Exploring Mesoamerica (Places in Time)

Book Description

Long before the arrival of Columbus, the civilizations of Mesoamerica were among the most sophisticated and spectacular of the ancient world. In Exploring Mesoamerica, the second volume in the Places in Time series, John M. D. Pohl takes us on a guided tour of the most amazing archaeological sites of Mesoamerica, bringing to life the civilizations that once flourished there. Lavishly illustrated with photographs, maps, reconstructions, and site plans, Exploring Mesoamerica examines eighteen well-known archaeological sites from 2500 B.C. to 1519 A.D., from Izapa, Tikal, and Palenque to Cacaxtla, Casas Grandes, and Tenochititlan. Each site is a time capsule reflecting the cultural lifespan of that particular region and providing clues to the societal evolution of ancient Mesoamerica as a whole. Every chapter describes the history of a site's excavation and its most revealing architectural treasure, then goes on to discuss the people who lived there and the technological advances, class structures, and spiritual beliefs that characterized their culture. From intricate terraced gardens to palatial residences, from complex celestial calendars to thriving trade networks, Mesoamerican civilization springs into bold relief in this carefully researched volume. Most important, every site discussed is fully accessible to the public, and the author provides their locations, listing the museums that contain the primary artifacts for each. Lucidly written and based on the most current archaeological scholarship, Exploring Mesoamerica reopens this fascinating region for history buffs, armchair time-travelers, and anyone planning to explore these intriguing sites.

The Road to the Dark Tower: Exploring Stephen King's Magnum Opus

Average customer rating:

Good guide to the Tower
Great for those fans that are completely lost but...
Must Have For Dark Tower Fans
Worth reading, but frustrating at times
Helpful, but...

The Road to the Dark Tower: Exploring Stephen King's Magnum Opus
Bev Vincent
Manufacturer: NAL Trade
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Authors | Arts & Literature | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

History & Criticism | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books

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Stephen King's The Dark Tower: A Concordance, Volume II
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Stephen King's The Dark Tower: The Complete Concordance
The Complete Stephen King Universe: A Guide to the Worlds of Stephen King
Song of Susannah (The Dark Tower, Book 6)

ASIN: 0451213041
Release Date: 2004-09-28

Book Description

In 1970, Stephen King embarked on what would become the crowning achievement in his literary career-the Dark Tower. The seven-volume series, written and published over a period of 30 years, was inspired by Robert Browning's poem "Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came," as well as J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, and the spaghetti Westerns of Sergio Leone.

With the full cooperation of Stephen King himself, The Road to the Dark Tower examines the epic journey of the author to complete a story that threatened to overwhelm him. In this indispensable companion, Bev Vincent presents a book-by-book analysis of each volume in the series, tracing the Dark Tower's connections to King's other novels including The Stand, Insomnia, and Hearts in Atlantis, and offering insights from the author about the creative process involved in crafting his lifelong work-a work that has consumed not only Stephen King, but his legion of devoted readers. This is essential reading for any Dark Tower-or Stephen King-fan.

Download Description

"In 1970, Stephen King embarked on what would become the crowning achievement in his literary career-the Dark Tower. The seven-volume series, written and published over a period of 30 years, was inspired by Robert Browning's poem ""Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came,"" as well as J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, and the spaghetti Westerns of Sergio Leone. With the full cooperation of Stephen King himself, The Road to the Dark Tower examines the epic journey of the author to complete a story that threatened to overwhelm him. In this indispensable companion, Bev Vincent presents a book-by-book analysis of each volume in the series, tracing the Dark Tower's connections to King's other novels including The Stand, Insomnia, and Hearts in Atlantis, and offering insights from the author about the creative process involved in crafting his lifelong work-a work that has consumed not only Stephen King, but his legion of devoted readers. This is essential reading for any Dark Tower-or Stephen King-fan. "

Customer Reviews:

Good guide to the Tower.......2007-05-03

I think that this book was interesting. You had everything at your fingertips if you wanted to look something up. I understand why a few people would be dissapointed because it doesnt dive too deep into the story. An interview with King would have been pretty cool, I will admit. Oh well...I still found the book pretty interesting.

Great for those fans that are completely lost but..........2006-07-07

... for those with any intelligence what so ever a pointless read. Vincent points out all of the obvious connections to Kings other works. There was no interview with the author to speak of... There was no new insight into the characters or about the worlds. Disappointing through and through.

