This is the memoir of a young cavalry officer serving on the Plains at the end of the Civil War. It is very interesting in the way it depicts day to day life, and merges the two conflicts. I was not aware, for example, that the Union was so concerned about Confederate attempts to ally with Indian tribes.

Having said this, I caution, that it's not exactly like reading about Custer. The most exciting encounter with the Indians involves Ware and his troop trying to make a mad dash for the fort before the Indians have time to persue, and the major accomplishment is replacing the telegraph wires that the Cheyennes destroyed. Thus I would not recommend this for an individual new to the topic of the Indian Wars, but if you're at the point where you want to delve deeper, and get more insight into the times, this is a very valuable work.

"The Indian War of 1864" is a reissue of a memoir originally published in the early 1900s. It recounts the day-by-day adventures of Eugene Ware, a young officer in an Iowa cavalry unit serving in far western Nebraska toward the end of the Civil War. The author, who later in his life was a published poet and friend of Mark Twain's, writes beautifully of life in the ranks on the far edges of civilization. He not only recounts the nitty-gritty of service in a volunteer cavalry unit, he wisely and graphically documents the clash of settlers and Indians. As a serving Army officer, I most enjoyed the many hard lessons Ware learned as a junior officer trying to maintain order and discipline among his soldiers. The volunteer soldiers of his unit were a rough and unruly bunch who had the signal virtues of being fearless fighters who never shirked their duties. All other soldierly qualities--such as the ability to stay sober--were in doubt and posed extreme leadership challenges for Lieutenant Ware. I have often shared anecdotes from the book with my peers and subordinates as examples of both how to earn the respect of American soldiers and how to live up to the demands of duty as an officer under extreme stress in remote locations. I strongly recommend this book for anyone interested in the settling of the West, the US Army of the time, and the sad downfall of the American Indian.

As a local history buff, I was pleased to encounter this book at the bookstore. Professor Madison does a nice job outlining Indiana's history in a way that the average arm-chair historian can understand without any difficulty whatsoever. The first section is devoted to the land and the early people who inhabited the land. He does a great job getting the geographical history down in a concise manner. It's easy to ramble about the topic, but Madison does a nice job of being brief, but also impeccable with content. He covers all the bases.
I particulary enjoy the social history, which talks about race-relations and also about people who helped form the State.

Most major events in American History are taken from the Hoosier perspective as well. While reading, you can tell that Madison has a particular love for the State of Indiana. He writes about it in such a way that demonstrates his admiration for the early settlers, but also he looks at them from a realistic point of view. He does not write history from rose-colored glasses, and writes in a honest and refreshing sort of way.

My only complaint would be that there needs to be more pictures. I do have to add that the photos included are obviously carefully selected, as they make silent statements in themselves. For example, the one of Klan members exiting a church in rural Knox, Indiana, or the one of a one-room delapitated school house in northern Clinton Co. He did a great job in selecting appropriate photos... I only wish there were more.

I took Indiana History at Indiana University from Dr. Madison and I loved the class. THE INDIANA WAY complimented the lectures very well. I learned a new thing from each chapter. Did you know that George Rogers Clark was an indian scalper? Did you know that the Confederates crossed the Ohio River during the Civil War? Did you know that in the 1920s the KKK had the governor in their pocket? Did you know that Wendell Willkie and Paul V. McNutt were in the same graduating class at Indiana University? I did not know these things before reading THE INDIANA WAY, and I cannot wait for the second edition to come out.

This book is a must for geneoligist serching for ancestors in Texas. Not only does it give account of the once thriving city of matagorda bay. But the transportation availability to include the Trains and shipping lines. This book gives all references to the texas train lines of the times and can give you an idea of what route early ancestors may have traveled. The book itself is a accurate account of the early days of german imigration, Indianola itself and the people who made it all happen. I found the book to very interesting and attention grabbing.

Very few local histories interweave all events in a city's history...both the good and the bad. However, this book does it, and very well. The reader gets to see the city through the inhabitant's eyes, and experience the growth of one of Texas' most influential cities of the 19th century. From the very beginning, you see how this coastal city is a slave to the elements. Several storms are endured, before the town disappears from the landscape. You get to see how it interacted with its arch rival, Galveston, along with its coexistence with many of the smaller towns in its vicinity. And you get to see how this city lived and died by the railroad. If you thought Indianola was always a Texas state park, this book will open your eyes. If you're interested in hurricanes, this book shows how ravaging storms were before current, strict housing codes were inacted, and before seawalls protected all coastal cities. For the Texas historian, this book is a must. It is a complete history of the 43 years of Indianola, and its haunting legacy. For residents of San Antonio and Victoria, it gives them a chance to discover what the city of many of their forefathers was really like.

The "Guides to Biblical Scholarship" took a decisive turn for the better shortly before this volume was produced. This is easily one of the better volumes. Petersen clearly demonstrates the techniques and structures utilized by the Hebrew poets with plenty of examples from the biblical text. Terminolology has become quite confusing in this area, but Petersen cuts through these difficulties. Controversial matters such as the existence and function of meter in Hebrew poetry are treated in a balanced manner. Furthermore, the book goes beyond mere demonstration of poetic features and fulfills the promise of the title by illustrating how an understanding of these features informs the interpretation of poetic passages of scripture. This is a good place to begin before moving on to the more extensive treatments of the subject by Gillingham or Alter, or the more complex and cutting edge analysis of Kugel.

This is a very good book on Hebrew Poetry. It takes into consideration some of the more current thoughts in linguistics. If you are interested in Hebrew Poetry, you should have this book in your library.

A handful of years ago Thomas Thompson (of the Copenhagen School) wrote a message on an Internet listserv that he did not consider Roland K. Harrison to be a historian. However that was about 1995 and Harrison's book is from 1969 when the issues of historicity were not the same.

