Pennsylvania Books

a book with a text written by one of the most important art critics. Finally quilts seen as art pieces. An incredibly beautiful collection of amish quilts to show you the world of this religious group artistic crafts. If you look for new ideas for your quilting palette, don't miss this book.

Amish: The Art of the Quilt by Robert Hughes chronicles the quilt collection at Esprit corporate headquarters in San Francisco. Begun haphazardly by Doug Tompkins in 1971 as a way to cover bare office walls, it has evolved into a showcase of exquisite examples of Amish artistry.

Robert Hughes writes a concise history of the Amish people and their distinctive quilts. But best of all are the 9" by 9" full-color plates of 82 representative quilts. Julie Silber, who became the collection's curator in 1983, shares her comments on each quilt, pointing out its adherence to or deviation from Amish tradition.

This book represents an excellent investment for all lovers of the vibrant colors and intricate stitching so characteristic of Amish quiltmaking.

reviewed by Andrea R. Huelsenbeck

This book is a loving look at the Pennsylvania Amish culture, and it really captures that world, with simple words and luminous illustrations. Instead of being kitschy or tacky like many feeble attempts at representing the Amish, it's very esthetically pleasing--a gorgeous coffee-table book, at an unbelievable price, and very engrossing to read. You really enter another world when you open it. Americans tend to idealize the Amish, with their old-world values: They live on beautiful farms, raise organic food, and seem to thrive without tv, cars, and other modern conveniences. I think of this book as sort of "soft-core" anthropology, because while the illustrations are beautiful and museum-quality, the Amish aren't idealized. You realize how hard they work, and what their limitations are. It's clear that Bowen actually spent a lot of time "among" them, observing their life respectfully but giving a very clear picture of it at the same time.

The pastel paintings in this book are incredibely beautiful.Any pastel painter would absolutly love this.The work portrays the artist's experience among the Amish with the"artist's eye"giving a sensitive and intimate view of day to day life and even more-some great art!

As a resident of conservative , sleepy Schuylkill County, I was amazed at the foresight and forward thinkingness of this physician. In a county of staunch Catholics, it surprised me that this happened anywhere during those turbulent times , much less here. Mr. Genovese presents this biography in a very straight forward manor that leaves the reader to make up their own mind about this controversial man and issue. As someone who generally does not read biographies, i was hooked from page one. An easy and educational read. Thought provoking

There is no doubt about it; Abortion is a difficult issue for a lot of people. On one hand you have the desire for justice of equal choice by all women, on the other hand you have a great desire to respect and preserve life. I am no different in that it is an issue that I've struggled with at both extremes (Pro and Con) for most of my life. I've concluded that there is no definitive answer that all can agree with. All we can do is to work at respecting life from all views and perspectives. This is why I've read this biography with a very open mind and frankly I'm glad I did!

Having grown up near Ashland, PA I had an immediate interest to read a work by a local author about a local legend. I had heard of Dr. Spencer in hushed conversations of appalling outrage and contempt and I have also in conversations of heroic praise. I wanted to find out more about this "Angel" who dared take a stand and help women through a very difficult time. Meticulously researched and expertly told it is a stroke of luck to come across this text and hold it in my collection. Of all the biographies I have read, this work is one of the best. Genovese's use of descriptive prose and convincing speculation of events he could only imagine occurred is noteworthy of praise and attention. He portrays Dr. Spencer honestly and "re-members" him for the reader in such a way you feel like you know the doctor personally.

This work is for you if you have an interest in the stories and legends of the Pennsylvania "Coal Region". This work is NOT for you if you seek to increase controversy with contempt or without an open mind. Read it as a story of a man who dared make a difference and succeeded with great compassion and non-judgmental understanding at a time where a woman's only choice was a wire hanger and certain death.

Paul A. W. Wallace offers us an unbiased account of the history of the Native American people of Pennsylvania. Each chapter made me want to learn more about the individual tribe that was represented in its pages and inspired me to continue reading. Mr. Wallace does not ever compare the European settlers with the Indians and say that one was more savage than the other. He merely points out that the Native American people were more intelligent than what the history books would have us believe. Paul Wallace introduces us to an innocent culture and guides us through the necessary metamorphosis of a land besieged by "conquerors." If you're interested in the plight of Native Americans, or in the history of Pennsylvania, this book should become the keystone of your library!

I was really pleased with this book, all the more so since it was published in 1970, when attitudes towards Native Americans weren't as they are today in 2005.

The book is not too long, but thorough and well-documented. It's about right for someone who's really busy and just wants a good and thorough overview.

