historic Salem Witch Trials. As it may not be the most beautiful memory in our nations past, this books allows children, teens, people interested in the Salem Witch Trials an inside look on the experience that grabbed many people by their hearts, and in many cases those few years, by thier freedom and lives. I hope you will take the time, as I have, to read this wonderful piece, and add the new-found knowledge to some use!

If you're intruiged or just interested in the Salem Witch Trials like I am I would defenitly suggest purchasing this book. I purchased this book when I was in Salem, Massachusetts and I haven't been able to put it down. I know alot about the Salem Withcraft Trials but this gave me an even better insite on what happened! Have a great read, and i know anyone who reads this will.

Perhaps one of the most powerful yet ignored American voices of his time was Melvin Tolson, whose work unashamedly demanded a level of literacy and general knowledge only to be found in the classic talented fraction of any population. Born in the late 19th century he was educated and became a college professor against the odds of racial injustice, and rose above those circumstances to inspire generations after him to achieve excellence in spite of difficult odds.

Tolson's "Dark Symphony" particularly excited this writer, who saw him read excerepts from this piece when he visited his Alma Mater(and mine), Lincoln University Penna., six months before he died in 1966. His work is so classic that in time Tolson, I believe, will become "Poet Laureate of the U.S." the country he so loved.

Melvin B. Tolson was recognized as one of the first African American poets whose poetry has been classified as being in the esoteric category. The implication of this statement means that Tolson was writing poetry in a format which would be acceptable by the greatest English and American poets. One of them who recognized Tolson was W.H. Auden, who wrote favorable reviews about Tolson's poetry. Tolson, who came after the last years of the Harlem Renissance era, knew many of the prominent writers and poets of that era, which lasted from the 1920s through the 1930s. He knew many of the well known writers and poets of that period, including Langston Hughes, Richard Wright, Zora Hurston, V.F. Cavington, Ralph Ellison, Paul Laurence Dunbar, Gwendolyn Brooks, Margaret Walker, W.E.B. Dubios, James Weldon Johnson and Charles S. Johnson. While he was at Wiley College, Marshall, Texas, Tolson established his reputation by publishing his first book of poems entitled, Rendezvous with America, in 1944. For years prior to that date, Tolson taught English classes to thousands of students since his arrival there from Lincoln University, Chester, Pennsylvania, in 1923. Also he was the coach of the famous Wiley College Debate Team, which included, James Farmer, who later became the founder of the CORE Civil Rights Organization.

Raymond Nelson edits Harlem Gallery And Other Poems Of Melvin B. Tolson (1865-0), which presents works from one of the most recognized black voices in American poetry. His poems are here organized by topic and include notes for further study.

As a fan of history and ghosts stories I was excited to read the battlefield stories and experiences from this author. Ms. Brown has a fresh approach to her travels through Virginia's battlefields. I really enjoyed Ms Brown's writing style. She transports the reader right along beside her as she explores each site.

I was surprised and happy to see that this book was packed with pictures. I Love it! I found this book so fascinating that I basically read this book in one sitting.

One of my favorite chapters is about Belle Island. I have been to this site and know that it has quite a "spirited" history. Creepy!

If you like history or you just like a good ghost story then this is a book you will definitely want to read.

Haunted Battlefields: Virginia's Civil War Ghosts

A very engaging narrative, so much so I couldn't put it down. I began reading it just before going on vacation, and then took it with me to the beach so I could finish reading it.

The author details her trips and investigations at historic battlefields throughout Virginia. Often making two and three separate trips to each one in order to acquire conduct additional investigations and acquire more data. Her perseverance and research paid off too. I've been to a few of the locations in the book and Ms. Brown's observations and descriptions of the look and feel of a place are dead on.

The most interesting chapters for me were Cold Harbor and Chimborazo Park. I lived in Richmond for eleven years and I never heard of some of the fascinating history that Ms. Brown reveals to her readers.

It is a great read--both educational and entertaining. Anyone who is interested in Virginia history, the Civil War, or paranormal investigations will enjoy reading this book.

I have been to several of these battlefields and had heard some of the stories before. Beth's writing really makes her research trips come to life. And the results are chilling. I think she could change the mind of skeptics with this book!

I am not Suzy Homemaker, but I like to eat well -- as long as the food preparation doesn't take too much time or effort. The recipes Elliott includes are tasty and just as easy to fix as the title indicates. This lady knows what she's talking about and she makes it easy for domestic duds to eat well yet live a life outside the kitchen. Hooray for Virginia B. Elliott!

