Missouri Books

EAST OF THE ARCH is the third installment in the Joe Keough detective series from master story teller Robert J Randisi. Considering moving on in his career, Joe's mind is changed when he is loaned out by his boss, the mayor of St. Louis, to investigate a serial killing spree that is occuring there. Keough has assigned to him a "task force" consisting of a young Mark Twain quoting dective, Marc Jeter( who I would like to see teamed up with Keough again) and their "girl Friday" Jenny Sykes. The three begin the investigation of a serial killer who is killing pregnant women. Also showing up from Joe's past is Valerie Speck and the boy Brady who were involve in Keough's first case in St. Louis and the IA detectives Mason & Gail who are still out to get Keough any way they can. Add a seperate murder to the mix and once again Randisi weaves a first rate mystery. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND EAST OF THE ARCH and hope there are many more Randisi Joe Keough books coming out.

Detective Joe Keough is a St. Louis Detective who is the mayor's "top cop" which means he is little more than a bodyguard. He misses working in the field. Joe is actually thinking of leaving and moving on to someplace where he can do some actual police work when the mayor of East St. Louis in Illinois asks the mayor of St. Louis to loan him a police officer who has had experience in apprehending serial killers.

Joe is the logical choice and he jumps at the chance to find out who is killing pregnant women and ripping out their fetuses. When Joe sets up his new office there are two such killings and he knows it is only a matter of time before there is a third. He is paired off with police officer Marc Jeeter, an idealistic man who badly wants catch this maniac and put him and put him in a cage but that won't be an easy take because there are political forces at work with a different agenda.

Robert J. Randisi is an author who knows how to write an excellent police procedural. He shows a step-by-step investigation in progress and the reader gets so caught up in it that he can't put the book down until he learns how it all turns out. Part of the book is told by the viewpoint of the villain. This is exciting and horrifying at the same time. EAST OF THE ARCH is a fantastic installment in this long running series.

Harriet Klausner

I have not yet read this book. However, Dr. Petrakis is a professor of mine. Based upon his keen intellect, wit, and encyclopedic knowledge, I predict this to be an excellent book.

"Voegelin's lifelong meditation on transcendence...led him to search repeatedly and consistently for appropriate symbolizations that provide an understanding of the ground of being without resorting to rigid and dangerous concretizations...We have called that a search for foundations without foundationalism." What this means is that the influential mid 20th-century philosopher Eric Voegelin searched for ways to stay in touch with the spiritual, historical, and existential fundamentals giving life substance, meaning, and direction without resorting to the extremes of dogma or totalitarianism. By his own experiences as an emigre from Europe threatened by Nazism and his philosophical interests growing out of them, he had a unique, and fertile, understanding of modernism's yearning for new, enriching dimensions of spirituality and for reliable, meaningful stability behind the era's new forms of politics such as Nazism and Communism and the delusions and conceits of modern individuals. Voegelin makes trenchant criticisms of these and other radical, misguided modernist creeds and styles. Gnosticism as arising in the modern era is one aberrant attempt to gain heightened spirituality he criticized especially. A philosopher, not a political scientist or social critic, Voegelin only rarely refers directly to specific errors and evils of modern culture. But one familiar with the contests of the modern world continuing into this day understands those which his work grapples with. The editors, both with Louisiana universities, collect five articles relating Voegelin's voluminous writings with other major late 19th-century and 20th-century philosophers and thinkers. The names Nietzsche, Ricoeur, Deleuze, and Husserl crop up in different essays. Classical sources of Voegelin's extensive works based on a few simple precepts are also discussed. The essays are rounded out with introductory and closing sections by the editors which provide biographical information on Voegelin and put the project of the book into perspective. The collected academic philosophical articles demonstrate the continuing relevance of Voegelin's thinking on the main, though often elusive, issues of modern culture, politics, and individual lives while also serving as an introduction to this philosopher whose influence continues to grow.