The book explains well the various tribes (including the Delaware, Iriquois, Eries, Susquehannocks, Shawnee, Conoy, Conestoga, Mohawk, Oneida, Tuscarora, and Wyandots), although it's focus is particularly on the Delaware and Iriquois, who were descendant and ascendant at the time. Wallace does a particularly good job explaining the impact of white settlers on the native tribes, particularly in terms of the impact on native economics, which drove local tribes to immediately abandon traditional weapons for guns, which they could only get from the settlers. In order to get guns, the only item the settlers wanted were furs, which were in demand in Europe, particularly beaver. Immediately the local animal populations were devastated, and in order to get more, the Native tribes had to go further and further west. All the tribes realized that their fates were precarious, as they dealt with the English in the East and the French to the North, and the Indian tribes weren't innocent, they worked politics and alliances as well as the English... although perhaps not as well as the French. The Iriquois in particular had a clear vision of what they had to do to survive, and jockeyed to become the middle-men between the other Indian tribes and the settlers.

There's much more than this, including primary source accounts from the 17th and 18th Century, well-balanced descriptions of culture, technology, religion, and ceremonies, maps and illustrations, and the final migration of the Indians out of Pennsylvania, based on a series of land purchases and the "extinguishment of Indian title." And of course much history about the wars and conflicts between tribes and the settlers.

History has been revised (as it has been before and will be before), and this book may have an older point of view that may not be what is conventional wisdom today regarding relations between the settlers and natives. But in some ways this point of view is new to me, and is worth considering. Rather than being entirely stolen, land in pennsylvania was purchased in fairly above-board manners that surprised me. When taken in context of how land had been won and lost between the tribes for centuries before, and how there was a vast uninhabited area in Western Pennsylvania due to the disappearnce of the Monongahelia tribe (due to plague or conquest is unknown), it puts things in a new perspective. That doesn't lessen by any means other tragic events (such as the forced relocation through the Trail of Tears, etc.) and what conventional wisdom says are hundreds of other broken treaties, but it is a different perspective.

I'd recommend this book for people with an interest in local history, and students in high school and perhaps junior high school.

Even though I read this book in early June, I almost couldn't wait for the next winter in my area of Central Pennsylvania. Marcia Bonta also lives in this region, in a large forested enclave on top of a ridge, and this book functions as a diary of her wildlife viewing around her property during an entire winter. There are entries for each date from December 1 through March 20, and while you might think such a diary would be monotonous, that is far from the case because of the wide variety of wildlife and weather Bonta observed every day. She saw plenty of the most common woodland creatures frolicking throughout the supposedly "dead" season, with some surprise sightings of bears, beavers, and foxes. The biggest surprise for the reader is the astonishing variety of birds that inhabited the Bonta ranch during the winter, from mighty raptors to surprisingly hardy songbirds. Throughout the daily diary entries, Bonta adds informative biology lessons on the behavior of the birds and animals she spotted. Meanwhile there are occasional forays into other scientific areas, such as the botany of lichens and the history of the snowshoe, topped off by occasional passages of wise and experienced Thoreau-like naturalist philosophy. This very enjoyable book shows you that winter only seems like a dead season if you stay cooped up inside every day. Instead, venture outside and see for yourself how alive the hills and forests of Appalachia really are. [~doomsdayer520~]

I first encountered the works of Marcia Bonta when assigned her books to review for a university publication. She fast became a personal favorite. I am especially fond of the quartet of seasonal nature journals, APPALACHIAN SPRING, APPALACIAN FALL, APPALACHIAN SUMMER and now APPALACHIAN WINTER. Bonta has a sharp eye, a wealth of knowledge and a graceful hand at writing that will hook anyone anywhere even though she is documenting life atop a mountain in central Pennsylvania.

The volume on Spring was her first in the quartet, and stuck closely to the flora and fauna on the mountain. The next in the series was Fall, in which her daily treks and observations brought her and her family up against an unscrupulous lumberman whose devastation of the land bordering theirs offered lessons in public policy and environmental awareness. The Summer journal included glimpses of new human life in the form of a grandchild while search parties looking for a lost child wove through the Bonta's beloved woods. The Winter volume thrums with close-up looks at birds, mammals, insects and climatic events but Bonta's awareness of ageing and the aggregation of human devastation of the environment also creep in. She weaves a tapestry of wonder, fact, observation, opinion and thought. Her way of life is extraordinary and she is generous to share her world. Though I was saddened at the prospect of no more entries to anticipate in the seasonal journals now that Winter concludes the quartet, I am heartened that Bonta expresses the conviction to continue to uphold her role as steward of the natural world and to serve as its interpreter as long as possible.