Must Have For Dark Tower Fans.......2006-04-28

It's taken years and seven books but we have finally finished our quest for the Dark Tower. Now, we have this book to help us make sense of the journey. There is a love for the story that Bev brings to this book that many of us can empathize with. Bev's information, especially when discussing influences, is a very helpful adjunct to the series. There are bios of the characters, also a big help in keeping things straight. The poem which inspired it all (Childe Roland To The Dark Tower Came) is wonderful to have.

Bev knows his topic very well and brings this knowledge to all of us. Another trip to the Tower will be in order once you have this guide at your side.

Worth reading, but frustrating at times.......2006-01-25

Being a huge fan of The Dark Tower books, I bought this book with high expectations, hoping to gain more prespective on Roland's quest and what it all might actually mean. What I actually got was a book that was very heavy on summary and rather short of actual literary analysis.

This book reads like something I would have written in high school as a thesis paper for AP English. It's very obvious that Vincent is trying to prove a point, but he offers the same evidence over and over to illustrate said theory (I don't want to include details, just in case someone reading this hasn't actually read the Dark Tower series). A great deal of the footnotes offer pointless observaions and connections that have little, if anything at all, to do with the story. On the other hand, Vincent glosses over other connections, or fails to emphasize their importance. There's very little mention of the poem that inspired King to write the series, Robert Browning's "Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came." He mentions it only when the books themselves make reference to it. The section of the book devoted to character analysis was thorough, although it does not offer anything readers cannnot discern for themselves while reading the series.

For all of the books faults, though, it was still an entertaining read. I enjoyed travelling back to Gilead, the Tower, and everywhere inbetween from a more scholarly point of view. For some reason, King's work transcends what I felt to be the amateur analysis of Vincent, and still makes this book worth delving into.

As a side note, perhaps if I hadn't been so excited to read it, it would not have been such of a let-down for me. It's definitley more of a companion read - a way to answer any unanswered questions you may have about the series, rather than an attempt to analyze what it actually means.

Helpful, but..........2005-05-23

First off, I haven't finished reading this book, but there are a few errors that I feel the need to point out.

First--I sat with my copy of Drawing of the Three and could not find the man in black disappearing into any doorway--perhaps this happens in one of the later books. If so, a footnote to that fact would have been nice.

Secondly--The author of this work neglects to mention obvious connections between the Dark Tower books and other works of literature. A discussion of Eliot's The Waste Land would have been interesting and possibly invaluable, especially considering both King and Eliot use Tarot cards and play fast and loose with Aurthurian legend. At least a mention of the fact that Rhea of Coos is the witch of coos as a nod to the Robert Frost poem of the same name should have been in order.

All this being said, I have appreciated the author's attempt to bring all of King's writings regarding the Dark Tower together... an inspired work.

Overall, A few quibbles that only an English professor would complain about...

The Lost World of the Anasazi: Exploring the Mysteries of Chaco Canyon

Average customer rating:

Another wonderful Anasazi Read.....
Great Book!

The Lost World of the Anasazi: Exploring the Mysteries of Chaco Canyon
Peter Lourie
Manufacturer: Boyds Mills Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Ages 9-12 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 1590784758

Book Description

More than a thousand years ago, a people known as the Anasazi lived in the North American Southwest. They produced pottery, baskets, and cloth, and engaged in trade. They were master builders and erected magnificent structures. Then in the last half of the thirteenth century, something mysterious happened. The Anasazi walked away from their world and vanished into history. But why?

One place to look for clues is in northwestern New Mexico, among the ruins of Chaco Canyon. The discovery of a network of roads leading to the canyon have led some archaeologists to believe that this may have been the very center of the Anasazi universe. But what drew them to this hot, dry canyon?

Customer Reviews:

Another wonderful Anasazi Read............2007-06-12

This book is well written with some wonderful photos to boot...I enjoyed this book thoroughly and very happy with the purchase. Great photos, nice layout. Definitely earned a place on my bookshelf!

Great Book!.......2003-12-23

What an awesome journey this was with Pete Lourie. I didn't know anything about the Chaco culture, but after reading Lourie's book, I was inspired to visit. When I got there it was exactly like Lourie had described it. I camped a few nights in the canyon. Lourie perfectly captured the mystery of the place.

