Customer Reviews (1)

old times
I bought this book because I grew up in Shaker Hts. and was shown the book by my sister. I remember many of the houses, and some on my block were pictured. I wanted it as a souvenir. The photography is excellent, and I appreciated the written history. ... Read more

Product Description
During the spiritual revival known as "Mother Ann's Work" or the "Era of Manifestations" (1837-1850), Shakers throughout the eastern United States experienced instances of intense communion, believing they served as instruments for heavenly spirits. Moved by a dream state or ecstatic possession, these (mostly) women and girls perceived images, songs, and texts that were recorded in writing, drawing, or a combination of both. A flourishing of art in a culture that had previously condemned all forms of image making, the works were considered spiritual bequests, not individual creations, and became known as "gift drawings" and "gift songs." Thousands of gift songs were written down during this time, becoming an integral part of the culture of the Shaker community. Only two hundred rarely seen drawings remain in existence.

Published to accompany the most significant exhibition of Shaker gift drawings and songs, Heavenly Visions includes close to one hundred color plates-including two newly discovered pieces-providing a comprehensive overview to these stunning works. Characterized by complex, precise graphic quality and elegantly written words linked to delicate imagery, these now treasured folk-art pieces range in size from two-inch squares to sheets several feet long. Unified and powerful, the interplay of words and images combine to creates a fascinating and beautiful genre of art.

Illuminating the images, essays by France Morin, Mary Ann Haagen, John T. Kirk, Ann Kirschner, and Sally M. Promey examine this body of art from a variety of perspectives, considering women's roles as spiritual mediums and the construction of gender within Shaker spirituality. This long-awaited volume serves to connect Shaker artistic and spiritual life and reveals their continuing relevance today.France Morin is curator of the exhibition Heavenly Visions: Shaker Gift Drawings and Gift Songsat The Drawing Center in New York City. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Easy to understand, many never-before-seen pictures
"Heavenly Visions: Shaker Gift Drawings and Gift Songs" is a most impressive explanation and study of Shaker spirituality and the role of prophecy and gender within it.

Frances Moran manages in a simple and easily understood manner to see Shaker visions as a source of spiritual leadership and power for younger women within a community that was being increasingly hierarchical and bound up by the standards of "the world" (as Shakers referred to it). Frances explains easliy that gift drawings and gift songs gave Shaker women direct contact with the Spirit, which was characteristic of the earliest Believers but was lost during the early nineteenth century when Shakerism expanded. It is also show that the type of mediumship found in Shakerism is actually seen even today in native religions of the world.

The majority of "Heavenly Visions: Shaker Gift Drawings and Gift Songs", however, consists of some most beautiful pictures that show Shaker art of the period known as "Mother Ann's Work". The pictures are often much more beautiful and much more clearly laid out than those in less detailed studies of Shakerism and the book is made into an important purchase.

The actual pictures show there to be a great deal of structure and reason behind the gifts given to Shaker mediums during the 1840s and 1850s, as well as illustrating Shakerism's unique spiritual character. We find that there were many pictures of key Shaker leaders from the early period, and also a strong emphasis on the basic necessities of the natural world in the content of Shaker gift drawings. The written words on these drawings are beautifully written but I have not been able to read them.

A most important resource for the understanding of Shakerism. ... Read more

Product Description
We have frightening enemies living among us, known by their strange dress. These so-called Shakers are shrewd and canny. . .a scourge; a tumor that must be sliced from our side . .

Sister Rose Callahan read the printed flyer and shivered. Its message terrified her. She was aware that Believers had sometimes been objects of resentment from the outside world, but nothing like this. Who could write such things? And who could be responsible for recent acts of violence directed against the peaceful Shaker community?

