Washington Books

This superb book is a guide to the geology and natural history of the North Cascades-a wild, nearly roadless mountain range in northern Washington State. The book is not only an indispensable visitors' guide that describes key viewpoints and outcrop features along roads and trails in the region, but also explains to the novice, how the North Cascades came into being in wonderfully lucid language. It explains the ongoing geologic processes that presently shape this rugged country as well as the long history of tectonic processes that assembled the underpinnings of the range and led to the distribution of the varied rock units exposed on the peaks and gorge walls. The book is exceptionally well illustrated with dozens of exquisite, annotated sketches as well as colored photographs. This is simply the most authoritative and accessible resource available on the geologic story of this unique and beautiful region written by scientists that have spent decades walking and mapping the terrain and puzzling over how it evolved to its present state. It is a peerless quide to the area.

This book is without a doubt the best non-technical description you will find on the geologic/tectonic evolution of the North Cascades of Washington State, and I am certain it will remain so for several years. The information presented in this book is synthesized from more than a century of field work conducted by numerous investigators, not least of which include the authors. I would recommend purchasing two copies (as I have): one for your library bookshelf and another for the rough-and-tumble environment of a backpack...

After reading the book, I realized how much more I knew about American History in general. Little did I know that Washington was such a conservative. I did not think I knew so little before I read this, but now I am filled with information that wants to be shared. His explanations on the state of America from pre-revolutionary times until the signing of the constitutions are extremely interesting. This is on top of the extensive information on the father of our country. I came out of this book with a new understanding of how the country was formed and a new love for the work that out founding fathers did. Great book for anyone interested in American History. Especially great read for George Washington fans. This is scholarly writing at its best!

We tend to be too focused on the constitution as a document that is somehow frozen in time. We forget too often that as ratified it was very vague on any number of subjects as to how the various branches of government would work. We also too often assume that the way it broadly works now is the way it always worked. Hah!
Recently, we have been blessed by work by scholars like David Currie and Akhil Amar Reed that remind us that the Constitution is not just a document but a history of practices based on that document. Our early Congresses, Presidents and Supreme Court Justices had to decide how to perform their functions. How were the seperation of powers and the checks and balances to work?
Many of these issues took years to settle (e.g., the idea of judicial review).
George Washington played an incredibly vital role in many of these decisions. Flexner, in his biography called Washington, 'the indispensable man". This is as true of his role in the ratification debates and the early years of the new government as it was in the Revolutionary War.
So says Glenn Phelps to which I say, "Amen". There is a telling moment in the first volume of Farrand's Records of the Convention when the delegates first consider placing the executive in one man. After the motion is seconded, Madison notes, "A considerable pause ensuing.." (Farrand, 1:65) which is broken only after Washington asks if they just want to go ahead and vote on the motion and Franklin asks everyone to speak their mind. The delegates were reticent about speaking their minds on the reasons they would limit the powers of the office of President simply because they all assumed that Washington would be that President. Only after they were encouraged by Washington and Franklin did they then speak their minds!
I would also argue that one of the factors that contributed to the new Constitution being accepted was that everyone in the country thought that way. Most people trusted Washington to not abuse the powers he would have. They trusted him to set the tone for the office. Amazing, when you think about it.
Phelps argues (rightly, I think) that Washington's ideas about government were formed by a rather classical republicanism and by his experiences in the Revolutionary War.
His classical and conservative republicanism led him to believe that government had to be founded on the people but that the people should be represented in the government by the "best" men in their states. The best were those who had the capacity to rise above local interests to discern the true national interest and who also had the virtue to persue that national interest over any of their own. In this he was no democrat. He did not believe that representatives were to mirror local interests or to be tied down by instructions by those local interests. The people had to trust their representative to do what was best. (Phelps, p.83)
For me the most interesting part of Phelps' book is his examination of Washington's terms as President. Washington set many precedents as to how appointments were to be made, what the function of the Cabinet would be, what would be the relationship of the President to the Congress and both to the various departments of the Executive.
There are too many examples for me to be inclusive so I will give you one that was new to me. Phelps feels that Washington was very influenced by the success of his "council of war" policy during the Revolution. Washington would explain overall strategic objectives to his junior officers and then ask for advice on a series of questions. These councils served the dual function of giving the junior officers the big picture and, perhaps, of improving that same strategy. Phelps feels that Washington tried to model his cabinet on that idea (pp 160-3). But he went further than that initially. He tried unsuccessfully to incorporate the Supreme Court and the Senate into the idea of the "consultative presidency". Phelps argues that Washington's well-known visit to the Senate where he asked for advice on the instructions to be used in negotiations with the Creek Indians is an example of this (pp. 167-72). Washington took literally that part of the Constitution that the Senate had an "advise" function to play in treaties as well as an approve function.
All-in-all, this is a very enjoyable, informative and well-written book. The overall picture of Washington that emerges (as pretty much the leader of the Federalists) will disturb some people but it should not really surprise them.
One more brief comment. I almost always have to throw something in on the limits of originalism as a judicial philosophy.
All aspects of our government have a history. There is no denying the vagueness of our Constitution on most subjects that it touches. That vagueness can be somewhat focused by the ratification debates. But even then most of the details of governance went unanswered. Phelps, Currie, Reed and others are very right to point out that those details were filled in by the early administrations and beyond. Jefferson, Madison, Monroe, Jackson, Polk, Lincoln, Cleveland, McKinley, both Roosevelts and others more contemporary have interpreted their role as Presidents. I know people hate the phrase but it really is a "living document". We the People are what gives it life not the other way around.
In any case, this is an excellent introduction to the effect on Constitutional development by Washington. Phelps is to be thanked for having filled an obvious void with this fine volume.

