Before 1910 the American chestnut was one of the most common trees in the eastern United States. Although historical evidence suggests the natural distribution of the American chestnut extended across more than four hundred thousand square miles of territory—an area stretching from eastern Maine to southeast Louisiana—stands of the trees could also be found in parts of Wisconsin, Michigan, Washington State, and Oregon. An important natural resource, chestnut wood was preferred for woodworking, fencing, and building construction, as it was rot resistant and straight grained. The hearty and delicious nuts also fed wildlife, people, and livestock. Ironically, the tree that most piqued the emotions of nineteenth- and early twentieth-century Americans has virtually disappeared from the eastern United States. After a blight fungus was introduced into the United States during the late nineteenth century, the American chestnut became functionally extinct. Although the virtual eradication of the species caused one of the greatest ecological catastrophes since the last ice age, considerable folklore about the American chestnut remains. Some of the tree’s history dates to the very founding of our country, making the story of the American chestnut an integral part of American cultural and environmental history. The American Chestnut tells the story of the American chestnut from Native American prehistory through the Civil War and the Great Depression. Davis documents the tree’s impact on nineteenth-and early twentieth-century American life, including the decorative and culinary arts. While he pays much attention to the importation of chestnut blight and the tree’s decline as a dominant species, the author also evaluates efforts to restore the American chestnut to its former place in the eastern deciduous forest, including modern attempts to genetically modify the species.
A timely study of change in a complex environment, Where There Are Mountains explores the relationship between human inhabitants of the southern Appalachians and their environment. Incorporating a wide variety of disciplines in the natural and social sciences, the study draws information from several viewpoints and spans more than four hundred years of geological, ecological, anthropological, and historical development in the Appalachian region. The book begins with a description of the indigenous Mississippian culture in 1500 and ends with the destructive effects of industrial logging and dam building during the first three decades of the twentieth century. Donald Edward Davis discusses the degradation of the southern Appalachians on a number of levels, from the general effects of settlement and industry to the extinction of the American chestnut due to blight and logging in the early 1900s. This portrait of environmental destruction is echoed by the human struggle to survive in one of our nation's poorest areas. The farming, livestock raising, dam building, and pearl and logging industries that have gradually destroyed this region have also been the livelihood of the Appalachian people. The author explores the sometimes conflicting needs of humans and nature in the mountains while presenting impressive and comprehensive research on the increasingly threatened environment of the southern Appalachians.
When the Civil War ended, Jefferson Davis had fallen from the heights of popularity to the depths of despair. In this fascinating new book, Donald E. Collins explores the resurrection of Davis to heroic status in the hearts of white Southerners culminating in one of the grandest funeral processions the nation had ever seen. As schools closed and bells tolled along the thousand mile route, Southerners appeared en masse to bid a final farewell to the man who championed Southern secession and ardently defended the Confederacy.
The mountains of Northwest Georgia encapsulate a lifetime of rich and varied stories, both of the land and its own natural bounty and the countless people who have drawn sustenance from its resources. The historic photographs within these pages depict all facets of life in the region, and recall the tumultuous changes that came along with the advent of mining, the demise of the Native American community, and the appearance of new industries. Today, as technology paves the way for a bright future, the signs of life in an earlier era are scattered throughout this mountainous region--abandoned homesteads and forlorn mining sites evoke memories of a past when the first mine prospectors dug deep into the mountains, uncovering thousands of tons of precious ores for the insatiable engines of commerce and industry. The discovery of valuable minerals such as talc, bauxite, and shale put the region at the forefront of domestic mining, and shaped the overall character of the growing community. Captured in this volume are the enterprising settlers who first worked the land; the homes, farms, and industries they built; and the major environmental, social, and cultural transformations that occurred in Northwest Georgia throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Coupled with an informative text, these snapshots of days gone by shed new light upon two centuries of progress, marked by triumphs and setbacks, and the collective spirit of an unyielding and determined people.
These essays, arranged chronologically in the order they were first written, represent Donald Edward Davis's twenty-year career as a writer, environmental activist, and scholar of all things Appalachian. Join Davis in an exploration of a region consistently under attack by mining interests, developers, and the tourist industry, and consistently misunderstood by scholars. Approaching this unique region from both historical and environmental angles, Davis presents twenty essays to help illuminate the problems, peoples, and places of what may be the oldest mountain range in the world."--BOOK JACKET.