A sister had suffered a mysterious wound to the head; a sackful of rats were set loose in the schoolroom, food had been stolen -- and now a hate-filled message points to continued mischief. Sister Rose, recently honored with the position of Eldress despite her youth, seeks clues in the journals of her aged predecessor. She discovers a shocking similarity to outrages perpetrated years before, as well as a scandalous secret about a present-day sister. Now Rose must look both outside and within the cloistered religious community to find clues that link an old murder, a recent death, and an unknown enemy whose thirst for revenge overrides the ultimate sin...of murder. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Great "History" Mystery
Woodworth looks at a little known religious movement in American history and brings the people to life, as well as demythologizing the Shaker movement. This was a fascinating story, and I look forward to more of Sister Rose and tales from the Shaker community.

If you are interested in Shakers...
I got this book for Christmas and couldn't put it down!As a Shaker enthusiast, the culture was very real to me, the characters very believable, and very suspenseful.I can't wait to read the other books bythis author.

Mystery set in a Shaker village is educational and fun.
This book, and "Death of a Winter Shaker", were great stay-up-too-late-reading mysteries. Sister Rose is a clever, human central character. I happen to sing in a Shaker Chorus in New Hampshire, and sofound the information on these utopian egalitarian folks very fascinating,and yet woven into the story in a very unobtrusive way. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (3)

A Treasure Preserving Treasures
It is difficult to imagine a more exhaustive and beautiful volume dedicated to the exquisite creativity and spirituality of the United Society of Believers.What were to the Shakers utilitarian objects have become valued as works of American art, thanks to the vision and persistent collecting of the Andrews.The color photography of Michael Fredericks skillfully reveals the most minute details of each handmade treasure.Its arresting cover photograph by itself invites further investigation.It is a volume to be perused many times over, a book to remind readers that American history is richer than most of us know.

Photographs exhibit the craft of the shakers in every detail...
This is an excellent catalogue of an extensive collection of Shaker artifacts of all kind; clothing, fabrics, furniture, tools, machines, and so much more.
The photographs exhibit the craft of the shakers in every detail. The color captured in some of the pieces provided a pleasant surprise!

It's a beautiful book.

How a Stubborn Young Man's Defense of the Shakers Proved Prophetic
You can hardly walk through a mall these days without hearing some form of "Simple Gifts" cycling through the soundtrack. And, the graceful yet functional lines of Shaker-designed furnishings now are mainstays in many American homes. Yet, most Americans know very little about this Utopian group that truly was among the great contributors to our national culture.

If you visit one of the restored historical sites that once housed Shaker families, you're likely to walk away with a paperback like "The People Called Shakers," by Edward Andrews. But, even after reading the paperback, you won't know the larger and far more dramatic story of Andrews' (and his wife Faith Andrews') passion for preserving the art and spiritual message of the United Society of Believers in Christ's Second Appearing, as the Shakers formally called themselves.

This coffee-table-style book, lavishly illustrated with color photographs, presents that larger story. It's part of a traveling exhibit, drawn from the Andrews collection, which will visit various historical sites over the next couple of years.

The key to the Andrews' contribution really couldn't be properly evaluated until now, I think. As a journalist myself who has specialized in reporting on American religious life for more than 20 years - with a special focus on Shakers through most of those years - I think it's only in this era of "spiritual rebirth" in America that the Andrews' passion and achievements can properly be understood and appreciated.

First of all, "Ted" Andrews began collecting and preserving endangered Shaker pieces in an era when they were considered "low" art at best. So-called experts, when he began to build his collection before World War II, regarded such hand-made, functional items as historical artifacts perhaps worth documenting. The art world was an entire conceptual universe away from its current fascination with such fusions of handicrafts and spiritual insight.

What's more, "Ted" Andrews staunchly believed - in sharp contrast to most developers of historical sites in the mid-20th Century -- that Shaker sites should be preserved primarily for their spiritual value. At least, spiritual themes should be presented on par with gee-whiz exhibitions of artifacts. Initially, this seemed like a crazy notion to many experts and Andrews seemed like a rather bull-headed fellow. But, in today's cultural light, Andrews now appears to have been the prophetic visionary.

