Wisconsin Books

Spirit Of The North: A Photographic Journey Through Northern Wisconsin by photographer Richard Hamilton Smith is a simply gorgeous coffee-table book filled from cover to cover with full-color photographs of natural scenes and wildlife throughout Northern Wisconsin. Almost no text interrupts the mesmerizing visual display. Spirit Of The North is enthusiastically recommended for those who enjoy seeing the ever-changing wonder of wilderness captured in an instant of time -- and a "must" for all Wisconsin community libraries!

Paul Bunyan is part of Wisconsin folklore. "The Dark Lord's Curse" is an entertaining tale about Paul Bunyan and Matchi Manitou who lives in Lake Superior. Whiskey Jack and a river crew would take log rafts down the Mississippi River to St. Louis. On one trip Whiskey Jack decided to spend the night alone on a haunted Island with interesting results while the crew stayed on the raft. "The Dream" is a truly unique event with a happy ending. "The Firestorm" blends history with folklore to make a very exciting and tragic piece of history.
There are twenty five stories in this book and it is hard to pick a favorite. The tales cover a wide range of topics including lead mining, barn dancing, a sunken ship in Lake Superior, a Loup Garou in Green Bay, a hungry wolf pack, a house troll and others.
The folklore has it's own unique qualities captured by S E Schlosser in her own imaginative style. I enjoyed all the stories and have a new appreciation for Wisconsin.

As a thirty-five-year resident of Stillwater, MN--one the world's most beautiful cities, located on the banks of the St. Croix River--I can attest to the quality of Debra Chial's book. This rather small pamphlet-like coffee table book contains stunning photographs of some of the river highlights, including fall foliage, bridges, bluffs, cascades, historic sites, trains, boats, and scenic cityscapes. With a well-crafted foreword on the history of the river, and clear captions throughout, this out-of-print masterpiece is worth locating for photo buffs and all Valley residents. --Christopher Bonn Jonnes, author of Wake Up Dead.

This book is an excellent account of the efforts of a group of militant workers inspired by the Russian Revolution to organize the Allis-Chambers plant outside Milwaukee for a ten year period just before and after the Second World War. This book gives you a feeling for the tremendous committment these workers had to improving the wages and working conditions in the plant. The book starts with the organizing effort in the late thirties and the resistance they met from management. It takes a break during the war when many of the leaders of the effort signed up to fight fascism in Europe. When they returned they renewed the struggle. But this time they had to fight not only manageemnt but also the internatonal leadership of the UAW which was being influenced by the advent of the Cold War. After a long and bitter strike the UAW seized control of the local, ousted the communist leadership of the local and settled with the company. Most of the key organizers never returned to work in the plant.

The book closes with a reunion of the Local in the 1980's on the 50th Anniversary of its founding. The original president of the local is invited to return and given a warm reception by the younger members. He reminds them of his committment to a communist future by telling them that his leadership was based not so much on winning a few extra coins but rather on his vision of the future.

Franz Rosenzweig is among the most important figures in Jewish, and general, philosophy of the 20th century. His ideas on particularity, contingency, and responsibility influenced Heidegger, Levinas, Derrida, Buber, and countless others, while his theology of creation-revelation-redemption informs a fascinating depiction of Judaism. It's not easy reading and although not a clear translation, this is the one there is.

This book was very helpful to me because I am very interested in the government officials and state legislators. It gave me information like where the district boundaries were, when terms expired, and who these people are. I think that it is awesome to have this book! I also have two more State Blue Books, the '97-'98 one and the '98-'99 one. I like how they tell about the political parties. I learned a lot when I read this. The State Blue Book website is very helpful, too. My interest in government is increasing after the '06 elections. My dad was elected district attorney in my county, so that makes it even more exciting. The State Blue Book also gives the names of all of the county officials. I learned the term "Administrative Co-ordinator." It is the chief official in small counties that are too small to have an executive or an administrator. I recommend this book to everybody who has an interest in Wisconsin and government.

From one of the world's great story-hunters and story-tellers comes this insightful look into the deepest mechanics and meanings of story. No one is better suited than Scheub to guide us on this journey, and he describes the strange and often unexpected landscape of the story directly and clearly. The book is especially useful for playwrights and scriptwriters seeking to craft universally compelling tales.

Lunetta has had some remarkable, extraordinary experiences in the north woods of Wisconsin. And I would highly recommend this book to children of all ages who wish to share in her intriguing, spiritual journey. Her story of encounters with the legendary Sasquatch lead one to wonder what life really holds for us, if we would only allow ourselves to look a bit further than we are used to...

In 1855, the recently-ordained young Norwegian immigrant pastor Johan Storm Munch and his wife Caja came to Wiota in southern Wisconsin to organize a rural church to serve the enclave of families who had arrived from Norway over the previous few years.

The book, by Peter Munch, grandson of the subject Munch's, consists of 1) a forward relating the very interesting story of how the material was located, 2) letters written between 1855 and 1859 by Caja Munch to her family in Norway; 3) a memoir by the pastor covering the same years as the letters; and 4) an excellent essay by Peter Munch, "Social Class and Acculturation," about the Norwegian immigrant experience, especially that of the group of Lutheran pastors who had arrived to serve the several communities in Wisconsin, Iowa, and Minnesota during the time of the letters.

The book provides a wonderful portrait of both the pastors' families and those of their charges, the farmers struggling to make a living on the land in a new and undeveloped area. There is no shortage of animosity on the side of the educated Munch's toward the less sophisticated farmers and, as we learn in Caja's letters especially, vice versa.

An excellent book on several counts.

The previous incarnation of this publication was splendid ... and this edition is likewise. In general, this atlas is quite accurate, as I've only uncovered trivial errors, while the maps are clear, helpful, and attractive. Three major improvements are: an increased scale [thereby displaying more detail on each map], an expanded coverage area to the north and south (now including Racine, Kenosha, etc.), and the inclusion of a CD-ROM. However, two noteworthy downgrades are that the jacket is very loose, flimsy, and poorly packaged, while some labels have been removed (schools, etc.). Nevertheless, this item is superb, and it is an obligatory purchase for anyone captivated by cartography, or anyone associated with the preeminent Milwaukee Metro area via travel, work, personal interest, or whatnot!