Pennsylvania Books

i highly recommend this book on the subject of brazilian culture, brazilian religion, brazilian spiritism, and the spread of spiritism in latin america and the united states

This book provides a history and insight on the roots of Latin American spiritism. Its research on roots of Allen Kardec and the reason why French spiritism was brought to the "New World". It earns its place in the subjects of Latin American religion and ideology. Its cultural background of Brazil gives much insight to the ideological background of the Brazilian population. Even as a person of Caribbean background, I hold this book in regards to a part of my background ideologically. This book is an eye opener to the researcher interested in South American and Caribbean studies.

My mother wanted to get this book for a friend but she could not afford the $80+ price she found in bookstores and other websites. While we were on the phone discussing it, I found it on Amazon for a little more than half that price, ordered it and it came a few days later. My Mom was thrilled and her friend loved the book because it has windows of the Church she went to growing up. It is a gorgeous book and if you are familiar with any churches in the Philadelphia area, it will be like coming home. I would definitely recommend it.

Collaboratively compiled and edited by Jean M. Farnsworth, Carmen R. Croce, and Joseph F. Chorpenning, OSFS, Stained Glass In Catholic Philadelphia is a lavish, eye-catching, 505-page, coffee table artbook filled from cover to cover with superbly presented stained glass windows from Catholic churches throughout the great city of Philadelphia. Brief annotations of the individual stained glass artworks deliver insightful commentary about the history and essence of these tremendously beautiful and moving images. Stained Glass In Catholic Philadelphia is a unique and recommended contribution to American Art History collections.

Douglas Cooper's Steel Shadows is a gem. Although it is specifically about Pittsburgh, it is really about how we see, portray, and interact with the landscape around us, urban or rural. Cooper is first a wonderful visual artist, and has allowed us a rare glimpse into his methods here. Rather than look far afield for his subject matter, he has taken on the challenge of visioning his native city, in immense and powerful murals, which are remarkably well re-produced in the book. Cooper can also write, and illustrates with his words the process of producing the murals and the logic behind them. Together, his drawings and text serve to usher us into the world of Pittsburgh, that singularly muscular and angular American city, and to cast some light on what it is to be an artist at the top of one's game, working hard to make that art - in this case drawing - relevant and useful in a changing world. A very pleasing, entertaining, and thought-provoking book.

Imagine you are standing at the top of a cliff in a hilly city or on top of a skyscraper in a flatter one. Slowly rotate 360 degrees, taking in all that you can see as you turn. Then imagine doing the same thing 10 years ago, 20 years ago, 30 years ago and work older landscapes into your contemporary ones. Then imagine wrapping all that you see and imagine onto a flat surface. I don't think I could actually do that - but Douglas Cooper can and has. Cooper's new book, STEEL SHADOWS, does three distinct tasks. It offers an insightful autobiographical sketch on how Cooper, an architect/professor at Carnegie Mellon University, came to draw the way he draws. Writing in a naive style, he recounts 2nd grade experiments on perspective, his education at Carnegie Tech, his sojourn to Europe to study buildings, and the evolving style which puts myriad angles continuously onto a flat piece of paper in a way which makes sense - to the viewers as well as to Cooper. The second task is to help the reader fall in love with the landscape of Pittsburgh as Cooper did, first as a 6-year-old enamoured of trains. Cooper's drawings in STEEL SHADOWS, excellent reproductions of the massive murals installed permanently in a variety of sites in Pittsburgh, give one the feel of the steep mountainsides, winding streets, and crumbling industrial landscape of the city. Cooper seems to love it all, and his amazing drawings draw us into his love affair. The third element of STEEL SHADOWS is an illustrated collection of writings on Pittburgh including excerpts from architectural historian Franklin Toker, poet Peter Blair, writer Annie Dillard, historian William Serrin, and novelist Marcia Davenport. My favorite excerpt in the last section is actually by Cooper, himself. "Living with Meg across from Forbes Field" allows him to indulge in his second passion after Pittsburgh: baseball. Along with stunning drawings of the old ball park, Cooper tells us of the neighborhood of South Oakland, life in the bleachers in Forbes Field, and his life as a young married man sitting on his porch directly across the street from Forbes Field waiting for foul balls to be hit out of the stadium and to him. One might question whether this book would be interesting to those who are neither artists nor Pittsburghers. I am not an artist, but as a longtime fan of Cooper's work, was intrigued with his thoughts about how he came to draw the way he does. His writing is simple but not simplistic; even technical sections were clear to me, a layman. I am a Pittsburgher, so cannot state how one from another city will enjoy STEEL SHADOWS. Cooper's drawings, though, transcend the specific place he portrays. His urban landscape and his vision of the ways in which places and times come together have universal appeal. It is Pittsburgh that he draws, but it is Cooper himself as well as his city that we see.

