Pennsylvania Books

Alone Yet Not Alone is an inspiring story of faith in early America. What is more is that it was written by a young author who is a descendant of those in the story. Tracy Leninger did an excellent job at capturing the emotion of two young girls living away from their family for many long years as Indian captives and then being united again with their loved ones. You will not soon forget thier story.

My mom read this book to us and I LOVED IT.
It's exciting and full of adventure.
Barbara and Regina are captured by indians.
After they are seperated Barbara knows she has
to escape. THIS IS A GREAT STORY!!!

This book is one of the best books that I have ever read...I've read and re-read and re-re-read it many times. I am amazed at how neat this book is - especially since it's a true story. This is a definite book to read!

I loved this book! My friend told me to read it, and I did. It was so exciting that I couldn't put it down! This book is highly engrafted in spiritual truth, and the plot is wonderful. The way that the leininger family depends on God and trusts Him always and the way that they care for eachother and their friends is very heart warming. This is a definate must read for all ages. If you have read and liked "Standing in the Light" a Dear America diary, then you will love this.

"Alone yet not alone," is one of the most readable books I have read. After chapter three it is impossible to lay it down. It assumes Christian virtuues, values, and actions, and presents them in such a way that it makes you want to assimulate them into your own life. It is a definite must read for all early to late teens and will be enjoyed by adults as well. The book will probably become a staple in Christian family libraries.

I have lived in central Illinois most of my life and often pass through
the Amish area, seeing only part of the picture of their lives and wanting
to know more. Rebecca Mabry, through beautifully written words, and Vanda
Bidwell, with her sensitive photographs, have filled in the missing parts
of the picture with this superb book. The Amish faith, which places
priority on faith in God and the importance of family, is an inspiration
to us all. I highly recommend it to anyone who would like to know more
about a fascinating and admirable people.
-- Cindy Pringle

I sit and read this wonderful book and honestly feel you will never get a better understanding of the life of the Amish. Rebecca Mabry has put her heart and soul into this book and it shows. She brings these wonderful people to life and shows how they live each day and continue with their lifestyle among the hustle and bustle of day to day living. I think the rest of us could learn some valuable lessons from the Amish. Don't hestitate when it comes to buying this book, you will love it and send it out as a present, your friends will love you for it.

This book takes you straight to Amish country and into the homes and hearts of the people who live there. Chances are, anything you ever wanted to know about the Amish - weddings, funerals, religious beliefs, schooling, clothing and much more - are included in "The Amish of Illinois' Heartland."
Breathtaking photos illustrate just how different the Amish are from what they call the "English" - but show they're thriving as a separate society.
By the end of this easy-to-read book, you'll feel like you know the Amish personally.

This singular and sensitive exploration of the Amish culture is beautifully-written and photographed. It's a must-read for anyone who has ever wondered what life is like in this religious community that continues to live in the world, yet be not of the world. Readers will enjoy a journey into the hearts, minds, homes and businesses of the Amish Community in the Illinois' Heartland, and emerge feeling peaceful and whole themselves.
Ruth Siburt,
Children's Writer

Wow! Rebecca Mabry has taken time to study the CURRENT Amish community and smashes many of the widely held beliefs. For example, no longer do most Amish depend on farm income to support their families; instead, they are woodworkers. Sensitive to cultural issues, tender in portraying individuals, and comprehensive in its approach, this is the best book on the Amish culture that I've seen in the last decade. Add to that Mabry's fine writing and this is the new standard on the topic. Stunning photos.
If you want to know what the Twenty-First century Amish are like (instead of the Twentieth century Amish), read this book. Recommended for middle grade and high school classrooms, as well as a great read for any adult.

I think it is impossible for Richard Montanari to write a bad book. Badlands is another excellent book to add to his resume. It is a fantastic police procedural novel with cliffhanger suspense throughout. I have enjoyed his character development of Jessica Balzano and Kevin Byrne, they are two fictional cops worth reading about. The psychopath in this book is one of the best you'll ever encounter in fiction. Badlands is a superb read from a superb author. I can't wait for the next installment in the series.

As always, Richard Montonari pens a book that is easy to get into and keeps you wanting to keep coming back to read more. Highly recommended.. Don't even think about not reading the last third in one sitting...

Montanari write some of the best mysteries on the market, and it truly surprises me that there are not more reviews for this fantastic book.

