Kentucky Books

Boynton Merrill, Jr.'s book Jefferson's Nephews: A Frontier Tragedy is a compelling story about the Lewis family and their move from Virginia gentry to the hard forntier life of Western Kentucky. This story is engaging and a real page turner, not only from the historical stand point, but a powerfull story as well. This book has all of the components of a real life Greek tragedy set in Kentucky in the early 1800's.

The author gives us a real look into life in early Kentucky frontier and the society with social status of the time. Fraught with hardness of life and little pleasures, families seemed destined for struggle.

Lilburne and Isham Lewis are brothers and are the nephews of the President of the United States, Thomas Jefferson, but even at that the Lewis's life still takes a downfall as mounting debt and land disputes keeps the family desperate and in moral decline.

Now, a black slave of Lilburn's is murdered, and the tale that ensues is very compelling. The reconstruction of the crime as told in the book is excellent, aborbing, and tragic. I found the book to be impressive, and historically correct. The scholarship is of first quality and is eminently readable.

A book worth reading more than once... audacious, and fascinating with real life characters... better than fiction.

Murder. Intrigue. Tragedy. This is a little known book, but it is the true story of a branch of Thomas Jefferson's family which moved to frontier Kentucky at about the turn of the 19th Century, 200 years ago. The book is a marvelous exposition of late 18th Century plantation life in Virginia, of the sort that Jefferson and his peers enjoyed. But a branch of Jefferson's family fell into deep debt and sought to rebuild their fortunes on the frontier. The story of their travel with furniture and household goods to Kentucky is fascinating, and even more fascinating is the story of what happened once they got there. Suffice to say that a horrendous murder took place. Its backdrop was the devastating earthquake of 1812 which actually caused the Mississippi River to run backward. The earthquake also revealed the murder in a most bizarre manner. Tragedy ensues on a lonesome Kentucky hilltop with two men killing each other It's all true. A friend of mine found the hilltop and the graves during a recent summer vacation. Thomas Jefferson was alive during this period and must have known about the horrible crime his relatives committed. A real page-turner of a book. Compelling picture of early frontier life in the wilderness by an author (now deceased) who lived in the immediate neighborhood where this story takes place. Too bad it's out of print. If you get a copy, hang on to it.

This book, one of five in a series, was written by the late, great Jim Bolus, "Mr. Kentucky Derby." He also frequently wrote articles in the annual Kentucky Derby souvenir magazine. Bolus knew EVERY conceivable bit of trivia about the race. He wrote about the horses, the history of the race, the people behind the scenes.

Included in this volume is a chapter on Affirmed and Alydar, a chapter on Col. Matt Winn, the man who made the Kentucky Derby what it is today, a chapter on black jockeys, a chapter on Ben Jones, and a wonderful chapter on the worst horses to run in the Derby.

EVERY fan should have this and the other four books.

This book is excellant for all who are fans of the Derby. It is a great book, I couldn't put it down. It has great info. on the derby's history. Take time to read it!!!

This book continues the story of the fictional Gentry family of Kentucky, as they go to Philadelphia (then the new nation's capital) while Roman begins serving as Kentucky's first senator. The author does a nice job of showing you the change in the Gentry's lifestyle, from the clothes, foods, and customs of their new home. The author doesn't pull any punches, people stink, teeth rot and fall out, etc. It was fun to see some of our nation's founding fathers, the FIRST George W (sorry, I couldn't resist), Alexander Hamilton and more, along with the treacherous Aaron Burr.

Later the story continues as the Gentrys return to Kentucky and their children grow to adulthood and start their own lives. Aaron Burr's schemes continue to involve members of the Gentry family, with almost disastrous consequences, and the novel continues through and beyond the war of 1812.

All in all a good sequel, but not as engrossing as the first. While I enjoyed hearing more of the Gentry family, this was not an exciting page turning book for me, more like a well told biographical (albeit fictional) retelling of the Gentry family history. If you loved Oh, Kentucky! and are dying to hear the rest of the story, I'd say it's worth it, but the current selling price of a used mass market paperback is a bit over the top, but I had to know how it all ended, so it was worth it for me.

This book is the sequel to OH KENTUCKY by Receveur. The book begins by reintroducing Kitty Gentry of Oh, Kentucky!, who in 1825 is thinking back on her life. Kitty begins her recollections in 1792, when she, her beloved second husband, Roman, Kentucky's first senator, and their four children are starting a new life in the nation's then capital, Philadelphia. Kitty finds things so very different from her home in Kentucky and longs to go back there but even though she never stops wanting to go home and she begins to adjust to her new life in Philadelphia. Aaron Burr, Henry Clay and Daniel Boone all show up in this book and each plays and wonderful part!! This book is moving, poignant and an excellent read. It does stand on its own but is much better if you read it after you read OH KENTUCKY!! This book is a must read for any historical fiction fan!!

