Related Subjects: Author Index
Book reviews for "Kephart,_Horace" sorted by average review score:

Camping and Woodcraft: A Handbook for Vacation Campers and for Travelers in the Wilderness
Published in Hardcover by Univ of Tennessee Pr (1988)
Authors: Horace Kephart and Jim Casada
Amazon base price: $30.00
Used price: $120.00
Average review score:

A Classic
My copy is a 14th reprint dated October 1949, bought when I became a King's Scout (British equivalent of Eagle Scout).

This book is a classic because it is exhaustive and beautifully written. Kephart left no stone unturned in dealing with his subject matter. Certainly technology has changed much since the book was first published in 1917, but Kephart's observations in the wilderness and his philosophy are still valid and delighting to read.

For anyone who loves venturing into the shrinking wilderness, or simply dreaming about it, this is an essential book.

camping and woodcraft
i have the 1952 hard cover that was given to me by my father.after reading it twice i can see why it was his favorite book.tough man .very good book.it can still teach campers how to do it right.

High impact camping at its best!
If you prefer a wall-tent, buckskins and an axe to goretex and gas stoves, this book is for you. Old time wood-skills by an experienced man, and a good writer. Some of the equipment detail is outdated (this book was originally written 70 years ago), but there is so much good stuff on everything from dressing and cooking game, to using an axe, to building camp furniture, compass work, marksmanship, and a whole lot more.


Our Southern Highlanders: A Narrative of Adventure in the Southern Appalachians and a Study of Life Among the Mountaineers
Published in Paperback by Land of the Sky Books (2001)
Authors: Horace Kephart and Ralph Roberts
Amazon base price: $12.95
List price: $18.50 (that's 30% off!)
Used price: $9.99
Buy one from zShops for: $12.85
Average review score:

A delightful but not romanticized view
Kephart's engaging, entertaining style does a terrific job of bringing realism to a heavily stereotyped people; his approach is balanced, illustrating the people's good and not-so-good characteristics with anecdotes (some hilarious) and facts. He provides historical and topological frameworks for the character of mountain people. He lived a bare-bones existence among them for several years and so his narrative is richer--and truer--than that of a drop-in-ask-get-out historian's. The book provides a realistic basis for understanding people of today's mountains, where personal background is often still important.

Factual and engaging
Kephart delivers the facts as they really were while avoiding any hints of "documentary reading". The story gives many real life events and the reader feels almost as if he's having a conversation with Kephart. A very vivid look into Appalachian life as it really was in the early 1900s.

Special
I love Appalachia history and would rate this as my favorite book on the subject. I hated to see the book end!


Ways That Are Dark: A Musical Companion to Horace Kephart's Our Southern Highlanders
Published in Audio CD by Univ of Tennessee Pr (2001)
Author: Daniel Gore
Amazon base price: $15.00
Average review score:

musical companion to Horace Kephart's Our Southern Highlande
by: Murphy Henry for Bluegrass Unlimited
First, the cast of players: Peter Rowan, Tim O'Brien, Scott
Huffman, Craig Smith, Rickie Simpkins, Jack Lawrence, and
Tony Williamson. These guys are the heart of this CD. But
Daniel Gore, who composed all but two of the songs, is the
soul of this most unusual recording even though he plays
mandolin on just three numbers. "Ways That Are Dark" is
described as a "musical companion to Horace Kephart's Our
Southern Highlanders, a book first published in 1913. Kephart
wrote stories about the mountain folk who lived in the North
Carolina highlands, using the words and expressions of the
people themselves. When Daniel Gore read the book, "every
story sounded like a song." So, he set out composing words
and music to some of the stories. Like Kephart, Gore speckles
his songs with unusual mountain words and phrases, for
which he thoughtfully provides definitions. The surprise is
that Gore was able to transform these songs into a successful
bluegrass CD. There are two reasons for this: the songs are
extremely well-crafted, and Gore chose some of the best
team players in the business to bring these songs to life.

Compacting a story into a song is not an easy task. Making
the song fit the bluegrass style is even harder. Daniel Gore is
a master at both. As a songwriter, his use of a chorus is
brilliant (and bluegrassy). While the verses provide often
complicated details of the story, the chorus gives you the
story's essence and a musical resting place. However, if the
musicians had been less talented, these songs could have
withered on the vine. Craig Smith provides a tasteful tour de
force in how to play the melody of a song Scruggs style.
Peter Rowan is in his element singing "Ways That Are Dark"
and the "Killing of Hol Rose," which echo some of his own
fine story songs. Jim Watson and Scott Huffman, with their
down-home accents, are completely at ease with the North
Carolina dialect and never make old-time mountain words
such as "cheer" ("chair"), "hyar" ("here") and "spile" ("spoil")
sound forced or disrespectful.

This unique CD is for you folks who appreciate the art of
storytelling in song and for all who like well-played bluegrass
music. I, for one, can't wait to read the book. (Elephant Rock
Records, P.O. Box 20041, Spokane, Wa. 99204) MH


Camp Cookery
Published in Paperback by Applewood Books (01 May, 2001)
Author: Horace Kephart
Amazon base price: $10.36
List price: $12.95 (that's 20% off!)
Used price: $9.50
Buy one from zShops for: $9.50
Average review score:
No reviews found.

Old Smoky Mountain Days: Selected Writings of Horace Kephart, Joseph S. Hall, and Harvey Broome
Published in Paperback by Panther Press (1996)
Author: Arthur McDade
Amazon base price: $8.95
Average review score:
No reviews found.

Smoky Mountain Voices: A Lexicon of Southern Appalachian Speech Based on the Research of Horace Kephart
Published in Hardcover by University Press of Kentucky (1993)
Authors: Horace Kephart, J. Karl Nicholas, and Harold F. Farwell
Amazon base price: $14.70
List price: $21.00 (that's 30% off!)
Used price: $14.50
Collectible price: $29.11
Buy one from zShops for: $14.59
Average review score:
No reviews found.

Related Subjects: Author Index

Reviews are from readers at Amazon.com. To add a review, follow the Amazon buy link above.