Vermont Books

David Middleton is a great photographer\author, I have read all his books. he captures the beauty of vermont in this book.

David is a genius and his latest book is breathtaking. If you enjoy the backroads of Vermont, you'll love this book.

This book disappointed me. The book contains a lot of wildlife pictures and lot of great close-ups (They are absolutely great). But it does not have a lot about the scenic beauty of Vermont. And the landscape photos are not as great as the close-ups or wildlife. And its expensive.

I loved the author's other book The Photographers Guide to Vermont.

I purchased this book as a Christmas gift for hubby! I had no thought of reading it until it arrived at the house! Looks very interesting! After he is done with it I will place it within my reading material. There are pictures through out. Ok, so maybe I will read it BEFORE I give it to him for Christmas! :)

I don't think I can improve on the e-mail I sent to friends and family as soon as I finished the book..... 'I just finished a book called "A War of the People" by Jane's good friend Jeff Marshall. It is a collection of letters from (and to) Civil War soldiers from Vermont. I can't say enough about this book. I feel as if I've just read a great novel, and yet it's all true. Jeff has done a brilliant job of choosing the letters, and many of the letter-writers reappear, as you're taken through the course of the war. The most emotionally wrenching aspect is that Jeff includes a brief but pithy biography of each soldier at the back of the book, listed alphabetically, so that after reading a letter, you can look up the soldier to find that he lived until 1915 and was "wounded ... at Savage Station , June 29, 1862. ... Mustered out June 19, 1865. Returned to Concord and became a farmer. Married Eliza E. Hale (to whom some of his letters are addressed) in 1867." Or that he was "Killed in action at Cedar Creek, October 19, 1864." I found myself biting my nails reading the letters, barely able to keep from turning to the bios in mid-letter to see if the soldier survived the war. These soldiers, most of whom were farm boys, were eloquent nonetheless. I guess you can tell I really, really loved this book, and I highly recommend it. (Jane's family: you know Jeff and may have already read the book, so please forgive my literary euphoria. I just finished it and went right to the computer.) Tom'

University Press of New England asked me to review Jeff Marshall's new book, "A War of the People: Vermont Civil War Letters." In the words of Private William Daniels, of Barton, one of the letters included in the book, "I will respond simply." WOW!

Over 140 letters to and from 78 soldiers, from practically every unit Vermont fielded during the course of the war! Letters from all theaters of the war, covering every period of time from the Spring of 1861 to the Spring of 1865! You'll find a governor (or at least his wife), a general or two and some Colonels. But for the most part you'll find common soldiers, their fathers and mothers, their brothers and sisters, their friends. Don't expect these letters to divulge some great heretofore unsolved mystery about the war. These letters aren't about the war; they are about life, about the people, and Jeff has done a great job collecting just the right letters to show the whole gamut of emotions and attitudes the soldiers and their families expressed, and the joy and concerns and pain they endured during the course of the war.

I usually have a hard time carefully reading the introduction and commentary in a book of letters (I want to get to the letters!), but Jeff does a great job of explaining the rationale behind the soldiers' reasons for writing, and has given accurate and relevant background for each season of the war. Its a great read! I hope this is the first of a number of books like it.

A very well written book with lots of detail on how to get to a trail, description/map of the trail, whether it is suitable for snowshoeing or X-country skiing or both, as well as a few bits of trivia and suggestions for a good place to eat after a days outing to replenish. I only wish the book were 5 times bigger to cover more trails.

Yes! This book is very unique in that is written for a few, specific winter activities (x-country skiing or snowshoeing) in a few very specific locations (New Hampshire and Vermont). If you are in the market for such a book, you don't have many choices to begin with. You'll be happy to know that this book does its subject justice.

People in the Northeast will truly enjoy this book as it covers the best winter activity locations primarily in both the Green and White mountains but also in a few other various locations in each state (including Southern New Hampshire and Vermont). The guide includes point-to-point trail directions, specific maps, driving directions, facility information, and the usual historical fun facts that always fill hiking books.

I grew up in New Hampshire and now live in Vermont. To find this book that covers both of my outdoor winter playgrounds was a true find. If you are a big outdoorsy person looking for a guide to places to help you with winter activities, this book by Marty Basch will be a welcome addition to your library or backpack.

Yes! This book is very unique in that is written for a few, specific winter activities (x-country skiing or snowshoeing) in a few very specific locations (New Hampshire and Vermont). If you are in the market for such a book, you don't have many choices to begin with. You'll be happy to know that this book does its subject justice.

