No comments about SCOTS AND SCOTCH IRISH: Frontier Life in North Carolina, Virginia, and Kentucky.

1 comments about The Life and Adventures of Daniel Boone.

1. This book is a nice sketch of the life of Daniel Boone, first published by the University Press of Kentucky in 1978. While it does not compare with the larger and more valuable biographies of Draper, and Bakeless, and lacks the primary value of Boone's own account of himself in Filson's "Kentucke" (1784), it is a nice survey, and may be more appreciated by younger readers, or by those new to the subject, than the larger volumes.

No comments about Marylanders to Kentucky, 1775-1825.

5 comments about The Hatfields and the McCoys.

1. I was looking for a book to give me a factual narrative of the Hatfield-McCoy feud. I took a chance ont his book and was nicely rewarded. Heavily footnoted and scrupulously dispassionate, the book gives a clear and concise rundown of the events leading up to, during, and as the feud wound down. In the course of doing so, this book also debunks many of the myths and some of the commonly held beliefs of what took place during this feud. Indeed, the book also gives details on other feuds that occurred during the years that the Hatfield-McCoy feud ravaged the Tug River valley. It is a good, easy to read book. The only failing of the book is that the pictures section is heavily tilted towards the Hatfields. I don't know if this is because the McCoys did have as many pictures or what. But a better balanced photo section would be helpful.



2. we are decendents of the hat fields and my dad has been doing research on them. I gave him this for Christmas and from what I hear he loves it and cant hardly put it down.



3. Recd the book in a timely fashion and the book was in great shape. Very pleased with the service.



4. Rice lists Rose Anna McCoy's Aunt Betty as "Betty Blankenship McCoy" on page 21. Without being able to contact him as to how he determined this, I have to contest it.
   
   My great-great-grandmother was Aunt Betty-- Elizabeth Rutherford McCoy. She was married to Uriah McCoy, not Allen McCoy, as Rice writes. She is buried with Uriah in our family cemetery, just above her house, which is on the Hatfield-McCoy Trail tour as the house where Rose Anna stayed and had her baby.
   
   Other than that, I assume his information is correct, though I will be thoroughly researching what he reports.



5. I've become quite the Hatfield-McCoy historian over the years, having helped to produce an hour-long multimedia program to be shown to the general public on this facinating topic. A partner and I also worked with members of both families (descendants of the feudists) to put it all together.
   
   One of our foremost resources was this book, the work of Otis Rice. Of the many available texts covering the Hatfield-McCoy feud, Rice outshone all the others.
   
   The writing is a little stiff but since the topic is so engaging, most readers won't mind the scholastic text. This book has my highest recommendation for those interested in the history of Appalachia.

4 comments about Kentucky Ancestry: A Guide to Genealogical and Historical Research.

1. If you are into Kentucky Ancestory this is an excellent tool. The Bracken County Public Library has a copy that is never in the library. Every patron who checks it out, returns it and I have to order them a copy. It has become so popular with the members of the Bracken County Historical Society that I am now placing an order for the book to be added to the Historical Society collection. What better recommenation? It speaks well of a book when you can check it out of the library for "Free" but you want your own copy.



2. I'm a retired professional researcher and this book is one of my main references for locating Kentucky records. I've misplaced my book so I'm ordering a new one. If you want to know what Kentucky records are available and where to find them, you need this book!



3. This is very helpful in understanding the history of the area, who first moved into the area and why, as well as providing lots of "where to look" references.



4. 
   
   Great to have for historical reference , and for Genealogical Facts.

5 comments about American Still Life: The Jim Beam Story and the Making of the World's #1 Bourbon.

1. This book kept me enthralled for an entire weekend. A great look at a family that created an entire industry with a distinctly American product, Bourbon.

   As the story of a facinating family, the author gently takes you through the many generations of the Beams without getting you lost in a morass of detail. You remain excited waiting for the next turn in their fortunes, and you get a wonderful look at the many personalities involved in building the Bourbon industry over time in the process.

   When I think about the book from a business standpoint, Paul Pacult succeeded in conveying the patience and the passion these people have for their product, and how they manage to maintain that passion, literally over generations. In a world of managing quarter to quarter, the Beams are a refreshing change.

   A very-well written, facinating look at a piece of Americana. I heartily recommend it.




2. What a great book! I loved it and couldn't put it down. I feel like I was right there with Pacult as he traveled around with Booker Noe. I am not a bourbon drinker, but this book made me wish I had a little bit to sip as I was reading it. Alas I finished reading the book before I could purchase some bourbon.



3. This book captures a truly unique American product, and a family that was integral to the creation of the industry. As I write this review, Booker Noe's death was just recently announced. The personalities of the larger than life characters like Booker are wonderfully captured within the narrative. Even if you're not a fan of bourbon (philistine!), you'll come away with a great appreciation for the definitive American spirit (both the drink and the people).



4. This is a great reference book on both early origins on distilling in America and the Beam family - who comprise a large branch of the founding families of Bourbon distilling and still have many members working at various distilleries throughout Kentucky. A entertaining read and great reference for anyone who is interested in bourbon.



5. For us who like history this is a must read book. It is well written and is very enjoyable to read. It sheds light on the making og bourbon.

5 comments about Days of Darkness: The Feuds of Eastern Kentucky.

1. I purchased this book, since it contained information about my Mother's family. It was interesting to read about this part of my family history, since we did not get a lot of information from her mother or grandfather. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone that is interested in the feudal aspects of Eastern Kentucky, and the different dynamics that took place.