The Truth Behind A Series of Unfortunate Events: Eyeballs, Leeches, Hypnotism and Orphans --- Exploring Lemony Snicket's World

Average customer rating:

what a load of crock
Courtesy of Teens Read Too
Dreaded Dissapointment
Not an unpleasant book but an informative one
An Entertaining Read for Young and Old!

The Truth Behind A Series of Unfortunate Events: Eyeballs, Leeches, Hypnotism and Orphans --- Exploring Lemony Snicket's World
Lois Gresh
Manufacturer: St. Martin's Griffin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Similar Items:

The Puzzling Puzzles: Bothersome Games Which Will Bother Some People (A Series of Unfortunate Events Activity Book)
The Beatrice Letters (A Series of Unfortunate Events)
Lemony Snicket: The Unauthorized Autobiography (A Series of Unfortunate Events)
The End (A Series of Unfortunate Events, Book 13)
So You Think You Know Lemony Snicket? (So You Think You Know)

ASIN: 031232703X
Release Date: 2004-09-23

Book Description

A Series of Unfortunate Events is one of the most popular childrens series in the world and was a major motion picture starring Jim Carrey and Meryl Streep in December, 2004. In time for the mega-hyped release of Book 12 in the series, The Truth Behind A Series of Unfortunate Event is the ultimate companion guide to the fun and wildly successful novels. Digging beneath the surface, Lois Gresh uses science, history and little-known facts to dig deep into the world of A Series of Unfortunate Events and provide young readers everywhere with how-to hints and tips, quizzes, cool anecdotes, fun facts and information on everything Lemony including: Facts about handwriting analysis and forgery Killer leeches, crabs, fungi and peppermintall you need to know The truth about hypnosisand how to use it! Real child inventors and their amazing inventions How to build a telephone, a hot air balloon and an automatic harmonica Are you as smart as Violet Klaus?the ultimate quiz And much more. The ultimate renegade book report on A Series of Unfortunate Events, this readers guide is a must for the millions of young fans everywhere.

Customer Reviews:

what a load of crock.......2007-02-06

yeah you herd me, its a load of crock. lemony snicket didnt even write this either, its some idiot that thinks shes him. AVOID AT ALL COSTS!

Courtesy of Teens Read Too.......2006-12-22

Ever heard of an automatic harmonica? Need to learn to pick a lock? Did you know there are 650 species of leeches? Fans of the Lemony Snicket series The Complete Wreck (A Series of Unfortunate Events, Books 1-13) will want to keep this unauthorized companion handy, and newcomers will find Gresh's "Ultimate Book Report about Lemony Snicket" (p. 192) a helpful resource when diving into the series for the first time.

Gresh's main goal appears to be to easily flow learning opportunities into The Truth without interrupting the reader's enjoyment. She accomplishes this by combining events from the series with academic enlightenment. For example, in Chapter Five, she references Book the Second, The Reptile Room (A Series of Unfortunate Events, Book 2), within a discussion of herpetology, frog facts, and a text-box entitled, "The Most Deadly Snakes in the World" (pp. 57-60). In another instance, Gresh references Count Olaf from the first book, The Bad Beginning (A Series of Unfortunate Events, Book 1). She includes Count Olaf's attempt to trick fourteen-year-old Violet into marrying him without the young girl's knowledge in Chapter Eight, among details of legal marrying ages in not only states throughout the U.S., but also other countries, as well as text-boxes entitled "Marital Law in Ancient Rome" and "Marital Law in Ancient Greece" (pp. 105-8).

Overall, although unauthorized, the facts, insights, and quizzes offered by Gresh make the world of Lemony Snicket seem a bit less "unfortunate."

Reviewed by: Mechele R. Dillard

Dreaded Dissapointment.......2005-11-08

I am a huge fan of the Series Of Unfortunate Events & found this book only slightly entertaining. It in no way added anything to the series in any way. If you have read the books & the Unauthorized biography then you have all the info you need to not waste your money on this book. If you have not read the Unathorized Biography I would recomend spending you money on that first!