People in the Northeast will truly enjoy this book as it covers the best winter activity locations primarily in both the Green and White mountains but also in a few other various locations in each state (including Southern New Hampshire and Vermont). The guide includes point-to-point trail directions, specific maps, driving directions, facility information, and the usual historical fun facts that always fill hiking books.

I grew up in New Hampshire and now live in Vermont. To find this book that covers both of my outdoor winter playgrounds was a true find. If you are a big outdoorsy person looking for a guide to places to help you with winter activities, this book by Marty Basch will be a welcome addition to your library or backpack.

I think this is an absolutely precious story that has a real message.

It will really make you think about what we value in our society and what really IS of value.

This book can be read in about a half hour. Instead of tuning into a tv show, pick a night to open up this book and give it a read. I think you will be pleasantly surprised at the reaction you have.

What a nice holiday story! Living in the Northeast, I definitely felt akin to the story of the woodcutter and his trees. This was much more "real" than a lot of the Christmas books out there. The photos are really great too. I'm going to be buying more to give as gifts this year!

This is a nice little gift book, only 61/2" x 6 1/2" and easily read in a single sitting. It has lovely black and white photographs and a satisfying story which makes you think about the things you value and the things you throw away. When a man who lives with the bounty of the earth and the turning of the seasons comes to realize that the Christmas trees he raises end up cast aside on curbs by the thousands after a very short "life" of use and compares that with the slow, process of growing and maturing that he has nurtured them through, his life changes. He also meets a special person when he's in Manhattan to sell the trees and she teaches him to look beyond the prescribed "value" that society places on the new and sparkly and successful, to look at the intrinsic value that life bestows and that is so often taken for granted. Of course Brad Kessler says all this in a very lovely Vermont-woodsy-deep snowy sort of way. This book doesn't bowl you over with emotion or revelation but it does make you think and feel and it takes you to a quiet place where you might have a chance to absorb and integrate this important message. I recommend it. A portion of the royalties from the sale of the book are donated to aid homeless people in New York City.

Angela, her brother, and her mother move to Vermont to run an inn after her father dies. She feels adrift in Vermont until she discovers skiing, but she hasn't the funds or the time for the sport. She wrestles against her family's needs but eventually learns to work with her family rather than just for herself.

This book is a wonderful story! All about a girl who is sent to school in a totally foreign country . On the way, she meets a boy and becomes casual friends. When she finds he lives near her boarding school, they become closer and gardually romance blooms! Also on the way you meet a bombshell with an attitude and a handsome hunk of a ski instructor. This book has been a favorite of mine for years.

A superbly presented compendium of two dozen classic ski and snowboard tours throughout the states of Vermont and New York, David Goodman's Backcountry Skiing Adventures offers the best routes, equipment and backcountry riding tips; topographic maps and photos for each tour; information on avalanche awareness, winter camping, gear, safety, and first aid. This absolutely user friendly outdoor guide is a "must" for anyone planning a skiing or snowboarding excursion in Vermont or New York. Also very highly recommended is the other title in this outstanding Appalachian Mountain Club "Backcountry Skiing Adventures" series: Classic Ski and Snowboard Tours in Maine and New Hampshire.

This is a great book if you are looking for a guide to some of the best cross country and telemark trails, however since i was looking for more of a downhill backcountry guide, this is not really what i was looking for, but it is still a very informative and well written book.

My mother bought this book for us girls when we were little because it took place in Townshend, VT, just a few miles away. It seemed very real to us, as we always went to the fair and auction each summer, and were very close to an old farm couple like Hattie and Henry. We imagined the joy of finding a strange and special doll like Laurie did. I think this book has held up well with time, as Laurie's life back home in New York (her single mother experiencing money problems) and the adjustments to very different surroundings will touch a chord in modern children. A Queen Anne doll sells for over $10,000 today, and a modern-day Laurie would feel so proud to be able to help her mother, just as Laurie did then.

Laurie lives in the city with her mother, a single parent. She is sent away to the country for the summer as a "fresh air" child. She brings Kathleen, her special doll twin, with her on the bus as they travel to a family she does not know. Through a twist of fate, Laurie arrives at the country house of Hattie and Henry without her beloved companion. Although she doesn't abandon hope of finding Kathleen, Laurie looks for another doll at the auction of a local doll collector's possessions. The child's pocket change is no match for the money of serious adult collectors, but she does manage to find a hidden treasure.

This book was originally published in 1958, and will appeal to adult doll book collectors. When Hattie gave Laurie a small, doll sized cast iron stove to play with, I had to have one! Such old-fashioned touches will charm the nostalgic reader, but the text is also sound enough for today's 9 to 12 year old readers. References to "Jumeau", "wax doll", "penny wooden" and "Queen Anne" provide a great opportunity for experienced doll collectors to share information about doll types and doll history with younger doll collectors, who may have only known about plastic, vinyl, and porcelain dolls. I have read this book several times, and still find it enjoyable.