In The First Cold War, Donald E. Davis and Eugene P. Trani review the Wilson administration’s attitudes toward Russia before, during, and after the Bolshevik seizure of power. They argue that before the Russian Revolution, Woodrow Wilson had little understanding of Russia and made poor appointments that cost the United States Russian goodwill. Wilson later reversed those negative impressions by being the first to recognize Russia’s Provisional Government, resulting in positive U.S.–Russian relations until Lenin gained power in 1917. Wilson at first seemed unsure whether to recognize or repudiate Lenin and the Bolsheviks. His vacillation finally ended in a firm repudiation when he opted for a diplomatic quarantine having almost all of the ingredients of the later Cold War. Davis and Trani argue that Wilson deserves mild criticism for his early indecision and inability to form a coherent policy toward what would become the Soviet Union. But they believe Wilson rightly came to the conclusion that until the regime became more moderate, it was useless for America to engage it diplomatically. The authors see in Wilson’s approach the foundations for the “first Cold War”—meaning not simply a refusal to recognize the Soviet Union, but a strong belief that its influence was harmful and would spread if not contained or quarantined. Wilson’s Soviet policy in essence lasted until Roosevelt extended diplomatic recognition in the 1930s. But The First Cold War suggests that Wilson’s impact extended beyond Roosevelt to Truman, showing that the policies of Wilson and Truman closely resemble each other with the exception of an arms race. Wilson’s intellectual reputation lent credibility to U.S. Cold War policy from Truman to Reagan, and the reader can draw a direct connection from Wilson to the collapse of the USSR. Wilsonians were the first Cold War warriors, and in the era of President Woodrow Wilson, the first Cold War began.
The mountains of Northwest Georgia encapsulate a lifetime of rich and varied stories, both of the land and its own natural bounty and the countless people who have drawn sustenance from its resources. The historic photographs within these pages depict all facets of life in the region, and recall the tumultuous changes that came along with the advent of mining, the demise of the Native American community, and the appearance of new industries. Today, as technology paves the way for a bright future, the signs of life in an earlier era are scattered throughout this mountainous region--abandoned homesteads and forlorn mining sites evoke memories of a past when the first mine prospectors dug deep into the mountains, uncovering thousands of tons of precious ores for the insatiable engines of commerce and industry. The discovery of valuable minerals such as talc, bauxite, and shale put the region at the forefront of domestic mining, and shaped the overall character of the growing community. Captured in this volume are the enterprising settlers who first worked the land; the homes, farms, and industries they built; and the major environmental, social, and cultural transformations that occurred in Northwest Georgia throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Coupled with an informative text, these snapshots of days gone by shed new light upon two centuries of progress, marked by triumphs and setbacks, and the collective spirit of an unyielding and determined people.
This unique survey of the environmental history of the southern United States explores the ecological, social, and economic interaction between humans and the environment in the South over the last 20,000 years. The melting of the Ice Age glaciers heralded the arrival of the Archaic peoples in the South and the lives of the South's peoples have long been shaped and challenged by the environment. Conversely, the human impact on the South's landscape has been dramatic, from the mound building of Native Americans to the construction of cities and the birth of modern industry. Part of ABC-CLIO's Nature and Human Societies series, Southern United States: An Environmental History explores the historical and ecological dimensions of human interaction with the environment throughout Southern history. Examining diverse issues from the impact of the end of the Ice Age to the consequences of the U.S. space program for Florida's environment, this invaluable guide synthesizes literature from a wide range of authoritative sources to provide a fascinating guide to the South's environment.
These essays, arranged chronologically in the order they were first written, represent Donald Edward Davis's twenty-year career as a writer, environmental activist, and scholar of all things Appalachian. Join Davis in an exploration of a region consistently under attack by mining interests, developers, and the tourist industry, and consistently misunderstood by scholars. Approaching this unique region from both historical and environmental angles, Davis presents twenty essays to help illuminate the problems, peoples, and places of what may be the oldest mountain range in the world."--BOOK JACKET.
Before 1910 the American chestnut was one of the most common trees in the eastern United States. Although historical evidence suggests the natural distribution of the American chestnut extended across more than four hundred thousand square miles of territory—an area stretching from eastern Maine to southeast Louisiana—stands of the trees could also be found in parts of Wisconsin, Michigan, Washington State, and Oregon. An important natural resource, chestnut wood was preferred for woodworking, fencing, and building construction, as it was rot resistant and straight grained. The hearty and delicious nuts also fed wildlife, people, and livestock. Ironically, the tree that most piqued the emotions of nineteenth- and early twentieth-century Americans has virtually disappeared from the eastern United States. After a blight fungus was introduced into the United States during the late nineteenth century, the American chestnut became functionally extinct. Although the virtual eradication of the species caused one of the greatest ecological catastrophes since the last ice age, considerable folklore about the American chestnut remains. Some of the tree’s history dates to the very founding of our country, making the story of the American chestnut an integral part of American cultural and environmental history. The American Chestnut tells the story of the American chestnut from Native American prehistory through the Civil War and the Great Depression. Davis documents the tree’s impact on nineteenth-and early twentieth-century American life, including the decorative and culinary arts. While he pays much attention to the importation of chestnut blight and the tree’s decline as a dominant species, the author also evaluates efforts to restore the American chestnut to its former place in the eastern deciduous forest, including modern attempts to genetically modify the species.