Roberts' words come truly from his heart. I had the pleasure of hearing him speak when he was the interim pastor at our church in Birmingham, AL. Even as a teenager, I was able to absorb what he said and apply it to my own life, both then and now. I have always been a daydreamer, but I was never able to turn my daydreams into real life Christianity. This quote by Roberts I read everyday and it continues to make my life a little more livable and I little more in touch with God. "So, one thing that I believe is that there are dreams that are energizing and that God has some dream plan which is implanted in every heart. I don't know what God's dream is for you but I believe that God has one and that it is important for you to keep seeking that dream. Make sure that it is somewhat impossible and don't ever confuse a dream for some easily attainable goal. Make sure that it's a big enough dream and that it is your very own dream - not one others choose for you. Your dream doesn't have to be one of the limited, proper dreams that meets approval of others. What matters is that it is your dream and that it keeps urging you on, invigorating you, bringing the best out of you, making you your best self." Though I am still uncertain what my dream is I know that it is there inside me now and that it always had been. Even when I was confused about my life, it was always there, just temporarily misplaced. Now that it has been rediscovered I wake up every morning with something truly to live for - my own dream and my own life. Once I have this true sense of happiness I know that I can continue my life confident that God knows what he is doing with it and it is beautiful. And I thank Dr. Roberts for that gift.

I was priveleged to hear Morgan Roberts preach as an Interim minister at Independent Presbyterian Church. I've never been an avid church goer, but after hearing Morgan's sermon the first time I was "hooked", so to speak, and went almost every Sunday until he finished his time with our congregation. Morgan's philosophies and view points are special in that they appeal both to Intelligence and Christian values without blurring any lines or making any radical interpretations. To summarize what I mean, here is an excerpt from the first chapter of the book: "Do you really want everyone in your heaven? Do you want the multitude of every tribe and tongue and nation which is pictured in Revelation? Must everyone in heaven look like you and yours? Do you want the foreigners, the undesirables, the homeless, the addicts, and the gays to come home to our heavenly Father? Do you hope and pray and work for their homecoming? Do you love them unconditionally as Christ loves them unconditionally? And if you don't, how can you hope to be forgiven if you do not forgive others their debts? Heaven is for the forgiven and the forgiving".

From Noteworthy Books in Industrial Relations and Labor Economics, Princeton University (July 2004):
"The essays in this volume examine how benefits and compensation packages will respond to the need for economic restructuring, demographic shifts and changes in the role of government versus private sector. The chapters in the first section deal with developments in the future workplace and outline the implications for benefit coverage and design. The authors in the second section look at challenges to benefits and compensation design such as recession and economic volatility, the interaction of business conditions with the slower labor growth predicted for the future, and the benefit effects of the evolving labor-management relationship. The case and sector studies in the last three chapters provide insights into specific company and sectoral practices."

The future workforce promises to be quite different from that of the past. As global markets grow more closely integrated, companies are having to reinvent the workplace, which requires more skilled, more reliable, and more flexible employees. This book explores how anticipated workforce and workplace changes will alter the form and design of employee benefits.

,,,but we are no longer married. If you buy this book it will help both of us.

Yes thats really my email address below and I AM Marty Trepanowski

,,,but we are no longer married. If you buy this book it will help both of us.

Yes thats really my email address below and I AM Marty Trepanowski

This is a great book for someone who doesn't always take the time to read a long book. At any one short sitting, the reader will find fun, interesting commentaries to spark great sports debates!

Great book with interesting facts. Any Pittsburgh fan will love to read the many fascinating sports trivia.

Lawrence Squeri has written a book that is educational and enjoyable on many levels. As a former resident of the Pocono area, I found the local history fascinating, especially considering the paucity of other worthy books on this subject. It also works on a larger scale since Squeri ties in the history of recreation in this area with the changes in the country at large at the same time. In this way, Better In the Poconos serves as a case study for the nation as a whole instead of just a small-niche local interest book.

Better In The Poconos: The Story Of Pennsylvania's Vacationland by Lawrence Squeri (Professor of History, East Stroudsburg University) is an original slice of regional American history, offering the reader an inside look behind the glamour of the tourist industry. Focusing specifically on the tourism trade in the Poconos area of Pennsylvania, from the opening of the first hotel in 1829, to the many industries who ruthlessly compete for tourist dollars today, Better In The Poconos is an amazing story of clashing economics, evolving trades, and more, highlighted with black-and-white photographs from a variety of eras in history. Better In The Poconos is very highly recommended for academic and community library American Popular Culture and American History supplemental reading lists and reference collections.