Virginia Books

With Paintbrush and Shovel is certainly a unique book. The beautiful paintings of wild flowers - 238 in all- really look more like high quality photography, they are so exquisitely detailed. The story that goes with the paintings tells an unknown story about work done by WPA women during the depression. One of the projects fostered by Roosevelt, the WPA gave work to unskilled African-American women and it was these women that cleaned up this willderness and brought the wild-flowers to Bessie Marshall to be reproduced in watercolor. The book is well-worth owning.

The wildflower paintings in this book are absolutely unbelievably beautifully detailed. When you see them you will not believe the artist could so accurately paint the tiny delicate features of each flower and could so accurately recreate the wonderful colors. If you like, forget about the wonderful story documenting the WPA project in the 1930s to create a wildflower park and document the flowers with paintings. But, if you are an artist or a wildflower lover or both you must check this out just for the wonderful paintings.

Additionally, the printers spared no expense. They used high quality paper and achieved exquisite reproduction of the paintings. I'm sure they were fearful they would be totally out classed if they did not.

This book provides a rare glimpes into the WPA projects especially designed by women. The book also illustrates the history of the park and chronicles the work of a diverse group of women who established a botanical preserve in a City Park during the 30's. The project, of national significance, was part of the WPA that provided work for African Americans and White Women during the depression. How intersting to read that the park provided an income for these deprived women, who created a wildflower/bird preserve for a small city. The beautiful botanical illustrations by B. Marshall are exquisite and the story to follow only enhances the charm of this well documented history.

Found the author's book while searching for relatives of Beppie Leslie Culin Roskruge, who is likely the great aunt of Virginia Culin Roberts - because I found and am attempting to return what may be a sentimental heirloom of Beppie's to a living relative.

Good book, good author - just like her famous great aunt was.

I found the book well written, with Ms Roberts' delivering a colorful portrayal of western history. As a resident of the Nogales - Patagonia - Sonoita area I found her work verifiable and acurate, providing myself and by family a valuable source of information on our local history.

A side note: The Pennington family homestead was recently rediscovered and preservation efforts will hopefully save the remaining structure.

This book was extremely excellent, and life-like. Ms. Virginia Culin Roberts did an excellent job writing this book. Way to go Virginia!

Jim and Alan have told the story of a little known piece of World war II history. A nice feature is telling the story from the enemy side of the coin. Also we get a nice view of how joint military operations worked in the early years of the war.

Attacks by German submarines on Atlantic coastline targets during World War II were a very real possibility and one to be guarded against by the American Navy and Coast Guard. In Wolf At The Door: The World War II Antisubmarine Battle For Hampton Roads, Virginia, James Powell builds upon original scholarship and research (an in collaboration academician Alan B. Flanders who is an expert in naval history and a prolific author of maritime history books) to reveal the story of the U.S. Fifth Naval District's defeat of German U-boats in the struggle for Hampton Roads, Virginian -- including perspectives of naval officers and captains from both sides of the conflict, and in the process also informs the interested reader in the overall development of the U.S. Antisubmarine Warfare Program. Wolf At The Door is a unique and invaluable addition to the growing library of World War II Military Histories.

This is a great title for the professional historian or amateur history buff. The interviews with and comments by German U-boat captains is compelling and teaches much about the actual experiences during WWII. What I like most about this study is that it presents more than one perspective, not only the perspective of the authors but the truth as told by men who were actually there. Highly recommended!

When I was growing up in western New York, studying colonial America was about the Pilgrims and Plymouth Rock. It was not about Jamestown, even though the landing at Jamestown occurred 13 years earlier. I learned a lot about Jamestown upon moving to Virginia, and with the 400th anniversary this year, I've learned even more.

In recent years, finding text resources about Jamestown that present a true picture of colonization, warts and all, has been hard to find. This situation has changed with the publication of Karen Lange's book, 1607: A New Look at Jamestown. Lange, a journalist and writer with National Geographic Magazine, presents a brief history of the settling of Jamestown using new archaeological evidence to tell the story.