This is a small book that includes a lot of fascinating information. Don Higginbotham is a historian who's studied George Washington carefully, and he wrote and delivered three papers on Washington's influence on the American military, as lectures at Mercer University. This book includes those three lectures, reworked and lengthened, along with a fourth chapter he wrote for this book, contrasting and comparing George C. Marshall, the US Chief of Staff in World War II and later Secretary of State and author of the Marshall Plan, with Washington.

The author's main premise can be succinctly stated. Washington was a fine model for the American army to follow and build on, because of his character and sense of duty. He deliberately restrained himself and others from abusing his power as commander in chief during the Revolution, and that example served as the framework for the behavior of generals in the years since. Washington was working without benefit of examples, in many ways: no one had ever dealt with a government like the Continental Congress before, because there hadn't been a government like it in the past. So Washington essentially was making it up as he went along, and the result was exemplary, and has done us proud in the years since.

This is an excellent little book, and I would recommend it to anyone interested in Washington or the American military.

Whether you are interested in George Washington specifically, or military history generally, this book is a must read. Higginbotham, a well-respected University of North Carolina history professor has done a magnificent job of explaining the unique relations between civilian and military interests that are so crucial in our form of government. In the process, you are sure to gain a renewed appreciation for George Washington, the military leader whose character and forebearance created a solid foundation for American military tradition.

Michael Rockland's book "The George Washington Bridge: Poetry In Steel"
Is both brilliant and funny--a rare combination. The book is as much
about Rockland's love affair with, and experiences on, the bridge as
about the bridge itself. After so many books on the less consequential
Brooklyn Bridge, it's about time the George, the world's busiest bridge still after 75 years, got its due. The highlight of the book is Rockland's adventures on the bridge, including climbing to the top of one of the towers. I've read many of Rockland's books. This one, beautifully illustrated, is his best. A must read.

I love everything about this book. From its light weight, beautiful insert photos, and accurate yet engaging historical prose, I couldn't put it down. For anyone who lives in the tri-state area, or just loves New York, this is a wonderful read. I bought three copies for friends who love history books.

I found this book to be well written and easy to read. I was totally blow away by George Washington Carver's life story! This book should be a must read in every classroom, especially for Black History month of February, when children are learning about the minority influences and contributions to the history of the United States of America. I HIGHLY recommend the reading of this book.

George Washington Carver was one of the most amazing people I've read about. I'm thoroughly impressed with this man's testimony and life example. Wow!!...this simply sums it up.

George Washington Carver (c. 1864 - January 5, 1943) was an American botanical researcher and agronomy educator who worked in agricultural extension at the Tuskegee Institute in Tuskegee, Alabama, teaching former slaves farming techniques for self-sufficiency.

This biography is an incredibly easy to read book and an excellent portrait of perhaps America's most significant botanist and agricultural scientist. His story of perseverence and faith, while confronting the racial bigotry of his time, is truly inspiring. If all you know about George Washington Carver is that he invented peanut butter then you need to read this book!

George Washington Carver
By Sam Wellman
9/24/02

This summer I read. The incredible inspiring novel called George Washington Carver, a biography written by Sam Wellman .The book was about George Washington Carver an inventor and educator. This book showed that George Washington Carver's life was very tough back in the 1870's.The book let's you see life back then, but not just anyone's life a person's life that anyone in some way can relate to.

One non-stop turning point thought out this book was that George Washington Carver being on his own and growing up all by himself .One of most the interesting things in this book was the passage "Born the Son of Slaves, he would work with Gods Help to free the South". That was a remarkable description of what George Washington Carver meant to some people, because he believed so much in God and so did everybody else and also because he did every thing he could for the south. Thougthout the book it was very easy for me to keep track of the main character because the book was a biography. A book about someone's life. In the whole book I can really say, "It felt like George Washington Carver really played his role in history''. (1871 - 1943)

I would recommend this book to any person looking for an exciting book,. The type of reader for this book would be a person who likes to read about other peoples history or life story, a person who can put their self in a place like George Washington Carver's and understand his point of view, or someone who is willing, and has faith in God should read this wonderful book. I liked this book a lot. And I also enjoyed it because of the fact that the author of the book wrote many other titles.