James Gaither truly has "gifted" readers by presenting some of Charles Fillmore's collected writings. A true mystic, Charles Fillmore wrote from his own experiences, which gives powerful effect to his words. Some of his ideas are beyond current scientific discoveries. But he believed in the unity of science and the spiritual. Some of his personal practices may not be what readers accept for themselves, but Fillmore did not judge others.

As to Fillmore's teachings on Jesus' true continuing purposes and on the indwelling Holy Spirit, those teachings make tremendous sense to me. Read the book and be amazed. One of Fillmore's major resources was his dreams:

" . . I watched my dreams closely and found that there was a wider intelligence manifesting in my sleep than I seemed to possess in the waking state, and it flashed over me one day that this was the mode of communication that had been established in response to my desire from Headquarters. This has been kept up ever since with growing interest on my part, and I could fill a large book with my [dream] experiences." (p. 37)Living Dreams, Living Life

This book is inspirational in that you learn / understand that one's own destiny (the kingdom of heaven) lies within and not without. It is an excellent overview of the major topics that Fillmore wrote in his time and his philosophy can be used today. The writings, although based on metaphysics, is based greatly on the Bible, and particularly the Christian religion. In his writings, you will find that it is so easy to get what you need out of this physical life by concentrating on the spiritual life.

The book can be used for a beginner seeking to understand Unity (which is why I bought it), but also as a tool for teaching students, and as a reference book or guide to every day living or personal development.

If you want a new indepth understanding of Divine Mind that will give you peace and happiness, properity and abudance, and good health - you should read this book.

If you're interested in the future of journalism, as a reader or writer, this is a book you will want to own. A broad overview of how the power and appeal of human stories, the impact of historical events, and online media are molding America's new front page. Backed by impeccable research and compelling examples, this book is guaranteed to stimulate conversation, provoke new ideas, and change how you look at the news.

This book is highly thoughtful and extremely well written. It is unusual for an academic book to be so interesting and thought-provoking. The argument is true and provides a keen observation into the narrative that is the modern media. Buy this book!

This book is wonderful! It's a must for any bookshelf of any merit!

This book was so incredibly well written. I would reccomend it to anybody and everybody. BUY THIS BOOK!!!!

I recently visited (Summer 2005) the Mill City Museum in Minneapolis, which is in the remains of one of the flour mill buildings on the west side of the river. I had no clue about Minneapolis's origins as a milling power (both sawmills and flour mills), since the flour-milling heyday ended in the 1930s, and the last flour milling on the west side occurred in the 1960s, before I was born.

The book covers the the time from the discovery of the falls by Father Hennepin in the 1600s, and looks at the events which led to their development as an industrial powersource that didn't end until the middle 20th century.

It is pretty wordy, but well-written, and a reader will feel rewarded by the in-depth knowledge of the area. There are some pictures and maps, but they are not the meat of the book.

If there's one thing against the book, it is age. It was originally written shortly after the west-side milling operations ended, and at the time was titled _The Waterfall that Built a City: The Falls of St. Anthony in Minneapolis_. This, the revised edition (which I have), was written two decades later, but a lot changed in the area, so that some businesses and buildings referred to in the final chapter no longer exist in their locations. Even the last mill on the west side, the Washburn "A" mill, was mostly destroyed by fire in 1991, after the book was written.

This would be a great book for someone who loves industrial history, urban history, or the Twin Cities area.

This is an extraordinarily detailed account of the St Anthony Falls cataract with all the names of it's founding father's, companies and buildings that rose and fell around the whole area. This is a must have for anyone who is interested in the history of the downtown Minneapolis/Gateway/Falls. Having worked in one of the buildings that was talked about in the book for the better of five years I have come to appreciate the wonderful history of Mill City as it once was. I highly recommend this book, especially given the fact that the brand new Mill City Museum will be opening up in May 2003.

This is an inspiring book of poetry that is well worth reading.
Symbolism from his rural upbringing provides the central theme for this collection of poems. Bauer is a pure gem and I look forward to reading future publications.