Harrison begins his "introduction" (the book runs over 1300 pages) with a review of the development of Old Testament study. A special chapter is dedicated to the Graf-Wellhausen hypothesis and another chapter to reactions to the same. This section is followed by ones on archaeology, chronology, and the text and canon of the Old Testament. Following sections deal with Old Testament history, religion, and
theology.

After almost 500 pages, Harrison begins to deal with the books of the Old Testament beginning with the Pentateuch. This is followed by sections of the prophets and the writings, the other two sections of the Tanakh. Finally comes a section on the Apocrypha.

Needless to say Harrison's Introduction is thorough. His includes some 400 pages more than that of Robert Pfeiffer and 850 pages more than Osterley and Robinson. THIS book is the place to start for anyone interested in what we call Old Testament studies.

If you want a quick and easy intro to the Old Testament, do not buy this book, as it is long and detailed. If you are a serious student of the scriptures who wants as good of an intro as possible to aid your understanding of the Old Testament, then this is the book for you. This is one of the few academic works about which I can actually say that it made a true difference in my confidence about the truth of Christianity. Highly recommended.

Drawning on a depth of learning in Biblical Hebrew, Brown demonstrates how the key Hebrew terms for healing have been systematically and almost universally mistranslated and misunderstood by Biblical scholars and most existing Bibles. From this linguistic evidence, Brown reinterprets Biblical healing in a radical fashion. Absolutely essential for anyone studying healing in the Bible. (Some serious students and scholars may be surprised at the portrait of Jesus on the cover of a book labelled as an "Old Testament" study, but not to worry. Brown is a meticulous scholar. The footnotes alone--more than a hundred pages--are worth the price of the book.)

Steeped in Hebrew scholarship and Christian appreciation of healing, Brown challenges much of Old Testament scholarship about the meaning of healing as a word and concept. Yahweh as the source of all healing becomes a prominent theme in the Hebrew Bible, which then turns into a flood of healing in the New Testament.

The saga of Jedediah Smith began at age 23, and ended ten years later, in 1831, when, on the Santa Fe trail, he was killed by indians when he stopped for a drink from a stream. He was one of the first true mountain men and trappers whose life story, during those ten years, introduces the reader to others whose names are more familiar now than his own. He died before the western movement began that relied so heavily upon the knowledge of such persons. Yet it is doubtful that any, except perhaps Kit Carson, came close to exploring so much country, much of it alone, or nearly so. The book is a scholarly presentation of his incredible feats each, for the most part, intended to discover the elusive beaver. Jedediah's territory covered the then unknown expanse ranging from the confluence of the Yellowstone and the Missouri Rivers, current site of Fort Union where I purchased my book, to Oregon, California as far south as LA, east along the Old Spanish Trial and the Gila River as well as into NM and everywhere in between. His knowledge of so vast a country was invaluable and, in spite of his untimely death, contributed mightily to what eventually would become known as Manifest Destiny. Some are destined to contribute whether intended or not. The book deserves a place in the library of every serious student of the west. As a CA resident, I have the advantage of having traveled by car, and know well, the land this man walked. It is amazing. Highly recommended.

This is a definite must read for early American West enthusiasts. Jed Smith's accomplishments, hardships and endeavors were in my opinion, unmatched by any others of his time. He was "the" mountain man! During the early days of exploration and expansion of the American West, Smith's courage and determination were beyond belief. The man was everywhere west of the Mississippi...it's unbelievable how much territory he covered! He was also the first white man to see and observe many of the places we all now take for granted. If you read only one book about the early American West...this should be the one.

I received this book as a Christmas present about 7 years ago, and I use it all the time. It has my best recipes for apple pie, peach pie, pumpkin pie, peanut butter cookies, chocolate chip cookies, and a few others as well. Unfortunately, when I had a roommate, it was stolen and I never found it. So, I decided to look here to see if it was available, and to my surprise it was, I was so excited that I would once again be able to do my baking with my favourite recipes and receive many rave reviews from my friends and family. (My Dad told me that my apple pie was better than his Mother's!)

I have never been one for the stove top (except to melt butter), but show me an oven, and I'm in heaven. I believe that energy is neither created nor destroyed, only transferred, and what better way to transfer positive energy than in baking? Real baking. No margarine, no Betty Crocker, just you, all those wonderful ingredients, lots of wooden spoons and pans, and of course, Jim Fobel's Old-Fashioned Baking Book. Every baker needs their bible, and Jim's has been mine for almost ten years. From Bed and Breakfast to family gatherings Fobel's book has been my guide again and again. He's there with you when you're kneading the dough, running the mixer, or meticulously pinching that pie crust. You feel as if someone has let you in to all those wonderful, secret recipes of your ancestors. You know - the ones where no measuring was needed, and the whole concept of baking centered around making delights for those you loved and loved you back. Serious baking is not for those in a hurry but rather those who believe in TLC and putting a part of themselves (methaphorically!) in what they create. If that's what baking means to you then you'll love Fobel.

Stephen's writing is polished and clear--very refreshing for this type of book. This is an interesting read, one wishes they could sit next to the fire and chat with Jo Moro. A must for anyone's bookshelf!

What a rare find! What a loss for those who never knew Mora

Richard Rohr has a clear view about suffering. Through Job, Richard, explains away our misconceptions about suffering and leads one into a contemplation of Gods view of the human condition.

Richard Rohr's writing is clear and concise. This is an "easy read", meant in only the best way. It is not so deeply theological that one needs training to decode the message. For a topic as difficult as this, he helps the reader review suffering. The title is truly appropriate since bad things do happen to good people - as Job indeed was good yet suffered intensly. Rohr does an excellent job disecting the book of Job and revealing his (and our) relationship with God within the pain, not apart from it.