THE BARON WAR is as big and bold as the land it is written about. Follow the continuing saga of Martin Baron as he strives to build an an emire in an unforgiving land. Along the way Martin must deal with an old enemy who is out to take back the land Martin has legally purchased as well as trying to heal the rift that has come between he and his son Anson. Jory Sherman has once again writen a book in this outatanding series that can stand alone. THE BARON WAR will leave the reader anxiously awaiting the next book in this wonderful series. Sherman shows why he is an award winning author.

The Battle of McDowell is the first of it's kind in the respect that it is devoted to the history of this important battle in Highland County, Virginia. Anyone interested in further details of the battle may e-mail me at 7thcav@va.tds.net and I will do my best to answer their questions. I thank you, Richard L. Armstrong. P. S. - Yes, I am that Richard L. Armstrong.

If you've ever taken a guided factory tour, you know the difference between someone reciting memorized facts and someone who can call upon a deep reservoir of knowledge, accumulated over a lifetime, for information that will illuminate a particular subject. Mr. Kelley clearly belongs in the latter class. Reading his book, it is apparent that we are only scratching the surface of what this remarkable historian knows about the complex interplay of history, politics, personality and nature that conspired to produce the water system northern California has today.

The story of California water is fascinating, although perhaps only of real interest to Californians. Nevertheless, even if only for that audience, Mr. Kelley has written an entirely readable, yet simultaneously scholarly volume. Anyone interested in an introduction to the state of northern California's water situation should begin with this book.

In a general sense, however, this book is also about changing political and sociological trends in America beginning around 1850. The focus is on flooding in the Sacramento Valley, and its battles between gold miners and valley farmers, or between Republican engineers and Democratic populists, but parallels are probably found elsewhere in our country during the same period of history. I enjoyed this book tremendously.

Now in a fully updated and expanded fourth edition, Joanne Michaels and Mary-Margaret Barile's The Best Of The Hudson Valley & Catskill Mountains is a comprehensive, fact-filled and extremely practical guide to vacationing and travel in these wondrous New York enclaves of cultural diversity. Chapters include in-depth coverage on getting there, family activities, the best places to stay or eat, selective shopping and special events. The Best Of The Hudson Valley & Catskill Mountains is a first-rate compendium for anyone looking forward to enjoying their vacations and travels in the picturesque Hudson Valley or the Catskill Mountains.

At first I fell in love with this book purely because of the delightful illustrations by Michael Furuya. But after reading it over and over I found it to be a great introduction to the problems of Hawaii's native species, even for adults(as it is a childrens book). Although it is basic, the story about a Hawaiian Tree snail who meets up with a Hawaiian Happy Face spider and goes searching for adventure is fun and swiftly paced. It then introduces some of the many introduced species that have wreaked havoc on native flora and fauna.
I loved this story, it is great for anyone who has an interest in Native Hawaiian Fauna, especially for teaching children, or anyone who collects childrens books ( for illustrations or otherwise).

The Big Rivers is an excellent book. It takes the older elementary student through the water cycle using the big flood of '93 as a living example. I recommend this book for every library. Teachers this book is a great non-fiction book for use as supplemental reading for any environmental education curriculum.

Professor Drake's Black Folk Here and There is essential reading for anyone concerned with the history and legacy of slavery and race in the contemporary world. This book provides the best review of the specialized literature on race and slavery, making available a great deal of knowledge heretofore confined to university libraries. St. Clair Drake was one of the deans of Black Studies as well as American Sociology, and he applied that rare background to an analysis and evaluation of modern theories of race and racism. His main targets are the theory of black inferiority and the theory of universal black contemptability. Did every civilization develop racism against "blacks"? In order to challenge that idea presented by some psychologists and historians, including the prize winning Professor Carl Degler, Drake reviews the history of Egypt, Ethiopia, Europe and Christianity in the Middle Ages, slavery and Islam, and the rise of the Atlantic Slave Trade. And he finds that there was no universal contempt for blacks. The evaluation of blacks throughout the ages, depended on their status in various civilizations. The high point of black social and cultural status was in ancient Egypt and Ethiopia as well as during the Middle Ages as revealed in such folklore as Prester John and the Black Madonna. However, with the emergence of the Atlantic slave trade as the modern world took shape, Black Africans took on a distinct ly degraded social and cultural status that was spread by modern communications throughout the world. In terms of encyclopedic knowledge on this subject and hard hitting analysis, Drake's study is unrivaled! As a professor of history, I use it as the best introduction to the global problems of race and racism left behind by modern slavery and the Atlantic slave trade. No one knew this subject or wrote with the scope as did Professor Drake. Thus, this text is essential reading for teachers and students.

This story, written in first person narrative, is pulled off beautifully by Johnstone. The young anti hero, Cotton Pickens will have you rolling with laughter and on the edge of your seat with plenty of mystery and excitement. A must read if you read western fiction at all. In the book, Cotton becomes a sheriff in a small cowtown, restores order, finds a girlfriend, foils a take over of the town, stops greedy landgrabbers, kills several night riding farm burners, and keeps the peace while keeping you in hysterics. William Johnstone is at the top of his game with this book.

This book is a excellent history of the Suncook Valley Railroad. It is well illustrated, and factually accurate. I have used this book as a prime resource for my own modeling and historical research, as I'm always looking for new sources of information concerning the SunVal.

I bought this book because I understood that a few of my ancestors were quoted in it; as a genealogist, I look for every mention of my ancestors possible! But this book brought home the staggering (to me, I never said I was smart) fact that not all conflict between settlers and Native Americans took place on the plains. Many, many conflicts took place right here in the midwest, in Ohio, Michigan, etc. And this book provides an excellent description of the people and events of this period of settlement. It adds a dimension to my research, and is an fascinating study.