Vermont Books

A continuation of the adventures of Snow and Emily as they search for true love in Vermont. This time, they travel to Stowe, meeting some very interesting people along the way. Life is always a surprise with the people and places of Vermont beckoning you. Enjoy their mystery ride through the Green Mountain State. A fun read.

Spalding did a fabulous job letting Proctor Swallow speak for himself. He was funny, annoying, informative, prejudice, sarcastic, yet lovable. I couldn't wait to read his next letter to find out if he prevailed. The author successfully blended historical fact with a primary source to tell the story of the 7th Vermont. What an interesting story....when will the film be released?

This monograph includes 99 ironworks sites (45 remains), 71 charcoal making sites (18 remains) and 118 lime kiln sites (93 remains). The introductions to the iron- and charcoal-making chapters thoroughly cover the historic development of methods and corresponding structures. The remarkable size of these almost unknown industries is astonishing. Also of interest is the discussion of the historic potash industry. The word "monograph" implies dry academic language, but this work manages to be both academic and sufficiently well-written to be easy reading. Unfortunately, some of the mining terminology and limestone chemistry is obsolete, and difficult for non-specialists to understand. Since Rolando describes the remains in detail, the book can be used as a guide for folks who like to poke around in the woods looking for historic remains.

Wow, I just read this book and I can't say enough great things about it. I haven't read anything like it that gives the same kind of attention to detail and fun facts here and there. Those little tidbits make it unique, just as the individual student perspective (and quotes from anonymous students) do. There is such a wealth of information on everything in the campus culture from athletics, to computers, to guys and girls. Everyone interested in the University of Vermont should read this book as soon as they can.

This well-researcherd and handsomely illustrated volume from promising young writer and historian John D.Thomas, is much more than one has come to expect from the (often staid) "University History" genre. Such books may routinely be dry and formulaic, but not so Mr. Thomas's elegantly penned story of the University on the Hill. UVM's colorful history is brought vividly to life in Thomas's spare, lively and very well crafted prose.

This book may not have the suspense of John Le Carre, the surrealism of Gabriel Garcia Marquez, the transcendent literary flare of Melville or the staying power of Nathaniel Hawthorne but it is not without poetry or intrigue and (in the mind of this reader anyway), Thomas' richly wrought tome has the ring of a classic to it--truly unusual for the genre. Popular novel it may not be, but for those with a little more depth, intellect and historical curiosity this book is a real page turner, as full of thrilling plot twists as anything Michael Creighton ever turned out! Indeed this elegantly crafted history is the book that belongs on your bedside table this summer, not one those pretentious "best-selling" novels the New York Times Review of Books so breathlessly lard with anemic adjectives like "ethereal," "light-filled,"or "transformative." If there is a story that deserves to be made into a major motion picture, surely it is this quiet, unassuming (but thrilling to the intellectually rigorous) history of the University of Vermont. We are all in debt to this fine historian and writer whose name is sure to become a household word before the ink dries on his masterpiece.

A fantastic book and an essential one for all UVM alumni. Brings back incredible memories of Burlington and going to school at UVM.

Vermont is one of the original 13 Colonies that was not one of the original 13 Colonies (Maine is the other one of the Mark and Luke of states). Officially Vermont is the 14th state and if you go check out the reverse of the Vermont quarter issued in 2001 you will see a sugar maple being tapped. When you get to the first chapter in Ann Heinrichs' "Vermont" for the America the Beautiful series you will see pictures of a sugar maple and the tapping of maple trees to collect sap. So, this is the third volume in this series I have checked out and the streak of having the first color picture in these books show the same thing as the state's quarter is intact. What more proof would you need than that to prove that something was iconic?

After the introduction the next three chapters are devoted to the history of Vermont. Chapter Two, "Out of the Wilderness" begins with the native of the Algonquin language group that settled the area and ends with Vermont becoming a state after the American Revolution. Chapter Three, "Growing Up," covers the 19th-century including native son Chester A. Arthur becoming the 21st President. Chapter Four, "Into the Modern Age," details the 20th century, when Calvin Coolidge became the 30th President. After the chapters on Vermont history the rest of the book covers the standard areas of a geography course. Chapter Five, "The Abundant Land" deals with geographical features, including the majestic old sugar maple in Dorset known as the Spirit of American that may be 400 years old, and Vermont's flora and fauna. Chapter Six, "Hills and Valleys, Villages and Towns," divides the state into the Northeast Kingdom, Central Vermont (home of the Trapp Family Lodge in Stowe), the largest city of Burlington, Lake Champlain and the Lower Champlain Valley, the Western Slopes, and the Southeast. This is Heinrichs' best chapter, because you get a clear sense of how a state that is only 6,615 square miles in total area can have so many distinct geographical regions.

