Virginia Books

Robert Rodes finally gets the biography he has deserved for years. In James Swisher's fine book the casual Civil War buff will be introduced to one of Robert E. Lee's best Division commanders. Historians have stayed away from a book on Rodes because of a perceived lack of information, but Swisher's passion for fellow Lynchburg, Virginia resident Rodes gave him the patience to unearth much undiscovered material on his subject. Like all Civil War Generals, Rodes had his good days (Chancellorsville, Wilderness, Spotsylvania) and his bad days (Gettysburg), but his superb leadership and bravery put him in high esteem with both his men and his superiors. Many felt there was no better commander in the Army of Northern Virginia. Because Rodes was killed at 3rd Winchester in September of 1864, and because many of his principle subordinates were killed during the war there was no one to write his book. James Swisher's biography of Rodes, besides being a great work of scholarship, is highly readable. Swisher has a great writers gift of taking cold facts and making his subject come to life...warts and all. This is a long overdue biography that every Civil War student will want to read. Many good maps and photographs. I recommend it highly!

This was a well written biography on a forgotten soldier who is just getting his due. Highly recommend this fine historical study of Confederate division commander in action!

Willis Madden, son of Sarah Madden is given favorable mention in "Seasons of War, The Ordeal of a Confederate Community 1861-1865," by Daniel E. Sutherland. It focuses on the Culpeper County environs as both armies come and go - the great battles, the personalities of the civilian,s enlisted and officers, and the econimic and sociological impact on the locals.

This is a great book - well written, with interesting and solid documentation, a "good read". Instead of another exploration of the tragedy of slavery, this is the story of a black family whose hard work prospered themselves instead of an owner, for many generations, and who wound up selling their land very profitably indeed. It's an encouraging success story, rich in detail and embodying the values of education and industriousness. The characters are memorable. It's several years now since I read it and it's still vivid in my mind. It rings true and is a very satisfying book.

This is a good book to have if you have a Weimaraner or Weimaraner mix dog to raise or keep. Wiemaraner's can be great hunting dogs but they do need a person to help them out. Look for the 2nd edition of this book soon!

This book is so great. We bought it 8 years ago and still pull it out and look at it. Highly recommend.

This book contans pictures, text and maps showing the location of and the trains that worked the logging railroads that penetrated the vast stands of hardwood lumber in the eastern part of the state of West Virginia.

You can still ride on one of them. The Cass Scenic Railroad climbs the mountain on switchbacks just like it did when they hauled timber down that same railroad. The book contains mostly black and white pictures, with a few in color in the very back. It also discusses the main types of logging locomotives, the Shay, the Heisler and the Climax. All were "geared locomotives" meaning that the pistons drove a driveshaft that was linked by gears to all the axles. They were slow, they made a lot of noise because the pistons moved faster than the train seemed to move due to the gearing.

The Elk River Coal and Lumber Co. Shays ususlly crossed the creeks with out the aid of bridges and the cover painting depicts one doing just that! Why bother to build bridges that you were going to abandon in a few months anyway?

I have been to Cass and ridden up the mountain behind a Shay and the pictures brought it all to life again.

The world will not see the likes of the mountain lumber railroads again and this book explains it very well.

There is one picture showing many acres of stacked hardwood in the edge of Rainelle, WVA in 1952 that you will not see the like of again.

Well researched and enjoyable 108 pages (6th printing 2000) full of terrific WV logging railroad photos and useful maps. Covers WV logging history and iron horses; Includes chapters with many photos on the railroad operations of: Mower Lumber Co - WV Pulp & Paper; Elk River Coal & Lumber Co. - W.M. Ritter Co. - Georgia Pacific; Meadow River Lumber Co.; Cherry River Boom & Lumber Co.; Ely-Thomas Lumber Co; plus stories on Pardee & Curtin Lumber Co., Moore-Keppel Co., Beech Mountain Railroad and other railroads including Buffalo Creek & Gauley RR and West Virginia & Pittsburgh RR. Great for research as well as a pleasant and entertaining memory trip.

The main character in this moving book is a teenaged girl, Roma, who is separated from her affluent family and sent to a concentration camp at the age of 16, where she never knows if she will be in the next group of inmates selected to die in the crematorium. Her only solace from the daily horrors is the imagined conversations she has at night, before going to sleep, with her mother. The story of how she manages to survive with her humanity intact and start a new life in Israel makes for gripping reading; I read this book in one sitting. Especially interesting is the epilogue, where she talks about what it felt like to return to Poland nearly 60 years after she left. Adding to the authenticity of the historical details is the fact that Roma's co-author, her son, is a history professor. He writes about the difficulties faced by himself and his mother in writing about her past. Rather than just telling a story, this book addresses the problem of reconciling memory with historical fact, and what it means to write about your past so many years later.

This is the greatest and most touching memoir on the Holocaust I have ever read. It provides psychological insights into the way the victims felt. Read this!!!!!

This book is wonderful. Very informative, well written. I would like to see more on this company.

