This is a must have book for an American Revolutionary War reenactor. That is, if you are on the side of the Crown. Especailly if you are portraying a Loyalist/Tory. God Save King George III!
Your Humble Servant,
C. Hofmann, King's Rangers

A Fantastic work and a pleasure to read the History of a forgotten area of history, the American Revolution as it happened in New York state. Very well documented, good selection of paintings, modern photographs and maps of the region. The indices are unquestionably the most complete that I have ever seen.

I highly reccommend this book to anyone who is interested in the late 18 th Century and the American Revolution.

The question of captivity is often quite perplexing in any war and was quite so during the Civil War. Author Michael P. Gray delves into this conundrum full force and shows what it was like to be held captive in the most heinous of northern jails, "Helmira" better known as Elmira. His analysis shows that the proper handling of prisoners was more intricate than once believed and that captivity took on a life of it's own while setting forth new business principles behind the stockade walls. Enormous amounts of food, staffing, lumber, clothing, paper, and every other item that is necessary to operate a prison is well documented with these pages.

This book has been broken down into a chapter-by-chapter discovery of what occurred at Elmira just before, during and right after the Civil War. It began as simple depot laid out to house soldiers as they prepared to go off to war. Men arrived for training, were processed, feed, trained and sent off to battle. With the troops moving off to fight, many barracks were left unoccupied and Asst. Adj. General Edward D. Townsend brought this situation to the attention of Commissary General Hoffman. Hoffman believed these empty barracks could help alleviate overcrowding in Northern prisons and do so in a more economical fashion.

The train account discussed in the chapter 2 on "The Inauguration of Elmira Prison" really hits home on how past tragedies mirror what has occurred in our lives today. The conductors, trying to make up for lost time were pushing their steam locomotives to the breaking point, and led travelers into harms way. When the accident occurred one conductor was killed outright while the other slowly roasted to death. The images brought to mind the horrors of recent train derailments and how we can be here one minute and gone the next.

As you follow this work you see how the lives of the men lost along with those that survived came together to form the common thread for this book. This thread is how prisons, guards and suppliers formed the "Business of Captivity" The author goes into great detail, compiling primary source material along with excellent writing to bring forth a truly awesome work on Elmira. The chapters are broken down into easy to read sections and build upon each other without dragging the reader through trivial details. The average reader will appreciate it's easy to read format while the historian will appreciate the thoroughness of research and detail used in compiling the material for this book.

The myriad of difficulties in running a prison camp as a business are well laid out and it's hard to imagine the daily life and death struggle that took place when you begin reading about all the business ventures that took place within the stockade walls. The most ingenious were the trinkets that were produced by the prisoners to be sold within as well as outside the camp by prison guards. The "Elmira Jewelry trade" was in full swing and supplied many a lady with finely crafted rings, necklaces and so forth made from bone, wood, animal hair, or any scrap that might have been missed by a previous "jeweler".

Rounding out this work is the chapter labeled "The Aftermath & the Legacy" that lays out in black and white the ultimate cost of prison life. From July 1864 to July 1865, death and sickness became so commonplace that a separate business of transporting and interring the dead sprang up. One man, an escaped slave, John W. Jones supervised the burial of all the Confederate prisoners at Elmira and made himself a tidy nest egg for after the war. He became known as the wealthiest colored man in that part of the state.

"The Business of Captivity" has brought together sound research mirrored with quality writing to give the reader an enjoyable journey into prison life at Elmira. Even the endnotes are filled with primary source material and each chapter has many quotes and references. Cover to cover the reader will discover that human interest has been successfully merged with historical research. I highly recommend this book to anyone curious about fortifications and prisons during the Civil War.

This was an excellent piece of non-bias work dedicated to telling the truth of the business of prison management in the North during the War of Northern Aggression. Michael P. Gray was very meticulous in detailing facts and figures about the day to day obstacles that confronted the U. S. Gov't and the management staff in running Elmira Prison. The enormous amount of food, lumber, clothing, staff, paper and every other item that is necessary to operate a prison is well documented along with its many atrocities. It must have taken many months for Michael to review the receipts and records that were kept by the prison staff. Also documented was how Elmira gained financially by being a training area for soldiers and then as a prison town. This book is also a great genealogy reference because of the many individuals quoted and referred to. Every aspect of running a prison is covered from dealing with a budget that was too small(more money was spent on Elmira than any other prison), prison escapes, disease, flood, corrupt or incompetent officials and staff, contractors, transportation and the unforgiving winter weather. As I read this book, I kept picturing what my ancestors my have been doing to occupy the long, boring days as they dragged by behind the walls of Elmira Prison. The end notes are just as interesting as each chapter was with the many quotes and references. I would like to thank Mr. Gray for this factual and non-biased look into my ancestors past experiences.

This book is a necessity for any one interested in the history of the Coachella Valley; there is simply no other place to find out about the lower (southern) half of the Valley. The history of the upper part of the Valley has been recorded recently in a book by Frank Bogart, covering the Palm Springs area. Pat' book covers the lower, less glamourous, part of the Valley and how the early settlers lived and succeeded.

Anyone who has spent time in Sourthern California's Coachella Valley will find this book fascinating. Although it has interesting photographs on nearly every page, this is no mere "coffee table book". In addition to being visually engaging, the text brings to life the events of that past (geological, historical, anthropological, and social) that have shaped the development of the Valley. I would heartily recommend this book to anyone who lives in or visits the Coachella Valley, or to anyone who would simply like to learn about a very unique area of the United States.