If you care about this chapter of American history and this niche within global spirituality, this new Yale University book is a must-own volume on our collective Shaker legacy.
... Read more

Product Description
A lyrical picture book by the author of Alvah and Arvilla celebrates the world of the Shakers, which emphasizes work, devotion, and song, in the story of young Caleb, who hears angels singing and makes the songs into a book. ... Read more

Product Description
The Shakers are noted among gardeners and farmers as the first commercial producers of species seeds. Today they are best remembered and respected for their holistic approach to tending the earth responsibly and reaping God's bounty. This unusual book presents modern advice on gardening, food preservation, and cooking, all based on Shaker doctrine and values. It also includes a "book-within-a-book"-an exact facsimile of the original Shaker Gardener's Manual, published in 1843 and retailed throughout the United States at that time for six cents. The Shaker Book of the Garden takes its enclosed 1843 edition of The Gardener's Manual as its inspiration, and reinterprets its text for today's environment-conscious gardener. It is enhanced with attractive full-color naïve art, and covers topics that include:

* Tools * Nurture Your Dirt * Sowing & Planting

* Pest Control* Harvesting * Preserving & Pickling . . . and others.

Here is a wonderful gift book for friends who are gardeners, as well as a fine book of advice on gardening that deserves a place in every home library. 70 charming color illustrations. ... Read more

Product Description
This is the perfect introduction to Shaker furniture design.This concise book surveys distinctive furniture styles produced during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries in Shaker communities of New England, Kentucky, and Ohio, with over 130 beautiful full color images. Free-standing tables, chairs, boxes, desks, built-in cupboards, and cases of drawers are shown. The text provides an introduction to nearly twenty Shaker communities, their known cabinetmakers, identifiable traits of furniture designs unique to specific Shaker communites, and the characteristic colorful paints and stains used to finish them. ... Read more

Product Description
A cookbook of both old and new recipes assembled by one of the few remaining Shakers, including endearing recollections of Shaker cooks and Community life. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Wonderful cooking and information book
I was v ery pleased to hear how my children enjoyed this delightful cook book with its helpful hints ... Read more

Product Description
Fresh indigenous ingredients become sublime dishes in this collection of simple recipes from Canterbury Shaker Village, a historic Shaker community in New Hampshire. Jeffrey S. Paige, who learned cooking techniques and philosophy directly from the last living Shakers, offers more than 100 recipes for Shaker-inspired soups and chowders, salads and dressings, breads, meats, poultry, seafood, vegetables, and desserts. 45 black-and-white photographs. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Old-fashioned New England
As resident chef at Canterbury NH Shaker Village, Paige focuses on simplicity, tradition and local ingredients. Recipes for dropped dumplings, corn chowder (with five variations) steamed brown bread, Sister Rebecca's cold pickle and Sister Ethel's deep-dish custard pie are accented with Shaker photos and essays on such traditions as Shaker brick-oven baked beans and Shaker Thanksgiving as well as snippets of advice from The Shaker Manifesto, their 19th century newsletter.

This is a charming and useful New England treasure with recipes to try on every page, from a simple fiddlehead fern saute or creamed oysters to potato-crusted salmon on creamed Maine crabmeat; venison meatloaf or butternut squash puree with cranberries.

food for the soul
This is the best, the easiest, the tastiest way to re-create your grandmother's cooking.Simple directions and easily-found ingredients plus appetizing-looking pictures of the food get you going.Preparation and cooking times are included.

We have been to the Shaker Village in Canterbury, eaten at their candlelit dinners - and then I have come home and followed the recipe in the book for what I ate the night before - and it both looked as good and tasted as delicious as when their chef prepared it.

This is one of my all-time favorite cookbooks. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A wonderful resource
This guidebook introduces the potential tourist to various utopian communities throughout the United States. Each community is given a chapter, which has an introduction that includes the community's general location, address, telephone number, hours when open, admission, restaurants, shops and facilities. (Everything a tourist could need!) Next follows an overview of the community, its history, and finally a written tour explaining what a visitor will see.

