Oklahoma Books

This book discusses the Polish Warsaw Uprising of 1944 and the heroic attempts to supply it with arms and ammunition, by brave aircrews, from a long distance. The pilots making the drops were composed of different nationalities, including South Africans.

The challenges were formidable. Planes had to fly a round trip of over a thousand miles across enemy-held territory. Owing to the fires set by the Germans in Warsaw's districts, it was hard for the crews to make out the marker fires of the drop zones, and the smoke pall constantly overhanging Warsaw didn't make matters easier either. Dropping supplies from low altitudes exposed the planes to ground fire, while dropping them from high altitudes caused them to miss the drop zones.

But why was such long-distance aid necessary in the first place? Although author Neil Orpen doesn't dwell on it, this book is a testimony to Soviet perfidy. The Red Army was just a few miles away, stalling in order for the Germans to have ample time to suppress the Uprising and to destroy Warsaw at a leisurely pace. Not until the Uprising was doomed did the Soviets offer some token assistance. What's more, for most of the Uprising, the Soviets had refused to allow the Uprising-assisting Allied aircraft to land on Soviet-held territory to refuel. Not until towards the end of the Uprising did the Soviets allow it. By then, only a small fraction of Warsaw was still in Polish hands, and so the Poles only got about 1/5th (p. 159) of the large airdrop of September 17, 1944.

I enjoyed reading this book. Al Snipes, the subject of this book, is a distant cousin of my husband's, and we have been friends for many years. However, for any person interested in Oklahoma, local politics, or the large Snipes family, this book will have appeal. Many great photos add to the book's attractiveness.

A great book to read about the lives of American Indians. Two other books to recommend: Bury My Heart On Wounded Knee, & The Education of Little Tree.

The ultimate book detailing how to collect autographs of pre-1980 historical American personalities. Do you need over 1,900 facsimiles and 464 pages of famous Americans?--then this book was written for your lust. If you are going to be spending big money on buying documents signed by U.S. presidents, you need this book. The first volume is filled with samples of U.S. Revolutionary War leaders. The second volume depicts the signatures of: U.S. presidents, First Ladies, and their assassins.

Nichols has done an excellent job of taking many different essays from many different writers which reflect the way that Native Americans have been treated since Columbus' discovery of America. This is a must for anyone studying or even interested in the history of Native Americans.

American Indians In British Art, 1700-1840 by Stephanie Pratt (a tribal member of the Crow Creek Dakota Sioux and Senior Lecturer in the History of Art at the University of Plymouth, Devon, United Kingdom) is a unique survey of Native American images painted, drawn and sketched by British artists and reveals an artistic tradition that avoided simplification and stereotype to portray Native peoples in realistic and complex imagery that ranged from depicted them as noble savages to primitive aborigines, but always as active participants in contemporary societies and cultures. Enhanced with a profusion of both color and black/white illustrations, Pratt provides each artistic work in its proper historical context and deftly traces a movement away from abstraction (where Indians were symbols rather than actual people) to a representational art portraying Indians as actors on the colonial stage of the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. Scholarly, erudite, informed and informative, American Indians In British Art, 1700-1840 is a unique and welcome addition to personal, academic, and community library Native American Studies and Art History reference collections.

This small volume with 111 pages of text contains four essays on the history of the Oklahoma Panhandle. The changing nature of the region's economy throughout the twentieth century is the main theme.

The first essay discusses the unique geography of the region and how it impacted the economic development from 1907 to 1930. Lowitt highlights the agricultural prosperity of the region as well as the possible risks of drought and severe weather.

The second essay narrates the causes and impact of the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression. He tells of the efforts of the federal government, the agricultural experimental station at Goodwell, and the farmers in introducing soil conservation efforts and the recovery that resulted by 1940.

The third essay tells the story of Optima Dam, first planned in 1936 but only completed in 1978. He discusses how it resulted from the drought and flood prevention efforts of the 1930s but also how economic realities prevented it from being built until 1978. The political efforts of Oklahoma's senators Kerr and Harris feature in this essay.

Finally, Lowitt describes the economic development after World War II, showing how the region depends on the Ogallala Aquifer. Farmland could not be irrigated without producing natural gas to pump the groundwater. Cattle (Swift) and pigs (Seaboard) could not be raised commercially without groundwater. Although the region has diversified its economy, it has come to depend greatly on the aquifer, which may be depleted someday, depending on unknown recharge rates. Lowitt closes the book on the note that no one knows how sustainable the aquifer-based economy is.

The book contains thoughtful analysis and not oral history. He describes how transportation, Oklahoma law, and the climate have affected the Panhandle and the differential development of each county. He has done extensive research in the museums and historical collections of the region as well as at the University of Oklahoma. Perhaps most surprising, Lowitt does not take a doomsday view of the Great Plains, showing that the three Panhandle counties have consistently ranked in the top five in Oklahoma in terms of per capita income. He sees the region as having successfully overcome great hardships and having not just survived but prospered.

Excellent detail on the history of law and lawyers in Oklahoma; full of quotes and anecdotes about the personalities involved and specific court cases. A wonderful read, whether one is a lawyer, aspires to be a lawyer, or just enjoys a good, factual, entertaining book. It has been highly acclaimed by the Oklahoma Bar Association and was featured in its journal on several occassions.

This book is one of the best I have ever read about the history of the Southwest and Northern Mexico. Forbes challenges many of the stereotypes about the Apaches and Navajos using archival documents from the colonial period. For example, he shows that the idea that the Apaches were inherently warlike and "savage" is untrue and misleading. In fact, it was the colonial policy of Spain that drove the Apaches into a raiding lifestyle. This is a great book for anyone interested in the history of the Latin American froniter, the American West or just of history in general. I recommend this book over all others about the Apaches.

I was one of the most comprehensive books of its kind. Well researched and documented. Best of all was the detailed tips on how to get to the more remote sites. Most of the information can be found in various other places but she has one of the best compilations I have seen.
Great Book!