Maryland Books

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.

This book was an easy read and an enjoyable, real to life story. It was especially interesting because our children have all gone through the struggles of long division. It was helpful to see how the character in the book worked her way through.

I loved this book! It not only is an entertaining story but also gives great lessons to kids on how to self-sufficiently solve problems at school as well as at home. A great addition to any school, classroom, or family library!

This is a superb guide and indispensable if you live in the area or plan to visit. The history and lore of each area is wonderfully brought out which entices one to explore further. Indeed, this book is as much a history as travel guide. Which is not to say it lacks anything as a straight-forward travel directory. The maps are useful and well drawn. The directions and road guides are carefully constructed with day itinerary's and helpful suggestions. Cautions such as advising against walking tours in marsh areas during hunting season, for example, are especially useful. I can't imagine a better wrought guide and, for the record, I have no connection with the author or publisher.

Daytrips in Delmarva is all a guide book should be - its has detailed driving and walking routes, gives great descriptions of town and countryside and, for a lot of areas, wonderful historical background. Since moving to the area 5 years ago, have found this book indispensible for exploring.

I was referred to this book for meteorological information, and it turned out to be a good reference for that purpose. People of the 18th and 19th centuries, especially if they farmed or gardened, kept a close eye on nature.

As the years roll on, they do catch up to the author...his entries start getting shorter and more scattered in the final few years. The entry from March 20, 1792 was particularly striking and very funny...nearly worth the purchase price by itself. It's amazing how little reactions to improper behavior have changed over the last couple centuries!

This profusely and elegantly illustrated edition of the diary of an Annapolis silversmith is a treasure. The text of the diary is fascinating in and of itself, but Letzer's and Russo's commentary and comprehensive notes make the diary infinitely more comprehensible to the modern reader. I loved having a context for the diary, and being able to see pictures of the people, objects, and places mentioned by Faris made it much easier for me to understand what he was writing about. Letzer and Russo should be commended for their extensive research and for the grace of their prose.

This well crafted Notebook size "travel Guide" is ready to make you hit the road for the fine wines, places, and people discribed within Maryland and just across the Mason-Dixon line in Pennsylvania. The author is always to the point yet gives you a very complete feel for each resource discussed, regardless if it the pet dogs or cats of the people, the people, their place or the fine fellowship or food they offer in their pursuit of a good vineyard experience.

"On The Road Again"

Okay so Willy Nelson can't tell wine from Lone Star beer, however you will be able to find your way across a wonderful breath of phrases and sentences, art work and landscape with "Discovering".

The book even has a cover photo that is ready to let you touch the dew on the grapes on the front this jewel of handbook. The "bunch" of fine grape places indside makes sure you are ready to take off your shoes, jump in the car , and jump in the first vat of grapes to dance on thru the night until they tickle your taste buds.

Be sure to send this to old friends as gift and as an idea guide for friends to take some time off together from the high tech , high pressure world of the professional and place you soul on the trail to a full heart, a happy head (full of wine) high, and a taste the deep air together. The fellowship found in wine treasures and wonders of the road will pay for the book a thousand times over!

Keep you eyes and ears open for more from this message from the man in the know, Kevin Atticks, in Maryland as he wanders down the lane to more good memories for us all just waiting for the making, vats, vines and victuals to come true!

Michael Cooper Mcooper712@hotmail.com PS:I am not related to the author nor have even met the bloak?

The vineyards are nestled in the most beautiful parts of the state and are succinctly described by the author. A great feature is the author's note on the uniqueness of each one. Yes, the type of wines produced and the winery itself are the focal points, but it is also the meeting of the people behind the vines that makes this book an indispensable guide.

I read this book for my first women's studies course in college. The documents presented here provide interesting illustrations of women's lives and work and of ideas and conventions about women's roles in American society. It is a valuable resource for academics and teachers, and an interesting read for everyone else.

Its a shame that in many history classes, half of the human experience is virtually ignored. This is even more apparent in terms of anthologies of documents. Nancy Woloch has made an outstanding contribution in correcting this in her _Early American Women_.

The book is marvelous in the wide variety of documents it contains. There is census data from Spanish California, accounts of Iroquois women in government, oral histories of slaves (and mistresses), and some really fabulous material on the 19th century sufferage movement. The voices of women from all social classes can be heard here, from the colonial era to the Progressive period. It is very well rounded, and I will certainly be including it as a part of my curriculum.

The only short-coming I find in the book is its lack of statistical and visual documents. With this minor criticism said, I highly recommend this book to educators, especially those in the discipline of history.