Byrne and Balzano are great characters, in fact all the characters are well-defined and realistic. Montanari does a remarkable job making the city of Philadelphia so much a part of the story. It's very existence is a part of the mystery here. Also, the killer is so unique and his murderous reasons so unusual that they truly set this book apart from other mysteries.

While BADLANDS is part of a series, you do not need to have read the previous books to get into the story. This is great thriller.

Lock the doors, settle into a comfortable chair, and prepare to be swept away in the mystery and intrigue of Badlands. This chilling suspense novel, filled with gruesome murders conducted along a twisted plot in north Philadelphia, will keep you turning page after page as the puzzle unfolds.

Joseph Swann, known to his victims as Mr. Ludo, is the brilliant son of a magician-gone-madman. Keenly adept with his hands, he builds keepsake furniture pieces for the wealthy to support his passion for magic, puzzles, and murder. With tormented thoughts from a long-lost childhood, Swann attempts to collect revenge on his past by hunting teenage runaways to become his magician's assistants. A handsome, smooth-talking man with knowledge on current events and pop culture, and a vast array of stage disguises that transform him into anyone he wants to become, Swann is able to gain the confidence of his young victims and lure them into his trap. In his relic mansion with hidden passages, Swann tenderly cares for each of his victims until he is ready to display their bodies as part of his Seven Wonders.

Detectives Jessica Balzano and Kevin Byrne are assigned to the cold case of Caitlin O'Riordan, and quickly find that the case is not really cold, and the killer is on the loose. Collaborating with officers who worked the case in the past, street-smart runaways, and the famous author of a tangram book, the detectives begin to close in on their prey. The question is, will they catch him before the seventh girl dies?

Author Richard Montanari is a skilled novelist, essayist, and screenwriter whose work has appeared in numerous national and regional publications. He is an OLMA award winner and has also written Merciless, The Skin Gods, The Rosary Girls, Kiss of Evil, Deviant Way, and The Violet Hour.

Armchair Interviews says: Chills and suspense in a well-written novel.

The word that came to my mind after reading this book was "WOW!" Badlands is located in North Philadelphia in an area that is old, run down, bad, and does not have the nicest living there or hanging out near it. Police detectives Kevin Byrne and Jessica Balzano are switched to the elite Special Investigations Unit of the city police force. Mostly young runaway girls are found brutally killed and every time the police think they have a new clue that will corner and capture this killer, something else is left for them leading them in another direction. These clues are, as they finally find out, clues from puzzles and/or magicians. The killer sends or phones messages but they always lead to another area or house in the Badlands. The police are always one step or more behind this horrific killer. Byrne and Balzano are kept very busy as are the police added to assist in this search.

The villain watches young women in various areas of the city, determines which ones would be the easiest for him to gain faith and trust. Eventually, the victims are unknowingly drugged and are taken one at a time to his hidden lair. He alters his appearance so a description was next to impossible for anyone that might have seem anything going on. The killer was smart but the police knew he would make a mistake some time but WHEN? Eve Galvez was a top-notch cop and very good friend of detective Balzano. When Eve disappeared the dragnet increased with more resources immediately thrown into the search. This now missing woman involved one of their own, and that message increases every cop's urgency.

As days went by, the discovery of another missing girl, or a body, or bodies with clues that the killer left to tell the police where he was and what he planned next, but the clues were deeply rooted in puzzle clues that were almost impossible to solve.

Mr. Ludo was a name he left for them. The name he was going by now was Joseph Edmund Swann. Swann, now thirty-eight, had a horrible life from a child growing up through his adult years and even now it was miserable mainly because of his mind being so messed up. His mind worked in strange, mysterious ways with thoughts drifting to all times of his life, his parents, and his task now of finding certain characteristics in a girl that he needed for his final puzzle solution. He would change his appearance almost every time he was in public view, making his true appearance different to anyone. Swann's father, Karl Swann, had been a traveling magician, many times using his son, Joseph, in his acts, no matter how dangerous they were. This change in appearance also helped Swann get close to his victims making them think he was helping them.

As the police moved on with the case, they contacted some experts in the field of magic and illusions, some active, some that had written books, and some that were expert puzzle solvers. Several more police joined the team as they rushed from place to place trying to solve the clues before this killer had another victim.

Richard Montaneri is great at describing people and places in words more descriptive and understandable than many authors. He keeps the reader's mind actually in the area with the victims, the police, and Swann himself. I highly recommend this book to any suspense and mystery readers.

