Virginia Books

I am a new fifth grade teacher responsible for teaching the 2nd half of VA Studies to all the 5th graders at my school. I am excited to use the Vital Virginians as a resource to meet the Standards of Learning. I am happy to have a fun, engaging resource combing all the required famous Virginians in one place! I just wish I could convince my principal to order a class set of all the appropriate Chester Comix books!

These comics are enjoyed by our entire family. Our 10 year old son can't seem to put them down as the illustrations and content are clever and entertaining. We love how Bently Boyd brings history to life in a fun, creative and easy reading style. After my son is finished reading he can't wait to share what he read with the entire family. We have acquired the entire set of Chester Comix with Content Series and love them all. These make a GREAT gift for anyone of any age or even for teachers as they are an awesome learning tool. A gift that keeps giving. This is a definate must have for the entire family. ENJOY!

This is quite a different take on what we might usually think of as typical Victorian sentimentality about children. The new readings of such classical works as Dickens's Dombey and Son and Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights show that Lit Crit hasn't completely abandoned such all time favourites!

I bought this book to help me with my son Frank, who interest in Victorian novels has grown of late to unhealthy proportions. The other night I had to ask him seven times to come to the dinner table; while spooning down equal doses of butter rice in squash and pumpkin ice cream (the recipes for which are included in the index of this book!) he looked up only once from Wuthering Heights to announce that he wished he had tuberculosis.

Unfortunately, the book's excellent discussion of the development of the concept of "children" in the Victorian era is woefully short on advice. Last night Frank slipped a note under his door (he has been locked in his room for three days) announcing that he had become a poet, and to challenge me to a duel. This situation is not covered anywhere in Berry's book.

The surprise recipes included at the end of the text are delicious!

I truly enjoyed reading Chincoteague Pony Tales by Bernie Pleasants. It was a quick read - I couldn't put it down. I've been to the Pony Swim before but after reading this book I made it a point to go to my first Chincoteague Pony Auction and it was as good as the book! Don't miss either one!

I have been going to Chincoteague all my life, and this book really captures the memories I have. Mr. Pleasant's does a wonderful job re-telling the tales that he has encountered during all his years auctioneering for the event. After you read this book, you'll want to pack your bags and go to Chincoteague to experience it for yourself!

This is a very readable and extensively researched look at the trees of Washington D.C. It's an excellent field guide for identifying trees, but the thing I like most about it is that it tells the fascinating stories behind so many of the trees planted in D.C. If you live near D.C. and have even a mild interest in its history, I strongly recommend this book!

I originally bought Melanie Choukas-Bradley's CITY OF TREES in its hardcover coffee-table edition and have followed its evolution since. As a Washingtonian of some thirty years' standing, I was originally unaware that this beautiful city was ever known as the City of Trees, but now that I've read Melanie's book, I've looked at the city through different eyes. Though the cherry blossoms are the best-known trees of the city, there's so much more, from the sights in every neighborhood through the rich diversity of our parks. DC is a beautiful city, and there's not nearly enough in print to show and share that beauty. Get this book.

Will Greene, longtime National Parks historian in Virginia and currently the CEO and Chief Historian of the Pamplin Civil War Park at the scene of the Petersburg break through, writes a very well researched history of Petersburg giving the personal view. Through Greene's book you see the residents and the city before the war leading up to the political evolution of session. Petersburg, as noted by Greene, was an international City and as the war unfolds you see the excitement of the town folk even among the different classes with direct quotes from the people themselves as they prepare for war by drilling militias and companies that go forward to war. The book picks up military steam as the war progresses and the vulnerability of this vital link to Richmond and Lee's army slowly become apparent. From a military perspective you see Jefferson Davis' severe and complex nature of his many departments that result in overlapping commands particularly in Petersburg where there are numerous command changes even as Kautz and Butler arrive at City Point and the Bermuda 100. Pickett, Beauregard and then Lee finally take control. The book includes fascinating and little known details such as the economic fall out of the war on the population, the City Council's consideration in providing relief for families and AP Hill's parading of captured soldiers black and white from the crater intermingled to the derision of the populace. The limited troop dispositions by the Confederacy are almost the down fall as they resist enormous odds by the virtually unsuspecting or tentative union commanders. The final days of the war of course end with the draining siege that Greene provides an excellent and fast moving summary style detail and the gloom of the population is evident as the defense finally collapses. Heartening to know that the occupation was civil, respectful and charitable to the population, Of course race relations are traumatized by the sudden freedman and black units that occupy the City. But that is part of the uniqueness of the book, Greene addresses all the residents and soldiers along with race relations of the City such as the pre-war free blacks who work in the City and within the war effort maintaining their freedom but enduring more hardship due to the severity of war economics. This is a unique book that provides the civilian and military experience within the tragedy of war.

When you think of any aspect of the Petersburg campaign, A. Wilson Greene is clearly the expert historian in this venue. The importance of Petersburg during the Civil War was greatly illuminated and better undertood by me from reading this book. In conjunction with his previous book on the Petersburg Breakthrough Battle, this book adds dimension and texture to the battles fought, the people who lived there, and the culture and industry of Petersburg as the war progressed. The author's keen perspective brings those times to life in an entertaining and educational manner. I fully enjoyed the hours spent reading this book. For those of us who carefully read footnotes in history books, there is a wealth of information in this meticulously researched account. I highly recommend it.

All dramatists, playwrights and intellectuals should be thoroughly familiar with Aristophanes. His work will live on for thousands of more years!

I'm in a humanities program at the University of Vermont, and this book was like watching "Roseanne" after a marathon of "The McGlocklin Group" (or however one spells that). It's not humoruous in the way that many fine Shakespere funny--Aristoph. actually made me laugh out loud! Read this when you're in the mood for something witty, but not too pretentious.