The Foreword begins in this fashion:
Many people feel that to discover the past, all you have to do is find a book, open the pages, and read a single story. That couldn't be farther from the truth. History is not static: It is not a single story. Simple discovery may only yield you one layer. To really begin to understand the multi-faceted stories that make up our past, you must dig beyond what we think we know. You must discover and then re-discover.

This volume takes these words to heart as it reveals the recent discoveries at the Jamestown archaeological site. Supported by an extensive bibliography of primary sources, Lange presents the grim reality that was the founding of this American colony. The narrative describes the settlers' struggles through the artifacts left behind. Color photographs of the dig site, found treasures, and historical reenactment scenes give readers a glimpse of what life was like for those who lived inside the Jamestown fort.

Lange does an especially good job of describing how native peoples were living when the settlers arrived, and how their arrival forever changed their way of life. Lange even highlights the response of the Paspahegh (Powhatan) descendants to the planned celebrations to mark the 400th anniversary of Jamestown, noting:
"For the Indians, Jamestown is nothing to celebrate. To them, it meant the end of their ancestors' way of life."

I was completely enthralled by this book and found myself engaged by the remarkable, yet difficult history presented. Believe me, this is not the standard fare served up in history textbooks. Don't miss this amazing book on a bit of American history you only think you know. I highly recommend it.

In a little under 50 pages, Ms Lange has captured the essence of what life was like in the New World in first decades of the 17th c. She provides an even-handed treatment of Native Americans, the strengths and follies of the English and the terrible ordeals that beset both groups. Her coverage of the most recent findings of archeologists show the misconceptions and biases that have crept into the history books over the ensuing centuries--until now. My 16 year old son used 1607: A New Look at Jamestown as one of his sources for a report in AP US history class, and it was a real eye-opener to him and to me. With wonderful photographs of found relics and recreated scenes, this book brings to life a period and a people who have always taken a back seat to the Pilgrim story. I would highly recommend this book to any parent of a child, pre-teen or teen that shows a curiosity for history. Rather than dumbing-down, Ms Lange dazzles.

Only those with a Bevil / Beville / Beauville / deBeauville / Chesterton, England connection will want this book, but for them it is excellent, readable, and useful, not only in its geneaology but in its history and observations on England up until the 18th century. The authors have accomplished an outstanding job of research.

When the words "700 Years..." are in the title of ANY genealogy book about a family, one instantly wonders about how accurate it is. Yet "700 Years of the Beville Family" is just that: a meticulously researched and documented account of a family whose origins began with two Norman knights who aided William the Conqueror in his quest for the English Crown by crossing the Channel and fighting with him at the Battle of Hastings in the year 1066 A.D.

The book begins with a brief review of how the Duchy of Normandy came into being with the invasion of the Norsemen ca. 911 A.D., and its relation to the rest of the then Frankish kingdom. It covers how Duke William of Normandy came to lay claim to the English throne and the political environment of England at the time of Edward the Confessor leading up to The Conquest.

It next documents the actions of William the Conqueror and the two "de Beuville" brothers, William and Humphrey (noblemen from the town of Beuville in Normandy) and in the subsequent invasion. The story then moves on, detailing the marriages, alliances, roles (including two Knights of the Bath and two members of Parliament), and property transactions of the Beville family for 600 years in the County of Huntingdonshire, England (surrounding present day Peterborough). It concludes with 100 years of the family in colonial America, when Essex Beville emigrated to Virginia, and the next three generations that descended from him.

Using wills, baptismal, marriage, and property records, and several excellent sketches (photographs are added in the 2nd edition), Mrs. Lichliter gives form to the lives of a family's people over 600 years in medieval England. For those with a familiar knowledge of English history, some of the passages are quite revealing as one considers the contemporary events. And the updates made by Frank Pierce and Nancy Beville Pierce provide a very unexpected and fascinating link to both the current Royal family of England, and to the early noble and royal families of England in the centuries after The Conquest.