I shopped around extensively at local travel bookstores to find a good wine country book, and I think this one is the best. It has beautiful color pictures on almost every page. Many of the pictures show the wine labels, which helps make the book a nice souvenir for you to remember the wine/winery later. The pictures are supplemented with insightful commentary on the wines, history of each winery, and even pictures/descriptions of the restaurants, lodgings. The maps are also in color, and are detailed for each town. Also included is an events/festivals list and analysis of wine vintages by year. All that, and it's still small enough to carry with you when you visit the wineries.

My wife and I were completely delighted following the "tours" in this guide. The maps, directions and winery descriptions were second to none! Anyone contemplating a trip to the California wine country should consider this book a MUST. Of course, if your not planning a trip, you will be after reading this! We stayed at two different B&B's recommended by the book and were very pleased. The book accurately depicted the quality of the rooms and hospitality of the staff. Again, I highly recommend this wine country guide.

I've been fly fishing all my life and have traveled the world doing it. These are the best guides I've come across.

This guide will save you a lot of time--and you'll catch a lot more fish--with all the tips and key destinations. This book really added to our vacation!

I've used dozens of guides in the past. These guides win hands down

I've been fly fishing all my life and never have I had a resource like this book. This will tell you EXACTLY where to go. It's almost like the author is right there with you. After my trip to the Roaring Fork area, I bought more fishing guides that this author published and have already gone to the Summit County area with his book.

this is an excellent compilation of stories about hippies and their adventures. i highly recommend it.

What was it like in the sixties? Have you ever wondered this? Even if you lived through the sixties. A collection of stories, some sad, some weird, some gross, and some crazy. This book will take you back. The stories are anywhere from a few lines long to a few pages. A truly amazing book, that not only will you enjoy, but will force on your friends to enjoy

I think just about anyone who has taken a literature class has been ENCOURAGED...[required] to memorize this poem.

And it's a darn good poem; tells a story that sounds, [especially to a younger person, very real].

Robert Service has always been like...the 'other' Jack London. These two authors should be, [if not already], required reading in any English/Literature class taught.

This particular poem was always a good one to have memorized--- in order to recite it around the campfire at a Boy Scout camping trip. Just seeing the title in print brings back fond memories.

The Cremation of Sam Magee is definatley Robert Services funniest poems ever, it shows a master genius at work and I shall always remember the words "Strange things are done in the midnight sun by the men who mole for gold" This book is a definate buy!!! I shall keep this book till the day I die

Prowling through the Pomona Valley through the ephemera of my youth, how could I not love this book? Charles Phoenix guides this tour with the assistance of archive photographs and examples of period advertising, maps and illustrations. He's provided the quirky cultural landmarks of a land time will not now forget.

Documented is the art, the architecture, and the roadside attractions that sustained the inhabitants and beckoned the tourist to adventure. From my favorite patriotic ice cream fountain decorated in an extreme red-white-and-blue colonial style to the breathtaking significance of a restaurant inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright, this is a respectful and loving voyage.

Taking in a movie was a monumental experience because we could go to "The World's Most Beautiful Drive-In Theater." The entrance to the sprawling 30-acre Valley Drive-In Theater hosted a gigantic mural, depicting larger-than-life migrants, settlers, and indigenous peoples in an early California mission scene. Close to 8-storeys high, the tableau even lived on at night when outlined by neon, and the scenic river seemed to move realistically towards the sea when alit with graceful, flowing neon. Because back then you had crossed vast expanses of empty prairie getting to the theater, you felt like a pioneer just pulling into line to see the movie.

Having a meal out usually involved travel to a neighboring town like Pomona, Upland, Ontario, or Cucamonga or other far-away exotic locations. "The World's Largest Polynesian Restaurant" presented a dining experience with a Tahitian-theme. Others offered an oasis of entertainment pleasures, like the Bambu Hut, which afforded not just dining but dancing to a live trio, or at the Kapu-Kai, which provided not just dining and dancing, but had an attached bowling alley and a Tahitian Flame Room.

Sometimes, though, I'd just pick up a snack from one of the drive-up eateries for people who can't leave their cars and go home to listen to one of my records, selected from "The World's Largest Record Collection."

Charles Phoenix shares his collection of the brightest bits, like spreading tiles for a cultural mosaic. There are elements of the nostalgic and the kitschy, but in the large view this book touches on much of what was the original, unique, outstanding, and outrageous flavor of the Pomona Valley. Almost all my favorite places and memories of them nestle in these pages. Some of the places aren't there anymore, but there's plenty left to see. You'll find them here in this book, early visions of a lasting modernity. The author provides maps and instructions on how to get there to see it in real life in today's light.

What a great book to help the reader realize that the signs and buildings you pass by every day are actually historical art! This book covers in brief descriptions and pictures significant milestones in Pomona Valley history. It includes a great section on the architecture of the LA County Fair, wonderful descriptions and photos of sinage and homes and other special places in Pomona Valley not typically considered to be noteworthy. I really enjoyed this book and purchased several copies for the high school library where I work. The students love the book as do the art history classes. The maps throughout the book show walking or driving tours you can take to see these great and funky sites! The only unfortunate thing about the book is that it reminds you about so many great places which are no longer there. What fun (!) to actually remember when you could buy McDonald's hamburgers as advertised for 15 cents each. This book is lots of fun--like eating popcorn--delicious and you can't stop!

Jaclyn Lurker has created a book that is very entertaining. This is one that I could not stop thinking about. I had to read this book every spare second I had because the suspense was killing me. I really enjoyed it and cannot wait for further books by this wonderful author.

yet another literary masterpiece from the incomparable jaclyn lurker! i can't say enough about her or her talent-she is truly inspiring! if you haven't read cryer's valley you are missing out on a work of sheer literary genius!