What a refreshing book of poems about a hometown. It is good to be able to hear someone talk in such an affirmative and affectionate way about his past in a small town. So many ideas that I have had about my hometown but was never able to put into words are expressed here. I think this book will be a favorite with many readers.

It was a delight to find a book of poetry that concentrates of different aspects of one's hometown. So much is said here that I feel about my own hometown. This book ought to make Small Town America proud.

A friend of mine told me about this sledding poem and I just had to have the book after I read his e-mail. How many poems there are in this collection that rang bells for me!

The reading was delightful and opened up insights as to my own feelings for my hometown. How I feel when revisiting, how I see the buildings and view the landscape. The streets, early love, High School days. I don't know of any other poetry that focuses so intently on the subject of a hometown. An extraordinary book.

So serene, so careful and loving in its approach to everyday happenings. I highly recommend this book of poems.

I have read both of Del Vecchio's earlier books and looked forward to the release of Carry Me Home for a number of years. I certainly hope it is reprinted since I gave away my only copy. The book is an excellent story about the returning Vietnam vets and an inspiration to present day persons in all walks of life. DelVecchio is my favorite author.

I have read both of Del Vecchio's earlier books and looked forward to the release of Carry Me Home for a number of years. I certainly hope it is reprinted since I gave away my only copy. The book is an excellent story about the returning Vietnam vets and an inspiration to present day persons in all walks of life. DelVecchio is my favorite author.

I have read both of Del Vecchio's earlier books and looked forward to the release of Carry Me Home for a number of years. I certainly hope it is reprinted since I gave away my only copy. The book is an excellent story about the returning Vietnam vets and an inspiration to present day persons in all walks of life. DelVecchio is my favorite author.

I remember seeing the film "The Deer Hunter" years ago and being blown away by the excellent performances, characters, and story. I never thought I'd see or hear of anything like that movie again, but thankfully I was wrong.

"Carry Me Home" is "The Deer Hunter" in print. Don't infer any hidden meaning from that sentence; the plots of the two are as different as night and day. But they both deal with the same subject - the aftermath of the Vietnam war, what that means to several men (and women) in small-town America, and how each of them deals with it.

The two main characters in this book are Robert Wapinski and Anthony Pisano, of Mill Creek Falls, PA. In such an environment it seems incredible that these two men apparently never met before the events in this novel, but that's what Del Vecchio seems to imply. And it really doesn't matter whether they did or not, because their lives become more and more intertwined as the story unfolds.

Their lives take radically different turns. Robert becomes moderately successful as a real estate broker and then as a pioneer in the solar and ecology field. Tony, on the other hand, drops out of society - he just can't handle what people think about him as a Vietnam vet (and more importantly, he can't handle what he thinks about himself as a Vietnam vet). That statement, including the parenthetical comment, may not make any sense unless you know something of the history of US involvement in Vietnam (e.g., Lt William Calley and the My Lai massacre). But Tony does try for a little while - he courts and marries a girl and has two children, but the pressure just becomes too much for him. And even though Robert seems able to integrate himself back into society, he too is haunted by what happened and what he did in Vietnam.

What these two men do to heal themselves and other vets forms the crux of this story, and Del Vecchio never falters in the telling of it until the very end. At that point he seems to deal too much in psychology and not in the people themselves. But until then this is a fantastic story of a subject that not too many novels deal with. The Chicago Sun-Times said of Del Vecchio's "The 13th Valley", "...quite simply, THE novel about the Vietnam war." Well, quite simply, "Carry Me Home" is THE novel about that war's aftermath.

I know John Del Vecchio, he's a friend of my ex-girlfrind's mother and I met him on several occasions. He was always such a nice guy to me and I bought this book because of several recomendations and because he's just a genuine, nice guy. I read the book and was blown away by his attention to detail and emotional weight. Being to young to remember the Vietnam war, this was an interesting lesson in coping with the seriousness of war and a country that doesn't want you back. The story is very involved and very fine tuned. Though not exactly light reading, the book is involving and beckons you to read on.

I had a chance to discuss the book with him a while after I read it and expressed my admiration and respect for him and his book. He was gracious and said he was working on a new book. This soon turned out to be "Darkness Falls"...Another great book by Del Vecchio. "Carry Me Home" requires dedication to read, but you're left with a real connection with the characters and a feeling of accomplishment...

