Ohio Books

Robert Silverberg tells the fascinating history of the rise and fall of the myth of the Mound Builders in a massively-researched book. Not many people know, for example, that the myth of the Mound Builders was finally laid to rest by the work of the Smithsonian Institution in the 1870s and 1880s under the direction of John Wesley Powell, the Civil War hero and one-armed explorer of the Colorado River (note "Lake Powell).

By 1800, the mystery of the tens of thousands of mounds in the eastern United States called out for a solution, and that solution was not to be found in the Native Americans, who were considered too lazy to have constructed such great works. The mounds had to have been the work of some superior lost white race--notably the ancient Hebrews, but also others.

Prejudice was so strong that few, if any, scholars believed that the Indians, themselves, constructed the mounds (the view from our time). The logic of racial superiority, national pride, religion, and the pocketbook demanded a history in which the Indians killed off an ancient white race of "Mound Builders."

A vast continent lay at the feet of a young nation, and the only thing obstacle to its settlement were the Indians. Silverberg writes with brilliance and humor: "The dream of a lost prehistoric race in the American heartland was profoundly satisfying; and if the vanished ones had been giants, or white men, or Israelites, or Danes, or Toltecs, or giant white Jewish Toltec Vikings, so much the better."

Silverberg sees both "Manuscript Found" (1816) and the Book of Mormon (1830) as expressions of the Mound Builder myth. In about 1816, the Reverend Solomon Spaulding wrote a novel about two races in ancient America. A narrator in the story claimed to have found 28 parchment scrolls, which he translated. The scrolls tell the story of a shipload of Roman Christians who are blown across the ocean to America. Once here they meet the fair-skinned race of Mound Builders.

That civilization is described in detail, including its laws, religion, priests, money system, tools, animals, agricultural products, as well as a magical seer stone possessed by its prophets. Letters are exchanged between leaders (the Book of Mormon has "epistles"), "Censors" are the rulers ("Judges" in the Book of Mormon), and lists of generals are given for armies of tens of thousands. The mound builders also have horses and "mamoons" (mammoths).

The dead from great battles are heaped up in mounds (false explanations for the orderly Indian burial mounds of real history). The white race has continuous wars with a darker-skinned race, but hundreds of years of peace are established by a great teacher ("Bosaka" in "Manuscript Found" and Christ in the Book of Mormon).

This extraordinarily long period of peace ends in a battle near a hill. In a last battle in which the white race is exterminated, there is an incident in which a man is beheaded in a sword fight.

Silverberg is dispassionate about these similarities of plot elements to those of the Book of Mormon. "Neutral observers," he writes, "generally suggest the possibility that both works drew their inspiration from the fund of Mound Builder legends then in circulation, leaving aside the question of possible borrowing by Smith from Spaulding" (p. 96).

Silverberg continues this compelling history by showing that the Mound Builder myth continued independently of its expression in the Book of Mormon (1830). By 1839, the vastly popular play "Behemoth" had audiences transfixed with its portrayal of "Behemoth," rogue mastodon who destroyed the mound builders. Whole armies attack Behemoth, and even forts were of no protection against the raging mastodon!

During the early 1800s, copper Indian ornaments (described as "plates") were found in the mounds, and some of these ornaments were even mistaken for parts of swords. From such errors, the mound builders were soon thought to have had iron and steel. And so the myth grew (Thomas Jefferson was among the few who thought that the Indians themselves constructed the mounds).

Read this book if you would like some perspective on why a book like the Book of Mormon would emerge during the early 1800s. It is a brilliant unraveling of a forgotten part of American history.

See my negative, one-star reviews of books by Mormon authors: "Echoes and Evidences," "By the Hand of Mormon," "Lehi in the Deseret," and others. Click here: Echoes and Evidences of the Book of Mormon By the Hand of Mormon: The American Scripture that Launched a New World Religion Lehi in the Desert, the World of the Jaredites, There Were Jaredites (Collected Works of Hugh Nibley, Vol 5)

Your comments--good or bad--are appreciated. Thanks.

Mountain Bike!: The Midwest is a comprehensive guide to classic biking trails throughout the American midwest. Authors Richard Ries and Dave Shepard introduce the cyclist to the sheer physical beauty and easy riding routes Ohio; the Scioto Trail State Forest; Wayne National Forest; Indiana; throughout Illinois (including the Chicago/Rockford area); the Shawnee National Forest; and much, much more. Each route is profiled with at-a-glance key information, a thorough ride description, a detailed trail map, helpful sources of information, proximity of important services, valuable commentary on elevation changes and possible hazards, and a rescue index. Enhanced with candid and evocative photographs, vivid descriptions of native flora and fauna, a glossary of mountain biking terms, and tips on mountain biking etiquette, Mountain Bike!: The Midwest is a "must" for dedicated cyclists exploring the biking trails of the American midwest.

For those interested in Cincinnati history or the names and former addresses of family members who came from there, this book can be a valuable resource. Includes maiden names, clubs, ancestral Societies, Debutants and "other matters of Social Interest" according to the book itself

Return Jonathan Meigs Ward had killed before. Having gone undetected the first time, the temptation to do so again was irresistible. "I was myself surprised that a life could be taken with so little disturbance," Ward confessed.

However, in 1857, when he murdered his wife Olive in their small home in downtown Sylvania, it became quite clear to him that covering up this crime would not come so easy. He busied himself with destroying any sign of her and came up with a story that he ultimately could not keep straight. While he butchered her up and burned pieces of her in his stove, residents became suspicious.