2. The book arrived, when I was told it would, in perfect condition, and exactly what I'd wanted.



3. I am a genealogist that have family that came to central Kentucky from Clay County, Kentucky. I also made sure growing up, that the one article that I did not fail to read in the daily Louisville Courier Journal, was John Ed Pearce's article.
   Most only know about the Hatfield-McCoy feud and do not realize that there were larger and more deadlier feuds. John Ed Pearce is the first writer of the feuds that allowed me to grasp the connection between the 100 years war in Clay County, and its negative effect on the social and economic development in this area, and why so many people migrated away from this area for better (and safer) opportunities to raise their families. Contrary to another reviewer, John Ed does an excellant job of weaving his storytelling skills with the research and oral interviews that he conducted for this subject and does not perpetuate but reports the facts of this era, whether you like the facts or not...they existed. When people are afraid to have a light on after dark in town for fear of someone shooting through the window, some sterotypes are reality. The hillbilly stereotypes were developed and perpetuated by the media, and is acknowledged by Mr. Pearce, and credited in photos that were staged of the Hatfield-McCoy feudists that were staged by a magazine photographer of the era. The interviews that he conducted personally would have never come to light if it had not been for Mr. Pearce and some of those he interviewed may have already passed. I am thankful that he had the contacts to find these interesting individuals and put down their story on paper.
   I had the pleasure and honor to have a brief e-mail correspondance with Mr. Pearce during his retirement in Florida before he died, about some topics of interest to me in his book. One was about whether he had ran across any of my family line in his research, and the other was about Big Jim Howard. He wrote back: "No, I cant recall any mention of the Reams or Burdettes in my research for the Clay County feud. But I had few records to go on; most of what I used I got from word of mouth, plus a lot of newspaper accounts, especially the Hazel Green Herald, Cincinnati Post, Courier-Journal and files at the Filson Club and Historical Society, plus a few at the University of Kentucky library. Perhaps I encountered someof your people,. but didn't use them in the account and so lost memory of them. I wish I could help." He also responded in another e-mail that unfortunately had not found any other information on Big Jom Howard. He confided that he did not expect that we would ever know the full story of whether or not Big Jim shot the governor or not.
   I read of his passing in the Louisville Courier Journal with great sadness. As I read the accolades of those recounting his many accomphishments, I thought to myself that his greatest accomplishment to me was his ablility in his writings to touch the average Kentuckian on their level, and this was no less typified in his taking the time to answer the questions of someone who had read his book and was left wanting to know more. If you are interested in the overall view of the feuds in Kentucky and their impact on the social and economic climate of the time, and how they impacted the migration into other areas of the state, you will want this volume in your collection. I have referred to it many times.



4. This is good especially for anyone with a family history from southeastern Kentucky. It gives an insight to how people reacted to different situations and gives names of ancestors maybe long forgotten.



5. Excellent book that seems to accurately cover most all the details of East. Kentucky feuds up to around 1900. I was surprised at the amount of lawlessness and violence in that area. Interesting how often the courthouses were scenes of shoot outs and killings.. often with the local law being part of one clan or another. All in all a great read that will also clear up a number of misconceptions and half-truths regarding the feuds of Eastern Kentucky.

No comments about The Death of Luigi Trastulli and Other Stories: Form and Meaning in Oral History (Suny Series in Oral and Public History).

5 comments about A New History of Kentucky.

1. Spohie a thirteen-year-old girl goes on a sailing trip all summer. Her adoption-mother is worried sick about her while she is gone. She goes with her two adoptive cousins and her three adoptive uncles. They are sailing from America to Ireland to get to her grandpa Bompie's house. They make it to Bompie's house and Bompie tells them his stories from when he was a child.
   
   On a scale from 1-10 I would give this book a 7 because it is about her life. It is a very good book. It has good details and strong words. This book has intresting characters and good settings that a lot of books don't have. I would recommend this book for kids the ages 8-12 years of age.



2. I was excited to read a new history of Kentucky, but I was VERY disappointed with the efforts of Harrison/Klotter. While the two historians are well-known and well-respected, they did an unfortunate job in telling the history of Kentucky. They have done what any good historian will not do, judged the past by the present, in assuming that Kentucky, in the past, was comparable to Kentucky today. It saddens me to think that the children of Kentucky will grow up reading this book, and one that I fear robs them of their history and heritage. The book does nothing for Kentucky!



3. I took a class at Morehead State University entitled "History of Kentucky", and this book was chosen as one of the textbooks. We weren't required to read the entire text, using it as more of a reference than anything else, but I opted to slog through the entire book nonetheless. There's an incredible amount of information about Kentucky, starting with pre-history and continuing to the present day. As one review already stated, the book is a bit dry. I guess you'd have to expect that from a comprehensive academic text such as this. You must have more than a passing interest in the state to get enjoyment from it, but I heartily recommend this purchase to all Kentuckians interested in the development of their state.



4. This book was shipped exactally as stated in the description. I would do business with seller again if needed.



5. As both an admirer of history and a person who traces his family ancestry back to Kentucky for well over 200 years, A New History of Kentucky provided hours upon hours of enjoyable reading. The book's easy-to-follow style means that it does not "read like a history text", and the modular design permits either a complete cover to cover read (as I did), or a more focused study of particular areas in history.
   
   And without doubt, the book's focus on underlying, consistent themes throughout Kentucky's historical developments provides a higher level of utility and modern-day relevance than other texts on the state that I have studied, whether it be frontier-oriented nature of the people, the (unfortunate) lack of emphasis on education, power struggles between eastern and western regions, the interplay of Southern and Midwestern cultural elements, the effects of tobacco, the perennial dominance of Louisville, or many others. The sections covering modern political developments were particularly well-developed, and the last section - providing an integration of Kentucky's past with its needs for the future - was both highly uplifting and of critical urgency.

1 comments about West Virginia: A History.

1. A long read, and a true history of the state. Whatever your background, If you like West Virginia, then this book is for you.