Highly recommended if you have any interest in the timber industry's history. Book includes commentary on the results of some poor management practices and the attempts to farm clear-cuts. A good history of logging and the lessons learned. Lots of interesting characters and stories, as well. Obviously a well researched book.

As a lifelong Chicagoan, I could never view Chicago within the context of the Civil War until reading Karamanski's "Rally Round the Flag." From the great Republican convention of 1860 in the "Wigwam," to the dismal life of Confederate prisoners in Camp Douglas on the South Side of Chicago, Karamanski paints a vivid picture of the midwest-city as bieng vigorously involved in the national conflict. Highlighted personalities include Lincoln, Douglas, Seward, Greeley and many Chicagoans including Mary Livermore, Reverand Dwight Moody, Colonel James Mulligan, and Elmer Ellsworth. My favorite areas of "Rally Round the Flag" include: The Republican Convention of 1860 in Chicago (Karamanski does a great job of showing how Chicago influenced Lincoln's nomination); the daring siezure of arms held in the St. Louis Armory by musket-hungry Illinois regiments; and the influence Chicagoan Elmer Ellsworth's prize-winning Zouves had on northern militia units before the war, and his subsequent martyrdom in bieng the first Union officer killed in the war while taking down a rebel flag in Alexandria, Va.

Schooner Passage presents an intriguing look back into the cultural, sociological and economic contexts in which the Lake Michigan schooner trade existed. The history of lake schooners and their role in the development of commerce on Lake Michigan has received relatively little attention, making this book an important contribution to the Great Lakes maritime history genre. Drawing from primary archival and secondary research materials, Dr. Karamanski presents factual accounts from schooner captains, crews and passengers to cast light on the circumstances and conditions that characterized the schooner era on Lake Michigan. The book begins with the pioneering days of the late 1700s and describes Lake Michigan's wind-borne commerce well into the 20th century.

Hardcore researchers seeking a comprehensive work with vessel demographics, detailed wreck accounts and obscure vessel photos may be somewhat disappointed, as the author has consciously avoided dwelling on minutae and concentrating on disasters. Instead, and perhaps more important, Karamanski strives to present the larger picture of the forces that gave rise to, fueled and ended the era of schooners on Lake Michigan, as well as describing the daily lives and activities of those involved in the schooner trade. Researchers will however, find Karamanski's extensive reference and bibliography section to be of great interest.

Schooner Passage is an excellent book for any reader wishing to acquaint themselves with the history of sailing ships and 19th century commerce on the Great Lakes. The book presents enough detail to be of interest to the serious Great Lakes maritime historian, while giving a high enough overview to be accessible by the casual enthusiast.

The only disappointment is the relatively high retail price of this relatively short (262 page) hardcover book.

Brendon Baillod - Great Lakes Shipwreck Research Foundation - Milwaukee, WI