Virginia Books

I gave this to my father who played with the Richmond Braves in the mid 1950's. He loved the book and it brought back some fond memories for him.

The Battle of McDowell is the first of it's kind in the respect that it is devoted to the history of this important battle in Highland County, Virginia. Anyone interested in further details of the battle may e-mail me at 7thcav@va.tds.net and I will do my best to answer their questions. I thank you, Richard L. Armstrong. P. S. - Yes, I am that Richard L. Armstrong.

I own two of these maps so far. I can honestly say that I want all of them. I love maps but not just any will do. These are not only beautiful but as near as I can tell, accurate. These are great to use with civil war books short on good detailed maps or just to keep your bearing while you read. There are no military markings on these but if one were to laminate and use map markers, voila. Gotta have these.

I really enjoyed this book. My favorite part is when Hattie goes to the old mine and sees all of the bats flying out. It proves that peoples ideas and personalities can change. I would recommend reading it if you have some free time. Overall I would rate this book EXCELLENT!

This book was a gift for my husband and he couldn't put it down when he first opened it.

First published in 1936, Black Thnder was widely and favorably reviewed, but - as the author writes in his introduction to this edition - "the theme of self-assertion by black men whose endurance is strained to the breaking point wat not one that readers of fiction were prepared to contemplate at the time."

The young Richard Wright, in reviewing the book for Partisan Review, commented as follows: "Black Thunder is the true story of a slave insurrection that failed. But in his telling of the story of that failure Bontemps manages to reveal and dramatize through the character of his protagonist, Gabriel, a quality of folk courage unparalleled in the proletarian literature of this country.... Black Thunder sounds a new note in Negro fiction, thereby definitely extending the boundaries and ideology of the Negro novel." -- from book's back cover

Peter brings to one source as much information about the history as possible. He obviously did much research in not only tracking down the possible existence of TJBeale, but also in the plausability of such a treasure even existing. I highly recommend the book to any newcomer to the treasure story as it will save countless hours (if not months) of research.

Good job Peter!

I am not sure if this has gone past the third edition. I am searching for a more recent version and only hope I can find one. The photographs are wonderful; the descriptions enticing. This is a super guide for anyone looking for bed and breakfast accommodations in Virginia. I am a B&B nut and frequently refer to this book. If anyone hasn't yet stayed in a B&B, they will once they look through this publication! A note to the publishers: please update this soon!

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 author, Virginia Fields has lovingly written her insights and inspirations that help seekers of any age find enlightenment and tread their spiritual path to God. After trying many years to study the original "Search for God" texts channeled by Edgar Cayce, I find "Beginning the Search" is not only easier to read, but more relevant to my spiritual needs. Each lesson or chapter in the book ends with spiritual growth activities the reader can use to integrate the teachings into his or her daily life. Individuals or groups who study this material will not only improve their lives, but will help change the world.

L.Kain, Garner, NC