Chatty, easy to read. This warm writer/cook talks about her family with love and includes easy receipes that save money and time in the kitchen. Browsing through this book is like having dinner with a woderfully wild family. The author lives in Naples, Florida. The chapter on "Four Legged Chickens and Rabbits With Wings" is a must! After my mom's visit on the 4th of July, I felt compeled to update my review.

Very chatty and easy to read. She is a warm writer/cook. Talks about her family with love and includes easy receipes that do not cost an arm and a leg. It is like having dinner with her and her family and..."here is how to prepare this meal". I ought to know, I am her son, and her meal suggestions when I was in college in Califorina kept me fat and sassy.

This is one of those books that you find laying somewhere burried in the back of the library perhaps covered in dust that has been long forgotten! Nevertheless, this is a little gem of a read! The main reason why I liked it so much was because of the eloquent creative and heartfelt ways in which the Native Americans conveyed all their messages. So genuine, trusting, and true were their words and not conjured up by money or greed.

Thie book Just might have even Americans of today looking at themselves and questioning our seemingly prevailing atrtitudes that "we are the best" and that "more" and "bigger is better"... It will have the reader questioning a Government's activity towards national expansion in the name of freedom, while opressing many others at the very same time. These "others", who, the reader will learn, actually taught settlers how to survive in the new frontier.

Among other reasons I liked this book is that it made me look at myself and learen something in how I live. "I Have Spoken" had me looking at our current lifestyles that we so embrace as "having it so good", as perhaps the total opposite, and that perhaps it is we, the people of today, who struggle more to survive in this convenient lifestyle, more so than ever did the native peoples to sustain their lifestyle!

As many at the time in history which this book covers, looked at Native Americans as "inferior", the reader will learn why many Native Americans began to look at the settlers as inferior. This is a refreshing change of opinions we may have been used to hearing in history, and a welcomed one at that!

Through the many eloquently expressed words of Native Americans the reader will guess that they they viewed our lifestyle as somewhat being "enslaved" by adopting and living in such a system that has us "working for..and oweing money" to be able to sustain ourselves and lifestyle. They recognized a stressful life in this resulting in menatal and physical sickness of which was virtually non-existent in their lives.

This book is a really thought provoking read and at least for me, has left me looking around at all so called "progress" in our culture and questioning whether it is really progress at all if it destroys the very gifts nature "God" or "The Great Spirit" has bestowed upon us to make ALL life possible.

I strongly suggest this read to anybody, especially those who seek to not see the world as something we "own" and can see that this notion is really the root of all humankind conflict with each other.

Another final thought this book inspired in me was perhaps looking at history through the eyes of other cultures around the world, and seeing how they came to be, so we shall better understand each other and accept each other's customs without forcing them to live and think as we do. Maybe this can go a long way in preventing conflicts with other nations. Read the book "I Have Spoken" and this review will then come into perspective for anyone who is reading it now!

We used this text at the University of Minnesota back in 1971 for a Native American History course. The book voices treaty interpretation and words used by Tribal representatives. I won't use the word "Chief's" because the Government did'nt always get the real leadership to sign treaties. But, we noted a lack of aggressive language at the beginning of colonization (east coast), but by the time we read text from treaties from the Plains Natives the verbage used more aggressive and warlike themes. Sum it up! Indians found the need to be aggressive and began to use words to voice their frustrations with negotiations with Government respresentatives.

Any "red blooded" American citizen would surely have a "red face" from embarrassment after reading the compilation of words and speeches from original settlers of our beloved country in "I Have Spoken, American History Through the Voices of the Indians." From those documents so meticulously collected by Virginia Irving Armstrong and introduced in this book for all to read, one concludes that even here in America, an atrocious holocaust took place.

The book tells the truth. It will make you mad. It will make you sad. You will feel ashamed to belong to the culture that was responsible for the near extinction of the once prosperous, peaceful people who just wanted to live life as they had been taught by their ancesters. Simple and earth loving.

"I Have Spoken" should be offered in every school as a learning tool on an important aspect of our American history. We made a mistake. We cannot bring them back, but we can read aloud what they said and feel their spirits.

The photos that were included in the June, 1971 and August, 1972 editions are sadly not included in the most recent copies for sale now. It's more of an impact to see their faces as well as read their words. I hope subsequent issues will reincorporate those photos, especially of the ones of the Wounded Knee massacre. "...I will fight no more forever." Chief Joseph, Nez Perce nation, 1877.

Physically abandoned by his mother, then emotionally abandoned by his father, Ethan thinks he has it all figured out - how not to get hurt. When the tide starts to turn though and he starts to care a little too much - he begins to understand how his parents did what they THOUGHT was best at the time. Luckily there is still time to mend a Father- son relationship and when his mother tries to regain entry to his life - Ethan surprises us all!
I LOVED Righteous Indignation and had a hard time getting to read this without feeling as though I was betraying THAT main man!
Can't wait for the third!