This slim volume serves as a nice introduction (or refresher) for middle-schoolers & older on the subject of Ethan Allen and/or the origins of the state of Vermont.

The chapter titles are as follows:

1. Who Was Ethan Allen?

2. A Connecticut Troublemaker

3. The Hampshire Grants

4. Trouble in the Grants

5. Green Mountain Outlaws

6. War with Great Britain

7. Making a State

8. Ethan Returns

9. The Independent Republic of Vermont

10. Ethan Settles Down

Raabe begins with an anecdote (c. 1778) about Allen that serves to establish his character and local reputation, then she gives a little prefatory material on what the rest of the book will be about. In the 2nd chapter, she jumps backward to 1764 with another anecdote about Allen before finally going back to his birth in 1738 and filling the reader in a bit on the Allen family. This seemed a slightly odd way of starting, but maybe that's just me. From there, the material progresses forward in a generally chronological format.

The book has good info on Allen's extended family, most of whom remained in the Hampshire Grants/Vermont and helped protect & govern it in those formative years. Allen's youth and education are only briefly touched on, as is the time he spent running an iron mine & furnace w/ his brothers. The meat of the story really begins when the Allens move into the Grants and conflict arises over who properly owns and governs the region. Then, of course, there is the American Revolution.... Raabe also briefly discusses Allen's post-war activities, including writing, farming, a second marriage, and continuing as unofficial spokesman & 'enforcer' for all Vermont.

The only problem I have with the book concerns a couple of inaccurate statements about Deism and our first three U.S. presidents. First, in speaking of Allen's religious beliefs, the book says that "He believed that God was a God of nature, and that people should not have to go to church or listen to preachers give sermons." (p. 87) A little later it states, "Ethan's religious beliefs fell under a branch of religious study known as Deism. Deism holds that God is everywhere in nature, and not outside the world at all." (p. 89) Technically, this description is more accurately described as Pantheism. From what I can tell, Allen did in fact hold to a pantheistic form of Deism (possibly influenced by the writings of John Toland). But, most deists hold to the idea of a transcendant 'God' who, contrary to the theistic teaching, does not operate within the world. So, that last sentence of Raabe's above would be incorrect for Deism writ large. On the other hand, this is probably not going to be of concern to the average reader.

Second, the author claims that "In fact, the first three presidents in the United States all were believers in Deism." (p. 89). But, while this is accurate for Thomas Jefferson (as well as Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Paine), it is not so for the other two. It is true that the orthodoxy of George Washington's Christianity and the depth of his devotion are still debated, but it seems clear that he was at least a theist. (As Richard Brookhiser put it in his Founding Father (p. 146), "[Washington] had a warm and lively belief, repeatedly expressed in private and in public, in Providence. Washington's God was no watchmaker, who wound the world up and retired, but an active agent and force." Clearly not a deistic view.) John Adams, on the other hand, was most clearly a devoutly orthodox Christian, and this can be seen in his letters and other writings, as well.

Ms. Raabe writes in an easy, flowing style that is quite well-suited for her primary audience. There are a couple of small typos, but nothing terribly distracting or that would cause a confusion of facts - other than the abovementioned point, that is. As is typical for shorter and youth-oriented books, there are no end/footnotes. There is a 'Timeline' of Allen's life at the end of the book, as well as a helpful Glossary, a short list of 'Additional Resources', a Bibliography, and a brief index.

There are several photos and reproductions of paintings, documents, maps, etc. (many color, others B&W), which I really appreciated. There are a couple places where I thought the narrative would be better served by either reducing the pictures or replacing them altogether with more text. But, they still serve to familiarize young readers with people, places, & things from our history, which is usually a good thing.

Overall, well done. This is the 2nd volume in the series that I've read, and I plan to check out several more.


Content: 4
Style & Structure: 3.75
Average: 3.88, rounded up to 4

Ethan Allen and the Green Mountain Boys are best remembered for capturing Fort Ticonderoga during the American Revolution without a single shot being fired. There is a famous hand-colored engraving by Alonzo Chappel showing Allen ordering the confused British commander to surrender the fort. That illustration appears as a two-page spread in this volume, which would make it the largest picture I have seen in any of The Library of American Lives and Times volumes to date. However, as Emily Raabe makes clear from the title of this book, "Ethan Allen: The Green Mountain Boys and Vermont's Path to Statehood," Allen is central to a larger story than that of the capture of a fort. Her opening chapter asks Who Was Ethan Allen? and makes it clear he was both a legendary figure, associated with tall tales similar to Daniel Boone and Davy Crockett, but also a controversial figure where whether you thought of him as a hero or a villain depended on where you lived at that time.