This book is an incredible resource for a collecter. Webster's passion for thorough research is evident as he weaves stories about WDC's history into a very practical price guide. He approaches the subject as a storyteller, researcher, curator, and glassware dealer. This reminds the reader of why we get into collecting in the first place; it goes beyond the object and into how the object came to be. Webster's book teaches us about why this glassware was made and encourages us to ask similar questions about the material world around us. He strikes a fine balance between the technical, practical, and personal aspects of telling the story of the Wheeling Decorating Company. This is a most impressive debut and I hope we will see more from this fine author.

I really liked this one. It tells about the story of a 57 year of man who has Alzheimers,his love of gardening, his wife, son, love of cats,and his Italian family roots. It was a nice story about a man dealing with the disease and his family. I read this book in one night. Well written and a great choice of words. Parts of this book took me back to the old days when he talks of his family.

Book illustrates that people with alzheimer's are human. Baggio , an Alzhiemer's victim) takes us on a journey of his life long affair with gardening. This sensitvely chronicles an ordinairy life as being something special. It lets us know that all of our lives are special and to be handled with care. This reader developed a bond with the author through his well chosen words. Worth reading if you are pre-disposed to alzheimer's though family history, have it or know someone who does. This is a delightfully sensitive and artistic book on a dreadful disease. It certainly helps with coping with it.

A simply incredible book. The Columbia educated son of Blair Mountain hero Bill Blizzard wrote this in the early 1950s. It sat unpublished for over half a century while professional scholars wrote about the mine war and lamented the supposed lack of material on Blair Mountain(Shogan, Savage, Corbin...). This is the real deal written while Bill Blizzard was still alive. The appendix contains pictures and copies of documents that have never been seen by the public. The author is still alive(91) and can be seen on the History Channel special: Hillbilly The Real Story

Written by the son of one of the leaders of the Battle of Blair Mountain, this book is the REAL story of one of the nation's historic moments. The story follows the United Mine Workers from its birth to the fights to unionize mines in Mingo County, then to the 1921 Battle of Blair Mountain, the treason trial of battle leaders, their acquittal, the near death of the UMW, and finally to the rebirth of the labor unions under President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
William C. Blizzard wrote the articles that make up the book in the 1940s and early 1950s, while many who figured prominently were still alive. Such a treasure of "real" history about such historic events.

A very educational, historic book. After having visited Mount Vernon in VA, my kids and I were excited to find a kid's book about it. The book depicted George Washington's estate wonderfully and kept everyone's attention through the antics of "Liberty", George Washington's cat.

A charming glimpse of 18th century Mount Vernon through the eyes of a fictitious cat named Liberty. Captivating for children and adults.

Maybe I'm just biased because I love my sister so much (she is featured in this anthology) or because I'm very proud of my state, but I think this book is a great edition to any library.

By Mary Sue Kessell Rosen

Wild Sweet Notes Fifty Years of West Virginia Poetry 1950-1999 is a quintessential collection that depicts the sensibilities of West Virginians to their landscape and gets the reader thinking about what matters. This book reminds me of a choral group singing loud and clear, the kind you know has no pretense. The sounds are coming straight from the heart. Such sounds resonate throughout West Virginia. Many of the poems can be sentimental or confessional, but all the writing is accessible. Therefore, this first collection has been a tough act to follow.

However, Wild Sweet Notes II has an entirely different feel but is equally pleasing. "New voices" are striking thus creating a literary democracy in West Virginia. Both books tell me there are plenty of `serious' poets in West Virginia. Among the contributors in Wild Sweet Notes II are those with impressive academic credentials as many have had careers in education and/or are currently serving on college faculties. Other professions such as law and medicine are also represented, but in general, academic institutions are well positioned in this collection, including Marshall University, West Virginia State College, and West Virginia University.

The strength of Wild Sweet Notes II rests in the representation of a wide variety of forms and styles; therefore, it is an excellent reference to have in terms of understanding the expansiveness and flexibility the poetry genre offers. This collection as a whole, offers a lulling or lyrical quality, and also elusiveness. The reader can be motivated to analyze and "play" with interpretation and meaning. Elusive writing calls for re-reading and re-thinking or "critical thinking." Among the contributors, those with the rigors of academic training in writing and literature come through with clarity.

No doubt some readers who have the first edition will wish some of their favorite poets were represented in Wild Sweet Notes II. This is only natural, but the good part is that this edition celebrates more writers. For far too many years, Poet Laureates have come from the Northeast, but that is beginning to change. I sincerely think the nation is ready for a Poet Laureate from West Virginia. If Publisher's Place keeps the editions of Wild Sweet Notes coming with all new contributors for each publication, there will be well documented evidence that throughout West Virginia, there are large stakes in advancing poetry not only within the state but on a national level.

We must believe that among West Virginia's many natural resources are its gifted poets who address not only the rich heritage of the past but the needs of the present and our dreams for the future, not only for West Virginians but for people everywhere.

Bio
Mary Sue Kessell Rosen is on the writing faculty at The New School, New York City, and on the governing board at Pen and Brush, Inc. in New York City. She has authored a poetry book and contributes to small press publications. She was born and raised in Charleston, W.V., and is proud of her West Virginia roots.