Sure, this book was designed to explain the origins of the Hans Herr House built near Lancaster, Pennsylvania, in 1719. But it includes historical background about the Mennonites from their beginnings in Switzerland and the German Palatinate through their immigrations to North America in the early 1700s. Aspects of typical daily life are detailed as well, such as building construction techniques, farming, furnishings, foods and cooking procedures, tools, and religious practices. Even though the rooms can be imagined by reading the descriptions and studying the color photos, a floor plan would have helped those readers who haven't yet visited the house. Still, anyone with Mennonite or Pennsylvania German roots should probably read this slim volume someday.

One chapter follows the ownership of the property, which remained in the hands of Herr descendants until 1969, when the Lancaster Mennonite Historical Society was able to acquire it. There was plenty of work to do; the structure had been unoccupied for more than a century. Restoration even included matching the existing mortar with a mixture of cow manure and yeast! Through the work of the society and many hours of volunteer labor, the site is now on the National Register and offers tours and educational programs. You can visit it on the web at ...

I found the book very humorous. It was contridictory to many of the current
standards, however quite insightful as to the nature of the cyclical patterns of the
"Upper Class". I would recommend it for anyone interested in
linguistics and the different subjective views of what is correct or incorrect.

Old Order Amish: Their Enduring Way of Life, explores the Amish in modern American in general, and the settlement of Amish people in Lancaster County Pennsylvania, in particular. This book not only has fascinating text which throws the reader right into the heart of what it means to be Amish, but also has breathtaking photographs of life in and around the village of Intercourse, just some 60 miles west of Philadelphia. The author explores many of the differeent aspects of Amish life, such as: farming, religion, courting, marriage, childbirth, business & industry, education & politics. This book is well worth the price; I thoroughly enjoyed it!

This beautifully photographed book provides the reader with a comprehensive overview of the region, where to stay, where to eat and where to go and visit. This area is usually treated as an afterthought in travel guides, it was nice to see a book dedicated to the region and its people.

The information is a few years old - I believe the book was published in the late 90s - but we found it to be very accurate and reliable (in fairness, the region is not known for its rapid change.....). I would highly recommend this book to anyone wishing to spend a weekend, a few days, or even just take a quick trip through the area. The book takes less than two hours to read, and it is worth it just for things that you can tell your kids as you drive through!

I found this a great book to start learning piano. My college class uses this book and It is definately a great help.

This book is very good, though it wasn't a book that I raced through and couldn't put down I found it very interesting and enjoyed it immensely. "The Secret Road" is written about the secret service back in the time of George Washington. There are a group of people who feel so strongly for their country that they risk their lives every day. The best part about this book is that a lot of it is true. It is fascinating to know that that the characters were real. It was an interesting read and I suggest that if you like historical fiction, there are a lot of other GREAT books out there. But if your interested in how secret service started, this is the one for you.

I got this book as a "Library Discard". It was (and still is) very out-dated. It would have been a good book if I had gotten it back when it came on to the market. (1980) I was into electronics and had built many things for the fun and study. After reading this book, I could tell I would have not built any of the projects, but a couple were still educational.

As one of the wealthiest and most powerful landed families in 15th century England, the Staffords played an important political role (as students of Yorkist history have reason to know). Influence was tied directly to land and Rawcliffe examines the unique Stafford family archives in this study of estate and finance management and the patronage it enabled. The composition and work of the ducal council is also explained, since the council was made up of the duke's senior administrators and lawyers, upon whom the family relied heavily. The Staffords also used litigation rather than combat as their preferred means to an end. Moreover, they were instrumental in causing the crown to change its attitudes toward the nobility as a whole. A somewhat technical historical study in Cambridge's "Studies in Medieval Life and Thought" series, but definitely worth the investment of effort.

This book is an amazing book to read. Within the first half of the book, so many things have happened that you almost feel afraid , but longing to find out what happened next to Linnet Amberly. I recommend this book for anyone who enjoys a good romance, but at the same time likes to see a view on how women were threated back in the 1870's. And also the hardship of trying to make a life in a world that assumes something untrue.

"Victorian Houses: A Treasury of Lesser-Known Examples" brings together 116 richly detailed black-and-white photographs of Victorian houses. This is an eclectic collection in terms of architectural style: Italianate, Second Empire, Carpenter's Gothic, "steamboat," octagon, and other elements can be found throughout the book. The houses come from towns throughout the northwestern United States, as well as from Canada.

Most of the photographs are by Edmund V. Gillon, and his excellent work is accompanied by the commentaries of Clay Lancaster. Although Lancaster's insights are informative and frequently entertaining, he often uses a disparaging tone which is unnecessary, and which some might find arrogant.

Throughout the book Lancaster uses phrases such as "a strange conglomeration" (plate 5), "a tight clutter of naive elements" (plate 16), "dull proportions" (plate 53), and "[m]ore gross than odd" (plate 92) in discussing various houses. I think it would have been better to simply have described the stylistic classifications of the architectural elements, and left value judgments to each individual reader.

Despite my dissatisfaction with some of the commentaries, I find "Victorian Houses" to be an excellent book. It is a superb record of and tribute to a remarkable period in North American home architecture. Mansard roofs, abundant verandas, ornate iron cresting, elegant pillars, towers, cupolas--all this and more can be found in here. If you love Victorian houses, you will definitely want this book.