A Country Between - Ethnohistory of the Upper Ohio Valley

A Country Between:  The Upper Ohio Valley and its Peoples, 1724-1774 by Michael N. McConnell

Our current Featured book is a very nicely bound hard cover first edition of "A Country Between: The Upper Ohio Valley and its Peoples, 1724-1774", by Michael N. McConnell.  It is in pristine, like-new condition, with no visible flaws.  The book's black and cream dust jacket features an engraving by Benjamin West.  It was published by the University of Nebraska Press in 1992.  Dr. McConnell is an Associate Professor Emeritus at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

From the book jacket...  "As a comprehensive history of Indians in the upper Ohio Valley, this book constitutes a major contribution to the study of American Indians and of the colonial and revolutionary periods.  The Ohio Valley was the crucible of the Seven Years' War in North America, as well as a major factor in both the causes and course of the Revolutionary War. . . . McConnell skillfully applies ethnohistorical methods and insights to produce a first-rate narrative of developments in this region during the half-century prior to the Revolution."

From the publisher's website...  "McConnell shows admirable sensitivity to the plight of the Ohio refugees but not only as they were victims of circumstance. He portrays their changing but constant struggles to preserve a boundary between themselves and advancing Europeans. . . . McConnell eschews romanticism. This is history as it happened."—Journal of American History

"An excellent account of Indian diplomacy in the late Colonial period."—Choice

"McConnell makes a significant contribution to ethnohistory by chronicling with unprecedented precision the history of frontier interactions in the Upper Ohio Valley."—Ethnohistory

"A well-written, judicious and thoughtful study supplying an essential perspective to our understanding of the colonial period . . . obligatory reading for all interested in the early history of Ohio and Pennsylvania."—Ohio History

"Solid history, recommended to all who wish to learn more about Ohio’s Indian heritage."—Northwest Ohio Quarterly

Bibliographic Information

A Country Between: The Upper Ohio Valley and Its Peoples, 1724-1774, by McConnell, Michael N.. Published by University of Nebraska Press, Lincoln, NE, 1992, First Edition, 1st printing. Smith, William (jacket art). ISBN: 0803231423. Hard Cover, Fine with Fine dust jacket. Black illustrated jacket with no signs of use, NO creases, NOT price-clipped. Light grey boards with no signs of use. Text clean, binding solid and square. 354 pages, with index. Sewn binding, cloth over boards, 24 cm, 28 oz.  $75.00

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Diana

Doc Savage - The Man of Bronze

Our recent new listings include five of Lester Dent's stories about Doc Savage, a fictional larger-than-life character created by Henry W. Ralston and John L. Nanovic for Street and Smith Publications.  The stories were originally published in the 1930s and 1940s in the pulp magazine Doc Savage Magazine, and comprised 181 issues, mostly written by Mr. Dent under the by-line of "Kenneth Robeson".

The character of Doc Savage is one of near-superhuman abilities, having been trained from birth for great strength and endurance, a photographic memory, mastery of the martial arts, and an encyclopedic knowledge of the sciences.  He is a physician, surgeon, scientist, adventurer, inventor, explorer, researcher, and musician - a twentieth-century renaissance man times ten squared.  Because of his skin, hair, and eye coloring, he is known as "The Man of Bronze".

sabreblade writes in a 2010 Hubpage post
"Doc was a man for a simpler time.  He was a hero with no real faults.  You couldn't corrupt him, he didn't kill, he didn't lie, he didn't mope about past failures (he didn't fail), and he wasn't driven by tragedy and revenge."

The Doc Savage oath sums up the character's mindset:
"Let me strive every moment of my life to make myself better and better, to the best of my ability, that all may profit by it. Let me think of the right and lend all my assistance to those who need it, with no regard for anything but justice. Let me take what comes with a smile, without loss of courage. Let me be considerate of my country, of my fellow citizens and my associates in everything I say and do. Let me do right to all, and wrong no man."

The world would most certainly be a better place if those ideals were universally embraced.  Perhaps it is a good time to (re)discover The Man of Bronze.

Merchants of Disaster (Doc Savage #41)
The Gold Ogre (Doc Savage #42)
The Men Who Smiled No More (Doc Savage #45)
Land of Long Ju Ju (Doc Savage #47)
Devil On the Moon (Doc Savage #50)

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Diana

Coastal Collections Now Offering Free Shipping!