Author Gaye E. Gindy spent many hours transcribing old documents and newspapers to bring the story of Ward's life and Olive's grisly murder to light. Olive was clearly a victim of domestic violence. She put her children under the care of others because of Ward's ill-will towards them and having left Ward, she confided in friends and family that Ward was surely going to kill her if she returned. Indeed, upon hearing that she would return for her trunk and clothing, Ward confessed that he fully resolved that Olive would never leave his house alive.

Murder in Sylvania, Ohio: As Told in 1857, is a true account of this murder, committed by Return Jonathan Meigs Ward. It chronicles how a small community in Northwest Ohio brought justice to a man the Toledo Blade believed to be "one of the most hardened criminals that ever stretched hemp."

John Vacha's The Music Went 'round And Around: The Story Of Musicarnival tells of the Musicarnival located in a Cleveland suburb where one John Price Jr. decided to open a unique summer theater. His venture was one of the last commercially legitimate theaters in Cleveland and had a capacity of 2,500, presenting eight to ten shows each summer. From his successful seasons and resident people to his involvement in packaged productions and his strong following, the story of Musicarnival comes to life in a vivid recollection.

John Caputo investigates the claim of many modern philosphers that Heidegger became a mystic in the latter part of his life. Caputo performs a careful analysis of this claim by looking at the writings of Heidegger as they relate to a true German mystic, Meister Eckhart. Does Heidegger's relationship between being and Being equate to Eckhart's soul and God? Does his use of "Gelassenheit", a term of Eckhart's meaning detachment, show a common belief? Caputo's book works on many levels. It brings together two of the great "book ends" of Germany philosophy, spanning the 14th to 20th centuries. And, just as Caputo does a wonderful job of conveying Heidegger's thought, so, too, he captures the mysticism of Eckhart. It was this which actually appealed to me more, and I believe the book can be an excellent introduction into the thinking of one of the greatest mystics of all time -- Eckhart.

This book is must reading for those going to Namibia who want to learn more about Namibia's recent history, particularly the liberation struggle and all the various parties involved in it. You'll learn a lot about church influence, how SWAPO leveraged the international community, about tribes in Namibia, re SWAPO's treatment of Namibians in Angolan internment camps, about South African rule of Namibia, etc.
I'd recommend reading Ley's "Histories of Namibia" before this book. It contains direct interviews from some of the people Leys talks about in the "Liberation Struggle" book and helps one gather a stronger understanding of this period.
I learned so much from "Namibia's Liberation Struggle"! It's great history, political science - all in a very readable format.
Paul

In this book, James Phelan shows very effectively that writing fiction means writing rhetorically and with clear intention. Phelan covers major elements and aspects of the process of understanding and enjoyment of fiction: author's voice, audience, point of view, narrator, etc. To analyze how great authors build their readers' understanding of their work, he uses some of the best known texts in literature--works by Hemingway, Fitzgerald, and others. This books is useful for those interested in exploring ways in which fiction authors construct our impressions of their works and who want to understand that a work of fiction would not affect us unless the author has crafted it in a masterful way. After reading this book, teachers of literature and writing will see common points of interest.

This book is not for the faint of heart! The essays are dense and compact and have a LOT of information. I have learned a lot in the reading I have done so far, though. I am using it in a graduate level class and, like I said, have learned a lot.

In Narrow Gauge In Ohio: The Cincinnati, Lebanon, and Northern Railway John W. Hauck tells the fascinating story of a small railroad in Southwestern Ohio.

The railroad was founded in 1888 as a local narrow gauge railroad built to supply rail service to the highlands in between the Little Miami and Great Miami river. It never becomes overly profitable, it never has a huge amount of traffic or becomes a part of a huge rail corridor, and it eventually is broken up and abandoned. It is this plain, mundane atmosphere that makes the story so interesting. This is not just the story of one road but can represent the story of hundreds of little railroads all over the country.

Hauck tells this story against the backdrop of the wider Midwest narrow gauge movement. He claims as a thesis the inefficiency of this concept. Cheaper construction costs for the narrow track did not make up for the shortcomings of the gauge. He spends the first half of the book discussing the CL&N's narrow gauge operations as well as its integration in the Toledo, Delphos, and Burlington system. This is one of the few books that does discuss the TD&B or the "Little Giant" and its narrow gauge empire.

Along the way the author gives the reader unprecedented detail. The CL&N was near a century old at the time of publication and for a railroad that old the amount of information presented is outstanding. Documents, maps, and even pictures of old roadbeds all point to a well-researched manuscript. Hauck also goes one step farther, interviewing older residents who road on the passenger trains in the 20's and 30's. These interviews manifest themselves as interesting antidotes and side stories that would be missed otherwise. They bring out more of the human side of rail travel and just how different these railroads were than the ones of today.

If there is one flaw with this work it is the omission of any footnotes or bibliography. Hauck claims it would be too difficult to record every interview and document he researched as a source, but even a partial list would have been helpful. Anyone wishing to do further research on this railroad will be limited to this dead-end secondary source.

Never-the-less, the usefulness of this book for any researcher, historian, or model railroader can not be underestimated. In addition to a complete map of the system and major stations there is also a well-research locomotive roster as an appendix. All 24 CL&N locomotives are accounted for with numbers, models, and years of service.

Rounding out the material is an index and a large number of black and white photos. Overall, Narrow Gauge in Ohio fulfills dual roles. It tells the story of the Midwest narrow gauge movement as well as the story of a specific railroad in time. While the information could have been more extensive the publisher was clearly looking at small run and thus limited in pages. Every page in this book is crammed full of useful and interesting information.

Narrow Gauge in Ohio is out of print. However, if ever seen in a used bookstore or on the Internet I heartily recommend it. For those interested in Eastern narrow gauge railroads, the Cincinnati or Lebanon area, or just railroads in general, this book is worth every penny.