The two women writing to each other here are great friends, share a deep love of country (call themselves 'countrywomen') and aren't embarrassed to savor the smallest available joys. Anyone who has loved "The Delicacy and Strength of Lace", the letters between James Wright and Leslie Marmon Silkoe should read this collection.

A wonderful collection of letters from one year of a friendship between two long-time friends. A wonderful book to share with a great friend. I longed to be part of the world these two women share and grieved the realization that they have been dead for so long. The beauty they saw and shared, their loving pets, children, partners. I wished to be there, their writing was so inviting and dear. Beautiful illustrations were done by Barbara's husband and Gladys' editor "ED".

About the Penn family and the difficulties it had as the last proprietors before the Revolution. Many of their struggles took place on the vast Pennsylvania frontier, from illegal settlement beyond the mountains as set by Indian treaties, to the threat of the Paxton Boys, to the dispute with Virginia over the Western border. There was also internal conflict within the family itself that caused problems. Treese stays focused on the Penn family, even when a natural tendency to branch out into related concerns presents itself. She is not a great stylist, but the book is well written and informative.

This is a detailed historical and biographical view of the Penn family and the ever changing political scene in the early 18th century until the beginning of the American Revolution. Readers familiar with Philadelphia, the surrounding counties and beyond will recognize many of the mentioned geographical sites. This is enjoyable and easy reading for lovers of American History.

Kirin Narayan's ethnography is an amazing work. I originally bought it for a class but could not put it down. I love ethnographies and study religion (mainly Buddhism, although Hinduism is another interest of mine), so I approach this book from the perspective of a Western academic, but honestly, Narayan's writing is extremely down-to-earth and readable by anyone, I believe. Her story reads like a novel rather than an ethnography, and she intertwines Swamiji's stories, the history surrounding him and them, and Swamiji's life and her own seemingly effortlessly.

This book makes folklore accessible and interesting. The subject--stories recounted by hindu holymen and why and how they are told--is fascinating. Ethnographic information on the hindu religion and culture is brillant and full of life and humor. Kirin Narayan was also my University of Wisconsin-Madison anthropology professor and she was awesome!

My name is Ray McCormack, and I am a boxing historian. I have been following boxing for almost 50 years. This book is one of the most informative and objective books I have ever read about a boxer.

The book gives you a very accurate and exciting glimpse of the life of Billy Conn, and of the 1930's and 1940's in boxing and the USA.

I rarely recommend books about boxing. The reason being the books are usually full of mistakes and unsubstantiated rumors which soemhow become accepted as facts as the years go on. This book is 100% legitmate. I strongly recommend giving it a read

Well written and easy reading...enjoying the local references...brings the fight scene during the 30's and 40's alive and vivid...lots of facts..anyone living in the Western PA area will appreciate the narrative

This delightfully written book is the perfect Christmas gift for anyone visiting or living in Pennsylvania. More than just a restaurant guide, the book gives the history behind each restaurant as well as selected recipes from each establishment. The book is a must for anyone who enjoys elegant dining.

This guide to historic Pennsylvania eateries blends a cookbook with a travel guide, exploring the range of cuisines available to Pennsylvanians in over sixty countries in the state. Nearly 900 restaurants were researched and over two hundred sampled before selecting the hundred-plus featured here: chapters are strong on the recipes, sans photos.

The Kindig book is a classic for those people who are interested in firearms of the muzzle loading period. The book is has well detailed photographs. These are very important for those people researching muzzle loading firearms with an eye towards building their own. They give the builder a reference from which to base appointments that are appropriate to the school and age period of the firearm. If you are starting a "builders" library this is one of the books to have.

".....Throwing is a skill that many potters seek to master.
IT REQUIRES PATIENCE, TIME, AND LOTS OF PRACTICE....."
[from the book of the back cover]

I first took this book out of the library, but after wearing out the pages, I decided to buy my own copy. It is logical in its progression of explanations from centering the clay to teapots. The pieces shown in color photography are delicious and gave me lots of ideas for developing my own pots etc. It is short but parallels the descriptions by the teacher in the course I am taking. You will not go wrong with this purchase. It is short which is great too, so it is not overwhelming.