Not an unpleasant book but an informative one.......2005-05-07

The claim on the back of "The Truth Behind A Series of Unfortunate Events: Eyeballs, Leeches, Hypnotism, and Orphans--Exploring Lemony Snicket's World" is that this volume is the "ultimate unauthorized companion guide to the facts behind Lemony Snicket's wild world." Since this is the only one I have seen it is hard to say whether that is hyperbole or not. What Lois Gresh has done in this book is to look beneath the fiction into the realities of the Lemony Snicket universe. Violet Baudelaire likes to invent things, so Gresh explains how to build a telephone and a hot-air balloon mobile home and throws in some fascinating tidbits about who really invented the telephone and little-known facts about hot-air balloons. Young readers will also be able to read about real child inventors and their amazing inventions. The information provided is much more expansive than you would find in an annotated edition of something, but that is the general intent.

Gresh has authored books on "The Computers of Star Trek" and "The Science of Superheroes," so stopping and taking time to explain things we just take for granted in enjoying stories is apparently her forte. So there are chapters devoted to "What Happens to Real Orphans," "Strange Snakes, Lizards, and Toads," "Martial Law: Can an Old Geezer Marry a Young Girl?", "Picking Locks, Horseradish, and Peppermints," "Work, Slave Work! Child Labor Laws," "Crabs, Fungi, Staples, and Leeches," and "I Want to Be Someone Else." If you have read the Lemony Snicket books then you will know which chapters look at the "reality" behind which books (e.g., the last in the list explains how Count Olaf would disguise himself in the real world). Then there are chapters that are devoted to testing your knowledge about "Really Bad Grammar" and "Fancy-Pants Words." You can also test yourself to see if you are as smart as Violet and Klaus (or Sunny when she was one) on questions that are related to what happens in the series and other that are not.

For many readers what their enjoyment of this book will not come down to how it conveniently provides information about topics of interest regarding the world of Lemony Snicket, but how much the attempt to emulate the narrative style and look of the books bothers them. The book is the same dimension as the Lemony Snicket volumes, but without the rough edges of the paper. The illustrations are done in pencil in the style of Brett Helquist and as long as they are not showing any of the Baudelair orphans they are decent enough (I suppose from a legal standpoint none of the images are "really" of any of the characters in the books but that little point of irony does not help this volume). Most importantly (or not) Gresh tries to adopt the writing style of Lemony Snicket, but without the same sort of success (i.e., she tries too hard). This book works better when she is just providing information and leaving the comedy to the original stories because this is not an unpleasant book, it is an informative one. There are some attempts at analyzing symbols and motifs in the books, but, again, it is the informational aspect rather than the analysis that the legion of Lemony Snicket fans who stumbled across this volume will enjoy.

An Entertaining Read for Young and Old!.......2005-01-13

What makes the Lemony Snicket series of Unfortunate Events so entertaining is that they are books seemingly aimed at children and that yet can be read by adults as well, with as much pleasure if not more than children. These short novels are filled with sly jokes, clever asides, and enough silly situations that they cannot be mistaken for anything serious. That's what makes them so funny - they are an inside joke and all of the readers of the books are insiders. Reading Lois Gresh's wonderfully inventive "The Truth Behind A Series of Unfortunate Events" is a treat. The book provides an intelligent and yet funny look at the oddball facts and concepts mentioned in the books but never completely explained. Unlike the previous reviewer, you need a sense of humor to enjoy this book. It takes the Lemony Snicket world and examines it under a microscope. It's not meant to be a substitute for a Lemony Snicket book but a companion to all the Lemony Snicket books and it does a great job at being that. This is a book that any fan of the LS series who wonders about the many odd topics mentioned in the adventures but never explained will cherish. It is not a book for adults who possess no sense of curiosity. This is a book I think both kids and adults will enjoy.

Chesapeake: Exploring the Water Trail of Captain John Smith

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Chesapeake: Exploring the Water Trail of Captain John Smith
John Page Williams
Manufacturer: National Geographic
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Nature & Wildlife | Photography | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 1426200692
Release Date: 2007-04-10

Book Description

This richly illustrated, informative, and inviting book intertwines two fascinating stories of discovery. The first, among the earliest classics of New World adventure, recounts Captain John Smith's exploration of Chesapeake Bay 400 years ago; the second revisits this stunning landscape as it is today—both to showcase its still-unspoiled splendors and to issue a timely warning of looming threats to its vibrant but fragile ecology.

