Maryland Books

This collection of papers from a 1989 conference has lasting value. The papers cover the late Qing, the Republican Period, New Culture and May 4th years, the Mao era, and the first 10 years of Deng Xiaoping's reforms. The book is a must for any East Asian Studies or Modern Chinese History student.

The contents are:

"Emperors and the Chinese Political System" by Alexander Woodside

"The Structure of the Chinese Economy During the Qing Period: Some Thoughts on the 150th Anniversary of the Opium War" by Madeleine Zelin

"Models of Historical Change : the Chinese State and Society, 1839-1989" by Frederic Wakeman, Jr.

"The Enlightenment Mentality and the Chinese Intellectual Dilemma" by Tu Wei-ming

"The May Fourth Movement as a Historical Turning Point : Ecological Exhaustion, Militarization, and Other Causes of China's Modern Crisis" by Lloyd E. Eastman

"The Social Agenda of May Fourth" by Evelyn S. Rawski

"Modernity and its Discontents: The Cultural Agenda of the May Fourth Movement" by Leo Ou-fan Lee

"The May Fourth era: China's Place in the World" by Michael H. Hunt

"Powers of State, Paradoxes of Dominion: China 1949-1979" by Vivienne Shue

"The Pattern and Legacy of Economic Growth in the Mao Era" by Barry Naughton

"State and Society in the Mao Era" by Martin King Whyte

"Chinese Communism in the Era of Mao Zedong, 1949-1976" by Thomas P. Bernstein

"The Deng Era's Uncertain Political Legacy" by Michel Oksenberg

"The Lasting Effect of China's Economic Reforms, 1979-1989" by Dwight H. Perkins

"The Renegotiation of Chinese Cultural Identity in the post-Mao Era: An Anthropological Perspective" by James L. Watson

"Reflections on the Opening of China" by James R. Townsend

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Woodside examines the basic norms and political culture of the imperial era, and how it influenced modern China's path, contrasting China and Europe along the way; while Wakeman describes the adaptation of political ideology to new situations over time.

All the May 4th papers are excellent, but especially Lloyd Eastman's on the economic and environmental causes of the modernity crisis, which led to May 4th. His paper pairs nicely with Zelin's earlier examination of the Qing economy.

Martin King Whyte's paper is especially good as well, comparing the imperial and Maoist states, and their relationship to society. The Maoist state is presented as realizing the imperial dream of total penetration of society, which was previously impossible due to technology and the weakness of the imperial state.

Economists Naughton and Perkins give balanced accounts of Mao and Deng era economies.

Vivienne Shue summarizes the controversial argument in her book _The Reach of the State_, which is, that the Maoist state was not able to penetrate the village and ensure obedience to its directives as thoroughly as it aspired to, that local leaders protected villagers to an extent, and the Dengist reforms accomplished this penetration more thoroughly.

Thomas Bernstein has long been among the most respected China scholars, and his contribution on the Mao era is balanced and insightful. He notes the PRC won mass support and popular legitimacy in the 1950s through its idealism in theory and practice, but that by the end of the Mao period, this faith had was eroded due to "ideological burnout" and the predictable impacts of Mao's view that "left" errors were well intentioned zeal gone too far, while "right" errors were subversive. Given the lack of political freedom after the collapse of the 100 Flowers, left-wing extremism was thus unavoidable. Bernstein gives credit to Mao for his warnings of the party-state becoming a bureaucratic vested interest group (as in the USSR) but correctly notes that he had no solution to this problem other than launching chaotic Cultural Revolutions every 8 years, a "doleful prospect" as Bernstein notes.

The papers on the Deng era are interesting to review in hindsight considering the situation was in radical flux at the time.

In this landmark case study, historian Rhonda Y. Williams redefines postwar urban history by placing black women's struggles at the center of an engaging and richly detailed narrative. Specifically, Williams focuses on the housing activism of poor black women in Baltimore to craft a story that expands the contours of the black freedom movement. By detailing the activism of low income women around everyday issues of "housing, food, clothing, and daily life in community spaces"--what the author describes as "activism at the point of consumption--The Politics of Public Housing unveils a hidden history of political struggle. Ultimately, this book chronicles the lives and heroic activism of tenants, community organizers, and single mothers who demanded dignity instead of demonization and held onto their self-respect in the face of horrible living conditions, insensitive bureacrats, and stigmas against pubic housing residents that relegated them to the political margins. Rhonda Y. Williams has successfully rescued these women's stories from history's dustbin and in the process produced a groundbreaking work of history. Readers interested in African-American, women's, urban, and working class history will enjoy this book.

