Pennsylvania Books

According to Camporesi,a Professor of Italian Literature at the University of Pologna, Baroque Catholicism threatened its adherents with something unspeakably more fearsome than today's psychological provocations: the spectre and the fear of eternal punishment in "a slaughter-house, a torture chamber." There was the certainty of a wide variety of punishments: infections, muddy water, foul air, oozing sores, snakes, vicious dogs, fire, disorder, the gaping jaws of hideous beasts, heaps of mucus, feces, "an insatiably evil fever of cruelty," and, worst of all: no redemption possible. The ticket is one-way.

But what of Hell today? Camporesi asserts that it has all but disappeared, its once-fetid landscape gentrified, 'improved,' so that really, Hell has ceased to exist. Things have softened - in this life and the Church's hereafter. Think of the most terrible possibilities (genocide, torture, famine) here on earth. As "hellish" as they are, one dies and it is over.

What was the purpose of all this? There was a variety of goals. Keeping order was a major one, he asserts. "The Hell which was created by the Jesuits - the dominant model which would later influence the hells of other rival 'religions'- had been primarily conceived as a deterrent for the noble and high-class worlds, and designed to make the loathsome and disgusting smells of the the tomb waft up those large, refined noses." Camporesi further shows how so many conceptions of hell (and they changed over time, and within the Church) were often quite similar to how the poorest of the poor actually lived.

A second section discusses a preventative: the host. This section is less appalling, but relevant and interesting. "The mysterious food" was subject to thievery, intrigue, and large quantities of superstition. Camporesi covers all the angles.

This book is appalling and fantastic. Camporesi uses various sources, mostly Italian writiers and historians, and Dante's "Inferno," of course.

Anyone shocked that children are exposed to modern media violence will learn by reading this book that the Churchgot there first - hundreds of years ago. There was no V chip. Kids knew about hell, and it was much scarier than a night of "Cops," or R-rated films.

Definitely worth reading.

The word "riddle" in this title doesn't refer to the kind of riddles that ask you what's black and white and red/read all over. Instead, these Anglo-Saxon riddles open doors into the idea of metaphor in general - how one object reflects or metamorphosizes into another. Williamson writes beautifully about these things. Many of the English language's greatest poets and intellectuals have been fascinated by riddles - Richard Wilbur, W.H. Auden, Sigmund Freud, the list is long. Take a look at some of the roots of the riddle in Anglo-Saxon culture. Then fall into Roman riddles & Greek riddles and koans and Yiddish riddles and..........

I have used this cookbook since 1978. The recipies are easy to follow and the results are wonderful...haven't had a failure yet!
I have also enjoyed the menu suggestions and the photos as well as the commentary.

Julie Marie Bunck has done a splendid job in revealing to the reader the sometimes harsh policies that Fidel Castro has taken to enhance the development of a socialist/communist conscience in revolutionary Cuba. With meticulous research, she reveals the failures and successors of the Maximum Leader in attempting to construct socialism in all human forms.

This book offers a glimpse into the world of the Amish which has basically remained unchanged. It is a world uncomplicated by todays technological advances. It is a world that I respect and admire. The photographs in this book brought me closer to the amish people and captured the beauty of the people and the land. George Tice is a master of photography.

Despite when this was written, Mr. Tome was evidently so literate that it is easy to understand even today. He paints a fascinating picture of what life was like in Pennsylvania in the late 1700's and early 1800's

Excellent book for seniors in the Pittsburgh area.

There are so many pluses to this outstanding picturebook! I believe it is Wallner's best (and I like all of her books)! French language, American history, dogs, flight, etc....there is so much. A great piece of obscure American history! Every year this is one of my second graders' favorites!

When their nation called . . .
These men were the first to respond . . .

Following the attack on Fort Sumter, President Abraham Lincoln, now faced the greatest crisis to ever befall the young American nation, issued a proclamation calling upon 75,000 Northern volunteers to suppress the hostile Southern rebellion. Throughout Northern towns and cities thousands of men, young and old, left home and family to begin their journey as American soldiers. Among the first to respond were five companies of volunteer militia from the Pennsylvania counties of Schuylkill, Berks, Lehigh, and Mifflin. Within a few days, these companies, numbering just over five hundred men, marched into Washington and into history as the very first troops to reach the capital following the start of the American Civil War. Now, for the first time since 1910, the story of these five "First Defender" companies is told. From their enlistment into service to their harrowing march through the city of Baltimore and through their three-month term of service, First in Defense of the Union traces the history of these companies by relying largely upon the soldiers' letters and diaries. With First in Defense of the Union, Hoptak dramatically brings the story of these five companies vividly to life, and commands attention to their distinguished and illustrious place in American History.

My family and I really enjoyed looking at the pictures in this book. It is fantastic about the many horses. Great gift