Anyone joining the debate about deer management in Pennsylvania should read this book before speaking -- it's that important. Read it and you'll understand that conservationists and biologists (Aldo Leopold, Richard Gerstell, Roger Latham and others) have for a long time recognized that because the forests changed, deer hunting policies needed also to change.
Read Deer Wars and you'll gain a better grasp on the relationship between a healthy habitat and a healthy deer herd -- a relationship that cause the PA Game Commission biologists to advocate a decrease in the deer population to improve both the deer and the habitat as long ago as 1935.

Frye covers the era of market hunting... to the days when the forests were clear cut... to the time when a deer track was rare... through the various attempts to repopulate the state with deer... to the arguments about protecting does... right up to our current controversy. His book is thoroughly researched, comprehensive, and an easy read for hunters, anti-hunters, farmers, forest managers, politicians, biologists, environmentalists, and ordinary people who want to understand what's happening with deer management in Pennsylvania.

It's all in this book. Read Deer Wars and you'll learn enough to speak with confidence backed up by knowledge.

Well written. Shows all points of view and where they overlap and conflict.

This book is a must read for anybody concerned about the future of deer hunting in Pennsylvania. Bob and Spike did a tremendous amount of research for this book and the final product demonstrates this. I am looking forward to the follow up documentary?

I TOTALLY ENJOYED THIS BOOK. I FEEL THAT EVERY HUNTER SHOULD READ IT. IT OPENED MY EYES AND MIND. I KNOW MANY PEOPLE DISAGREE WITH GARY AULT, BUT, AFTER READING THIS BOOK IT MAY CHANGE THEIR MIND.

The size of the whitetail deer population in Pennsylvania has been a matter of controversy for decades, and the debate is currently more emotional than ever. Here, Pennsylvania journalist Bob Frye helps clarify at least some sides of the argument. With a lack of predators, and several decades of under-hunting, deer are now severely stressing the habitat on which they depend. Frye deftly explains how dense deer populations prevent forests from regenerating. This creates severe impacts on ecosystems across Pennsylvania, and also damages the health of the deer themselves. Frye extensively examines the science of deer population, and presents the many arguments for and against management of the deer herd. He also includes very illuminating coverage of the financial damage done to farms and suburbs by browsing. Refreshingly, Frye mostly tries to let the science of deer management speak for itself. However, this book is not as impartial as it appears to be. Most of Frye's coverage is from the point of view of sport hunters. Opinions or statements from any other interest groups are introduced briefly, followed by considerably more commentary on whether hunters agree or disagree. There are several appearances of the derisive term "treehuggers" for those opposed to hunting, and Frye generally prints the statements of excessive numbers of officials and interested persons who support hunting lobby positions (which in turn makes the book very repetitive), while only offering short snapshots of all other opinions. This book is still very informative for anyone concerned about deer population issues. But Frye does not adequately cover all sides of the controversy. [~doomsdayer520~]

A fascinating book of photographs of Central Pennsylvania. It brough back many memories of another, gentler time. It also reminded me of just how beautiful my home state is.

By researching the contents and by presenting them as you have, you have given a real feeling of place and time.

Thank you kindly for the magnificent book of photographs that captures Pennsylvania's landscape. It is a treasure for today's readers. It will be a superb history for those who will read it tomorrow. Beautiful contribution. Professional. Exquisite.

The book is sensational. It is the sort of thing the Lord would have done if he had money. Joking aside, it is the product of a monumental undertaking. Painstaking, professional, and powerful are words which spring to my lips in describing it.

Warm feelings of visitng my greatgrandmother on hot summer days in Curwensville and Clearfield. The outhouses, the barns, the bear in the big city, brought back those memories of unearned family affection and the mountain views. A joyful book for families in Pennsylvanial, Nevada or any where else in the world.

A masterful guide to the Gettysburg battlefield. I took several books on my trip to Gettysburg earlier this year but this was the only one I carried on the battlefield. It is organized around the tour stops, but also contains several side trips to lesser known areas, and simply tells you all you need to know about the events in that area at the time of the battle. It contains several maps and the directions it provides to areas on the battlefield are concise and easy to follow. If you wish to seriously tour Gettysburg National Park, this book is essential.

