Pennsylvania Books

The poem of 'Piers the Ploughman' is often considered to be anonymously composed, as the name William Langland was less an authorial designation as it was an inscription on the back of a manuscript - it would be as if I would be assigned the authorship of the O.E.D. because, in some future time, the only remaining copy was missing the title pages, but still had the hard-cover with my 'ex libris' impression on it. Be that as it may, Langland is considered at least as likely an author as any other, and becomes a sort of stand-in, an 'everyman' for his time period. A few details of this Langland are known - he was a wanderer, a constant reviser (the poem goes through several revisions that scholars have designated as texts A, B, and C (and some argue for Z). This is not a spiritual autobiography, as J.F. Goodridge states in his introduction to another edition, but there are no doubt autobiographical elements in the text. That the lead character is named 'Will' helps in this identification.

This poem stands alongside Chaucer's 'Canterbury Tales' as one of the great products of Middle English; this also has the character of being a different sort of Middle English than Chaucer's more courtly, continental influenced variety. Thus, it gives breadth to the history of the English language. Goodridge ranks Langland as a great English poet on a par with Spenser, Milton, Wordsworth and Yeats, as representative of his age both in topics as well as language facility.

This epic poem deals with themes familiar for the time - like Dante and Milton, Langland deals with the grand ideas of the meaning of life and the destiny of humankind. However, unlike Dante and Milton, Will and Piers the Ploughman do not go through a mystical, otherworldly adventure or journey, but rather stays rooted to the earth. These are dream sequences, but these too need not be otherworldly - they are things that can happen to every person. The ideas of the seven deadly sins, the virtues, the church, and the images of heaven and hell are very much rooted to regular society images of the same. The discussion of the allegorical characters, aptly named Do-Well, Do-Better, and Do-Best, does much for the moral teaching of this poem, which would have been of primary concern to the author.

Langland's text is often more Old English than Chaucerian in ways. It is far more alliterative, a strong component taken from Old English. Also, it is less metrical in rhythm than Chaucer - there is a pause in each line akin to older English poetry, but the metre is less secure.

There are over 50 non-related texts of the poem that have survived the Middle Ages, that vary from minor to major changes throughout. Reconciling these is rather like attempting to reconcile the gospels of the Bible, and then adding to that task the discovery of other non-canonical gospels. It leads to rich discussion, but less agreement.

George Economou, who has translated ancient and medieval poetry from many different langauges, has taken as his base text the lesser-used C text for this translation. Economou includes a good introductory essay, a selected bibliography, and a good verse translation that preserves many elements of the original, such as alliteration.

This is one of the classics of English literature, perhaps the least known among them.

Though a difficult work, Piers Plowman is definitely worth reading for anyone studying English literature. This allegorical dream-vision follows the narrator, Will, on his journey though the world and into the depths of the human consciousness. Always vivid and imaginative, sometimes even humorous, this poem is a fascinating glimpse into mid fourteenth century England. Economou's translation of the lesser-read C text is often poetically quite beautiful and always easy for a modern reader to understand.

The story of how William Penn evolved to become what Thomas Jefferson described as "the greatest lawgiver the world has produced" (Pennsylvania's Charter of Privileges) is well told by these authors. Penn's ideas were, of course, foundational to the U.S. Constitution, just as "Cosmic Laws" are foundational to the Second American Evolution and The CONSTITUTION of UNITED DIVERSITY. Triaka, aka Wm Penn

Read this book before you anything else about William Penn! This is the best for all age groups. You will want to read everything these authors have written on "Heroes of History"

I have read all five of Mariam's Journals and enjoyed them all. I felt like I was part of her family.Carrie Bender done an excellent job. I like to hear about the Omnish People. Their beleif is similar to mine.Great job, Carrie Bender

I love this book,it is my favorite of all the her stories. It was the first one that I read 6 to 7 years ago. Since that time I have read everyone of her books, except for this last one that I just found. It was this book that started me on reading all these Amish books. Went on to read all of Borntrager series, plus Beverly Lewis books. Again I`ve read all hers except the last two which one I am starting now. I have nothing but pure raves for all of Carrie Benders books. Read them you will surely enjoy, happy reading.

Its very rare to come across such a well researched AND well written novel. The author has lived in close proximity to the actual places where the action of the novel takes place. I commend him on doing such fine work making the subject matter and the belief systems of the protagonists both accessible and illuminating to ones own spiritual work. This novel can therefore be read on several levels. I believe any student of mysticism and especially of the Rosicrucian, Sufi and Martinist varieties will find great nourishment here. Kelpius the main character who at a very young age was chosen to lead an early migration of free thinkers and mystics on their migration to the the New World is largely unknown. I think he would have been very happy with this account of his life and interaction with the wide milieu of characters from the time of his youth in Transylvania and Germany and his sensitive meeting withe native americans and local ruffian elements in Pennsylvania. I was particularly impressed by the author's ability to weave elements from a diverse number of sources into a cohesive whole. I recommend this book very highly both for its well written storyline, which is very inspirational since in a sense every mystic is also laboring in a wilderness surrounded by ignorance and self promotion as well as for the deep research which is intelligently presented.

What a strange and extraordinary new book.

With it's seekers of knowledge and true wisdom, secret societies, Old Europe science, New World adventures, mystics meditating in Pennsylvania caves, genuine history and examinations of the nature of intolerance, rigidity and fear, this book is like nothing I've yet read.

