The authors have done a magnificent job in thoroughly covering the history, people and the operations of the fabled Oregon-American Lumber Company. Many of us have seen photos of this operation in a few books before, but, until now, we had nothing to describe the operation in any detail.

With "Ain't No More" we finally have the definitve work on this
fascinating logging operation and the railroad that served it. Through maps, records and photos the authors have weaved together how this operation came to life, survived the ravages of several forest fires and finally cut out under the name Long-Bell in 1957.

There is a wealth of unpublished photos that give both the historian and modeler a detailed look at this great example of Northwest logging.

For anyone interested in the highball days of Northwest logging,
"Ain't No More" is a must purchase!

Oregon-American Lumber Company: Ain't No More is a great inside look at the business and political workings of one of the West's larger producers of lumber in the glory days of the industry. Unlike many books on the lumber industry the authors were able to draw on a vast collection of managment letters and records as well as the recolections of former emploiees. This allows a look at both sides of such issues as labor relations and cutting practices. In this day and age we tend to forget that the reasion for such companies as Oregon-American existed was to make money for their investors by cutting their timber and selling the lumber cut there from. There were good solid economic reasions for the now discredited practices of the past.

Besides the excelent text this book contains a truly grand collection of photographs covering the entire life of the company. Some are amiture shots of poor quality but their rare subject matter makes up for that. The inclussion of an inventory of the logging equipment used by the company as well as on of their steam locomotives adds much information lacking in most books of this type. It is a great addition to my library.

Ted Blain, prefessor at Woodberry Forest School for Boys, knows what he's talking about when it comes to the situations disturbing his young students minds, and understands intimately the atmosphere they live and breathe in. With this knowledge in hand, he has sculpted the Montpelier School for Boys where some unexpected events have thrown the campus into turmoil.

I won't spoil any of the juicy details here, but you won't be bored at any point by the action and suspense that runs through the five acts of this play. However, this ability to master suspense and drama is not the most impressive shown by Mister Blain. Even with the turmoil, he manages to show the ability of Montpelier Students to continue with their everyday lives, even in the midst of tragedy. Whether it be problems with girlfriends, displeasure at teachers, or the search for some hidden secret, the boys in this book live their lives while at the same time coping with the danger lurking on their campus.

Just like the rest of us, the boys have no clue who the real villain is until his drastic unveiling (or should I say unveining?) at the very end of the play, yet they are able to continue in their paths, unlike us the audience who is enraptured by the twists, turns, and tragedy of this magnificent novel.