Great book, I highly recommend adults read with youth and discuss. I thought the ideas contained in this book were very positive and overall very appropriate for motivating young minds. I look forward to reading more from the author and sharing it with the youth that I come in contact with.

I bought this as a gift for my niece last Christmas. It was admittedly an attempt to expose her to other cultures and achievements. The best compliment was paid as she described the book to her teacher, who asked that she bring this in to read it to the class. I read this and its a good explanation of a brilliant man who thrived in his time. A good read for kids of any background.

The author skillfully uses the biography of a San Francisco gold rush pioneer to illuminate the broader history of America's westward movement. Through the prism of one man's experience, a reader comes to understand the impulses and circumstances that constitutes one of America's single-most important developments--the setteling of America's west. Fans of "common-man" history will especially like following the tracings of an average man and family, who, by pluck, industry, and perseverance managed to create for himself and his heirs an authentic, Horatio Alger rags-to-riches success story.

This is a riveting account of one man's journey to the promised lands of California. This is a must read for California history buffs. It is the most impressive and well researched book I have read in a long time!!!

This is an excellent book of high quality which merits the attention of sudents of both the French and Indian War and George Washington.The many portrait images are clear and sharp. The images of the 11 manuscript pages are not easy to read, but to a large extent this appears to be due to the condition of the document, which is over 200 years old. Nevertheless, it is fascinating to see the actual handwriting of Washington in one of his few autobiographical efforts. The actual content of the manuscript appears in highly readable transcript immediately following the images of the manuscript pages. A preliminary "Note to the Reader" suggests reading the transcript first before attempting to read Washington's handwriting. Following the transcript are 77 annotations by Martin West, the highly regarded director of Fort Ligonier and author of numerous historical articles on the French and Indian War.In some respects, these scholarly, yet concise annotations are the most interesting aspect of this book.The book also contains an excellent essay on "Young Washington" by Don Higgenbotham of the University of North Carolina and an essay, "Biography and Autobiography" by Rosemarie Zagarri of George Mason University, placing Washington's autobiographical manuscript remarks in the context of Lt. Col. David Humphreys' intended biography of Washington. The book concludes with an interesting essay by Professor Fred Anderson of the University of Colorado, author of "Crucible of War", probably the definitive book on the French and Indian War.Two appendices follow. The first is a fascinating explanation of the conservation of the manuscript by the conservator, Christine Smith. The second appendix,by Burton Kummerow, will be of considerable benefit to those interested in historical tourism. It is a guide to the historic French and Indian War sites mentioned in Washington's manuscript.A previous reviewer remarked negatively on the book's omission of the defeat of troops under Major James Grant of the Forbes Expedition in 1758. This is explained by the fact that Washington had no direct knowledge of this engaggement. At the time of Grant's Defeat, Washington was more than 100 miles away in Raystown (Bedford, PA). Washington's only knowledge of the event was based on hearsay. One of the principal values of the Washington manuscript is that it is a primary source.Neither it nor the book purports to be an exhaustive accounting of all the events of the French and Indian War, so criticism based on the omission of one's personal favorite event seems unfair.Those who purchase this book will be glad they did.

This richly illustrated and thoroughly documented book preserves and perpetuates George Washington's ONLY autobiographical account: Here he recalls the world war that he started, the war that transformed North America, and created the United States and Canada. "Big picture" historians will delight in the accompanying essays by Professors Anderson, Higginbotham, and Zagarri. Those concerned with historical specificities and historic sites will applaud the thoroughness of annotators Martin West and Burton Kummerow. All of us wanting to SEE the 18th century will appreciate the collection of portraits and maps assembled here. In this volume, the marble Washington morphs back into the real person he once was: a middle-aged man at yet another decisive turning point in his career (the first-ever Presidency lay just ahead) thinking back to his resume-ruining role in the series of disasters launching the Seven Years' War (French and Indian War). What did it all mean? How had he ended up at THIS juncture? In wrestling with this memoir, he comes to understand that he had been preserved by Providence for the enormous challenge ahead. We should all be thankful that he was; and thankful for the guiding hand of Providence that preserved the manuscript and makes accessible this compelling volume.

Since reading this guide I am absolutely sure of my decision to go to GWU. The information presented in this guide was honest, thoughtful and incredibly informative. I am not only certain that the school has what I need academically, but I am sure that my social life will also improve, since GWU has so many hotspots so close to campus (good since I won't have a car).

This book seriously helps students who are unsure of where they want to go to college. Since it's written by a GW student, all of the information is honest and open -- NOT from an official's point of view. Also, it'll be awesome once at GW b/c it lists the best dorms, food venues and nightlife spots. Cool!!!!