Chapter Seven, "Democracy at Work," is about the state's politics, such as the Freeman's Oath that all Vermont voters have to make and including all of the State symbols, from the State bird (Hermit thrush) and State tree (Sugar maple) to the State beverage (Milk) and State mineral (Talc). You also get the words to "These Green Mountains," Vermont's State Song since 1999. Vermont's economy is covered in Chapter Eight, "Making a Living," where you can add Ben & Jerry's ice cream to maple syrup as the most important things sold. Plus, Vermont was the last state to let Wal-Mart build a store and it was on the state's terms: it had to be in a city shopping center. Chapter Nine, "People Who Built Vermont," looks at the state's population, while Chapter Ten, "Food for the Soul," covers the cultural aspects of the state, from the poetry of Robert Frost and the paintings of Norman Rockwell to all the fun things to do on snow.

This look at "Vermont" is filled with full-color photographs, original maps, and lots of sidebars than focus on people like Ethan Allen and Stephen A. Douglas, places like the Green Mountain National Forest and the Shelburne Museum, and other interesting things like a recipe for Maple Oatmeal Drops and the song "Moonlight in Vermont." The back of the volume includes a Timeline comparing U.S. and Vermont state history, several pages of Fast Facts, and where To Find Out More from books, organizations, and Internet sites. Overall, the key aspect of these America the Beatiful, Second Series volumes is that they are really quite tourist-friendly.

This book is in a series of state books. It is informative and has great graphics. Everyhting you ever wanted to know about Vermont.

Naming the original thirteen colonies is not as difficult as naming the twelve apostles, but not as easy as listing the seven dwarves or Santa's reindeer. When you name the thirteen colonies you probably proceed from north to south, beginning with Maine and ending with Georgia. The only problem is that Maine was not one of the original colonies (it was considered part of Massachusetts). The other state that was not a colony is Vermont, which was a disputed area claimed by both New York and New Hampshire. The area was part of the New Hampshire Land Grants on 1749, but in 1770 the king of England rules the land officially belonged to New York, at which point Ethan Allen and the 200 man militia known as the Green Mountain Boys threw out the "Yorkers" and took over the region by force and established a small republic. Eventually Vermont would become the first state to join the original thirteen and the rest is history, and is covered by Jan M. Czech in Chapter Three.

The brief opening chapter of this From Sea to Shining Sea, Second Series volume introduces young readers to the Green Mountain state. Czech asks "What comes to mind when you think of Vermont?" and in addition to the Green Mountain Boys there is Ben and Jerry's Ice-Cream and "leaf peepers." Chapter Two, The Land of Vermont, divides the state into six distinct land regions: the Champlain Valley, the Northeast Kingdom, the Vermont Piedmont, the Vermont Valley, the Taconic Range, and the Green Mountains. The chapter also looks at the Rivers and Lakes, and Climate, thereby covering the basic geography of Vermont. Chapter Three, Vermont Through History, covers the details on how the state went from being a land grant and a republic to a state, covering how major events in American history from the Civil War to the Great Depression and World War II affected its people.

Chapter Four, Governing Vermont, briefly looks at the three branches of government, and devotes most of its time to giving us a tour of the capital city of Montpelier. A map of downtown Montpelier shows you the relative location of major sites, so that you can get from the Vermont State House to Observation Tower in Hubbard Park. The final chapter looks at The People and Places of Vermont, including the jobs in manufacturing, tourism and agriculture that dominate the economy. The final thing Czech does is takes us on a tour of Vermont, so you can get an idea of what there is to visit in each section of the state. This is also the chapter where you get the book's recipe, which is for Sugar on Snow (to wit, maple syrup on clean, fluffy, freshly fallen snow; a Vermont tradition is to take a bite of the sugar on snow and then a bite of a dill pickle...).

Throughout the book you will find tidbits of information in little sidebars devoted to Famous Firsts (first postage stamp used in the U.S. was made in Brattleboro), Who's Who in Vermont? (Perry Merrill, patron saint o the ski industry), and lots of Extra! Extra! Entries (General Stark's victory at the Battle of Bennington was a turning point in the Revolutionary War). When you get to the back of the book you will find a two-page Vermont Almanac, which gives you quick access to basic facts on things like geographic center, number of counties, and state symbols. This is followed by a Timeline that covers Vermont State History on the top and U.S. History on the bottom, a Gallery of Famous Vermonters such as Chester a. Arthur and Norman Rockwell, and a Glossary of terms from "agriculture" to "tyrannical." Finally, Czech provides some web sties, books, and addresses that you can turn to For More Information if you are researching Vermont for school. All things considered the books in the From Sea to Shining Sea series are turning out to be more history books than geography books, which is fine with me, but if you really need something that focuses more on geographical details this might not be your first choice as a reference book.

Vermont is more than cheese, maple syrup and ski slopes. It is filled with enormous history and rich New England culture. This book will explain all that to you and your students, if you're a teacher.

The "Portrait of America" series is a wonderful introduction for pre-teens to the 50 states and to the places and events that shaped the history of the United States. This "Vermont" installment is particularly good. The book is broken down into sections like "History", "Culture", "Economy" etc., and each section is thoughtfully written and edited. The "History" section is especially good and is very inclusive, and details many of the Revolutionary War events.

This book, as well as the entire "Portrait of America" series, will prove to be a valuable teaching tool to all primary school educators.