Toss in a hefty dose of alchemical/astrological/astronomical mysteries (such as the curious and remarkable Holographicum, an instrument that no less than Benjamin Franklin comes to inherit, and is actually on public display in an obscure museum in Philadelphia today), and I think this is a recipe for a blockbuster, break-out book.

I appreciated author Scott's final notes, untangling factual events from fictional narrative. The depth of research into a multitude of obscure topics is evident.

I'm not certain how to categorize this historical novel, but I read it straight through in a weekend, cover to cover.

Perhaps it is best not pigeonholed, but left to speak for itself. That, in itself, seems to be one of the driving points of the book.

The book is an excellent collection of cutting edge writing on women.

Further, anything written by Susan Slyomovics is spellbinding. I have become quite a fan of her publications. She has a unique viewpoint; she allows her sensitivity to culture of the Middle East and her own humanity to shine through her academic production. Another writer like this is Michael Sells. It has been a long time coming.

Women and Power in the Middle East provides college-level audiences with seventeen essays which analyze the social, political, economic and cultural forces shaping gender systems in the Mid-East and North Africa. These appeared at different times in the journal Middle East Report, and outline changing roles women have played in the politics of the region, when and why they mobilize, and how movements and politics affect their lives. Recommended for any collection strong in women's or Middle East history.

This is a great example of how to do a modern ethnography. Many of the methods texts dealing with ethnographies fail to provide any useful advice on the topic. This book does not offer advice, but rather a very successful model of what to do. So, you could say that it informs by example. Aside from that particular benefit, the book is a great read and source of useful insights into how communities construct an image to maintain their viability.

Often when people think about folklore, they picture quaint villages populated by storytellers and quilters. John Dorst seeks to dispel those stereotypes with his postmodern analysis of the hidden ideology and power behind the serene façade of a middle-class elite suburb, in this case, Chadds Ford, PA, home of the Wyeth family of artists. In doing so, he pushes folklore studies into an intriguing new direction. The Written Suburb introduces 4 key concepts: 1.) post-ethnography-the reading of institutions, printed materials, and events such as museums, historical societies, arts and crafts festivals, diner menus, and AAA brochures as postmodern texts; 2.) postmodern vernacular-a particular "dialect" of postmodernity characterized by self-reference without the ironic sense of humor as found in MTV and comic books; 3.) auto-ethnography-the self-generated texts of a literate society capable of observing itself. The folklorist's job is to collect and read critically these texts; and 4.) Site-a suburb as an assemblage of texts and ideology. Dorst also questions the rhetoric behind museums (in this case the Brandywine River Museum) and the concept of tradition. The unique combination of the works of postmodernists and semiotics scholars such as Frederic Jameson and Dean MacCannel with American folklore scholarship is truly stimulating.

Being so theoretical, The Written Suburb is not an easy book to read, nor can its concepts be easily grasped in one reading. But it is a valuable book for folklorists who are serious about the evolution of the discipline and who enjoy finding connections between folkloristics and postmodernism.

A must read for anyone interested in public education. Joe Batory gives the reader an insiders look about what really happens in the day-to-day life of a superintendent. Joe's love and concern for children comes alive in this book. As a member of the Upper Darby School Board who served with Joe, it is a pleasure to recommend this book. This outspoken educator took on all critics of public education to advance the cause of public education.

A must read for anyone interested in public education. Joe Batory gives the reader an insiders look about what really happens in the day-to-day life of a superintendent. Joe's love and concern for children comes alive in this book. As a member of the Upper Darby School Board who served with Joe, it is a pleasure to recommend this book. This outspoken educator took on all critics of public education to advance the cause of public education.

This book is a careful examination of a longstanding area in philosophy that nonetheless has tended to be consigned to the margins: the relationship between philosophy and art. This is so partly because, traditionally, each are seen as challenging the other, and at times, even demanding to threaten one another's very defining substance (or at least, status). Yet John Lysaker shows how they can enrich one another. If one allows oneself to be taken up by the text, addressed by it, Lysaker shows how philosophy can be used to illuminate just how it is that certain works of art lay claim to our lives and, if we're open to it, significantly change our lives as well.

Lysaker leads readers through a philosophical exploration into the workings of poetry in a way that, through the birth of sense, challenges the very borders of philosophical thought. Subtle and powerful.

The last major history of the 1889 Johnstown Flood, David G. McCullough's marvelous 'The Johnstown Flood,' arrived in 1968. Since then, a wealth of new materials has surfaced, which caused a need for a new history of the Flood. Dr. McGough succeeds marvelously with this book.

New documents and photographs from the South Fork Fishing and Hunting Club have helped us understand this exclusive retreat a bit more and its role in the 1889 Flood. McGough's reevaluation of several important points of the story made me look at these points from different perspectives. If you're interested in a delightful analysis of the Flood's impact on popular culture, then this is the book for you.

This book is highly recommended for anybody interested in the 1889 Flood and the times in which it occurred. It deserves a place next to Mr. McCullough's book on your bookshelf.

Dr. McGough should be proud of his achievement.

this is a large spiralbound cookbook with recipes from cooks all over the state of pennsylvania,I have several grange cookbooks from other states, but this is the best....it has EVERYTHING