This remarkable book about the start and progress of the first Roman Catholic Diocese in the USA is worth buying and reading. It provides wonderful insights into the way the Catholic Church digs in where it was rejected before, and builds a powerful foundation for future growth.

Prior to the 1776 Revolutionary War, the Catholic Church was literally outlawed in the then 13 British colonies of North America. After the war was won by the revolutionaries, the Roman Church immediately took steps to set up a branch of its organization in the newly established USA. Baltimore, Maryland was chosen as the headquarters site, and a former Jesuit priest from a prominent Maryland family was consecrated the first Catholic bishop in the USA. The Catholic Church divides the world up into geographical areas called "dioceses," or "sees," for short. Thus, the new (in 1787) Catholic diocese in the USA (in Baltimore) was (and is) the "Premier See" of the Roman Catholic Church in America.

This book, written by a Catholic Religious Brother named Thomas Spalding (a history professor from Spalding University in Kentucky), details the establishment and growth of the Premier See, the Catholic diocese (later archdiocese) headquartered in Baltimore, Maryland.

The book is well written, and very interesting. Brother Spalding does not shrink from offering controversial material, even reports of criticism of various bishops and archbishops who led the Premier See in Baltimore over its 200 plus year history.

Any student of the Catholic Church, friend or foe, would do well to read this book. It tells the tale of a complicated and powerful religious organization in a very readable, informative way.

This book is a wonderful guide to bike trails. It makes planning trips easy and fun, and it's very descriptive about the specifics of each trail (gravel, grass, paved, etc.)

I thought I could just find this info on the internet, but to no avail, so I bought the book. I was nicely surprised that the book is exactly what I needed, good descriptions of each trail and a good map, AND how to get to the beginnings of each trail.

A quick and enjoyable read, takes you through the glorious (and at times perilous) times of Orioles history. Many amusing anecdotes from the Streak to the Kid, the World Series victories and Hall of Fame inductees. Brooks and Frank, Cal, Boog, Eddie, Earl, they're all here.

There is a true American hero in this book. Michael Metrinko, to whom the book is dedicated, stayed in Tabriz when the first violence occurred because he knew there were westerners in the Tabriz prison and he wanted to rescue them. Metrinko was suspected by the Iranian revolutionaries of being a spy, and was going to be executed (a noose was already around his neck); fortunately a friendly Iranian intervened. When the Tehran American Embassy was reopened months later, Metrinko volunteered to go back to Iran, where he became one of the 52 hostages. His story is featured in Mark Bowden's excellent book "Guests of the Ayatollah." Post-retirement, Metrinko has since volunteered for diplomatic missions in post-war Iraq and in Afghanistan (where he presently serves).

A really helpful tool when planning a trip. Each entry has a list that front which includes contact info, how many rooms, extras, grounds, rates and directions. Then there's a writeup that gives you some flavor about the B&B, the owners, the interior design and the cooking. There are a set of indexes in the back that are really helpful for those seeking particular features (e.g. B&Bs with swimming pools, B&Bs that accept pets, near bodies of waters or mountain B&Bs) or particular location (B&Bs in the Finger Lakes region).

Being an avid reader, I rarely read a woman's perspective on history, but Pauline Wengeroff's story opened my eyes to Jewish history from a totally different viewpoint. The story is magnificent and a must for independent minded women of any age. People of the twenty-first century will be able to identify easily with a woman of the 1840-1860's. Conditions of life change, but people don't.

First, I must disclose that the author is my great uncle. The book is basically genealogical but the author has included many little histories of particular family members. It is fascinating for me to read about what my great, great grandfather valued and where he lived. Not only should this book be of interest to the Riggs family itself but should also prove of interest to those interested in banking (The Riggs Bank), American History and Maryland History. Sadly, there were a very limited number of books printed and are virtually impossible to come by. I highly recommend searching it out and delving into the Riggs Family history.

Robert Cole's World is a great book. Covering the history of Robert Cole and his family from England to their immigration to Lord Baltimore's Colony of Maryland, the book is a must for anyone interested in early American history. Background on the Cole family, 17th century tobacco cultivation, and daily life in 17th century Maryland are all incorporated into this interesting and nicely written book. Included are copies of the Cole family's inventory, as well as Robert Cole's will. For anyone interested in colonial American history and what life was like before American slavery took hold, Robert Cole's world is for you.