Virginia Books

Long overdue, and written by people I respect as glass scholars, this is an important volume on a serious glass shelf. As usual many attributions are expalined / illustrated with period info so we know why the authors tell us as they do. Sadly out of print but not always that hard to find yet if seeking through various sources. A major company with a pivotal role in the next generation of glass makers at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century. Good stuff inside this book, nicely illustrated and well organized.

I was so pleased to find this book. I have collected Hobbs glass for many years and have searched for information. Finally, this book is the only resource devoted entirely to Hobbs. The authors have included well documented facts and information about the glass and its history, along with beautiful photographs. There is a value guide if the collector is interested in pricing or selling their glass. All in all this book is essential and long overdue.

For all true oyster lovers this is a must have book. Excellent recipes and well presented.
Any one who has access to fresh oysters will find this book invaluable.

Ms. Pomo has hit the nail on the head. I've tried several recipes, they all were winners! What a suprize!

Driven by greed, a small handfull of businessmen and executives, boosting the formation of Shenandoah National Park, lied about the quality and nature of the land they proposed to include into the NPS system. Based on those lies, and in the face of much opposition that they managed to stifle, they got a Park approved by congress. Pressed to cover their tracks and eliminate all traces of the inhabitants of the mountains, they were at their wit's end to flush out all forms of civilization to prove their prior claims of primeval forests. Policy-makers, including, C. L. Wirth, professor at the University of Chicago and Miriam Sizer, social worker, met for two days at George Freeman Pollack's Skyland to decide the best course to take. They needed to justify funding to move the inhabitants off of their land, and concluded that a two-month census of such people would be conducted. Data, so-called, was collected from sites that had experienced the worst degradation so as to portray the mountain people as a sorry lot of senseless, immoral, filthy, deviant, poverty-stricken primitives. Arno Camerer instructed that ". . .the hollow folk were not to interfere with full speed ahead for the park; the conference saw them as nuisances and obstacles." [Darwin Lambert, SNP Administrative History, p. 94] The information collected supported the "SNP Evacuation and Subsistence Homesteads Survey," which former realtor, L. Ferdinand Zerkel said, "would justify a thesis or report of large booklet. . .or book length." To anyone who knows the decendants of the families who were portrayed, this book is a prime example of academia at it's worst and the reform movement at its peak; a smear campaign designed with the specific goal of eliminating all traces of the mountain heritage and its worth. Any member of any minority could relate to the tactics and massive contradictions embodied in the Hollow Folk text. Having eliminated nearly every authentic trace of this prescious heritage, the National Park Service, aided by it's own select authors, has been freed to "interpret" its version of the mountain culture, a beast that's "right different" from reality. Hollow Folk can be hailed as a sampling of the power and partnering of special interests, media, government and academia are capable of, absent an educated electorate. The same special interests in the form of foundations, associations and well-healed private partners boost the Park today, and vilify the same people in much the same, but more refined, fashion.

The rating I gave this book is for the purpose of recommending it to others and not for accuracy of content. It is definitely an interesting read and its content will really shock you -- especially if you are a decendant of one of the park's 400+ displaced families, or a frequent visitor to Shenandoah National Park.

In recent years, the Park has acknowledged the "true story" of the mountain families and their hardships surrounding the creation of the park and no longer sells the "Hollow Folk" book. This book is full of misinformation, prejudice against "mountain folk" and damaging (so called) "expert" research and opinions.

Amazon[.com] does not allow reviewers to give a book a rating in the NEGATIVE numbers on historical accuracy, so I am unable to give a number on how the mountain people were depicted in this book. However, as I feel its a must-read for anyone interested in the families of Shenandoah National Park.

This book will make you look at your Appalachian surroundings like you never have before. With some information about the broad mountain vistas(forest canopy, common large animal species, etc), this book specializes on intimate looks at the amazing flora and fauna details of the woods (Jack in the Pulpits, wild Orchids, Salamanders, Fireflies, etc.) It is an interesting and itriguing study of Appalachian ecology. This isn't a textbook, but it does involve a bit of scientific jargon, some detailed scientific concepts, and a rather impressive vocabulary. However, each chapter is a short vinette and the author is careful to summarize major themes in the final paragraph of each story. You are gaureeted to take away some new concept and to look at the world around you a bit more carefully.

After reading this book, I had a new appreciation for the Appalachian ecosystem. Every tree, every bird, every insect holds secrets of its adaptation within this ecosystem. Every chapter of this book summarizes studies pertaining to a topic, such as the politics of mixed-species bird flocks or the demographics of box turtles. Everyone who lives in, visits, or conducts business in the Appalachian system should read this book.

The sequel to "Promise & Honor", and the second volume of a riveting trilogy, Honor & Glory continues author Kim Murphy's Civil War saga. Set in the aftermath of the battle of Fredericksburg, two armies wait for the spring campaign on the Rappahannock River banks. Two sisters are drawn into the war, their loyalties split - one betrothed to a Union major, while the other cannot forgive the Northern army that levelled her home. A momentous, sweeping, and emotional novel.

Kim Murphy's second Civil War novel, HONOR & GLORY, takes a roller coaster ride of a journey through smuggling, war prisons, battle wounds, sickness, childbirth, and other tests of endurance--while at the same time depicting the joys and hopes of both Northerners and Southerners who lived and loved during the turbulent time period.

The novel opens after the bloody Battle of Fredericksburg in 1862 and focuses on two Virginian sisters, Amanda and Alice, the former of whom has experienced both widowhood and a new marriage since the war's start. Alice, the younger sister, finds difficulty in accepting her new brother-in-law's background and position in the war--and falls for a former love interest of Amanda's. Despite the familial tension, the two women's relationship grows stronger as they themselves gain strength, shedding Victorian morals and delicacies to do their part in helping ailing soldiers...and to protect their own lives and properties as the war stretches to 1865.

