This book is an account of the Amish churches in America during the nineteenth century, particularly in the period 1862 - 1890. It was during this time that the various Amish congregations split between a "liberal" and a "conservative" wing. The "conservatives" ultimately became what most Americans know as "Amish" --- people clinging to their (apparently) unchanging lifestyle. The "liberals" continued to split and merge, adopting "modern" technology, styles, and ways, and for the most part becoming part of the mainstream Mennonite or Protestant religious tradition.

It has often been pointed out --- especially by tour guides in Amish areas --- that the Old Order Amish lived, dressed, and traveled just like most Americans in the early nineteenth century, but they did not change as the rest of America did as that century progressed. In fact, some Amish did indeed change, becoming "modern." This book explains how the change ocurred, and why some Amish resisted the trend they saw around them.

It is an interesting, scholarly, book, full of references, but easy to read.