Coastal Collections is happy to announce Free Standard Shipping on U.S. Domestic orders of $25.00 or more.


Stock up now on your favorites, spend $25 or more, and choose the Free Shipping option at checkout.


Easy said, Easy Done!





Keep Reading,
Diana

Presidents, Politicians, and Pundits

We live in a world of tension and uncertainty.  I often think about how our present world seems to be sinking into despair and disaster, and then wonder whether this uncertainty always exists.  People talk about "the good old days", when life was better or more understandable, and when a person knew where he or she fit.  The present American political situation is a good example.  Sometimes I just want to shake my head and cover my ears when I observe the antics of our congressmen and women as they flounder in their roles as representatives, and as I look for those who have a solid understanding of and commitment to the founding principles of our republic.  Is this present turmoil just a bump in the road?  Can we expect or have reasonable hope that sanity and principles will prevail?  And will we ever understand and learn from history why governments and civilizations fail to thrive?  I do hope so.

I have selected a few books from our many listings in our Political Science category which may be of interest to those of you who like to dig into the underlying ideas of political theory.  Just click on the book titles for more information on any particular book.

Comparative Political Parties : Selected Readings, by Andrew J. Milnor (editor). Published by Thomas Y. Crowell, 1969. Paperback.	The Social Contract, by Jean-Jacques Rousseau. Published by Penguin Books, 1983, Reprint. Mass Market Paperback.
Comparative Government and Politics, by Dell G. Hitchner and Carol Levin. Published by Dodd, Mead & Company, 1968, 2nd Printing. Paperback.	European Politics and Government: A Comparative Approach, by Clifford A. L. Rich (editor). Published by The Ronald Press Company, 1962. Hard Cover.
States' Rights Vs. Federal Power: Which is in the People's Best Interest?, by Douglas A. Smart. Published by Scholastic, 1968, Stated First Printing. Paperback.	Considerations on Representative Government, by John Stuart Mill. Published by University of Chicago, 1947, Reprint. Paperback
Major Ideologies: An Interpretative Survey of Democracy, Socialism, and Nationalism, by Alexander J. Groth. Published by John Wiley & Sons, 1971, 1st Thus Printing. Paperback.	Between Two Worlds: Realism, Idealism, and American Foreign Policy After the Cold War, by David Callahan. Published by HarperCollins Publishers, 1994, First Edition, 1st Printing. Hard Cover.
American Political Parties: An Uncertain Future, by Richard L. Kolbe. Published by Harper & Row, 1985, First Edition. 1st printing. Paperback.	Bush in Babylon: The Recolonisation of Iraq, by Tariq Ali. Published by Verso : New Left Books, 2003, First Edition, 1st printing. Hard Cover.
America's Future: Transition to the 21st Century, by William H. Boyer. Published by New Politics Publisher, 1984. ISBN: 0030711215. Paperback.	Towards a New Cold War: U.S. Foreign Policy from Vietnam to Reagan, by Noam Chomsky. Published by The New Press, 2003, 1st Thus Printing. Paperback.
War, Peace, and International Politics: Second Edition, by David W. Ziegler. Published by Little, Brown & Company, 1977. Paperback.	Catastrophe, by Dick Morris and Eileen McGann. Published by HarperCollins, 2009, First Edition, 1st printing, Signed by Author. Hard Cover.

Keep Reading,
Diana

Collectible, Useable, Interesting Books - New for July

Hello everyone.  I listed another batch of books at Coastal Collections yesterday.  Here is a selection - a little something for almost everyone.  For more information, just click on the picture!