An experienced poet whose work has appeared in such venues as "Barrow Street", "The North American Review", "Rhino", "Runes", and numerous other journals, Curtis Bauer's poetry assembled in Fence Line provides the reader with a full spectrum sampling of Curtis Bauer's talent and his unique poetic voice. In High Demand: I led a blind man astray this morning,/took him to the middle of an open field/then drove away./I took candy from a child/then pushed him into a puddle./I took change from a fat panhandler/then told the police to arrest her for loitering.//Tomorrow I'll give a stranger the wrong directions/and won't leave a tip after lunch./I'll misguide your children/and lie to the priest./If there is anything else to do/you can count on me./These are troubled times.

My father read Stephen Ambrose's book Undaunted Courage : Meriwether Lewis, Thomas Jefferson, and the Opening of the American West, which described the upper Missouri river as one of the most beautiful locales in the USA. We made a family trip that autumn with Missouri Outfitters [...] and at intervals, the guides would read us appropriate passages from James Schultz' book. Sometimes it was a description of a particular landmark we paddled by, or a legend of the Blackfeet Indians. Reading the complete text on our return, we discovered a reverent, sometimes poignant, evocation of a world already disappearing in 1902. Schultz had hunted the once plentiful buffalo and elk near the river, and mourned their decline in favor of sheep and cattle. He admired the Plains Indian way of life, and several vignettes document its erosion or eradication. I am glad I live in time when I can be a tourist absorbing the Missouri's beauty, but after reading this book, I can understand Schultz' lament: "There are others -- white men as well as Indians -- who would gladly see the towns and the ranches and the railroads swept from the face of the earth, if they could once more roam these plains, as they were before all such thngs came to be."

Floating On The Missouri: 100 Years After Lewis & Clark is an engaging and informative historical travelogue of James Willard Schultz and his Blackfeet wife Natahki (Fine Shield Woman) who took a small boat along the route that the historic explorers Lewis & Clark once forged through uncharted territory a century after two of America's most famous explorers. A very highly recommended compendium of anecdotes, reminiscences, history, and much, much more fill the pages of this involving and absorbing narrative.

Charles Larpenteur's capabilities as a writer, his presence in the American wilderness at a time when many were not literate, his submersion in the fur trade in positions of responsibility, all make him a unique, worthy read.

The reader is removed from the adventure fantasies and romance, carried into the day-to-day details of the life of a man who became a mountain man early in life and remained one until the trade was no longer a viable institution. A mountain man worrying about profit and loss far more than fights with wild tribesmen, a man who knows white men and studiously avoids being tricked or ruined by their wiles and their competition for trade with the Indians.

Larpenteur has been used as a reference by almost every work written about the fur trade, but his own work needs no references.

Read it.

Captivating! This is an accurate and vivid account of the day to day and year to year activities associated with the early American fur trade era. Pick up any book on this subject and you will find that this book is used as a reference. Larpenteur spent much of his time at the Fort Union trading post in present day Montana where the Yellowstone River empties into the Missouri. This is his story of how the actual trading was carried on, relationships with the Indians and resulting battles that oftentimes would occur, along with the inner relationships amongst the fur companies and military, the hardships which had to be overcome, etc. He shouldered heavy responsibilities and it is apparent that at times he would get somewhat down on himself for not accomplishing or meeting his goals. If he were alive today, he would see that his journal would erase all those self doubts and misconceptions that he had of himself. A great book.

I have read many books about the Native American people and culture but I did not expect to pick up a book on the fur trade and enjoy it. This book is interesting... high praise indeed when the subject is usually written in a dry and sedating manner. The author has blended history with fascinating bits of mythology. She has written honestly about the people and presented them with their dignity and with their flaws. There were decent and fair traders such as Alexander Culbertson who cared about the Indians, and then there were the rats who sold the killer whiskey and killed and cheated them. The author showed that the Indians were not ignorant to what was happening with their world, but that they were hopelessly outmatched by the Europeans.