A breathtaking and moving account of those who risked their lives for the industrial revolution and were "thanked" with continual exploitation by the industrialists they served. Unforgettable!

This is a superior piece of scholarship that is readable, educational, and troubling. The author grew up in the coalfields of West Virginia, son and grandson of coal miners, he worked in the mines long enough to earn college tuition. Now, he looks back on the impact of coal mining on Appalachia, specifically on West Virginia.

His research is excellent; the book is well-organized; most important, the book is readable.

His thesis is simple: Coal companies moved into Appalachia in the 19th century and established themselves in positions of total control of the economy, which led them to total control of politics and people's lives. The author describes this process and the impact on the people, culture, society, and politics of Appalachia -- now the same fate awaits the rest of us.

It is this last part of his thesis that is frightening? At the beginning of the 21st century, we are moving rapidly into a "globalized economy" in which fewer and fewer corporations are in control of more and more of our daily lives. The author uses the last two chapters of his book to compare the control that the coal companies had over Appalachia to the control that corporations are now gaining over the rest of us. He warns us that the fate of Appalachia -- raped by unbridled corporate greed -- likely awaits the rest of us if we do not restrain global corporate power.

I've used this book over and over to decorate my home at Christmas with Southern style arrangements. Demonstrating these techniques for garden clubs and at libraries, I always found a ready audience for this and it was really easy. I learned it all from this book.
The supplies are easy to gather (pinecones, apples, oranges, holly, greenery, wire, ribbon, etc.). The results are spectacular. Your arrangements will look very professional!
Each page shows four or more drawings showing the steps for attaching the pieces to make a different decoration. It shows various wreaths, table decorations, swags, roping, corner accents for doors, mantel decorations and an herb kissing ball.
If you ever visited Williamsburg at Christmas, you will want to recreate these beautiful arrangements in your home. This website gives you an idea of the variety you can create:
http://www.history.org/christmas/dec_doors.html

I have seen this book at the publisher's and it is outstanding. The photographs are exceptional and the descriptions well composed and pertinent. You have, however, left out the name of the CO-AUTHOR, Mary Miley Theobald. I hope you will correct this as both professionals worked long and hard to assemble the edition.

This is probably the most quoted book on the history of the Shenandoah Valley. It was a landmark publication debunking the myth of self-sufficient farming in the Shenandoah Valley. Commercialism was an important part of Valley life. Modern scholars now realize what an important contribution this book was to the history of western Virginia. I have been trying to obtain a copy of this book for more than a year. If you are a serious student of Virginia history, this book is perhaps one of the most important studies of the Shenandoah Valley ever written. I would even be happy with a xerox copy of the book. rdmartin

This is probably the most quoted book on the history of the Shenandoah Valley. It was a landmark publication debunking the myth of self-sufficient farming in the Shenandoah Valley. Commercialism was an important part of Valley life. Modern scholars now realize what an important contribution this book was to the history of western Virginia. I have been trying to obtain a copy of this book for more than a year. If you are a serious student of Virginia history, this book is perhaps one of the most important studies of the Shenandoah Valley ever written. I would even be happy with a xerox copy of the book. rdmartin

This is a most worthy men-at-arms series; like the book's description says, it shows the much more colorful side to the uniforms of the Confederate Army. One man depicted in the color plates for Volume One that I found particularly interesting was a soldier in the Union Light Infantry, a SC unit based on the British Black Watch (42nd Royal Highlanders).
The plates are pretty much the highlight of this series, and show realistic looking soldiers surrounded by beautiful women and scenery, and baring all their various weapons. The text, nonetheless, reveals numerous interesting details. This is an excellent source on the uniforms and appearances of the soldiers of the Confederacy.

Osprey Publishing has issued Volume 5 of their popular book, The Confederate Army 1861-65. A part of their sprawling Men-at-Arms series (this is book #441 in that series), this one covers the uniforms and arms of troops from Tennessee and North Carolina. Written by Ron Field and lavishly illustrated with Richard Hook's watercolors, this book is a worthy addition to the Osprey family. Retailing for $15.95 here in the USA ($21 in Canada), the book has 48 pages, nearly all of them with period photographs or full color drawings.

The new book focuses on each state's antebellum militia and the hastily organized volunteer regiments that were pressed into Confederate service in the initial stages of the war. Using contemporary newspaper accounts, letters, state and local records, and early photographs, Ron Field presents an extensive array of early war military units, their uniforms and accoutrements, drawing heavily upon primary descriptions. He also takes a cursory, but interesting look at how the transition occurred from locally supplied clothing and equipment (which often varied widely from company to company) to state-issued regulation Confederate uniforms, particularly in North Carolina, where, by the end of the war, the term "ragged Rebel" would be made obsolete from the vast stores of supplies held by the state.



Field starts with Tennessee, looking at the outfitting of the militia and early volunteers in 1861, and examines the role various ladies aid societies played in clothing the soldiers of the Volunteer State. He then discusses the role of the state's Military and Financial Board in taking over the administration and logistics of supplying the troops. Field then shifts his focus to North Carolina, again discussing and characterizing the antebellum militia and contrasting them to how the state later took charge and made its forces appear more uniform in appearance. He also briefly compares winter clothing to summer issue for troops from both states.



The book includes a select bibliography for readers wanting to dive a little deeper into the outfitting of Confederate troops from Tennessee and North Carolina. The index is comprehensive, as is the discussion that accompanies the Richard Hook's illustrations. All in all, The Confederate Army 1861-85 (5) Tennessee and North Carolina (ISBN: 9781846031878) maintains the tradition of excellence we have come to expect from Osprey, and is well worth the modest investment.