Shaker Medicinal Herbs	Shaker Medicinal Herbs: A Compendium of History, Lore, and Uses, by Amy Bess Miller; Deborah E. Burns (editor). Published by Storey Books, Pownal, VT, 1998, Revised Edition, 1st printing.
Wreaths and Garlands	Wreaths and Garlands (Home Decorating Workbooks), by Paula Pryke. Published by Watson-Guptill Publications, New York, NY, 1998, First Edition, 1st printing.
Abraham Lincoln	Abraham Lincoln: The Prairie Years and The War Years (One Volume Edition), by Carl Sandburg. Published by Harcourt, Brace and Company, New York, NY, 1954, Book Club Edition.
Newsweek (July 4 & 11, 2011)	Newsweek Magazine (July 4 & 11, 2011) Special Double Issue, by Tina Brown (editor). Published by The Newsweek/Daily Beast Company, New York, NY, 2011.
84, Charing Cross Road	84, Charing Cross Road, by Helene Hanff. Published by Avon Books, New York, NY, 1974, 14th printing.
World Within World	World Within World: The Autobiography of Stephen Spender, by Stephen Spender. Published by University of California Press, Berkeley, CA, 1966, 1st Thus printing.
Sundials	Sundials: Or How Mammas Tell Time and Other Poems and Stories, by C. F. Daley. Published by Worthington Company, New York, NY, 1891, Annie B. Shepley, illustrator.
YMCA Strength Training	YMCA Strength Training, by YMCA of the USA. Published by Human Kinetics, Champaign, IL, 1994.

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Diana

Featured on Coastal Collections - Pacific Northwest Seafood Cookery

Featured now at Coastal Collections is Pacific Northwest Seafood Cookery.  It is filled with recipes for salmon, halibut, rockfish, cod, shellfish, and some freshwater fish as well.  The black and white photos clearly demonstrate how to prepare fresh-caught fish for cooking, including skinning, filleting, and deboning.  There is a section on equipment needed, another section on smoking fish, and a few pages on more esoteric or little known seafood delicacies such as marine snails, octopus, skates, and sea cucumbers.


The book was edited and published by Stanley N. Jones and the Stan Jones Publishing company, which also published fishing guides for Washington, Oregon, and British Columbia until the late 1990's.  It has a plastic comb binding, allowing the book to open flat on your counter while you are creating the delicious looking recipes.  The recipes were compiled from various publications produced by the Washington State Department of Fisheries, which are now out of print.

Click here for more information about purchasing this book, or if you wish, browse the books in our Cooking category (there are over 300 to choose from).

Thanks for visiting, and

Keep Reading,
Diana

New Used Book Listings on Coastal Collections

Hello everyone!  Here are a few books that we recently added to our offerings on Coastal Collections.  This is an interesting mix, including three author signed books, a couple cookbooks, some poetry, a few novels, and a classic treatise on military leadership.  If you are interested in more information about any one of the books, just click on the picture to be taken directly to our listing on Coastal Collections.

 
Westerns, by Richard Dankleff. Published by Oregon State University Press, Corvallis, OR, 1984. ISBN: 087071340X. Paperback, Very Good with No Jacket as Issued. Signed by Author.

The Second Parting, by Oral Bullard. Published by The Lochsa Experience, Beaverton, OR, 1980. ISBN: 0918688043. Paperback, Good with No Jacket as Issued. Signed by Author.  #60103

Guests of the Ayatollah: The First Battle in America's War with Militant Islam, by Mark Bowden. Published by Atlantic Monthly Press, New York, NY, 2006, First Edition, 1st printing. ISBN: 0871139251. Hard Cover, Good with Good dust jacket. Signed by Author.  #60104

Whatchagot Stew: A Memoir of an Idaho Childhood, with Recipes and Commentaries, by Patrick F. McManus and Patricia McManus Gass. Published by Henry Holt and Company, New York, NY, 1989, First Edition, 1st printing. Bayfield, Shannon McManus (illustrator). ISBN: 0805009221. Hard Cover, Very Good with Very Good dust jacket.

Pacific Northwest Seafood Cookery, by Stanley N. Jones (editor). Published by Stan Jones Publishing, Seattle, WA, 1988, 4th printing. ISBN: 0939936011. Plastic Comb, Good with No Jacket as Issued.

Pearl Harbor, by Randall Wallace. Published by Hyperion, New York, NY, 2001, First Edition, 1st printing. ISBN: 0786890053. Mass Market Paperback, Very Good with No Jacket as Issued.

Val of Paradise, by Vingie E. Roe. Published by Dodd, Mead and Company, New York, NY, 1921, First Edition, 1st printing. Hard Cover, Fair with No Jacket. Ex-Library.

Second Hand, by Michael Zadoorian. Published by W. W. Norton and Company, New York, NY, 2000, First Edition, 1st printing. ISBN: 0393047970. Hard Cover, Very Good with Very Good dust jacket.