Each central character experiences dark depths of anguish at some point in the novel, yet Murphy also portrays supreme moments of joy that help them persevere and rise above their physical and/or emotional pain. Alice especially stands out as an exceptional character, transforming from a frivolous young lady to a multilayered, heroic woman. And the novel offers one of the most heart-stopping escape scenes ever written.

Either read with its predecessor, PROMISE & HONOR, or standing alone, HONOR & GLORY is an entertaining and emotional example of historical fiction at its finest.

I very much enjoyed "Honor Thy Sister." I thought the author developed the characters well and kept a level of suspense throughout the book.

The ending was a real surprise! I thought I had an idea of how things would turn out, but I was way off - and really wowed!

"Honor Thy Sister" was an excellent follow-up to the author's first book "False Witness." However, each book could easily stand on its own.

This book was just as good as the first one. It's got mystery and drama, romance and comedy. I read it every chance I got and found it was hard to have to close the book and stop reading. Larry Buttram is a great author. His books are easy to read and hard to put down. I'm looking forward to the next one.

An amazing book. I couldn't put it down. Travel into remote areas of Appalachia with a country doctor who responds to the needs of people lacking running water, sanitation and basic health care. This doctor is sensitive, perceptive and learns from his patients who suffer from an array of common and uncommon afflictions. We should all be lucky enough to have a doctor like James Banks.

Without a doubt one of the most connecting books on West Virginia I have read. I was born and raised in Beaver, often a patient of Dr. Banks. The names and locations in his book are so easily recalled, along with the faces and memories of them.
For anyone from that area east of Beckley along New River and the Flat Top mountain area..a plus reading. I have purchased 10 to pass to family and friends as well as to my children.

I was simply charmed by this book. It manages to be thought-provoking, interesting, highly useful and poetic all at the same time. The ceremonies themselves are surprisingly original and moving. My wife and I used one recently to commemorate the passing of my father-in-law a year ago. We were tearful at first, laughing soon thereafter, and somehow made a little more whole by the end. The personal stories the authors tell are also well worth reading. Their warmth and wisdom come across beautifully. Highly recommended.

I had a copy of Ms. Lang and Ms. Nayer's earlier edition of HOW TO BURY A GOLDFISH, but a friend borrowed it and never gave it back. So I eagerly bought a new copy when this new Skinner edition came out, and it's better than before. The authors give charming insights into their lives and advice about how to celebrate all occasions. Burying a goldfish is one kind of ceremony; welcoming a newly adopted child is another. You should order two copies of this helpful enchanting book, because you'll be lending it to someone who won't part with it!

Excellent for my summer program! It should teach children to be proud to be from the state of Maine. It also teaches children to be proud of their heritage, no matter what it is. We have Coon cats visiting us at the library. I can't seem to find any information about the author and would like to know more about her, where she is from etc. We have other books by her and are certainly keeping them as I see they are out of print.

This childrens' book about the life of a sea-going Maine Coon Cat should be in the library of everybody who loves Maine Coons. Delightful illustrations and lovely story.

This interesting volume contains hundreds of images of West Virginia made during the time of the Civil War, and includes photographs, sketches made by soldiers, hand-drawn maps of battle fields and camps, and drawings that originally appeared in newspapers of the day. The book does not try to give a history of the war in the state, but rather arranges material by type of image: photographs, soldier art, civilian art, newspaper sketches, and broadsides. Some of the most intriguing items include the hand-drawn maps already mentioned (one by future President Rutherford B. Hayes), the lithographs of Corp. John Nep Roesler, and, of course, the many different photographs of everything from natural landmarks (Hawk's Nest) to regimental poses to towns and locations (Gauley Bridge, Harper's Ferry). There is not a lot of text other than captions accompanying the images, although there are some lengthy official documents thrown in. One particularly useful inclusion is a listing of all the battles, engagements, and skirmishes that took place in West Virginia during the war. Not an absolutely essential book to have in one's Civil War library, but what it does, it does well and in an interesting manner.

By reading the brief introduction one gains insight into the struggle that Terry Lowry and Stan Cohen endured during their research for this work. Had it not for their intro the reader might have come away believing poor quality reproductions were used in compiling data for this book. Many of the items used in this work were from private collections, some of which were too expensive or not open for publication by the authors. Given the cost of reproduction these days, mirrored with the advanced age of the material used, both authors have come together to put fort an excellent work involving the war in West Virginia.

Even though some of the images are fuzzy the presentation of the material lends itself as a valuable resource for the modern day historian. The book reads well and is actually quite durable for a paperback. It's traveled back and forth from home to Antietam National Battlefield, more specifically Bloody lane, and has stood the test of traversing the fields.
From "Secession" to "Carrying on the Memories" the book flows smoothly through the various transitions of the newly formed state, giving the reader an excellent account of the turmoil of becoming a state. Many actions in regards to statehood via images, sketches and maps are now seen in print for the first time.

With over 450 photographs, drawings, maps and images this book will fill the bill for many West Virginia historians. The authors even note that more material has been unearthed so the possibility remains for a Volume II on West Virginia. As it stands, this is a well-written and researched work on West Virginia and the authors have done a beautiful job in putting the material together in such an interesting manner. Whether you hail from West Virginia or California this book has interesting snippets involving the Civil War for everyone. I highly recommend this book to fellow enthusiasts and civil war Buffs alike.