Product Description
This is the biography of McKendree Hypes Chamberlin,written by his son, Professor Clifford D. Chamberlin in 1914. McKendree Hypes Chamberlin was born in Lebanon, Illinois in 1838. His lifelong dream was to see that McKendree College, a small college in his home town, was properly endowed. To fulfill his dream, Dr. Chamberlin embarked on a varied and colorful career. After his graduation from McKendree, and a masters degree from Harvard, he became a lawyer in Kansas City, and then an innovative financial advisor to the nation's growing railroads, next becoming secretary of the Illinois Railway Commission. He developed mines in the far west, fleeing from the Apache Indians in Black Hills, and finally returning to Lebanon where he became President of McKendree College, saving it from the sheriff's hammer. ... Read more

Product Description
108 pages, 6 x 9, paperback ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Deep as the Deep Blue Sea
If you like the serene image on the cover of pinetrees reflected on midnight-blue water, then you will love the word-images inside this volume of poetry.
"Inisheer floats like vapor, seaside lights are sequined far below" are a dream of Ireland, of a time from a past life perhaps, another existence when life was simple and quiet and beautiful.
The poetry is far more than peaceful though. It is at times mysterious: "Eight skeletal disks bloom unpetaled on West Virginia farmland. They turn their heads..."
And sometimes the words invoke turbulence: "...stitching and unstitching the wild swans that marked my way hereto the fuchsia that bleed on Iish Mor where fishermen sail an ashen sea."
And there's hope: "all the way back, me singing half-remembered songs; Silently we turnedin midnight flowers and followedthe summer moonpearled in the gray hand of morning."

If you are unsure whether or not to buy this book, wait no longer. Its rhythms and images, struggle and hope, moon and sun will surely bless you.


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Product Description
Focuses on the trial of the abolitionist who was hanged for treason and murder following his attempt to capture a military arsenal and arms the slaves for revolt. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Concise history of this American hero, trial and his martyrdom
John Brown acted in a bold and perhaps quixotic way to stop slavery. But he got his message across to America clearly and likely jump started the end of the horrible institution of African-American bondage. That is precisely what you will learn in this entertaining book. It is part of the Lucent Books "Famous Trials" series, possessing a format that is highly appealing in so far as it first discloses all the relevant facts of the case and then presents the critical elements of the actual trial and even aftermath.It's all done in a way that is not too laborious yet makes a highly informative read. You will feel that you have captured the entire story once done. ... Read more

Product Description
In 1837, the people of Guyandotte, then a village on the Virginia frontier, resolved to open a school for their sons and daughters. Tradition says local lawyer John Laidley convinced his neighbors to name the school for his friend, Chief Justice John Marshall. The one-room log cabin that housed those first students soon gave way to a two-story brick building that, with various additions over the years, became the school's Old Main. For decades, the cherished landmark has stood like a proud sentinel, watching Marshall grow and evolve into a major university with an enrollment over 16,000. This remarkable volume, with more than 200 historic photographs from the Marshall archives, chronicles the dramatic Marshall saga. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Great Memories!
Bought for my mother who is a Marshall alum. and in her 80s. She has lots of books and memorabilia on Marshall but this one is never far from her reach.Brought back wonderful memories and she even "thinks" she found herself in one of the photos.Great history!

Very intriguing book!
This book is very interesting and captures some very old ,yet important parts of Marshall University's history!

Great comprehensive history of an incredible college
This book is a great comprehensive history of a college that had to overcome tremendous odds to get back on its' feet and survive. I was a student at Marshall during these difficult times and I found the book a great history of what happened and a tribute to the spirit of a great school. Marshall has a great legacy....We Are Marshall... ... Read more

Product Description
A historical and anecdotal tour of an American institution turns up details about the origins of common tools and gadgets, their past and present uses, and stories connected with them. By the author of Can You Trust a Tomato in January? 20,000 first printing. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

Staten should know lots about tools... he clearly IS one.
I would rather hit myself with a sledgehammer that read Vince Staten write about one.

This is almost certainly the most painfully obnoxious book I have ever read.It is littered here and there with semi-interesting factual tidbits and curious trivia (with varying degrees of accuracy.)However to get to these gems, you have to trudge through page after agonizing page of asinine grammatical structure, and pitiful attempts at humor.

The overall effect is of a fourth-rate "slice of life" column writer for a Podunk, small town newspaper expanding their 'Monday Musings' into a book length catastrophe.

It frightens me to think that Vince Staten might actually believe that his quips and observations about flannel shirt, Americana, hardware store culture (not to mention his plethora of Oprah references) might actually amuse readers.If he does, I'm insulted.In reality, all they do is distract the reader from any enjoyment they might otherwise have gained from interesting informational anecdotes.I'm sure I could have learned much more from this book, but it was hard to concentrate on reading over the sound of my own groans.
Based on this train wreck, I imagine Staten as a devout boor, laughing loudly at his own jokes at a dinner party.I glad someone is laughing, because the rest of the guests smile politely while silently noting that this guy isn't fit to lick mud off of Dave Barry's boot.