What you have to remember is that Vermont was not one of the original thirteen colonies and on the eve of the Revolution it was called the Hampshire Grants by those looking at it from the east and New York by those to the west. There is a map in the third chapter of this book of New England and the other colonies that shows how the boundary between New York and New Hampshire was a controversial subject. This book tells the story of how Allen became involved in that controversy and played a substantial role in helping to make Vermont one of the new United States. Raabe introduces Allen in the second chapter as A Connecticut Troublemaker, opening with a scene of Allen being inoculated against smallpox in 1764 by his friend, Dr. Thomas Young, despite the church forbidding the practice as the devil's work, before going back and telling the story of his life from his birth in 1738 to first traveling to the Hampshire Grants, which is what the third chapter is about. Chapter 4, Trouble in the Grants, explains the problems that rose between the Granters and the (New) Yorkers and how Allen and the Green Mountain Boys were formed as a local militia (or army) to protect the Grants. Consequently, they were considered the Green Mountain Outlaws by the Yorkers, and the fifth chapter tells about some of their more famous exploits.

I would have thought that when we got to Chapter 6, War with Great Britain, that this would change priorities for Allen and his men, but while this chapter does cover the capture of Ticonderoga and other forts to give the Americans control of Lake Champlain, and Allen's plan to capture Montreal, it proved to be only a minor diverse from the question of Vermont's independence. Chapter 7, Making a State, actually begins with Allen being taken prisoner by the British, while back in Vermont the people wrote a declaration of independence for what they were going to call "New Connecticut," which was submitted to the Continental Congress in Philadelphia. Chapter 8, Ethan Returns, begins with Allen's release in 1778 and how his unique political power allowed him to keep Vermont at peace during the rest of the war.

Chapter 9, The Independent Republic of Vermont, informs young readers that Vermont was not part of the new nation and that the Green Mountain boys fought several battles against the Yorkers and not the British to maintain Vermont's autonomy. Ethan Settles Down, the final chapter, looks at the second family Allen began after the war and how he ended up dying two years before Congress finally accept Vermont into the Union in 1791. I wish there were a bit more details on how the latter finally came about given all the obstacles that were put in the way of Vermont statehood, but I suppose the life of Ethan Allen will be of more interest to younger readers than the whole issue of making Vermont a state. The back of the book includes a Timeline regarding Ethan Allen and Vermont, a Glossary of terms from "allegiance" to "yeoman," and a few books and websites that qualify as Additional Resources as well as a Bibliography.

The book is illustrated with historic etchings and maps, as well as a letter from George Washington talking about Allen and the title page from a book Allen wrote on philosophy and religion that earned him enemies in the church, which was something he apparently enjoyed. This is one of several titles in The Library of American Lives and Times devoted to the colonial period and the American Revolution. Others includes "Abigail Adams: A Revolutionary Woman," "Nathan Hale: Patriot and Martyr of the American Revolution," "Marquis de Lafayette: French Hero of the American Revolution," "Thomas Paine: 'Common Sense' and Revolutionary Pamphleteering," "Robert Rogers: Rogers' Rangers and the French and Indian War," and "Peter Stuyvesant: New Amsterdam and the Origins of New York." As you can tell from these titles, this series does not focus on the most famous Founding Fathers like Washington, Franklin and Jefferson (the sort who end up on money), but those who make up the next level of the pantheon.

Good source of information, but...has absolutely no photos! It's pretty hard to want to travel somewhere when you have no idea what the place looks like. Still, while traveling this book is quite useful.

i believe this book to be very useful. it not only gives you a variety of accomodations but many price ranges as well. the list of attractions is always accurate and explained very well. i recommend this book to anyone traveling anywhere! i have also used this good for Europe and it was fabulous. dates and times that sights were open was very accurate which made planning my trip very easy.

We have just returned from our trip to the 3 states and we found the guide helpful, more in the planning than in the actual trip itself. I would suggest this and one of the other guides, like Froemmer, as well as searching the net for options. One negative-the map that is included in not of a scale that is helpful to the driver. Too many missing roads. The maps in the sections, as well as the numbering system for attractions, are a plus. They also left a few note pages in the back, thoughtfully, so you may keep them with the book easily.

FODOR'S MAINE, VERMONT, NEW HAMPSHIRE, 10TH EDITION is a great book about New England's northern section. In addition to where the best lodging, shopping, and dining are, it also describes plenty of outdoor activity ideas for anyone trying to look good for their significant other and/or their favorite celebrity. If any of those things are important to you, you need this book.