I recently took a trip to Gettysburg (my 3rd) and carried this tour guide for the 1st time. It is far and away the best experience I've had seeing the battlefield. It follows the battle chronologically and offers several sites and insights not offered on the audio tours available at the local shops. Many of the stops are multifaceted. At several points the stops feature 7 to 10 asides which often involve only a minor shift in position to point out various phases of the battle. It includes a side trip to the cavalry field which I've never run into on the audio tours. The driving directions are easy to follow but do veer from the order of the Military Park brochure and the audio tours to give greater detail to the battle. The book says to allow for 6 hours-it's more like 10 hours to give time for exploring beyond some of the "stand here and turn left" instructions. 11 hours total if you include a break for lunch. We started at nine on one morning, toured until about 4 with a break for lunch and finished the following day. Sites included on the audio and Park tours tend to start getting crowded from 11 to 3, so this will add to the tour time depending on time of year and crowd. To sum it all up and paraphrase a popular commercial-when going on a tour of Gettysburg-"Don't leave home without it!"

I grew up near Gettysburg & have been there numerous times. I just spent 2 days there with this book on the battlefield--this book made the battle crystal clear! I ran out of time exploring the battlefield (it takes more than the 6 hours described in the book--my only criticism). This book brings the battle to life and explains the terrain like never before. I learned a lot about the battle that I never knew and many components of the battle came into focus in new and exciting ways. In particular, this book does a good job on overviews of each day and with it's clear directions, leads the reader through each stop--I really felt as if I had an expert by my side explaining all the facets of each aspect of the battle. Along the way, everything was just as the book described. The maps were excellent & it's nicely complimented with various portraits of leaders, common soldiers, etc. The guide brings the 3 days together as a cohesive whole. This is the book to get if you're going to visit Gettysburg; forget all the others.

I now live near Chickamauga and I plan on getting their book on that battle!

An excellent, well-written guidebook and the best I've seen on the subject. I carried this book on my first visit to Gettysburg in Spring 2001, and it greatly enhanced the experience. The directions are clear and up to date, and the text is precise and detailed enough to be compelling without trying to be an exhaustive treatment of every minute detail. If used as a companion to an actual visit, I would strongly recommend reading the book in advance of your visit, then bringing it with you for reference. There are only a few very minor faults I might find with this guidebook. On the maps, it would be helpful to have present-day landmarks indicated in some way to help with orientation. Also, the book suggests the full tour can be completed in six hours, but in my experience to make all the stops and fully enjoy it you'd need at least a full day, or preferably two. You'll want to leave some time for reflection at such places as McPherson's Ridge, Little Round Top, the High Water Mark, and others to think about the enormity of what occurred on that ground.

Read this book and you'll come away with a good working knowledge of the three-day battle. Highly recommended!

I've lived and/or worked in Gettysburg for almost twenty-five years, and I've been on the battlefield hundreds of times. But I can honestly say that I never really had a good appreciation for what happened there until I got my hands on Grimsley's and Simpson's guide. It's completely user-friendly.

For each of the places it highlights, the guide includes:

(1) Driving instructions to each site.

(2) An extremely useful orientation section telling you what's on your left, on your right, in front of you, etc. (For example, for Barlow's Knoll, the Orientation is this: "As you face west, the town of Gettysburg is due left of you; Oak Ridge and Oak Hill are straight ahead, as is Carlisle Road in the middle distance.") For those battlefield visitors who don't think to bring a compass with them, this kind of information is worth its weight in gold.

(3) An historical description of what actually happened during the battle at the site.

(4) A "Vignette," which provides one or two eyewitness accounts pertinent to the site.

(5) A tactical analysis of what happened at the site.

The maps are excellent, the layout of the text is convenient and easy to follow, and there's an informative appendix on "Organization, Weapons, and Tactics." Moreover, the East and South Cavalry Battles are included in the guidebook, and the description of Farnsworth's deadly charge in the latter is the best I've ever read.

Highly recommended for both the beginner and the seasoned Gburg afficionado.

By the way, for those who don't know it, co-author Mark Grimsley's The Hard Hand of War (1997) really is one of the best books on the Civil War written.

Just finished this one and I loved it. I hope Mark Nesbitt keeps writing these great little books. I have all 5 and there all great reads.

Ah...Mark Nesbitt finally plays down the Gettysburg ghost tours and gets back to telling the stories. Another well done melding of ghost stories and historical events. This book is on a par with the first 3 volumes of stories and just as entertaining.

