West Virginia Books

This is a classic text which presents a study of the structural forms and cultural patterns of the Japanese living in rural areas from the late feudal period to the 1960's. Particular emphasis is placed on agriculture, family life, village life, and the governmental forms of hamlet versus village. The chapter on the unchanging mentality of the Japanese farmer is very enlightening, and can be easily compared to similar attitudes of farmers throughout the world. This is a highly recommended and unfortunately out of print book which should be read by any and all students of Japanese culture and history.

Twenty-six years after its chartering, the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad had finally reached its original goal - To build a railroad 352 miles all the way from the growing seaport town of Baltimore, MD to its terminus of Wheeling, VA (now WV) on the Ohio River. The intent was to provide a transportation link for grain and manufactured goods coming east from Ohio and the surrounding area to Baltimore.

In accomplishing this goal, the greatest physical obstacle that this railroad faced in its drive to Wheeling was traversing the daunting Seventeen-Mile Grade west of Cumberland, and sixty miles later, to descend the equally-daunting Cranberry and Newburg grades immediately west of Terra Alta, WV to Grafton, and on to Wheeling. We may never learn about the actual numbers of laborers, tons of rock, and dirt either removed, drilled, or used to fill ravines to as level a grade as possible to allow the actual and safe passage of freight and passenger trains. But one thing is certain - the experience gained from this engineering feat formulated important principles for future railroad construction jobs, not just on the B&O, but for other railroads as well. It was from these "lessons learned" that earned the B&O the name of "The Railroad University of America," a sobriquet given by Mr. in his article, "

Charles Roberts' book, "West End", relates the obstacles faced by the B&O in getting up Seventeen-Mile Grade and west down Cranberry and Newburg Grades in the 1840's, plus the years after reaching Wheeling where the B&O continued to grow. Also, the various construction projects to improve on the original route over the mountains as well as the B&O's acquisition and improvement of smaller rail lines in the intervening years is covered. Charley Roberts has an earthy style of writing that seems to fit the subject matter covered, which may not be to every rail historian's liking, but the result is a volume that comprehensively covers this geographic area of the B&O that no one until now has done to such an extent. This book was the first in a trilogy that Charley later wrote, "East End" (in collaboration with Jeffrey Hollis), and "Sand Patch."

I don't know how much professional historical training Tom Lewis has had, but, he has written one of the most interesting works of Colonial American histography that I have ever come across in "West from Shenandoah".

The beauty of "West from Shenandoah" is that it is part histography and part personal journal.

One of the most interesting aspects is early in the book when Lewis raises the possibility of genetic memory in a very deft way, so as not to come off as kookie, or trite as in the sense of deja vu.

I do have some very minor quibbles with Thomas Lewis, but, they have to do with my viewpoint as a Pennsylvania Dutchman.

For example, a few years ago, I was standing on an overlook in the Blue Ridge above the Shenandoah Valley, when I was approached by another Dutchman. This gentleman says to me, pointing down into the valley, that's my farm down there, and in my 64 years, I've never been up here before.

Lewis does characterize the "Dutch" as Lutheran, which he would have a tough time proving, because there were no Luthern churches that I know of on the Virginia frontier which would have included modern West Virginia and western Pennsylvania. The "Dutch" mostly subscribed to that odd blend of Calvinism & pietism that we today know as Methodists or Presbyterians.

In the final chapter of the Journal Lewis names some folks of Scotch-Irish ancestry---I'm sure this was a little add on suggested by his publisher for the Scotch-Irish audience. It probably can't help commercial sales, but, it does detract from the histography.

I have always thought that I would love to do, what Lewis has done for the Scotch-Irish, for the Pennsylvania Dutch on the Virginia frontier. Although, there was so much early inter-marrige between the two groups that who's who today might be difficult in my opinion.

Did you ever wonder why this state, once a part of Virginia, broke off to become its own? This little volume will tell you why, and so much more.

The "Portrait of America" series is a wonderful introduction for pre-teens to the 50 states and to the places and events that shaped the history of the United States. This "West Virginia" installment is particularly good. The book is broken down into sections like "History", "Culture", "Economy" etc., and each section is thoughtfully written and edited. And this edition is loaded with several beautiful photographs. The "Culture" section is my personal favorite.

This book, as well as the entire "Portrait of America" series, will prove to be a valuable teaching tool to all primary school educators.

THERE DOES NOT SEEM TO BE ONE TRAIL, CAMP SITE, RIVER, BIKE TRAIL, ETC. FORGOTTEN IN THIS BOOK. ALL INFORMATION IS ORGANIZED AND BROKEN INTO SELECT AREAS OF THE STATE. ESPECIALLY LIKED THE PRIVACY RATINGS OF EACH CAMPING AREA.

I purchased this reference guide in addition to a pair of binoculars as a gift for my father who enjoys leisure bird-watching from our back porch. Initially I was a bit disappointed because I was expecting a book type thing and receive a fold out chart instead. However, it has proved to be much more useful than a bulky, cumbersome book would have been. It's lightweight and portable. In the event that hiking or camping occupies a weekend or so, this item is compact enough to fit in a pocket or backpack with ease and does not add addtional weight to your load. More importantly, it is easy to use. Birds are grouped into several categories for quick reference and each species is indicated by a colorful rendering which makes new birds easy to identify. My father has enjoyed this gift more than any other I have given him in 25 years. A wonderful reference guide for young and old alike.