Historical reprint cookbooks are not the best place to go for exciting recipes, detailed instructions, and precise measurements. But they are a lot of fun to read.
With over 1000 recipes (and some very small print) this cookbook is even more fun than most. The recipes too seem more exciting than is typical -- the author doesn't just offer 20 types of bread, 10 over-cooked vegetables, and instructions for roasting or boiling plain meat. She gives real recipes, some of which look like they actually have flavor!
But be aware that the long list of recipes is a bit misleading. The book is sort of like a chinese restaurant menu, where the same basic cooking method is offered for, for example, beef, veal, chicken, pork and fish; or a dessert might be described with 10 different fruits -- as 10 different recipes.

This book was meaningful to me since I am from Kentucky. It is not only a cookbook but a history book of times when the housewives had to prepare meats without the use of refrigerators and freezers.

I am using this book as a source of information for some railroad travel guides I am putting together, and it is very helpful, in that it is not merely a "list of place names," like so many other similar books I have seen are. This book actually has historical information and useful material which I can incorporate into my guides, which will make train travel passing through the places listed in the book much more enjoyable and interesting. It is an excellent resource!!!

Kentucky's founding fathers excelled in making counties, today there are 120 of them in the Bluegrass state. As well they went above and beyond the call of duty when it came to naming the communities in which they lived. Few states if any can boast of a Bugtussle, Monkey's Eyebrow, or even a Thousandsticks among their place names. Rennick's book chronicles these diverse and unique names found in Kentucky. Most of the communities listed include the directions within the county in which they are located, as well as a brief description of how the community got it's name. The book is a valuable asset especially to those interested in the social and economic development of Kentucky and good reading for anyone interested in Kentucky History. By the way Stop is located in Wayne County near the Parnell community and is named for where the road ended or stopped.

Though written in 1987 - this book is probably the best book covering nearly all aspects of the forming of Kingsport, history, as well as the industrial influence and background. I would love for Dr. Wolfe to revisit this book and update some of the information - as Kingsport has grown, but the Industies are suffering. I would like to know what her opinion is also, of the outsourcing of jobs to other countries and major plants shutting down in the city, leaving hundreds of workers scrambling to garner ne employment. But what employment is available is always less paying and with less benefits, and less hope of a decent retirement. It's a shame. Rambling aside, I recommend Dr. Wolfe's book because she doesn't sugar coat the facts like some of the other books about the city have done.

Kingsport's population peak during WWII has never returned again, despite a half century of growth by annexation. Professor Wolfe has done a very fine job of archival research and interviews to enlighten the reader. Though her survey is more critical, obviously, than a publication each decade of the 90's by the local Rotary Club, Wolfe ads the human element and anecdotal illustrations to complement the Rotary's advertising bent.

City builder J. Fred Johnson has become a legendary and almost apocrypha figure for this town in the foothills of Southern Appalachia. Middle class factory workers and country club executives dominated this city during the 20th century. But the 21 century has arrived as industrial downsizing is taking a toll.

Wolfe tells the true story as it really happened, 'warts and all.' Hopefully either Professor Wolfe or someone else will fill in more details and produce a future volume that fills in the gaps of the history of this city whose most prominent claim to fame is the hometown and idyllic setting of Lisa Alther's veiled trashy novel, "Kinflicks."

Great book and very informative. I hope the author will write more books about the world's biggest stateless nation also in the future.

Perhaps the most valuable lesson that can be gleamed from this collection of essays is that the resolution of the Kurdish problem will come only with Turkey's realization that it must reform the fundamental characteristic of its particular political basis - Kemalism. As Mark Muller writes, only by abandoning ethno-nationalism for nationalism, which strikes at the heart of Turkey's entire existence since 1920, can Turkey deal successfully with the Kurds. Discovering such a lesson is well worth reading this book. END

Doris Ulmann spent her adult life trying to create respectful, revealing photos of the Afro-Americans Appalachians whom she thought had been traditionally dishonored in images: Life And Photography Of Doris Ulmann uses correspondence between Ulmann and her assistant to explore their relationship, her work and social contributions, and the blend of art and social commentary which her photos embodied. Duotones blend with text in a presentation which is more a study than a photo documentary, and which will please any studying social photography.