New Ritual of the Order Eastern Star. Published by Order of the Eastern Star, Washington, DC, 1940, Fifth Edition. Leather Bound, Fair with No Jacket as Issued.

Battle Leadership, by Captain Adolf Von Schell. Published by The Marine Corps Association, Quantico, VA, 1988, Reprint. Paperback, Good with No Jacket as Issued. From the title page: "Some Personal Experiences of a Junior Officer of the German Army with Observations on Battle Tactics and the Psychological Reactions of Troops in Campaign".





Other new items:

How to Live With Diabetes: Revised Edition, by Henry Dolger and Bernard Seeman.
Science and Health: With Key to The Scriptures, by Mary Baker Eddy.
Schizophrenia: The Sacred Symbol of Psychiatry, by Thomas Szasz.
The American Experience: Nonfiction, by Marjorie Wescott Barrows, et al (editors).
Spoiled Sport: A Fan's Notes on the Troubles of Spectator Sports, by John Underwood.
Bittersweet, by Mary Summer Rain.
Plants Up Close, by Joan Elma Rahn.
Menstruation and Menopause: The Physiology and Psychology, the Myth and the Reality, by Paula Weideger.
Maigret and the Madwoman, by Georges Simenon and Eileen Ellenbogen (translator).
Nature's Serial Story, by E. P. Roe.
Silent Witness: The Untold Story of Terri Schiavo's Death, by Mark Fuhrman.
Sinus Survival: The Holistic Medical Treatment for Allergies, Asthma, Bronchitis, Colds, and Sinusitis (Third Edition), by Robert S. Ivker.
Today's Herbal Health: Third Edition, by Louise Tenney.
Kids do the Web, by Cynthia Bix, et al.
Herbs for Health (July/August 2002), by Amy Mayfield (editor).

Keep Reading,
Diana

What's in a Description?

Anyone who buys used books via the Internet knows that descriptions of used books vary widely, from virtually no description at all, to a boilerplate "We're Wonderful, Buy From Us!", to a full-blown plot summary.  Tucked somewhere in between the extremes is what you are probably looking for -- bibliographic data regarding the author, illustrator, publisher, and printing date, along with a description of the physical properties of the book.  In other words, the information you need to be comfortable and reassured that you are buying what you expect to receive.

When I first started selling used books via the Internet, my descriptions were sketchy at best, but I learned with time and experience to know what flaws to watch out for, what bibliographic information was required, and the importance of providing the best information I could to my potential customers.

Some of our earlier listings are not as well described as I would like, but if you find a book on Coastal Collections that is not described fully, and you would like more information, please contact us and let me know what information you desire.  I will address the issue promptly!

Keep Reading,

Diana

New Books and Magazines to Enjoy

Here is a selection of books recently offered for purchase.  Just click on the picture for more information.

Basic Populus: Models of Ecology, by Don Alstad. Published by Prentice Hall, 2001, First Edition, 1st printing.

 

 Fine Books & Collections (September/October 2007), edited by P. Scott Brown. Published by OP Media.

 

The Economist Magazine (February 20th-26th 2010). Published by The Economist Newspaper, New York.

 

Opera News (May 2011), edited by F. Paul Driscoll. Published by The Metropolitan Opera Guild, New York.

 

The Art of Drawing Animals, edited by Walter Brooks. Published by Grumbacher, New York, 1965.

 

eh?, by Henry Livings. Published by Hill and Wang, New York, 1967, First American Edition, 1st printing.

 

Dark Ghetto: Dilemmas of Social Power, by Kenneth B. Clark. Published by Harper Torchbooks, New York, 1967, 1st Thus printing.

 

Balancing Chemical Equations: Programmed Unit in Chemistry, by Virginia P. Powell. Published by Prentice-Hall, 1965.

Keep Reading,
Diana

Remembering Father William

A couple nights ago, Fred and I watched Tim Burton's take on "Alice in Wonderland".  Yes, I know it was released a year ago, but it was fresh and fun and thoroughly engrossing for us.  I've always admired Mr. Burton's movies, and Johnny Depp, is, well, hard to compare to anyone else.  Does that mean he's incomparable.  Maybe so. 

At any rate, as we were out this morning (being led to the dog park by our chocolate lab, Sadie), Fred started reminiscing about a poem from Lewis Carroll's story.  Maybe he was just grousing about getting older, and the aches and pains which can accompany the process, but I decided to reacquaint myself with Father William, and to share him with all of you.  (They didn't use the poem in the movie, by the way.)

