Missouri Books

The River and I, chronicles in metaphoric imagery John Neihart's open boat navigation of the Great Missouri River for two thousand-miles, from Fort Benton, Montana down to Sioux City, Iowa. Originally commisioned for a magazine the book contains 25 photos and illustrations made on the trip.

Young Neihardt views the Missouri River in flood: ".... This cruel, invulnerable, restless giant.... This yellow, sinous beast with hell broth slavering from its jaws!... This dare-devil boy-god that sauntered along with a town in its pocket, and a steepled church under its arm for a moment's toy."

I haven't read the book, however, I know from attending his classes when in the USA that Robert Alexander knows his subject! I would recommend learning something from this guy - I did!
Cheers

I got this as a gift and am very glad that I did. While not a complete identification tool like RIC or SEARS, this is an awesome book for someone starting out with an interest in Imperial coins. It provides detailed inscriptions, RIC and SEARS numbers for the coins pictured, then provides an index of inscriptions and subjects. Truly a great catalog of a collection I want to see in person. Worth the price.

This book is absolutely enchanting. The descriptions are wonderful, bringing great images into my head of how things must have been like. Honestly it's quite the real life description through part of America's history. J.R. Schultz does justice to the Chautauquas. Certainly a wonderful addition to any bookshelf. Great cover art as well!

King James, sponsor of the famous Authorized "King James" Bible, is often lauded as defender of the faith by some who worship his 1611 publication as the be-all and end-all of all English Bible translations. Many hagiographic works abound, but Bergeron's isn't one of those.

While writing his Basilicon Doron to attack the sin of sodomy, James himself used his royal position to shield himself from such a charge against himself. Bergeron digs up the historical dirt and shares a contemporary's view of the hypocrisy, a diary entry in 1622 by one Simonds D'Ewes of a conversation he'd had with a friend:
"Of things I discoursed with him that weere secrett as of the sinne of sodomye, how frequente it was in this wicked cittye, and if God did not provide some wonderfull blessing against it, wee could not but expect some horrible punishment for it; especially it being as wee had probable cause to feare, a sinne in the prince as well as the people, which God is for the most part the chastiser of himselfe, because noe man else indeed dare reprove or tell him them of ther faults." (Bergeron, p. 183)

Many more pieces of evidence are to be found in those pages, and what emerges from Bergeron's picture is that of a great man who was both King of England and Scotland and quite human.

A great story about settling in Woodward County, Oklahoma. Mrs. Laune is a wonderful storyteller, I felt as if I were there too!

People who conduct their own research of whatever topics will enjoy Dempsey's work. The book is not only an account of Dempsey's journey from reflections on a common community experience to delving into court records and newspaper archives, but it also frames new awareness and truths that speak to us today. This book is an intelligent look at the contribution and social positioning of Black slaves living in Hannibal during the time of Samuel Clemens' youth. The book reveals the culture that set the scene for Clemens' development. Dempsey shows how as a thinking man, Clemens developed an awareness of the cruelty of slavery and how White society could or could not respond to that reality. The author also challenges our behavior and thinking today.

Based on broad and in-depth fresh research, Searching for Jim is readable account of 19th century Hannibal and how that history has impacted political decisions made in recent times. No one will be unchanged in their perspectives and/or knowledge after reading this book.

Sara Dawson is a girl with a problem, she has no mother, but that is a problem she intends to fix. Disguising herself as her father, Sara begins searching for a mother through an online dating site. At first, she has little success, but when Ellen Stephens responds, things couldn't be better. Ellen owns a café and pastry shop and is everything that Sara could possibly want in a mother. The two of them become fast friends and Sara begins spending more and more time in Ellen's café, but that isn't enough. Sara won't be happy until she brings Ellen and her father together. Her plan is simple. Lock them in the school basement and they are sure to realize how perfect they are for each other, but when her plan fails and Ellen agrees to marry Rob instead of Sara's Dad, Sara must find another way to bring them together or lose her ideal Mom forever.

This was a fun book to read. It is told primarily from Sara's point of view. Sara comes across as very confident and she's afraid of nothing. She knows what she wants and thinks she knows how to get it. It is one of my favorites, so if you want my opinion, I think you should buy it.

Dr. Roger Launius, who is the chief historian of NASA, has moved from space into examining the history of professional baseball in the state of Missouri. A great read. Launius tells all the stories concerning the St. Louis Cardinals, St. Louis Browns, KC Royals, Monarchs, and KC A's and others. He blends compelling stories and anecdotes about each team's history(both Major League and Negro league) and their places in the overall history of baseball. Maybe the best concise history of baseball in a state ever written. A must for every baseball fan. I especially enjoyed the section on the Kansas City Athletics and their owner Charlie O. Finley. Buy this book.

If anybody asked me--describe St. Louis--I can now just hand them a copy of this book. Beginning with Pere Jacques Marquette and concluding with Gerald Early, 300 plus years of St. Louis are illustrated through various memoirs, stories, poems, essays and plays as told by St. Louisans (both well known and lesser known).

Not just mere public relations ad campaign for the region, the collection also confronts issues head-on that have plagued the region for quite some time. However many selections also remind us how many great aspects there are in this region to offer its citizens.

The introductions and bios for the individual authors also provide great context and insight to the pieces, as well as including many interesting tibits of information that even the most knowledgable St. Louisian wouldn't know. Kudos to Lee Ann Sandweiss and everyone at the Missouri Historical Society for assembling an anthology very worthy of anyone who "seeks St. Louis."