I am originally from West Virginia and although I live in North Carolina and have lived in several states on the east coast, I honestly believe West Virginia is the most beautiful state I have ever lived in and the people are without a doubt the friendliest. This book has more information about things you think would be neat to know about West Virginia than any other book I have ever seen. Because it is lists of the "top 10", "top 20", etc., you can pick it up and read it for a minute or 10 minutes or more. If you are from West Virginia, then this is a must have book for your library. If you are from another state, you should read it to see why you live in the wrong state ;)

These are selections from the long record of Jewish heroism, selections of those whose names and stories are well- known from King David down to the rescuers of Entebbe. This is a very small selection of the many many Jews who often in a quiet and unknown way showed great courage in defending their own people. What is somewhat sad is that the ranks of these heroes , and often these martyrs , are growing all the time because of the constant effort of enemies to destroy the Jewish people. The stories of the great great majority of those who have fought with courage, defended their people and often paid the greatest price for it, are largely untold.

West Virginia Jew
By Mike Lilly. Pentland Press. Raleigh, N.C. 2001
Review by Steve Fesenmaier

Charleston native son Michael Lilly has written only the second funny book I have read about West Virginia. Lee Maynard's "Crum" is the first. You know the controversy that surrounds it. Humor can be very dangerous in these parts. This book's title sounds like something that William Pierce out in Pocahontas County may have created to blast his fellow freedom-loving West Virginians - but it is not. You have to know something about Lilly before you can understand the title.

Lilly left his home state after a wild young life, getting to know the most "colorful characters" in Charleston. He told me, " Within months of my departure, three of my good friends had been murdered, one in public. The streets of L.A. were nothing compared to what I grew up with here in Charleston." Lilly became a probation officer in Los Angeles, serving his time for 25 years. As he says, "Ghetto by day, Hollywood by night." During those years he learned a lot about Hollywood, and took a course at Cal Arts on screenwriting. He returned in 1999 to make a film of his screenplay "Tenderloin" which is now a film called "Correct Change." He also wrote the screenplay that was turned into one of the great sports films ever, "Hoosiers," which has won Oscars and is still enjoyed.

This short novel tells the story of a fellow who leaves West Virginia to become the next Clint Eastwood. His name is Calvin Barfield and bares some resemblance to the star of "Correct Change," the actor Russ McCubin.
Lilly uses largely real events to create a Candide-type story of a well-meaning fellow who discovers the joys and hazards of living in Tinseltown.
This book is very unusual because it shows the horrors of modern urban life, NOT the more acceptable horror stories about small town life, as often shown in Stephen King novels and contemporary television.

I had to recall other comic stories like such masterpieces as "Rally Round the Flag, Boys" by Budd Schulberg, creator of the Dobbie Gillis stories. Lilly himself says that the book is largely a cartoon, and has actually worked with a Hollywod animator on creating storyboards for a cartoon based on the book. Calvin is really a character out of the adult animation, "Fritz the Cat," by Ralph Bakshi. ( I wonder why no one has created a cartoon series based on our own Dancin' Outlaw? Making a feature has been in the works for a long time, but a creative WV artist may be able to create fascinating stories and images using a pen and paper - much cheaper, and it wouldn't require any payments to Jesco himself.)

I also had to think of Jethro from "The Beverly Hillbillies" and Lil Abner. Both are the grandfathers of this updated, adult version of the goodhearted hillbilly - in this case, one who loves sex and drugs and knows how to have a good time. I love his dog Partsman who is truly extraordinary, but given all the talking dogs and cats in films these days, not that unusual. I really liked his anti-hero "Kamikaze Don Dudley" - a real person Lilly knew in his wild and crazy personal life.

If you liked "Crum," read this book. And check out the audiotape read by the author himself. He does a fine job conveying the WV and Hollywood accents, and uses his well-developed sense of humor and irony to carry the tale. And it does have a "powerful anti-drug message," showing that there are worst evils in LA than even the hollows of West Virginia.

This is an extraordinarily thorough exploration of the life and times of a little narrow gauge railroad that hauled both coal and lumber during its long history. The authors take us on a delightful trip over the entire railroad, with text and map references that are well coordinated. The book includes a profusion of scale plans: two enginehouses, the Clifftop company store, the line's funky caboose, coal hoppers, a trestle, a truck-to-rail coal tipple, and other structures. Particularly useful to modelers are the photos, which include unusual pictures like much of the inside of a coal hopper. Though corporate histories can be dull, the historical portion of the book is captivating. We share the consternation of early entrepreneurs who unexpectedly ran out of coal reserves at the New River Gorge just as demand was skyrocketing: Fortunately for them and for us, the answer was coal just a few miles away and in between the Mann's Creek Railway. The authors invested thousands of hours creating this well written and profusely illustrated account. It sets a very high standard for railroad publishing. Buy this one!