During his career at The New York Times, Harrison Salisbury served as the bureau chief in post-World War II Moscow and reported from Hanoi during the Vietnam War, and in retirement witnessed the Tiananmen Square massacre firsthand. Davis and Trani's engaging biography of the two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist makes use of Salisbury's personal archive of interviews, articles, and correspondence to shed light on the personal triumphs and shortcomings of this preeminent reporter and illuminates the twentieth-century world in which he lived.
For more than fifty years, Hoover has been viewed as a lily-white racist who attempted to revitalize Republicanism in the South by driving blacks from positions of leadership at all party levels. Lisio demonstrates that this view is both inaccurate and incomplete, that Hoover hoped to promote racial progress. He shows that Hoover's efforts to reform the southern state parties led to controversy with lily-whites as well as blacks in both the North and the South. Originally published in 1985. A UNC Press Enduring Edition -- UNC Press Enduring Editions use the latest in digital technology to make available again books from our distinguished backlist that were previously out of print. These editions are published unaltered from the original, and are presented in affordable paperback formats, bringing readers both historical and cultural value.
Three novels in one volume: “Donald Thomas masterfully evokes the flavor of Doyle’s original stories of the great detective” (Publishers Weekly). In these sixteen tales of intellectual derring-do, Sherlock Holmes is shown at the height of his powers: He co-operates with a young Winston Churchill in the famed siege of Sydney Street; helps defeat a plan for a German invasion outlined in the Zimmerman Telegram; establishes a link between two missing lighthouse keepers and the royal treasures of King John; contends with a supernatural curse placed upon an eccentric aristocrat; and discovers a lost epic poem of Lord Byron. Everywhere in these finely wrought tales, encompassing the critically acclaimed The Execution of Sherlock Holmes, Sherlock Holmes and the King’s Evil, and Sherlock Holmes and the Ghosts of Bly, riddles and mystery hover in the air. But they are not beyond the grasp of the incomparable Sherlock Holmes.
Relating Sherlock Holmes's part in real-life crimes of the day, Donald Thomas brings the Great Detective to life once again in six narratives that display Holmes at his most determined, inventive and downright devious. What were Holmes's views on Dr Crippen? And what happened when Oscar Wilde visited Baker Street to seek advice? How did Holmes uncover a loving husband as one of the most dangerous psychopaths of modern times? And just what horrors await Holmes in the darkened slums of Waterloo Road? 'Thomas's imitation is wryly and subtly done' Guardian
Offers background information, methods of characterization, and applications for electrical and optical polymers, including biopolymers, and tutorial sections that explain how to use the techniques.
Over the Beach, written by historian and retired Army Colonel Donald W. Boose Jr., is the definitive history of the extensive but little known US Army amphibious operations during the Korean War, 1950-1953. Building on its extensive experience in World War II, the Army conducted three major landing operations during the war, including the assault at Inchon in September 1950. After the massive Chinese attacks two months later the Army executed a series of amphibious withdrawals as it fell back to more defensible positions farther down the peninsula. Throughout the war the Army also conducted a number of massive and complex over-the-shore logistical operations, as well as several amphibious special operations along the Korean littoral. Colonel Boose's work, commissioned by DAMO-ODG, Operations and Technology Office, provides the historical context for any subsequent amphibious operations on the Korean peninsula. As such, this thought-provoking study may provide insights to modern planners crafting future joint or combined operations in that part of the world. -- Publisher's Description.
From its founding in 1687 by Quaker settlers searching for religious freedom, Cheltenham Township has been a hub for social history and change. On the edge of Philadelphia, the township was a rallying point for fiery abolitionists such as Lucretia Mott, the sight of the first African American Civil War camp and a retreat for Gilded Age tycoons. Local historian Donald Scott Sr. has compiled a series of vignettes to chronicle the history of a small but influential township from its earliest days and into the twentieth century. With tales of a locally born ice cream empire, the early life of Baseball Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson and an exploration of striking neighborhood architecture, Scott pays homage to this remarkable community.
The popular image of Scotland is dominated by widely recognized elements of Celtic culture. But a significant non-Celtic influence on Scotland's history has been largely ignored for centuries? This book argues that much of Scotland's history and culture from 1100 forward is Jewish. The authors provide evidence that many of the national heroes, villains, rulers, nobles, traders, merchants, bishops, guild members, burgesses, and ministers of Scotland were of Jewish descent, their ancestors originating in France and Spain. Much of the traditional historical account of Scotland, it is proposed, rests on fundamental interpretive errors, perpetuated in order to affirm Scotland's identity as a Celtic, Christian society. A more accurate and profound understanding of Scottish history has thus been buried. The authors' wide-ranging research includes examination of census records, archaeological artifacts, castle carvings, cemetery inscriptions, religious seals, coinage, burgess and guild member rolls, noble genealogies, family crests, portraiture, and geographic place names.
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