I picked up a co-workers copy of this poetry collection and was first caught up by the wonderful photography accompanying the poems. Inspired by the images, I began reading bits and pieces of the collection. Someone like myself who has grown up with inseparable ties to the Kansas ranching industry will immediately recognize the scenes portrayed by the various poets. From the ever-trustworthy cowdog, the beauty of the undisturbed range, and cantankerous horses and cattle to the realistic portraits of the men and women who've made these things their life, this book brings back fond memories of people and events I know and have known. I am eagerly awaiting my own copy of "Prairie Poetry: Cowboy Verse of Kansas." All of the authors included have ties to Kansas, whether by birth, by choice, or both. Any enthusiast of cowboy poetry and ballads should consider adding this volume to their collection.

Prairie Recipes And Kitchen Antiques presents an impressive compendium of original recipes drawn from pioneer families residing in Wayside, Kansas (the site of the original "Little House on the Prairie"). Wilma Kurtis and Anita Gold begin with an informative introduction to pioneer life, artifacts, and photographs. this segment is followed by recipes organized into chapters on Beans and Potatoes; Beverages and Punch; Breads and Spreads; Cakes; Candies; Canning and Preserving; Cookies; Desserts; Fritters, Pancakes, and Grits; Ice Creams and sherbets; Main Dishes and Casseroles; Pies; Puddings and Hard Sauce; Salads, Salad Dressings, and Cottage Cheese. There is a fascinating chapter on Wayside Remedies and a "user friendly" index to the recipes. Prairie Recipes And Kitchen Antiques is a unique and very highly recommended addition to any personal or community library cookbook collection.

The sheer scope and importance of Irene Bennett Brown's series, the Women of Paragon Springs culminates with her fourth book, Reap the South Wind. The aviation industry was born in Kansas! The first helicopter is displayed in a museum in Goodland, Kansas. Brown brings history to life with these superb books and one's awareness of the centrality of Kansas to American history grows exponentially with each volume. One of the marks of excellence in any novelist is the ability to see stories and the importance of struggles where others cannot. Brown vividly demonstrates that her inner vision is second to none. The panorama of the Great Plains is realized with Reap the South Wind. The story turns to Lucy Ann Walsh, and the rough and tumble period of Kansas Populist politics. Mud-slinging was developed to a fine art and there is plenty to expose in Lucy Ann and her brother Lad's past. Opponents do not hesitate to sabotage Lad's run for governor. Having lost her husband in the famous Run to the Cherokee Strip, Lucy Ann had planned to spend the rest of her life living quietly on her little parcel of land. She changes when she attempts to shield her new neighbor and his ridiculous flying machine from constant ridicule. She gains further notoriety as a suffragette and avid advocate for health and sanitation. The triumph of a town and the indomitable spirits of the courageous women who founded the durable community is Americana at it's finest. Well done!

Joan McAfee's Riddle Of The Lost Gold is a superbly presented historical novel about Colonel George Armstrong Custer's mission at Fort Hays. Vividly characterized and dynamically written, Riddle Of The Lost Gold follows a persistent young teenager and her friend who seek to solve an enigma handed through generations since Custer's 1867 battle. An involving story for young adults and historical fiction buffs, Riddle Of The Lost Gold is enthusiastically recommended for school and community fiction collections for young readers.

As a graduate of that grand high school Southwest, I was overwhelmed by the memories this book brought me. My only complaint for the author is that I want more--more stories--please! This is a well researched and well told biography of a school that shouldn't have been killed by bureaucratic nonsense.

I hope everyone who ever walked through those magnificent front pillars on Wornall Road will have a chance to read this book and remember.

Rose's Journal is one of Marissa Moss' best books yet. It is both a vivid picture of the Depression era and a moving portrait of an individual child. Rose's relationships with her family, friends, farm animals and land are delicately, poignantly, and even humorously depicted. The narrator's soulful and childlike drawings leaven the serious text; her words are also enhanced visually with real photos of the time and drawings of her brother's comic strips. A humane, creative, refreshing and vivid way to present history to children.

"Over the years, I have recommended this book to hundreds of people in all walks of life and of almost all ages. Many have declared it to be the most informative and most interesting book they have read about Kansas history. The new material Rothenberger has located will add substantially to its value."--Leo E. Oliva, author of Woodston: The Story of a Kansas Country Town

"A first-rate edition. The annotations are informative in content and graceful in style."--Susan J. Rosowski, general editor of The Willa Cather Scholarly Edition

Day combines a sophisticated prose background and lyrical stories to create first-rate fictions. Memorable characters are real cowboys from real ranches in Kansas, barkeeps who stew beaver meat in the winter, and a boy who meets a two persons who can only speak French. The heartland of Day is an exotic land not touched on by stereotypes in the mass media. Read this collection of stories that open up the mysteries of human experience, set against the great sky of the plains.

This book was absolutely everything i was looking for and more. My sister and her family just recently bought a home in Wichita and are planning the big move from New Jersey for the end of July this summer. I wasn't so excited for them until I picked up this book. I thought Kansas...boring! But boy was I wrong, this book was so helpful in educating me about Wichita from every aspect of its past and present life. I learned interesting facts about the town as well as many cool and exciting new things that are available in Wichita for me to do when I go visit. I feel like I know the town as well as my own hometown now. I would recommend this book to anyone relocating to the area or even just for anyone who may want to visit or just learn more about an exciting and growing new city in Kansas.

Wichita is a great city, i love it!! great book