This book was beautiful, as are all of Pamela Jekel's books. Wonderfully researched. Basically a "true story of the Old South" with what it was really like. No spoiled plantation daughters primping around, but the story of escaped slaves and the Seminoles, before they were a mascot.

I was trapped by the opening line and enjoyed every minute of this book. Think of an updated Dashiell Hammett. This is my first John Brown book and I will be continuing on to his other works (I actually met John while in Indianapolis for the 500 and he signed my copy of Rogues' Bluff). This work has the hard-boiled colorful imagery of the classic detective genre, many sub-plots that unfold as you go, a great sense of humor, and an excellent overall story that hits all colors of the literary spectrum. This book was recommended to me as a good intro to detective Richard Scott. A must have for detective/mystery fans and a good read for anyone who enjoys a good book.

"Sabers in the Shenandoah" is an account of a Union cavalry regiment that saw hard service in the cavalry operations in the Shenandoah Valley. Many accounts of cavalry in the Civil War stress the exploits of cavalry greats such as Sheridan, Custer, Mosby, Stuart, etc. Mr. Bonnell's history of the 21st New York describes the service of a dedicated group of men who suffered great hardship after being formed in Troy, New York but have received little credit for their exploits. This book should be read by any serious student of Union cavalry in the Shenandoah Valley.

"Established in a wilderness environment in order to convert and acculturate Texas Indians to a Hispanic way of life, the missions served the goals of church and state by safeguarding remote regions in the Borderlands." This statement about the Spanish missions has another side to the story. It is comprised of the following questions. How did the missionaries and the Indians survive in those remote regions of Spain's colonial frontier? Did the colonial authorities periodically supply them with necessary provisions? Dr. Felix D. Almaraz, Jr. in his book The San Antonio Missions And Their System of Land Tenure argued that the main aspect of economic survival of the Franciscan religious establishments in Texas, particularly in the San Antonio area, was the Spanish mission system of land tenure. He further stated that the land not only served as the basis for economic self-sufficiency, but also for the purpose of the Spanish Crown. That is, the mission land tenure in general obliged the subjects of Spain to transform the wilderness into productive farmlands-one of the main elemets necessary to settle Spain's frontier. Dr. Almaraz defined and explored not only judicial grounds of Spain to establish the missions, but he also provided details on their political standing within the broader context of Spain's imperial politics, emphasizing that success of the mission expansion relayed upon Spain's "fortunes in global politics," against other emerging European powers. For better understanding, the author identified two periods in the Spanish colonial history (1793-1794 and 1823-1824) during which the process of secularization took place. A large part of the author's research is attributed to the analysis of this process and its consequences which subsequently altered the purpose of the Franciscan religious establishments in the San Antonio area. Dr. Almaraz stated that the missions experienced considerable decline in their independent standing within the frontier society by being transferred from Church control to the local civil authorities. This change of hands contributed to the encroachment of the civilian as well as ecclesiastical authorities on the farmlands and pastures under mission control. Dr. Almaraz concluded his book by discussing the San Antonio mission existence during the Texas Republic (1836-1845) and the following decades. That time proved to be the most devastating to the mission buildings. As the author's research showed, it was partially due to the secular authorities' land reduction efforts around the missions, permission to use stones from the buildings as construction material elsewhere, and it was due to the city's expansion itself that pushed the missions into a further state of neglect. The signing into existence of the San Antonio Missions National Historical Park in 1978 has raised the importance of these Spanish edifices as the subject of research and preservation for new academic endevors. The author has added a flavor to his book by providing the reader with the actual excerpts from the Franciscan friars' inventory documents about the physical descriptions of the San Antonio missions, conditions of their adjacent pueblos, conventos, and farmlands. Along with the first hand sources, Dr. Almaraz provided his own commentary thus making it easier to understand the character of Spain's christianization efforts in the New World. In addition, the maps of Spain's Texas and San Antonio along with the tables of statistics ranging from the registries of land grants to the summaries of purchases,and most importantly, Dr. Almaraz eloquent language give the book a particular dynamism and harmony. The author's research radiates a unique insider's look at one aspect of Spain's colonialism - the Spanish friars' practices to establish a material basis (building missions and using surrounding land) in order to propagate religion and the Spanish lifestyle among the Indians in the ever-changing frontier environment.

This is the (mostly fictional) story of the life of James Savage, the man who discovered the Yosemite in 1851 and whose actions nearly led to the destruction of the entire Yosemite tribe. At the height of the California gold rush, Savage's forays into this region could only lead to dire consequences. Savage cheats Yosemite chief Tenaya of his gold (a historical event, recorded in other sources as well), then captures him on behalf of the Army. When Tenaya escapes from his reservation on the Fresno, it is Savage's duty to run after him again. What ensues is a series of breathtaking mountain chases across some of America's most stunning landscapes. How about making this into a film?

A very enjoyable story for children as well as adults. It teaches a valuable lesson about overcoming obstacles to achieve a goal. The story is both entertaining and educational. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn more about what life was like in Maine during the shipbuilding era of the early 1900s.

If you thought the scalp hunters were the Indians, guess again. This book reveals that the Indians were the HUNTED, and that one of the local chaplains was a scalp hunter. A well-written book packed with info.

The new student,Patty make mad at Elizabeth. But she doesn't hate Elizabeth. She was lonely. She doesn't know how to make friends. I'm interested in Elizabeth's plan that to become a friend with Patty.

Another wonderful adventure of Henry Ware and his friends. The book is full of excitement and adventure from cover to cover. It's a great book to read to your kids.

The valley of the spotted horses is a story about how Scrapper John's father is killed by a bear in a lion attack.

He goes to live with an Indian tribe where he meets a friend and they decide to go on a journey to the valley of the spotted horses.

After making into the valley by climbing a wall, they escape with their new horses through the snakes with the help of a flood.