"You are old, Father William," the young man said,
"And your hair has become very white;
And yet you incessantly stand on your head --
Do you think, at your age, it is right?"

"In my youth," Father William replied to his son,
"I feared it might injure the brain;
But, now that I'm perfectly sure I have none,
Why, I do it again and again."

"You are old," said the youth, "as I mentioned before,
And you have grown most uncommonly fat;
Yet you turned a back-somersault in at the door --
Pray, what is the reason for that?"

"In my youth," said the sage, as he shook his grey locks,
"I kept all my limbs very supple
By the use of this ointment -- one shilling a box --
Allow me to sell you a couple?"

"You are old," said the youth, "and your jaws are too weak
For anything tougher than suet;
Yet you finished the goose, with the bones and the beak --
Pray, how did you manage to do it?"

"In my youth," said his father, "I took to the law,
And argued each case with my wife;
And the muscular strength, which it gave to my jaw,
Has lasted the rest of my life."

"You are old," said the youth, "one would hardly suppose
That your eye was as steady as ever;
Yet you balanced an eel on the end of your nose --
What made you so awfully clever?"

"I have answered three questions, and that is enough,"
Said his father, "Don't give yourself airs!
Do you think I can listen all day to such stuff?
Be off, or I'll kick you downstairs.

So, here's a nod of appreciation to all the old geezers, little old ladies, women who wear purple hats, our moms and pops, grandpa's and grandma's.  There's a little "William" in each of them!

Keep Reading,
Diana

Spotlight -- Featured Item -- Crowded Years

Crowded Years: The Reminiscences of William G. McAdoo, by William Gibbs McAdoo. Published by Houghton Mifflin : Riverside Press Cambridge, Boston, MA, 1931. Hard Cover, Fair with No jacket. Signed by the author. Green boards with mild shelf wear, rubbing to extremities, light soiling, faded gilt titles. Text clean, binding soft, front hinge slightly loose. Signed by the author on the front free end page. 553 pages, with index. Sewn binding, cloth over boards, 24 cm, 39 oz. #27648

 

William Gibbs McAdoo was appointed Secretary of the Treasury in 1913 by President Woodrow Wilson after working on Mr. Wilson's presidential campaign. He married Wilson's daughter, Eleanor Randolph Wilson, in 1914. His tenure as head of the Department of the Treasury is marked by his involvement in transforming the Federal Reserve System into an operational central bank, and by the actions he took in 1914 to halt the drain of gold out of the United States by foreign investors seeking to liquidate their U.S. assets at the outbreak of World War I. McAdoo closed the New York Stock Exchange for four months to prevent Europeans from selling their securities, and converting their proceeds to gold for transport to Europe, a then standard monetary practice. He is credited by some historians for forestalling an economic depression, and for shifting the global balance of economic power from Europe to the United States.

During his time in the Wilson Cabinet, McAdoo also served as Director General of Railroads for the newly formed United States Railroad Administration, a post he held until the end of World War I.

Secretary of the Treasury

Eleanor Wilson McAdoo

Wilson and granddaughter

The McAdoo Policy

Before his entry into Washington politics, Mr. McAdoo owned a small streetcar company in Knoxville, Tennessee, the Knoxville Street Railroad, and succeeded in electrifying the company's railroad system. The company went bankrupt in 1892, and he moved to New York and subsequently started an investment securities business. In 1895, McAdoo returned to Knoxville and attempted to reclaim his interest in the streetcar company. An interesting and entertaining depiction of the "Battle of Depot Street" can be found here. This incident effectively ended his foray into the streetcar business, and sent him back to his work in New York.

Mr. McAdoo's "Reminiscences" primarily focuses on his years in the Wilson cabinet, in an effort to clarify "a vast amount of misinformation and misinterpretation of events" of that era. He recruited his friend, W. E. Woodward, a skilled historical biographer, to help him organize and select the pertinent ideas, documents, and events to include in the book. McAdoo wanted his memoirs to be contained in one volume, and to be accessible to the average reader, and not a "voluminous, documented, and dry story". There are no footnotes, which the author deemed "useless appendage(s)", which "retard the flow of the narrative". (Quotes are from the Preface of the book.)

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Diana