This work is a geographically-arranged summary of operations and personality of the men at worked on the Valley from NYC to Lehighton. The color photographs are well-chosen, beautifully printed, and thoughtfully captioned. The Black Diamond still lingers in the memory of many railfans(old and young). I appreciate the Author very much!!!

I purchased this book with the hopes that I would find my grandfather in the pages - and I wasn't disappointed :-)
See Chapter 10 - Rogue's Gallery Photo! The photography is just beautiful. Mike Bednar, thank you for capturing the wonderful memories of what once was the LVRR.

Just purchased this book and have not been able to put it down. We finally see a people book that matches the "men and machine" outlook. Great reading.

I agree with the first reviewer's comments about this book. I have "read" many similar, photo-oriented railroad books, and this , along with volume 1 of the series, is one of my favourites. I especially liked that fact that the photos cover the full LV system, and the inclusion of timetables and mileage numbers is very interesting and useful. I even learned that LH and Canadian National Rwys used to offer joint passenger service!! The photographs are excellent, and the captions are interesting and well-written.

I have purchased both volumes of this book from Morning Sun. The authors have presented an in-depth, comprehensive photo illustration of the Lehigh Valley Railroad. I was only 13 when the LV was sadly transformed (and scrapped) for Conrail, yet this book is enough to invoke anyone's pleasent memories of the great "Route of the Black Diamond"

Not just a great collector's item, but a well written story that one can't put down. The pictures draw you in and the writing makes you want more from this author. Their is too little written on this region that boasts a terrific rail history. There's something indescribable that keeps you pulling the book out and looking at it again and again.

Some well needed LVRR material from upstate New York. The pictures of the branch line action are GREAT.I keep on going back for more!!! I would like to see another come out with more photos of the upstate region.

This is a well researched, thorough, incitefull read for those interested in the Lehigh Valley. The illustrations, Cameo appearances and data tables all flow nicely and fully enhance the standard text. The narrative is complete but not complex and easy to follow for even the non science types. The history section was interesting and complete. I recommend this book to all interested parties.

Archer's work is a thorough history of the Lehigh Valley that chronologically follows the story of the Valley from construction to its eventual demise. It is well-written and includes a fine selection of black and white photographs. The only shortcoming in the book is that it does not have a locomotive roster

The LV became part of Conrail in 1976, but it still lingers in the memory of many railfans. This work is a geographically-arranged summary of motive power and operations on the Valley. The color photographs are well-chosen, beautifully printed, and thoughtfully captioned. This is not a complete history of the LV, but will be of great use to the model railroader

I would like to explain an eyewitness account concerning the "farmer ghost" on ridge road in Upper Mt. Bethel. It was late one night, about a month ago, and three of my friends and i were bringing a friend home. We were driving along back roads and we turned down ridge road. as our headlights reflected off of a metal wire fence, a glimpse of an old man caught our eye. We all asked eachother what it was, but no one seemed to have an answer. My friend turned his car around about 10-15 ft. down the road and we came back to the fence...and he was gone. So, then, we decided to go back the way we were going and we passed it again, and there he was- smiling and waving as we drove by. By this time, my friends and i had been convinced that we had all seen a ghost! And of course, being the courageous and curious teenagers that we are, we went back again! This time, he wasn't there, but the last time we turned around, not only was he there, but this time he was bent over the fence with his face pointed toward the ground. i was the only one out of my friends who saw him in this position. Now, this is how i learned about the story in this book- I came home, and my mom started telling me about this ghost story in your book. she asked me where i had seen the ghost, and i replied, "Ridge Road." She then proceeded to explain the legend of the ghost, that's when i knew it was the same ghost i had seen.

This book did disappoint me. It covered a wide range of the Lehigh Valley from the Slate Belt to Alburtis. However, the book relied heavily on folklore and second-hand stories rather then eyewitness accounts. On the other hand, the authors did povide pictures and competent discriptions of the sites and the locations.

I am a paranormal researcher from the Lehigh Valley. I recommend this book to anyone who has the urge to explore the unknown. I was delighted to see photos of actual occurances and descriptions of locations near my home. Although there are not a lot of eye-witness accounts included in the book, having lived here most of my life, I know how closed-mouthed the locals here are. However, I have personally researched several of the locations found in this book and have seen some interesting things myself.

The first part of this book is wonderful. The author's knowledge of the horse is apparent. Then the book takes a grave turn for the worse. I was very dissappointed at the character who I initially hailed for her bravery & stamina, but then turns and runs away (again it seems) when life gets too tough for her. I about stopped reading the book. What happened to the theory: If you fall off - then get back on! The author has the opportunity to protray a wonderfully strong (woman) character along side a spiritual & magnificent animal. It's too bad she didn't.

In my childhood I read book after book about horses, but then had to grow up (the library also ran out of titles). Once again, while reading In the Presence of Horses, I have been able to immerse myself in horses.

This is not a happy story and our heroine, Natalie, does not emerge as a perfect role model but it's a story filled with believable emotion, characters you will recognize and a dose of reality about living with horses.

I've recommended this book to all my horse-loving friends, and even given it as a surprise gift to others. It's good enough to share.

This is the story of Natalie Baxter, a woman who has lost almost everything that has ever mattered to her and has lost the ability to allow herself any attachments. She shows up to take a job managing a small riding stable owned by Pierce. Both of these characters are enigmatic and we meet them at the same time that they meet each other. One of the horses in this stable is a "true black," named Twister, with malformed hocks whose character holds Natalie at Pierce's stable when all of her instincts call for her to move on. As the book starts the character of these two people and that of Twister as well are indistinct and shrouded. It is only as the book progresses that we see them more and more distinctly. And as we see them more distinctly we become more involved with them. This is not a story just for horse lovers. It is for any reader who enjoys a well told story with characters whom, as we gradually learn more and more about them, we become more attached to. By the end of the story Natalie has changed. Perhaps not as much as some readers would like but enough so that we can believe in her ultimate regeneration.