Claudia Wild's book is an indispensable guide to all of the best birding sites within a 200 mile radius of Washington, DC. It is a "must buy" for birders of all skill levels if you visit or live in DC, Maryland, or Virginia. She also covers Delaware, Cape May, NJ, and parts of Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and North Carolina. Her directions are easy to follow and her writing style will make you want to read about favorite birding areas again and again. Most important, this book will make it easy to find target birding species (in the appropriate season). This book is a solid 5 stars !!!

Claudia Wilds has done a wonderful job of presenting lots places, including little nooks and crannies to find birds in the greater D.C. area. Directions to locations are detailed and generally accurate, with lots of helpful information.

Well written, and easy to understand. A wonderful guide for exploring the world of birds.

This book is easily incorporated into a variety of school curricula at the elementary and middle school level. Suitable for Black or Women's History Month, discussions on the family unit, diversity, history or just great children's literature.

This book is of a timeless treasure and rarity of one's life in another family. Eliza Benson, a woman of trust worthiness; and faithfulness in caring for those she loved and worked for; a lady in hard times bur relentless to show happiness, faith, love, and simplicity in the everyday life. Always giving to others, of her self.

Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R2L7Z9BXEVV788 f&b mediaworks (fbmediaworks@gmail.com) loved Freshly Squeezed: A "Write Here, Write Now" Anthology so much we made a trailer for the book. I have never seen so many dedicated, energetic students--many of whom have not been in school for a long time and have full time jobs during the day--throw as much of themselves into writing workshops. The book truly is a triumph, and we thought a little trailer might be the best way to say Thank You CityLit and Thank You Christine Stewart!!

If I may....

I know how it is when one approaches an anthology. It's usually a mixed bag. There are no guarantees. But having lived with these pieces many times in the Write Here, Write Now workshops, and through the editing process, I can say that what we're priding ourselves on here is a wide variety of compelling writing. Each piece will draw you in and give you something to think about. And the range of subjects, styles, voices, genres and forms is pretty amazing. We have ten minute plays, blog entries, personal narrative essays, short stories, novel excerpts and poems. We have crime stories, based-on-a-true story stories, a novel in stories, satire, sci-fi, romance, talking cakes, talking mice, essays on death, love, music, friendship, poetry on personal and spiritual transformation, war....It's a veritable buffet (don't worry, the only scrapple is the one on the cover). Yes, Baltimore has Madison Smartt Bell, Laura Lippman, Anne Tyler, and Rafael Alvarez, and they are all terrific writers, but so are the local everyday people in those diners at two a.m. and workshops and critique groups all over the city. We wanted to celebrate them and share them with you. So here is your first taste. Dig in and enjoy.

Chris Stewart

What a timely, informative book and CD set as America grapples with the loss of culture in New Orleans and other Gulf Shore Communities in the South. From Bridge to Boardwalk offers a rare close-up view of the people, work, life, art and traditions of the Eastern Shore and encourages a visit to this rich region soon! The guidebook and CD set are excellent travel companions.

If you want to get to know Maryland's real Eastern Shore, I highly recommend From Bridge to Boardwalk. This 75-page booklet is packed with short essays that speak to traditions that have given this once isolated peninsula its own unique character, its own speech patterns, its own sense of being and belonging. Penned by folklorists and community scholars, the essays give the reader an insider's view of Shore culture. "Names of boats traditional to the Chesapeake sound like poetry, a lyrical ode to another time and place ...skipjacks, log canoes, brograns, bugeyes, pungies..." [p. 35] As a photographer, I especially appreciate the black and white photographs spotted throughout the booklet including archival images by three renowned documentary photographers (A. Aubrey Bodine, H. Robbins Hollyday, and Robert de Gast). Two CD's, each about an hour in length, are sleeved inside the booklet offering first-person "sound portraits" by traditional artists on the Shore. A few of the tracks are predictable-boat builders, decoy carvers, gospel singers-while others take you to places few of us have ever been-a muskrat skinner, duck call maker, a crab picker turned artist. All tracks are accented with music: banjo, Dobro, guitar among others. With its wire binding, the booklet rests easy on the lap as you make your way down the highway. If you wish to dig deeper the booklet also offers a foldout map of the Shore plus a handy reference section. Here you will find a convenient book list with a range of (Shore) topics from decoys to watercraft. Next time around I would slip a new cover on the booklet with a photograph, but apart from that From Bridge to Boardwalk is a one of a kind offering-a true bridge to where lies the real spirit of Maryland's Eastern Shore.