This is book V, and the fifth on that I've read so far. They're not very long, but each one has been fun to read.
Each story begins by giving you a little history lesson about the backdrop of each haunted location, and this is
very beneficial for the reader because you have some idea
where the troubled spirit met their fate and how. Whether
the ghosts were civilians, rebels or yanks, they're all included here. Even if you don't believe in ghosts, the
little historical backgrounds of each story are very interesting to read. Once you start reading, you'll probably finish each of these books in one or two sittings.

Former Park Ranger Mark Nesbitt has over the years gathered many ghost stories from other park rangers, visitors and people who live in the area. Nesbitt tries to gather factual data on the stories he receives so he can offer a background as to why these ghost stories may have evolved. His stories are usually quite interesting and do not just talk about battlefield soldiers, civilians alike are also involved in famous ghost stories in Gettysburg! Buy all 5 books, there worth it! Each has many short stories that are easy and fun to read.

For the fifth time Mark Nesbitt has produced a real gem dealing with the ghosts of Gettysburg. At Gettysburg one can almost feel the spirits all around and Mr. Nesbitt has given us five books full of accounts of encounters with these spirits. Only someone who loves Gettysburg could turn out such fine work time and again and all of us who feel a special draw to that place owe him a great debt of gratitude. This fifth book may be the best in the series. Thanks Mark!

I am a long time, transplanted resident of Buenas Aires. In my homeland, we take great pride in the revolutionary heroes that both overthrew the political colonialism of Spain and the economic colonialism of Great Britain. Although we live in the shadow of the North Americans, we share a common revolutionary heritage. As one who has spent many hours amongst the people in our capital city, I share Senior Kashatus' enthusiasm for the sites of the North American city of revolution. His guide has proven most illuminating and having read it through, look forward to using it as the basis of my visit to that historic city.

I am a long time, transplanted resident of Buenas Aires. In my homeland, we take great pride in the revolutionary heroes that both overthrew the political colonialism of Spain and the economic colonialism of Great Britain. Although we live in the shadow of the North Americans, we share a common revolutionary heritage. As one who has spent many hours amongst the people in our capital city, I share Senior Kashatus' enthusiasm for the sites of the North American city of revolution. His guide has proven most illuminating and having read it through, look forward to using it as the basis of my visit to that historic city.

I visited Philadelphia as a young man while involved in a liason with a young woman from that city many years ago. During my time there, I idly walked through the lower parts of the city, looking at, but paying little attention to the magnificent things around me. I confess to having brought little back with me from the experience save a broken heart, a few maps and some local guides.

A corresponding friend from the neighboring state of New Jersey happened to send me a copy of Herr Kashatus' book, indicating that the author is a friend. I soon thereafter read it. I found it a pleasant enlightener of old memories, putting into context what I simpy walked by.

Having since gained a more serious appreciation of the American past, I look to this book as a sourse of background material for subjects that I hope to explore further. I intend to visit Philadelphia again soon and to take these "walks", book in hand and really see what I have previously just looked at.

I visited Philadelphia as a young man while involved in a liason with a young woman from that city many years ago. During my time there, I idly walked through the lower parts of the city, looking at, but paying little attention to the magnificent things around me. I confess to having brought little back with me from the experience save a broken heart, a few maps and some local guides.

A corresponding friend from the neighboring state of New Jersey happened to send me a copy of Herr Kashatus' book, indicating that the author is a friend. I soon thereafter read it. I found it a pleasant enlightener of old memories, putting into context what I simpy walked by.

Having since gained a more serious appreciation of the American past, I look to this book as a sourse of background material for subjects that I hope to explore further. I intend to visit Philadelphia again soon and to take these "walks", book in hand and really see what I have previously just looked at.

I visited Philadelphia as a young man while involved in a liason with a young woman from that city many years ago. During my time there, I idly walked through the lower parts of the city, looking at, but paying little attention to the magnificent things around me. I confess to having brought little back with me from the experience save a broken heart, a few maps and some local guides.

A corresponding friend from the neighboring state of New Jersey happened to send me a copy of Herr Kashatus' book, indicating that the author is a friend. I soon thereafter read it. I found it a pleasant enlightener of old memories, putting into context what I simpy walked by.

Having since gained a more serious appreciation of the American past, I look to this book as a sourse of background material for subjects that I hope to explore further. I intend to visit Philadelphia again soon and to take these "walks", book in hand and really see what I have previously just looked at.