Kansas Books

Just when I got depressed about the direction of the social capital debate, this bookcame out. Orr, gets it right. Social capital explains a lot about how local politics unfold, but there are also other things going on, and social capital can applied in an intagroup or intergroup context. The social capital book to read this year. Forget Putnam, Read Orr!

This book was awesome. It really makes you think about stuff like why the sky is blue and the grass green.

I cannot think of a better western writer than Mr. Randisi, not only is he a very talented writer he is also a very prolific one.

Within the next 6 months he will have at least 2 new Leisure Book westerns issued to match the several others already issued this year. Each and every book is a pure delight.

This present book concerns an attempt to take a small herd, 214 cows, over a 2 month trail to Ellsworth, Kansas, for sale. The sale is important not only to save a ranch but also a family relationship. But the plot and subplots also in include a gunman trying to avoid killing unless he must, a young child who isn't young at all when it comes to understanding life, an old man-a grandfather-meaner than a diamondback rattler, a toady foreman who will do anything asked for money and then sits back to wonder that others will do his bidding for money, and among others, a trio of gunmen, mostly backshooters and inept who will kill anyone if the price is right. Mix all these activities and characters up in a western the "R. J. Randisi" way and pardner you have a couple night's pure delight and enjoyment for the reading.

I have been a fan of this guy for a long time and if you will read only one of his westerns it is 'straight shootin' that you will no doubt be a fan, too.

Semper Fi.

Ready to take the next step in your spiritual journey? Designed for personal spiritual formation, one-on-one mentoring, or group study, this series offers refreshing insights that dare to "dig a little deeper." An instruction guide for small-group leaders is included.

Praying is by far one of the most precious priviledges available to the child of God; yet many people have difficulty in maintaining a consistent, meaningful prayer life. Fortunately God's Word provides numerous models for effective communication with the Lord.

Through a careful examination of Scripture, this study guides readers to come boldly to God just as a child comes to his or her father. The author points out in clear detail what it means to pray, explaining both the benefits and challenges common to those who would sincerely draw closer to the Lord.

This is an extremely well-written insight into the late 1800's America and Cuba, particularly the so-called Buffalo soldiers. Very well researched: A book that is both educational but also a damn good story. I particularly liked the war scenes in Cuba, and learning about native American culture during those troubled times.

This is professional novel standard though it seems to be the author's first book. A great read.

Most water control projects in this country rely on big gravity damns, but in the early 20th century one John S. Eastwood designed dams which minimized the amount of concrete involved. While his designs were less expensive, he faced much opposition from engineers and politicians alike who believed their more fragile appearance would damage public confidence in their durability. Donald Jackson provide insights into dam building history and describes how in this case the illusion of stability strengthened by concrete won over Eastwood's innovative design plans. A 'must' for any collection strong in engineering, conservation, and energy generating issues.

I was a little skeptical at first because I thought everything that could have been written about the Younger Brothers has already been done. A few pages into the book told me this was not the case!!
Mr Koblas has done an excellent job in his research and of shedding new light on an already well-known subject.
Not only does he offer an excellent biography of Cole Younger but provides an in-depth description of the what the times were like and what factors (political, social and economical) were involved in shaping the later years of the Younger Brothers.
Can't go wrong with this one! - Roger Ashton

Very few of the adults pictured in this book smile with their teeth showing. You can see why by the handful who do: the teeth tell you better than anything else that this is Kansas in the 1930s and dental care is an unaffordable luxury.

The earliest photographs in this book were created on behalf of the Farm Security Administration, a New Deal project which (among many other things) attempted to educate the public about rural poverty. These photographs show closed banks, empty expressions, and farms turned to dust -- the people here did not know what had hit them or when the Depression would be over. The late 1930s photographs are not entirely bleak: they document 4-H fairs and the FSA's improvement efforts. The photographs from World War II show Kansas at work: at Fort Riley, on trains, in wartime industrial jobs. By the time the post-war photographs were taken (for Standard Oil of New Jersey), Kansas had recovered to become a different, and more modern, state.

Oddly for a photography book, the text commentary is so outstanding that it almost outshines the pictures. The author, Donald Worster, gives the reader an interesting history of Kansas as it approached the "Dirty Thirties," when the dust turned day to night, no one had a spare dime and the state started to empty. Worster describes the state during World War II, when young men went to war and everyone else went back to work. Although the state slowly recovered, the Depression, the war and their aftermath scarred all Kansans who lived through them. Worster's erudite and highly readable commentary creates in one's mind a separate, unique set of pictures that enhances the experience of viewing the actual photographs.

A well put-together book, small enough to be carried to the field. Has excellent photos and the range maps are very useful. Information provided on each species is well written and very useful. The second half of the book has a wealth of information covering a diversity of butterfly subjects such as photographing them, raising them, gardening for them, and a wealth of other useful information.

This is a day by day diary of David L. Spotts ,a volunteer in the 19th Kansas volunteer cavalry,detailing his recruitment into service through being mustered out. It contains a good introduction and an addendum telling the stories of the two white women held captive by the indians and rescued by Custer and the 7th cavalry. A wonderful book for anyone interested in how it was to be in the cavalry of that time (1868-69)and how it was to be beyond the borders of civilization.I have a special; interest in it because I own the land where the author, Custer with the two women ,the 7th and the 19th camped on the Sawlog creek north of Fort Dodge on their way to Fort Hays which is mentioned in this book.