Specific sources down to the archive, volume and page numbers of references and historical records are given for each revelation and snippet of family history described throughout the work, including references from the Domesday Book of 1086.

Originally published in 1976, the Pierce's have done a masterful job of updating and adding to the original work by the late Asselia Lichliter, including information obtained by other members of the Beville family since 1976.

This work will defintely be of interest to any Beville, Bevill, Bevil, (or variation thereof) and their related family descendants as an authenticated account of their history begining in the year 1066.

It will be of interest to genealogists in general, especially amateur genealogists as Mrs. Lichliter was an "ordinary" woman with an exceptional interest in her family's history. It can also add body to desciptions of feudal society in England for those interested in history.

Exceptional, amazing and fascinating. This story of one ancient family's history is sure to become a genealogy classic.

I love the Leader Anthology itself, and the accompaniments are very well done. So well done in fact that I often just put them on as great background music while I'm reading or something. I find them very soothing.

The next best thing to having a pianist right there with you. Even if you play, it is not the best situation to play for yourself while rehearsing alone. And you can absolutely use these tracks for live performances.

i love this map book, its easy to use and can really help if you get lost, you shouldn't leave home without one

More than 200 pages of really detailed maps. Several downtown areas are enlarged too. The spiral binding is nice; it lays flat.

This is a wonderful cookbook. Oftentimes vegetarian cookbooks' recipes are difficult to "veganize". Not so with this one! Most of the recipes are vegan already! Also, my roommate has Celiacs Disease and eats a VERY strict gluten-free diet. I have no problem finding recipes in this book that satisfy both of our dietary restrictions.

The recipes are great but also the book is very informative on various food items. I enjoyed reading it as much as I did cooking from it. The book is divided regionally ie The Northeast, South etc. Each section consists of a brief culinary history of the region, followed by the recipes, with anecdotes and little essays regarding particular food items thrown in. Very interesting.

This book is fantastic. I recommend it to all my friends!! I'm so glad to find out that I wasn't crazy, I wasn't imagining those symptoms, and other people really do go through these things! This book is a life and sanity saver.

I loved this book. I've loaned it to several friends during their pregnancies and each one has made comments that they are SOOOO happy that they are not alone in what they think is their own problems.... or imaginery!

As Continental forces and Virginia militia units were engaged in winning independence, American quartermasters and provisioners struggled to provide these units with all the necessities of life, from meals and guns to meat, fodder for horses, the horses themselves, firewood, and every other type of material. Much of this was requisitioned from the civilian population and certificates were issued payable in either continental or state funds, depending on the units supplied, upon presentation to court authorities. Thousands of these certificates issued to Virginians were duly entered by the courts, and they provide a fascinating insight into the period of the Revolution. These "Publick" Claims booklets contain interesting and useful information about the contributions of ordinary people to the Revolutionary War. They provide some details of people's service in the militia or as guards for prisoners of war; they indicate where some bodies of troops were at particular times; and they identify providers of horses, wagons, cattle, grain, or other supplies. Much of the information in these booklets cannot be found anywhere else, which makes the surviving records particularly valuable. Also remarkable is the fact that records survived from virtually every county in the state at that time with the exception of the newly formed Kentucky counties. This makes the collection even more valuable in covering areas which heretofore in this time period have suffered from a lack of personal data. The "Virginia Publick Claims" are published by counties. In addition to a faithful transcription by Janice Luck Abercrombie and the late Richard Slatten, a complete index is provided for each county booklet. This series is an extremely important genealogical tool for searchers in Revolutionary-era materials.

"The Cowboy" is an extraordingary and imperishable American folk hero - a part of the past, a part of the present, and an embodiment of the qualities and characteristics Americans like best in themselves. This book about the cowboy combines many elements, each giving a dimension to the mixture of legend and reality that has become the cowboy's image.