A bit disappointed...irritated by the seemingly disjointed sentences in many places!
I bought this book without browsing it first & without being influenced by other readers who gave negative reviews. In fact, I was more intrigued by the main title. I also had the notion that I could learn a lot about the origins of hardware tools. Sad to say, I was a bit disappointed, although I could read about the apparently incomplete history of tools in a hardware store. Moreover, I found that the writing style was not to my taste, as I kept on encountering seemingly disjointed sentences in many places. (Strangely, I generally don't like books with story telling style!)

monkey business
Mr Staten might have worked in a hardware store but he still lacks some basic knowledge like what the difference is between a stillson wrench, a pipe wrench, or a crescent wrench.

A bit of history, and nostalgia
I've been seeking out and reading books that bring back a sense of nostalgia and "what made America great" type books. I felt the author didn't put the essence of that into this book.One of the reviewers was quoted on the cover of my edition of this book - that Staten provided "odd facts and interesting tales" and there WERE some odd facts but the tales for the most part, left a lot to be desired.
Everyone has a memory of the corner hardware store, all the assorted "stuff", fasteners, paints, stains, ladders and knife display cases. The author grew up in hardware stores, his father owned hardware stores, yet there just wasn't any sense of enjoyment or adventure, nor a sense of excitement of this in the book. I know I would have been there everyday exploring and getting the scoop on everything.

I may have been expecting more out of this book than could be delivered. I recently read Tools of the Earth and Tools of the Trade, both by Jeff Taylor. I think I was looking for what Taylor was able to deliver in his books. You may want to check these titles out if you're interested in the subject.
John Row

Amusing... but sloppy.
I bought this book on a whim in the middle of a major house remodeling project as a bit of a diversion from all the technical reading I was doing on architecture, construction practices and so forth. Like a lot of guys (and some girls) I'm a bit of a tool freak, so what could be better recreational reading?

Well, lots of things, actually. Staten's book isn't bad, and it does have a lot of interesting stories and a few out of the ordinary facts. But it has a few problems, too, like the huge number of factual errors. There are, for example, retellings of long refuted myths, like the one about Thomas Crapper and toilets. And then there are some downright dangerous misstatement, such as the claim that a string-type weed whacker won't cut flesh.

What I found most offputting was Staten's writing style. He likes the short. Punchy. Sentence.
And lots of new paragraphs.
Of one sentence.
Each.

After a while this really starts to grate, as does Staten's idea of what passes for a joke. But taken in small doses- and with a large grain of salt- the book is still reasonably entertaining. Keep it in your toolbox for reading on breaks, or atop the porceline convenience. ... Read more

Product Description
Twenty people coming together in a creative synergy in the Life Writing Tutorial at the Huntington (WV) Museum of Art made for serendipity.The class's work bubbled over into this book of true-life tales, a number of which are headed for publication as books on their own.

Here you will find stories of training to be a champion skater in windswept isolation, of doing a delirious dance on a Florida dock as an antidote to a crushing marital separation, of trembling in bed waiting for a Soviet nuclear attack during the Cuban Missile Crisis, of Ndlazi the witch doctor operating out of a smoke-darkened hut in South Africa, of a child being chased by a cherry-red gobbler turkey, of visiting the cell in a crumbling prison where the writer's grandfather had died -- and considerably more.

For men and women of all ages who aspire to be published, The Life Writing Class is a welcome ray of inspiration and hope! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Aspiring Writers Should Read This
If you've ever wondered whether there's a book inside of you, then you should read "The Life Writing Class." I had the good fortune of beginning to read it when I was struggling to write my own book and finishing it after I had the opportunity to enroll in one of John Patrick Grace's Life Writing classes. So I have viewed the process from the inside and the outside, and it's a remarkable thing to behold. The book gives the reader a sampling of the stories waiting to be told by people from all walks of life. In the class, I have seen such people come in with ideas of the stories they want to tell and receive the direction they need to get those stories into print. That first Life Writing class, which produced this book, has led to the publication of five other books with more on the way. One member of the class I was in already has a book in the hands of a publisher and scheduled to be in print in a matter of months. The rest of us are working on ours with a new sense of purpose. Some of us still meet on our own on a weekly basis to give each other support. Not everyone will have a chance to be a member of a Life Writing class, but reading this book will give you a better idea of what's possible.

Five Big Cheers
"The Life Writing Class" is a must read for anyone passionate about personal histories and autobiographies.It would be particularly helpful for someone looking for a jump-start in writing a retrospective of their own.Edited by a masterful writing coach, the book left me feeling as though I'd made 20 new friends.

An Inspiration for Writers
This book is incredibly inspiring, especially if you're considering writing your own life story. Each of these 26 short pieces takes a unique approach to the task: honoring a distant ancestor/poet, a Christmas Eve that holds the last perfect moment for a family soon torn apart, a funeral procession through the streets of Chicago that rekindles boyhood memories. We see a piece of ourselves in each tale and are stimulated by the different solutions to the puzzle of autobiography: where to start, how to proceed.

The Life Writing Class is also lovingly illustrated with black and white photographs of paintings held in the collection of The Huntington Museum of Art. Clearly reproduced, achingly beautiful, they are the perfect visual metaphor for a book of autobiographical prose: not the light itself, but a reflection of the light. The Life Writing Class is a class act in content, design, and impact. It makes you want to write. ... Read more