Dozens of dazzling full-color contemporary photographs evoke the Chesapeake spirit in all its many moods, while a wonderfully wide-ranging selection of archival images span the four centuries since John Smith first sailed, rowed, and wandered its woods and waterways, mapping the wilderness shores of an untamed America.

The author, a veteran naturalist at the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, has spent decades leading tours and teaching classes about the region. An ideal guide, he shares both his delight in the Bay's glorious diversity and his deep concern for its future. In addition, his unique blend of experience, environmental sensitivity, and historical expertise offers modern visitors a rare opportunity to discover the Chesapeake as Smith did so long ago, leaving beaten paths and familiar waters behind to learn why Congress will soon designate it as the first of America's official National Historic Water Trails.

For history buffs, conservationists, armchair travelers, tourists planning a trip, and anyone who simply loves first-rate nature photography, this beautiful book more than meets the high standard readers have come to expect from National Geographic.

Story Line: Exploring the Literature of the Appalachian Trail

Average customer rating:

Literature meets the great outdoors

Story Line: Exploring the Literature of the Appalachian Trail
Ian Marshall
Manufacturer: University of Virginia Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Ecocriticism (New Critical Idiom)

ASIN: 0813917980

Amazon.com

The Appalachian Trail's story begins in 1921, when Benton McKaye first suggested creating a long-distance hiking trail to his friend, Harris Whitaker, editor of the influential Journal of the American Institute of Architects. The idea was picked up by several regional hiking clubs who formed a committee with the intention of building a trail from New England to North Carolina; eventually the dream became a reality when a hiking enthusiast named Myron Avery joined the project in 1930. By 1937, America boasted a trail that runs (depending on who you talk to) anywhere between 2,100 and 2,200 miles. Whatever the exact mileage, you'd have to agree that it's a long, long way from Springer Mountain (Georgia) to Mt. Katahdin (Maine); anyone walking the trail, either in parts or in its entirety would have a lot of time on their hands.

And what better way to spend it than to read, suggests Ian Marshall, professor of English, avid hiker, and author of Story Line: Exploring the Literature of the Appalachian Trail. Marshall's pleasures are simple ones: he likes to walk, he likes to read, and he likes to think. In Story Line, he's managed to meld all three into a charming and thought-provoking meditation on both the beauties of nature and the artistic inspiration the wilderness provides. In addition to chronicling his own adventures along the trail over the past two decades, Marshall also discusses the literature that evokes what the trail symbolizes for him. There is Thomas Jefferson's "Notes on the State of Virginia" and Walt Whitman's "Song of the Open Road." Annie Dillard, Henry David Thoreau, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Herman Melville, and more all make welcome appearances in Marshall's narrative, as he seeks to find that point of convergence where wilderness and literature meet to create what he calls "ecocriticism," an "ecology of reading." At the very least, Ian Marshall has reintroduced several great American classics to the reading public's consciousness; and who knows--Story Line might persuade some readers to spend the next sunny day on a hiking trail--preferably with a copy of Hawthorne or Whitman in hand.

Customer Reviews:

Literature meets the great outdoors.......2000-03-30

One of my favorite pasttimes is hiking, and I have always wanted to try the whole Appalachian Trail . . . I also have a degree in English from Penn State, so when I heard that a PSU professor had written a book on my two favorite subjects, I just had to have it. Anybody who has hiked the old mountains of the mid-atlantic can appreciate the vivid descriptions and thoughtful insights that Story Line offers. One of my favorite parts of the book postulates a meeting between Thoreau and Melville, noting how the shapes of the mountain near Melville's home looked like a whale, noting similarities of otherworks, and knowing that the two men did, indeed, hike the same path. If you like the outdoors and have a passion for literature, this is money well spent!

Exploring Ancient Native America: An Archaeological Guide

Average customer rating:

They are probably not arrowheads.

Exploring Ancient Native America: An Archaeological Guide
David Hurst Thomas
Manufacturer: MacMillan Publishing Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Aztecs and Maya
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Archaeology: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions)

ASIN: 0671880500

Book Description

The archaeological remnants of the first Americans tell a story of advanced civilization and culture. From the Pueblo dwellings of the Southwest to the buffalo jumps of the Great Plains to the coastal villages of the Northwest, the author combines the latest field research with accounts of tribal life to offer a new perspective on Native American history, culture and ritual.