Ethan McBride might be the tragic hero of this novel, but he handles it beautifully. His pseudo-orphaned lifestyle up until the point of the story has created quite a character out of him, a heart-breaker and a talented individual, yet modest and even quite humble. He may be rich, but he proves to us all that money cannot buy happiness, and though he grew up in posh and comfortable surroundings, he was someone I could identify with from the beginning. Virginia Foley hits another home run with this novel, another tear-jerker and powerful book. Buy it today!

After loving Virginia Foley's first book, "Righteous Indignation" I couldn't wait to get the notice that her second book was out. Believe me she didn't disappoint! "I think I hear Sleigh Bells is a great read.

This is the second in a series of 2 books on the Sugarloaf Mountain region in Barnesville, Maryland. A must-have for any local resident to Washington DC, Maryland or Virginia, you will literally feel like you are up on the mountain in the pages of this book, whose gorgeous illustrations and writing bring the mountain to life in any reader's mind as vividly as the real thing! More importantly, the beauty throughout the pages of this book will drive you out Hwy 70 right over to and up the mountain to see it first hand. One of the North-east's best kept treasures, Sugarloaf Mountain was once the runner-up for what became Camp David, this field guide provides readers with a truely tangible appreciation for why it was also among FDR's favorite resting spots! Make it yours too, beginning with this book!

This book is far more detailed than any other wildflower guides I've seen but is written in simple language that I can understand. The illustrations are beautiful and so detailed that it makes it easy to identify wildflowers I find on Sugarloaf Mountain and in walks along the Potomac River. I like learning about medicinal uses of native plants and the book is filled with herbal lore. It's a friendly book that is scientifically accurate and detailed but also contains personal anecdotes in which the author's love of trees and wildflowers comes through. I carry both this book and the companion volume--Sugarloaf: The Mountain's History, Geology and Natural Lore on my hikes.

One of my favorite things about the book is that the plants are organized according to families, with information about each plant family. It's fun to find members of the lily family and the rose family growing in the woods. The book helps you understand relationships between plants in a meaningful way. I like thinking about how this onion that I'm eating is related to the trout lily that grows along Sugarloaf Mountain's streams! Plus, its illustrated glossary is an extremely helpful learning tool.

I recommend this field guide to everyone, from novice to experienced botanists.

This is from the July issue of Pomegranate Seeds
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THE GOOD WORD:
A New Field Guide to Eastern
Wildflowers, Trees and Shrubs
by Jeri Metz

I just purchased the most authoritative and readable field guide to wildflowers, herbs, shrubs, vines and trees for the Mid-Eastern United States. An Illustrated Guide to Eastern Woodland Wildflowers and Trees by Melanie Choukas-Bradley, illustrated by Tina Thieme Brown, is eminently readable and includes all the local native and naturalized species that grow abundantly here without any help from us. This is the perfect book for anyone who is interested in gardening with Mother Nature, creating a water-wise native plant garden, or just identifying the local plants while out walking and hiking. The author describes the plants with expert plant taxonomy, humor, and personal anecdotes, throwing in folklore and history where appropriate. She includes specifics on habitat and range, as well as bloom time and where the plants can be found when walking the trails of Sugarloaf Mountain, Maryland. The illustrations, drawn from life, are simple and beautiful, appropriately delicate when describing fragile spring wildflowers, richly detailed and imposing when capturing the hardier species. They compliment every page they are on.

The book is a love letter from two naturalists to their adored Sugarloaf Mountain, where they spent ten years hiking and painstakingly identifying the plants. They view the mountain as a rare gift and "a learning laboratory." But this guide is so much more than the plants on Sugarloaf Mountain. It covers every plant I could think to look up. It includes a very readable botanical key and a comprehensive illustrated glossary. There are suggested readings. But what makes it unique and exceptional in my library of field guides, is the personal touch in both the writings and drawings. The love that Choukas-Bradley and Brown feel for these plants jumps from the pages and I can feel and see how wondrous and magical each plant is for them. By sharing their reverence and respect for all these plants, they inspire while they educate.

An Illustrated Guide to Eastern Woodland Wildflowers and Trees; 350 Plants Observed at Sugarloaf Mountain, Maryland, by Melanie Choukas-Bradley. Illustrated by Tina Thieme Brown. University of Virginia Press. $39.95 through the Audubon Naturalist Society and bookstores and on www.amazon.com.