Pennsylvania Books

Also available in a hardcover edition (1932236376, $25.00), Dickens And The Social Order evaluates four of Dickens' early novels - Nicholas Nickelby, Barnaby Rudge, American Notes, and Martin Chuzzlewit - and derives from them Dickens' social philosophy. Presenting the affirmation that Dickens in fact held a surprisingly traditional wordview, as a champion of authority, customs, and accepted mannerly behavior, Dickens And The Social Order progressively reveals Dickens as a solid pragmatist, who considered practical realities first and utopian dreams in a far lesser light than others would claim. Astutely written and solidly argued, Dickens And The Social Order is a welcome addition to classical literary criticism shelves.

Do not be misled by the title. This is more a detailed encyclopedia of glass than a simple dictionary, with many in depth articles covering the history, art and technology of glass working.

All forms of glass craft are represented, including blowing, lamp work, stained glass, etching and engraving. Raw materials, chemicals, tools and techniques for industrial and artistic uses are described.

Styles & important historical pieces are also covered. The book is well illustrated with b/w photos & diagrams. Two sections of color plates showcase some beautiful & unusual artistic pieces in a wide variety of techniques.

Lists of periodicals, suppliers, societies, schools and museums provide a great source for further information. This is a complete and essential reference for anyone interested in glass.

This new work put out under the auspices of the British Museum has what it takes to become THE standard desk reference on the Ancient Near East. Entries are clear and concise (the longest run to two and a half columns). Also, they are good about letting the reader know which archaeological and historical issues are still matters of dispute (in other words, there seems to be no faking of certainty). Although there are no color plates, almost every page has a well-chosen and informative photograph or illustration. Maps and charts are simple and easy to absorb. The editors and their staff get major points for the quality and extent of their cross-referencing and indexing. It's very easy to spend hours following all the interesting leads and connections from one article to another. Many alphabatized reference works don't even bother with an index ("The Oxford Companion to Classical Civilization" is an example of a work that desperately needs one); but, as anyone who has to do quick look-ups on the fly knows, an index is a great asset in any single-volume desk reference work.

Information the publisher should have given to Amazon.com: (1) The definition of the Ancient Near East the editors follow is the one used by the British Museum: Mesopotamia, Iran, Anatola, the Caucasus, the Levant and Arabia; (2) The chronological range covered by the entries stretches from 1.5 million years ago to the fall of Babylon to the Persian Cyrus the Great in 539 B.C. [Yes, dates are identified as "B.C.", not "B.C.E."]; (3) Besides information about the ANE that you'd expect to find, this dictionary includes information on the discoverers as well--the people and institutions who made significant contributions to ANE studies. (Although I'm not qualified to judge, I suspect the Brits are over-represented.)

Things I would like to see added in subsequent editions: (1) A general introduction that give the reader some context and background; (2) A timeline that relates what was happening in the ANE to the growth of civilization in Egypt. (I accept the need to limit discussion of Egypt in the individual entries, but would have appreciated a schematic that gave me a workable overview. Don't the Assyriologists ever talk to the Egyptologists at the British Museum?)

Overall an excellent work! I'm glad to own a copy.

I have never been so affected by a book than this. I had to heal myself after reading it. Years after, I write this review while battling the gruesome images described in this account of violence. Chapter after chapter I was tempted to put it down, away, bury it, whatever as it is truly difficult to stomach. Yet in the end, the hope of humanity is triumphantly related in this harrowing book. A master piece of journalism.

This book is a wealth of information for any genealogist trying to date a photo taken in Pennsylvania from the years 1839-1900. The information is concise and to the point and literally within minutes I was able to date 2 photographs based on the photographers name stamp to the year 1890. Ries and Ruby have done an excellent job researching photographers from the 18th and 19th century who worked in the state of Pennsylvania. I have previously purchased "Dating Old Photographs 1840-1929" and "Uncovering Your Ancestry through Family Photographs" and this book blows the previous two out of the water!!

Musicologist Ken Kreitner's book on town bands and music in Wayne Co., PA was obviously a labor of love. His connection to the area and to music in general is apparent throughout. While this closeness to the subject might be cause for academic concern in some writers, this is not the case here. The author's methodology is thoroughly transparent and ample evidence is provided for all his claims. But this book is not only for the musicologist. Kreitner's style is that of the local historian who finally finds someone interested in what he has discovered about the town. He speaks to the reader in first and second person frequently and often provides his opinion when historical data are not sufficient. In other words, he tells a fascinating story about small-town Pennsylvania, the people, the industry, and the culture. He then discusses the place of the bands and some of their more colorful individuals in this context. This book is not only a valuable addition to the meager scholarship on the subject, but a thoroughly enjoyable read from cover to cover.

This is a well-presented historic overview of an institution that served the communities in southwestern PA. The author provides a perspective on the progressive nature (for its time) of the hospital's philosophy toward mental health care and treatment during the period of the hospital's existence. A rich photo history provides a look into mental health institutions during the time of this particular hospital's operation. It is a tribute to the patients and caring staff that this book on Dixmont, named for the visionary and advocate of Mental Health Reform, Dorothea Dix, is not forgotten for its place in the history of Mental Health care.

This book was worth the read and I recommend visiting the author's web site. The characterization of Don Juan in this story is convincing and realistic. He had a code that he refused to violate, which makes him better than most men. He never seduced a woman who didn't want it.

In Doomsayers: Anglo-American Prophecy In The Age Of Revolution, Susan Juster (Associate Professor of History at the University of Michigan Ann Arbor), provides a perceptive and informative survey of the apocalyptic prophets of the 1790's and early 1800's. Visionaries (or perhaps simply deluded individuals), used the era's budding proliferation of newspapers, corresponding societies, penny pamphlets, voluntary associations and more to spread their predictions and prophecies. The foretellings of several hundred men and women in Britain and North America are deftly reviewed to give a general impression of how doomsayers' stories were formed, challenged, tested, and often ultimately discarded. Presenting the struggle between would-be prophets and their critics as part of a larger shift in societal norms in the age, Doomsayers is a thought-provoking, meticulously researched, accessibly presented and highly recommended account of an historically influential social and cultural phenomena.

Great! It came so fast and in such great condition.