Kansas Books

This is a fantastic book every minister and achieving minister should read! I found Fletcher Spruce to have written a truly inspiring and enlightening book!

I read Tom's newest book, both prior to publication and since it came out, and can say that I have never read a more enjoyable book on the old west. This little-known piece of history is brought forth by Tom in the context of the surrounding wild cowtowns of Wichita and Caldwell. In that context, Tom tells the reader of many of the seemly incidents endemic to the cowtowns. With that basis, he brings out Belle Plaine's desire to steer their community away from such a life, toward that of a well-to-do farming community. But that road was not without tragedy as Tom points out so well. I would certainly recommend this well-illustrated and very readable book to both the serious historian and the casual reader of 19th century Americana.

Never trite or trivial, this book tackles the tough questions of urban society --- the issues we turn away from, "changing the channels" so that we don't have to deal with intractable problems.

Forsberg writes deftly and calmly, like a sprout pushing up into the sky through baked or frozen earth. Tender and vulnerable, the young plant may or may not ultimately succeed --- but for the moment its very appearance is an encouragement and a positive sign.

Positive signs. This book is filled with them: documented, transcribed, written with amazing grace. If you are a student of sociology, urban life, human relationships, or political science --- you will enjoy this book.

If you're simply a reader who enjoys finding gifted writers --- you've just found one. Doug Forsberg communicates powerfully and well.

Dr. David Frisbie
The Center for Marriage & Family Studies
Author of Raising Great Kids on Your Own: A Guide and Companion for Every Single Parent

This is my third Gusewelle book, after the Rufas Cronicles and the one on cats. I love it and savor every word. I read one story a day and that is sufficient sustenance for the day's thoughts. I am in the process of ordering all his other books.

This is a history full of pictures of the little schools where people were educated when my grandparents grew up and when my parents started teaching. My dad taught in several different types of situations and thought the one-room country school was THE BEST. I felt saddened in this book when history demanded that these take a back seat and most died.

This is a fascinating book-- more like a diary, about Frank Stahl, an influential man who lived in Kansas Territory from 1841 to 1937. Stahl experienced numerous adventures, which are recorded in this book, such as fighting Indians, digging for gold, herding cattle, serving as a commanding officer in Arkansas, and fighting for prohibition and against gambling. What impressed me most about this book, is how many famous people he met through his journeys. He met "Wild Bill" Hickock numerous times, talked with Kit Carson, and even arrested Carrie Nation. Worthy of note is that this story is an autobiography of Frank M. Stahl, but it is told by Margaret Whittemore, who gathered information from his life from oral accounts and typewritten notes.

I love books like this that give a peek into bygone lives. Having grown up in Kansas, I found it particularly fascinating as it probably parallels my hometown's development (just different faces and buildings).
Here's an interview with the author from the University of Kansas' "OREAD":
Shortridge said looking at the photographs was similar to reading a novel, providing a detailed look at small-town life during the turn of the century.

"This is an opportunity to get a fairly intimate view of an experience that is in all of our pasts, captured in a very different way," he said.

In order to provide an accurate and in-depth description of the places and events photographed, Shortridge went to the archives of the Junction City Union newspaper.

"You could really make the picture come alive, because you had a newspaper reporter telling you about the context of the photo," he said. "You were able to get that richness that you might not have otherwise had."

Although Pennell captured a wide range of life in Junction City, Shortridge cautions readers about the limits of the collection.

"Pennell was middle class and male, and the world he photographed was biased toward those kinds of people," he said. "There are aspects of the society that didn't get photographed as often."

Shortridge's favorite photograph was taken the year the automobile debuted in Junction City.

"It's a photograph of a 1905 Cadillac all decked out in tissue paper and four people dressed in finery, with smiles on their faces that say all is right with the world," he said. "You get a sense that people felt very much in control of their own destiny."

This book, written by my Great Grandmother, shows exactly what kind of person she was. She always spoke her mind, and told things just as she saw them. I'm very happy that my Great Aunt and her thought to put her famous newspaper articles into a book so that future generations and her family could look back and see what her life and the rest of our family's lives were like. I recommend this book to anyone looking to read some real history told from someone who lived it.

I'm a HUGE fan of Baum.Always have been. Ever since I was a kid. Reading Baum in published order is an ever ongoing project with me. Now I'm not one who wants to take apart the wonderful stories and put all the elements into little boxes and find out what they are make of, but this book does something that is just the opposite. It takes the stories and looks at them in the order in which they were written! This book is a wonderful look at the "periods" in the Baum Canon. This is a great look at how say something like the Life and Adventures of Santa Clause and Queen XiXi of IX relate to each other. Great writing and research makes this book a MUST for any Baum collector.

From its founding in the early days of the Wild West Railroads, to the reconstruction of urban renewal, Mssrs. Mattox and Brotherton have brought together a fantastic collection of images that reflect the rugged determination of the time. It's a can't miss volume for anyone with ties to Parsons or the pioneering communities of Southeast Kansas.