The communities included are: Ephrata Cloister (Ephrata, Pennsylvania), Old Salem (Winston-Salem, North Carolina), Mount Lebanon Shaker Village (New Lebanon, New York), Hancock Shaker Village (Pittsfield, Massachusetts), Canterbury Shaker Village (Canterbury, New Hampshire), The Shaker Museum (Poland Spring, Maine), Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill (Harrodsburg, Kentucky), Shakertown at South Union (South Union, Kentucky), Shaker Museum and Library (Old Chatham, New York), Old Economy Village (Ambridge, Pennsylvania), Zoar Village State Memorial (Zoar, Ohio), Historic New Harmony (New Harmony, Indiana), Oneida Community (Oneida, New York), Fruitlands (Harvard, Massachusetts), Historic Bethel German Colony (Aurora, Oregon), Bishop Hill (Bishop Hill, Illinois), Amana Colonies (Amana, Iowa), Historic Rugby (Rugby, Tennessee), and Koreshan State Historic Site (Estero, Florida).

This book is a wonderful resource! Not only does this book tell you how you can visit various historic utopian communities, but it also gives you the information you need to understand what the community was about. Complete with pictures, I highly recommend this book. ... Read more

Product Description
Cupboards, beds, desks, tables, chairs, benches, boxes, sconces, chests, clocks and much more. ... Read more

Product Description
Kate Marburn thought her recovery from her former husband's betrayel was a new beginning. A quiet and controlled life as the gose gardener on the estate of Sarah Denbigh, a wealthy widow, seemed the perfect escape.

But when Sarah dies under mysterious circumstances, leaving Kate the unexpected heir to Sarah's vast fortune in Shaker furniture, the police suspect Kate might have had something to do with Sarah's death. Looking for a refuge again, Kate accepts a job as gardener at Shaker Run, a historic and once celibate Shaker village.

But something strange and deadly dangerous is going on beneath the flawless surface of the idyllic town. Kate's hoping Jake Kilcourse, the mysterious and rugged furniture builder who also lives at Shaker Run, can help her figure out what -- but is he only using her to pursue his own agenda?

Kate's dream job just might become her worst nightmare . . . ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

A dud
Kate is too perfect and all the circumstances are too contrived in this silly boring mystery.There was no suspense to carry the reader along, no mood was effected, no dimension to any of the characters.This book goes back to the library shelves mostly unread.

Good book
Shaker Run By Karen Harper

I needed to take a break from the other books I am reading and I picked up this paperback novel my daughter in law gave me. I really enjoyed it. This is the kind of book you start on a whim and in the middle of it you just can't put it down till your done.

It was about a lady, Kate Marburn, who finds a wonderful job as a rosarian, rose gardener, on a lovely estate owned by Sarah Denbigh.Sarah quickly becomes more then an employee or friend; she becomes the mother Kate hasn't had since she was a toddler. Sarah and Kate share the love for roses and Shaker furniture.Sarah helps Kate get over a terrible divorce from Mike who swindled most of the people in her town, his faked death, allegations that Kate killed him and mending Erin, Mikes teenage daughter, heart after Mike left them.Kate thinks she has finally gotten over the whole ordeal, enjoys the beautiful rose gardens, sees Erin mend, helps her step daughter enroll in college, and then rids herself of those paranoid feelings that she is being followed and watched. Every thing is coming up roses you could say.

That is until Sarah mysteriously dies during a party at her home. The police think she was killed, Sarah's children think Kate might have something to do with Sarah's death, Kate inherits all of Sarah's Shaker furniture, and then Kate starts to feel those old paranoid feelings again.Kate escapes to Shaker Run, a historical Shaker village, where she is in charge of bringing back the vast antique rose the Shakers used to make rose water.Things are not completely right at the peaceful village and a mysterious black car begins to follow Kate around.