Alexander Culbertson's Blood wife, Natawista was an intriguing person. She lived effortlessly in both the white and the Indian worlds; as comfortable in a ball gown as she was galloping across the prairies on her horse. Perhaps the partnership between Natawista and her husband was a major reason for his success, for he was intelligent enough to listen to her advice.

This book is highly recommended for those interested in the fur trade, and in that period of time of Native American history.

This may well be one of the best fur trade history books written and delivered to the public in the last 25 years or more.

Frontier Diplomats: The Life and Times of Alexander Culbertson and Natoyist-Siksina is much more than a biography of Culbertson (1809-1879) and his Blood (Kainah) tribe wife Natoyist-Siksina (Holy Snake) (1825-1893). This 400 page book with maps and photos is a history of the Upper Missouri River, the American Fur Company, the upper Missouri Indian tribes and the western expansion of America.

In the bible of biography of the fur trade LeRoy R. Hafen's ten volume set of The Mountain Men and the Fur Trade of the Far West, published by Arthur H. Clark Company from 1965-1972, Culbertson's biography is covered by Ray H. Mattison of the National Park Service in a mere four pages. Mattison listed 14 references and used no primary source material in preparation of Culbertson's biography.

Wischmann spent an intense thorough 10 years researching Culbertson and his wife. She examined Culbertson's journals, that of his contemporaries, his business records and the business records of the American Fur Company and other companies of the times. Culbertson was also a liaison between Upper Missouri tribes and the politicals of Washington, D.C. These records were also examined. The bibliography 14 pages of hundreds of books, journal articles, newspaper articles, government documents, unpublished resources, archival collections of university, Fort Union Trading Post National Historical Site and other forts and posts of the west and state historical societies.

Wischnmann said that she was concerned about her lack of prior knowledge about the fur trade. This was not a hindrance but an immense help in that she goes back to the beginning of the Fur Trade era examining its development through Lewis and Clark and on through the St. Louis, Mo. company's exploitation of the tribes as fur and hide sources. She takes the history from the beaver to the hide trade to the delivery of annuities for the tribes as treaties with the "Great White Father" were made, signed and violated through the 1870s. She takes the time to give the background information so the setting is known during the time Culbertson was active as a part of this historical period in American development.

Culbertson was born near Chambersburg, Penn. to a Scottish-Irish family in 1809. He worked for his uncle on the frontiers of Florida and Minnesota before joining the American Fur Company in 1833. He headed west to Fort McKenzie near present-day Fort Benton, Mont. serving the Blackfeet. In 1840 he was put in charge of Fort Union near present-day Williston, N. D.

Culbertson and his wife worked together in creating good and relations with the upper Missouri tribes. John Ewers of the Smithsonian Institution described Natoyist-Siksina, or Natawista, as her family called her, as comparable to Sacagawea of the Lewis and Clark expedition. Culbertson and Natawista worked for more than 30 years to forge relations between the whites and the tribes of the Upper Missouri.

Culbertson founded and built Fort Benton, the "birthplace of Montana." He had a reputation as an honest trader which helped negotiate the end of the 1833 Crow siege of Fort Mckenzie. He also hosted a multitude of ministers, artists, world travelers, scientists and government surveyors during his tenure on the Upper Missouri.

They are referenced in the journals of John James Audubon, Charles Larpenteur, Nicholas Point and Pierre Jean DeSmet, among others. Culbertson was instrumental in the success of the Fort Laramie Treaty Conference of 1851, guiding the 1853 Northern Pacific Railroad Survey party under Isaac Stevens and played key roles in negotiating the treaty with the Blackfeet tribes in 1855 and other treaties in following years.

This is Wischmann's first book, an Arthur H. Clark Company publication released October, 2000. The book is Volume XXVIII of the Arthur H. Clark Company's Western Frontiersman Series. The red linen cloth book is printed on acid-free paper and with a foil-stamped spine and front cover, no dust jacket and was issued as a 750 limited edition and no doubt will go out of print quickly.