This book was required reading for my History 302 class this term, and yet it still managed to be an interesting read, something that is shocking for college material.

It tells the story of a parson and squire in 19th century England who alone would be totally uniteresting in the grand scheme of history, but together they engaged in a battle that was well documented in their diaries, and which gives a good example of the way life was in Victorian England.

All in all, this was a very good read and a must for any English history buff.

Wanted Dead or Alive is an excellent overview of the American West in popular culture. While the conclusions within this anthology are all similar and reflect a revisionist (New Western History) slant, the vast array of topics covered, represent the only overview of the subject I am aware of.

This book gives a good historical perspective for studying the Old Testament Israelite kingdoms. It includes descriptions of other nations/cultures of the time period and provides insight into daily life. It's excellent as a companion for studying history as well as the Bible. Although the recommended age for independent reading is 9 and above, younger children can gain much knowledge by having the information read to them by a parent/teacher. We have used this resource in our home school and return to it again and again.

"West Virginia" is a fast reading introduction to the history of the Mountain State. Beginning with a brief section on the region from Revolutionary times, the book quickly moves on to the Civil War era which gave birth to West Virginia statehood.

The Unionist sentiment in the Western part of Virginia resulted, in 1863, in the only case of succession of a portion of one state from another in American history. The Civil War in West Virginia is portrayed both in its military and political aspects.

Williams tells the story of the evolution of West Virginia from the political, economic and social perspectives. The fabled Hatfield-MCcoy feud is given ample attention, as is the Hatfield who served his state as governor and United States Senator.

In a state with an undistinguished political history, Williams introduces the reader to a series of governors, senators and political bosses who struggled with absentee landowners, rail and coal concerns and labor leaders to lead West Virginia through the 19th and 20th centuries.

The story of West Virginia is a story of hope and despair, promise and danger, fulfillment and disappointment. Through it all Williams presents its story as a drama, partly heroic and partly tragic. Not a partisan Mountaineer booster, Williams tells the good with the bad. For anyone wishing to know the history of our country, state by state, this book fills in one piece of the American mosaic in a most pleasant fashion.

I have not yet read the book, but have the chutzpah to be writing a review of it. Why? Because this is the first full biography of the subject, who may be the most important of the uncelebrated Founders. Or maybe the least celebrated of the important Founders? I hope that the biography is up to the subject. I give it four stars unread, because Findley deserves it.

In the first significant published debate of the new Republic, Findley both invented modern interest-group pluralism (an apercu of Gordon Wood), and provided a far better justification of the Jeffersonian ideal than Jefferson himself ever did. (This was the 1786 debate over the rechartering of the Bank of North America: brilliant polemical fireworks from both Findley and Robert Morris. Tom Paine participated from the sidelines, on the side of Morris and capital.) Findley was, as far as I know, the only realist about the new commercial Republic from we would today call the "left." (Jefferson certainly was not; neither was John Taylor of Caroline. Madison perhaps, although he did not seem troubled by the matter.)

And if that's not enough, Findley invented the committee system of Congress. A mighty politician and political thinker.

William Wantling (1933-1974), sometimes called the last Beat and the last true hipster, lived a poet's life, a criminal's life, a Marine's life, an addict's life: really more lives than most people get. But for all of his excesses, he was able to chronicle the content of his tortured soul in his writing, primarily through his poetry. He lived fast, died young (yes, he admired James Dean, hung out with Charles Bukowski), and unfortunately published in mostly ephemeral, evanescent forms. John Pyros has preserved some of Wantlings best work in a number of the genres he attempted. The fact that the work is in print after so many years attests to Wantling's talent as a writer, and to John Pyros and Spoon River Press for their faith in a writer who--unjustifiably--would have fallen through the cracks.

Interesting biography that "attempts to tell the story of [Wordsworth] through a more rigouous reading of key and representative works . . . and through a careful blending of his life and poetry." This book argues for more of a compromise between the powerful forces of deconstructive impulse (close readers)and the "rigidly ideological framework" of New Historicsm.

This is a very good collection of Wolverine stories where Wolverine goes through some sort of metamorphosis/extreme hardship. If you happen to be somewhat of a Wolverine scholar you will fondly remember these battles with Weapon Alpha, Sabertooth, and the Silver Samurai, to name a few. If you are just getting into Wolverine, you will definately want to pick this up, as it collects some of the most memorable moments of Wolvie's career. Collects issues: Uncanny X-men 109,172,173, Wolverine Limited Series (Miller, Frank) #4, and Wolverine Vol. 1 issues 41,42,75.

A delightful collection of witty, humorous, and insightful quips, quotes and notes about writing, writers, publishers and editors. It's content is timeless, though some of the references date it. Nicely illustrated with classical clipart.

Roger Williams' 1967 book is an examination of the physiological differences between human beings. Roughly, it can be said that the insides of human beings vary far more than their outward appearances. The book examines variations in the individual organs and systems within the human body. Williams says, for example, that the pictures of organs in the anatomy texts are misleading because of the enormous variation in size and appearance. He gives the particular example of the gall bladder and its range of size. If noses varied to same extent, the smallest nose would be the size of a pea, and the largest would be the size of a watermelon! Williams' book will give the reader a greater appreciation of human individuality in a realm that most people don't often think about..