Kate meets Jack Kilcourse, a furniture maker, and together they solve the mystery at Shaker Run, the black car, Sarah's death, a trail of fake Shaker furniture, and Erin's new animosity for her step-mom.As the back of the book says "Kate's dream job just might become her worst nightmare...."


Enjoy.

Why ruin a good story with shoddy writing?
I was fascinated by the details of Shaker life--the customs, the lifestyle, the furniture.What spoiled it all was the unrealistic dialog of the characters. Their words were not realistic speech;the dialog was there to convey meaning, but one would never hear people speak in such a way.There was no discernible difference between the characters' speech.So often after a good author has a book sell well, she/he rushes to get the next one on the market without tending to the details that made the first one good.I fear this is what happened here.Too bad.I feel cheated, and probably won't buy anything by this author again.

Fascinating background! -- Highly recommended
Kate Marburn learned to protect herself carefully after the horrible disgrace that her ex-husband left behind. While he absconded with millions, Kate was left to face charges of fraud in court, plunging from Toledo's elite society to scandal. Her ex-husband also left behind a suicide note but no body, and a daughter whom Kate loves as if the teenager were her own. Making a new start as the rose gardener on the estate of Sarah Denbigh, a wealthy widow, Kate enjoys her new quite life.

Unfortunately, Kate again plunges into the murky world of lawsuits and fear when Sara dies under mysterious circumstances. Subsequently, Shaker Run, a village originally owned by the Shakers and now restored offers Kate a position as their rosarian. There she meets Jack Kilcourse, an expert on Shaker furniture and a gifted furniture builder. Jack's kisses are as dark as they are delicious. Despite not revealing anything about his past or hidden pain, Jack proves entirely too alluring. Little do Kate or Jack suspect the dangerous criminal element that will threaten both of their lives.

SHAKER RUN provides an intriguing look into America past, and while the creative license lends its own shading to the facts, the sparkling originality of the background proves tempting and fascinating. Shakers, as the author clearly states in her note, did not use hallucinogenic drugs, but the shading of history provides a remarkable background for fraud and murder. SHAKER RUN has a couple of distracting weaknesses. Despite defrauding his clients for millions, we never clearly learn what the antihero did with his money, or why he wants Kate's money. In addition, the daughter truly got on my nerves and I wanted to throttle her selfish ways. Nevertheless, SHAKER RUN is enormously entertaining and engaging. Highly recommended.

An enternaing reading experience
Two years ago Katherine and Mike Marburn were new kids swimming in the elite social pool of Toledo. That crumbled when the SEC decided Mike committed fraud. He swindled clients out of millions, vanished, leaving behind a suicide note, but no corpse. The furor reigned on Katherine who also was left with Mike's daughter from a previous marriage.

Kate takes a job as companion to the elderly Sarah Denbigh. However when Sarah mysteriously dies, the police feel Kate killed her because the senior citizen changed her will and left everything to Kate rather than her two own children. In the midst of her second public furor, Kate accepts a job at historical Shaker Run where she meets Jack Kilcourse. She quickly realizes that something is not right with her co-workers and soon turns to Jake, a person she is beginning to fall in love with, for help.

SHAKER RUN provides an engaging look at an interesting segment of American History. The story line is loaded with action, but a meander or two too many makes it difficult at times to follow. The lead characters are warm and will hook the reader early on, but Sarah's children especially her daughter is just too obnoxious to be real. Still, fans will enjoy Karen Harper's romantic suspense because Kate and Jack make wonderful romantic guides escorting the audience into a piece of Americana.