Using a chronological and regional framework, Thomas describes each of the prehistoric early native cultures, including Paleoindians of the North, the moundbuilding Mississippian cultures, and the ancient Anasazi peoples of the Southwest. Covering nine million square miles and 25,000 years, Exploring Ancient Native America suggests more than four hundred accessible sites where individuals can observe the remains of prehistoric American cultures today. Thomas also includes relevant contributions from Native American scholars, poets, and activists on topics such as language, oral tradition, contact, and sacred sites. The mostcomprehensive guide available, Exploring Ancient Native America is an excellent primer on early Native American cultures in every region of the country for both the intrepid explorer and the armchair traveler.

Customer Reviews:

They are probably not arrowheads........2007-09-22

After fining an arrowhead in Colorado I was curious as to its provinence. In this book I learned that what we call arrowheads are projectile points, and too heavy for a bow, even though they seem small. And it may well be over 1,000 years old. This is a wonderful tour through Native American sites and the past.

Cooking on the Lewis and Clark Expedition (Exploring History Through Simple Recipes)

Average customer rating:

interesting facts

Cooking on the Lewis and Clark Expedition (Exploring History Through Simple Recipes)
Mary Gunderson
Manufacturer: Blue Earth Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Library Binding

General | History & Historical Fiction | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

Cooking | Sports & Activities | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

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The Food Journal of Lewis & Clark: Recipes for an Expedition
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Sacagawea Cookbook (Lewis & Clark Expedition)
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ASIN: 0736803548

Customer Reviews:

interesting facts.......2007-10-13

Cute book which adds interest to any Lewis and Clark lesson. Recipes are interesting. Very nice book.

Nearby History: Exploring the Past Around You (American Association for State and Local History Book Series)

Average customer rating:

More introspection into common items
Nearby History (2nd edition)

Nearby History: Exploring the Past Around You (American Association for State and Local History Book Series)
David E. Kyvig , and Myron A. Marty
Manufacturer: Altamira Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Historiography | Historical Study | History | Subjects | Books

Study & Teaching | Historical Study | History | Subjects | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

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ASIN: 0742502716

Book Description

"In the Second Edition of Nearby History, the authors have updated all chapters, introduced information about internet sources and uses of newer technologies, as well as updated the appendices. A comprehensive handbook on investigating the history of your community, family, local institutions, and cultural artifacts, Nearby History guides you in researching the world close at hand. Nearby History provides insights on how to find and use published, unpublished, visual, and material records while also instructing on how to collect information through interviews, connect individual investigations with broader historical issues, and use photographs, documents, and objects in a study. Both professionally trained and self-taught historians will find this work an excellent resource in developing a more comprehensive view of the past. Individual books on Nearby History topics are also available as a part of The Nearby History Series."

Customer Reviews:

More introspection into common items.......2004-11-06

Keeping a diary is a commendable and worthwhile pursuit if its content forms a cohesive, relevant history that future generations can appreciate. However, if one treats "daily jottings as cheap therapy," the record created prevails only for the gain of one person, not progeny (48). Readers of Kyvig and Marty's Nearby History will never look at journal writing the same, and more importantly, they will not see ordinary things within close proximity as ordinary anymore.

In Nearby History, "the commonplace becomes the mystifying" (129). Kyvig and Marty succeed in making everyday items such as manhole covers and fire hydrants exciting, saying that a look at the materials used in their design, their function, the materials used in their construction, etc. tell a lot about the history of their locale (172-173). The volume shows that fast food restaurants anywhere can be excellent barometers of change over time (168). The authors suggest that something as boring as a tax form can be a useful historical trace (57). Nearby History teaches that seemingly mundane objects, upon critical introspection, can become a treasure trove of historical information. For instance, in the caption of a photograph of a small schoolhouse, the authors ask, "What does the physical appearance of a school suggest about the nature of the educational experience?" (31). Questions that should be posed when examining the facets of local history - family, religion, culture, etc. - abound in the volume. The answers to the book's questions can lead anyone on a more successful journey into the past.

To make trips into the past more rewarding, one cannot simply look at surviving written traces. Nearby History shows the importance of examining artifacts and their potential to add needed depth to the historical record. Words and pictures are abstractions - ideas conceived in the mind - while artifacts prove concrete (149). Artifacts are "silent carriers of vast amounts of information about the past (149). Material culture, the book explains, has been especially useful in uncovering women's history, since many women did not leave written records. Artifacts demonstrate how earlier generations solved daily problems and provide insights into tastes, customs, manners, and styles of living (156).