This book is a well researched presentation of the life and art of Doris Ulmann. It tells of her early success with her husband and later success on her own. Mr. Jacobs has done an excellect job of researching Ulmann's life. He has discovered long forgotten letters and collections of her photographs to fill out her story. It is more than a coffee table piece. Even those knowledgable in the field will learn more.

This was such an engrossing and captivating book that I read it in only a couple of days. Of all of the many, many, many books already published about President Lincoln, this one is a most worthy addition to the canon. For many people who have grown up treasuring or swearing by urban legends or outright historical falsehoods (such as Betsy Ross making the first American flag or President Washington chopping down a cherry tree), it can be hard to be confronted with the facts demolishing the legends, but intellectual honesty and historical truth should matter more than preserving a myth just because it makes one feel good or because it's been repeated so often that it's taken on the stature of truth.

I've read a lot about President Lincoln since I was a child, but some of the legends in this book were new to even me, such as the stories about his supposed out of wedlock birth, his alleged late-night baptism in a freezing river, and "Peanut John," the boy who held Booth's horse while he was inside of Ford's Theatre on that fateful night. Other topics covered include Dr. Samuel Mudd (was he or wasn't he an innocent doctor caught in the wrong place at the wrong time?), the true nature of the relationship between the young Abe and Ann Rutledge (I was kind of disappointed to learn that they may not have had a romance, though there is still no conclusive evidence in either direction), the modern-day myth about President Lincoln being gay, the "lost" draft of the Gettysburg Address, and Andrew Potter, the man who never was. Some of these legends may be more interesting to Lincoln scholars than to the general public, but they're all interesting. Some of them even made me laugh, like the one about his supposed true paternity and the totally implausible scenario for his alleged secret late-night baptism in the freezing December weather. There's something in here for everyone who has more than a passing interest in our greatest president.

Most of Lincoln Legends is directed at buffs attracted by such arcane topics as the provenance of the Lincoln "birthplace" cabin, the final resting place (or more likely, places) of Ann Rutledge, whether Lincoln could have been baptized by immersion in the Sangamon River, and assorted odd notions about the assassination. A few chapters are of greater significance, among them the one spiking the myth of a "gay Lincoln" and the thorough examination of the "deceptive doctor," Samuel Alexander Mudd.

Steers writes well enough, but the book might have been improved by a more vigorous application of the editorial pen. Steers' method is usually to begin by laying out the mythological tale at perhaps too great a length and then to demolish the myth at the end of the chapter. This course often leads to wordy repetition. Books about myths and hoaxes are often fun to read; and this one is no exception, although it would have been better if it had been say, fifty pages shorter.

A fascinating analysis of some of Lovecraft's central works through the tool of literary deconstruction. I enjoyed this book and found it an easy enough read, despite any formal study in literary criticism. (The author provides a helpful introduction to deconstruction.) Like the heading says, get it if you're a hardcore Lovecraftian, or if the idea of seeing the themes of a story analysed appeals to you; or preferably both.

This is a book that you will either toss aside with a shrug, or that will keep you enthralled for a couple of reading evenings. There's no real middle way. Still, for Lovecraftians it is a must-have must-read.
Burleson applies deconstruction to the texts in a marvellous way, and yet at the same time it sometimes also becomes rather repetitive. But this is so because deconstruction is (in my opinion) also a methodology. At any rate, this book is an eye-opener to the province of the text and how it will never allow itself to be pigeon-holed, or to be fully understood, or to reach a definite interpretation. As Burleson points out texts are always self-subversive, and arrive at aporetic standstills, though simultaneously also lifting the tip on infinity within the text. And where could one do that better than 'in' Lovecraft?
From the opening introduction on deconstructianism, which is very lucid and should be understandable by readers that have not encountered it before, to the final concluding chapter, this book is like spit and mud in your eyes that should be washed in a stream after finishing it, and then to read the book again. You will not only regard Lovecraft 'texts' differently, but also every other text you encounter or re-read will never be the same again.
The stories selected for the deconstructive criticism ("The Call of Cthulhu", "The Shadow over Innsmouth", "The Cats of Ulthar", "The Nameless City", and more short ones) are representative for Lovecraft's recurring themes and motifs, and handled in clear understandable speech and intellectuality. My only complaint with this book is that it is a bit too short - I would have liked to see more attention to the stories, but this is a dilemma for which Burleson doubtlessly stood himself: it is a decision between fewer stories thoroughly (as far as that can be done with deconstructionism) explored, and more stories explored with provocative motivations for further personal investigation on the reader's part. Well, the enthousiasm Burleson leaves one with is more than enough for that.
If you like Lovecraft and literature, your library shouldn't be without this.