Harriet Klausner ... Read more

Product Description
This handy guide to salt & pepper shakers by Helene Guarnaccia provides detailed photographs, complete descriptions, interesting facts, and current values for thousands of collectible shakers. Over 300 photos fill this first 5.5 X 8.5 identification & value guide. 1999 values. AUTHORBIO: Helene Guarnaccia has been interested in antiques for many years. When her children were young and she taught Spanish, she enjoyed going to antique shows and flea markets, furnishing her home in period items. In the 1980s, Helene became an antiques dealer and has written four books on Salt & Pepper Shakers for Collector Books, which have sold over 100,000 copies. She also co-authored a book on Handkerchiefs in 2003. REVIEW: This book continues to be a proven seller and is reprinted with updated values. It provides an excellent overview of postcard collecting, with the work of many different artists shown, some publishers, and other categories. Categories include Christmas, Indians, World War I, Advertising, Harrison Fisher, Novelty, Blacks, and Political. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Great pictures-Fun book
This little book is a great tool for quick reference.The pictures are great and all in colors.Short comments.If you need more detailed info: try Melva Davern's books, also great pictures but a little more history. ... Read more

Product Description
An engaging social history and introduction to the Shakers as both individuals and members of a movement. ... Read more

Product Description
An Ordered Love is the first detailed study of sex roles in the utopian communities that proposed alternatives to monogamous marriage:The Shakers (1779-1890), the Mormons (1843-90), and the Oneida Community (1848-79).

The lives of men and women changed substantially when they joined one of the utopian communities.Louis J. Kern challenges the commonly held belief that Mormon polygamy was uniformly downgrading to women and that Oneida pantagamy and Shaker celibacy were liberating for them.Rather, Kern asserts that changes in sexual behavior and roles for women occurred in ideological environments that assumed women were inferior and needed male guidance.An elemental distrust of women denied the Victorian belief in their moral superiority, attacked the sanctity of the maternal role, and institutionalized the dominance of men over women.

These utopias accepted the revolutionary idea that the pleasure bond was the essence of marriage.They provided their members with a highly developed theological and ideological position that helped them cope with the ambiguities and anxieties they felt during a difficult transitional stage in social mores.

Analysis of the theological doctrines of these communities indicates how pervasive sexual questions were in the minds of the utopians and how closely they were related to both reform (social perfection) and salvation (individual perfection).These communities saw sex as the point at which the demands of individual selfishness and the social requirements of self-sacrifice were in most open conflict.They did not offer their members sexual license, but rather they established ideals of sexual orderliness and moral stability and sought to provide a refuge from the rampant sexual anxieties of Victorian culture.

Kern examines the critical importance of considerations of sexuality and sexual behavior in these communities, recognizing their value as indications of larger social and cultural tensions.Using the insights of history, psychology, and sociology, he investigates the relationships between the individual and society, ideology and behavior, and thought and action as expressed in the sexual life of these three communities.Previously unused manuscript sources on the Oneida Community and Shaker journals and daybooks reveal interesting and sometimes startling information on sexual behavior and attitudes. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

brilliant historical synthesis
Dr. Kern is one of the foremost intellectual historians in mattersconcerning alternative societies.I highly recommend this book.It ismeticulously researched and highly informative.One should check out manyof his historical/cultural articles for more of his work. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

REVISED UNDER A NEW NAME
This excellent book HAS been revised, but it is now called "VH1 Rock Stars Encyclopedia". It is a 1999 edition written by the same authors of Billboard's "Rock Movers & Shakers", Dafydd Rees and Luke Crampton. ............ Get it!

Okay? Can we get an updated version soon please!
I totally agree with statement.I'm also in the same boat.Had the revision in my hand many of times, but never bought it, being it was only 2-3 years.Alot of bands of the 60s and 70s didn't make the book (i.e. Foghat, FrankMarino & Mahogany Rush, Robin Trower, and Spooky Tooth which waspreviously stated).My book looks like its been run over by a freighttrain, and I need a new one.Let's get the book revised soon please!

Greatest Rock encylopedia ever written
This is with out a doubt THE greatest rock & roll encylopedia ever written. My copy is from 1989 and I once saw an up-dated version from 91-92 (unfortunately didn't buy it). Have been on the lookout for a newer versionever since so I was highly depressed to see that Amazon.com has it listedas out of print. All rock fans should bombard the authors/printers withrequests to publish an updated version. ... Read more