Through its handling of everyday items as historical records unto themselves, Nearby History can be treated as the practical guide to becoming an amateur historian. Its introduction argues that the emotional rewards of learning about a past affecting one's own life cannot be duplicated (12). However, its conclusion stresses that local history should be put into better context by comparing it to similar phenomena elsewhere, saying "the historian who wishes to understand a topic never regards it as existing in a vacuum" (217). Such an inference reiterates the book's strength - its continuing lesson that observing any item at face value yields practically nothing while continually asking questions produces an abundance of useful information.

The book's main weakness is easy to spot. It is astoundingly outdated. Much of the technology it suggests one use while doing research, especially in the collection of oral evidence, does not exist anymore or is rarely used. An updated edition would be welcome to better serve as a guide for historians, both amateur and academic, in their discovery of the vast array of stories told close at hand.

Nearby History (2nd edition).......2001-08-22

I found that "Nearby History" (2nd edition) was actually quite an informative book. I was looking for something in particular about my family, and I was at a complete loss as to how to find it. I haven't found it yet, but thanks to this book, I have made progress. I thought it'd be just for historians.

Hidden History: Exploring Our Secret Past

Average customer rating:

Out of print..no,no, no. Say it isn't so. Bring it back.
Excellent fresh ideas, needed better notes, sources.

Hidden History: Exploring Our Secret Past
Daniel J. Boorstin
Manufacturer: Vintage
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

The Seekers: The Story of Man's Continuing Quest to Understand His World
The Creators: A History of Heroes of the Imagination
The Discoverers
The Americans: The Democratic Experience
The Americans: The National Experience

ASIN: 0679722238
Release Date: 1989-05-14

Book Description

In this provocative new collection, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author Daniel J. Boorstin explores the essential "hidden history" of the American experience that is overlooked by most historians. In twenty-four essays -- divided into five sections, "The Quest for History," "A By-Product Nation," "The Rhetoric of Democracy," "Unsung Experiments," and "The Momentum of Technology" -- Daniel J. Boorstin examines significant rhythms, patterns, and institutions of everyday American life: from his intimate portraits of such legendary figures as Paul Revere, Abigail Adams, and Thomas Jefferson, to more expansive discussions of historical phenomena, such as the Therapy of Distance and the Law of Survival of the Unread.

Customer Reviews:

Out of print..no,no, no. Say it isn't so. Bring it back........2002-07-06

Daniel Boorstin is one of the men I'd like to invite to dinner along with Justice Renquist and Thomas Jefferson. He's a historian par excellence. In HIDDEN HISTORY he publishes a series of essays that explore the more unfamiliar aspects of familiar events.

HIDDEN HISTORY helps us to see our forefathers in unexpected roles and learn to see our society from new perspectives.

"...the prize for which Europeans would have to shed blood would seem the free native birthright of Americans," he writes. "The history of the United States has thus had a unity and coherence unknown in Europe. Many factors -- our geographical isolation, our special opportunities for expansion and exploitation within our own borders and our remoteness from Europe have, of course, contributed...but, whatever the causes, the winds of dogma and the gusts of revolution which during the last two centuries have blown violently over Western Europe...have not ruffled our intellectual climate."

Boorstin says that the American Revolution was hardly a revolution at all, at least not in the sense of the modern European understanding of evolution. He quotes Alexis de Tocqueville, "the social condition and the Constitution of the Americans are democratic, but they have not had a democratic revolution." Boorstin says this fact "is surely one of the most important of our history."

Boorstin's theories, his arguments, the pictures he presents of events and people who shaped our nation's history -- all jolt the reader's awareness and awaken to higher interest and sensibilities. They fan the flicker of patriotism that hides in complacency.

HIDDEN HISTORY is scholarly but it is far from dull. It challenges our perceptions of our own history and our role in the world; it whets the appetite for understanding. It should NEVER go out of print.

Excellent fresh ideas, needed better notes, sources........2000-06-30

This book is a wonderful collection of essays that give a fresh perspective on some well known historical events. Although you might think you know the history, Boorstin is like Paul Harvey, he tells you "the rest of the story". I would have liked to know his sources and other works about his topics so I could learn more.

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