An Excellent History Of Silver Dollar City
919925
As an aficionado of Silver Dollar City I very much enjoyed this concise history of one of America's premier theme parks, located near Branson, Missouri. Author Crystal Payton presents the history of S.D.C. in an interesting and easy to read style with plenty of great illustrations, from it's humble beginnings near the entrance to Marble Cave (now Marvel Cave) to the present time. The book itself is a large format paperback of high quality. The theme of S.D.C., in case you don't know, centers around the 1880's, most everything there has a flavor of that time, even the roller coasters and other rides. Payton also covers in detail attractions at today's S.D.C., including food, crafts, festivals, music, and of course rides, etc.. I especially liked the text and pictures about when "The Beverly Hillbillies" filmed on location at S.D.C. in 1969, I think that show is one of the best ever! "You've Got A Great Past Ahead Of You" (one of the slogans of S.D.C.) describes this park perfectly, this book is well worth the money.
3782770
I'm a railroad fan and live west of Portland, Oregon. I happened upon this book and love it. It covers the entire history of railroading in western Oregon through the early 2000s. It is very much a pictorial history and is loaded with pictures. The text consists of helpful captions for the pictures with explanatory introductions. My Burkhardt has done an extensive amount of research to gather all these photos, organize them in a compelling history, and provide excellent explanatory text.
A great read for anyone interested in Oregon railroading!
1530802
This book is a very good history read.

At the end of the book are numerous links for additional references.

This is a very fast read.

There is a chart of rare Morgans that will aid in the pricing.
436933
I love reading about Fort Worth history because I've lived in or near here all my 67 years. Richard Selcer presents characters from ole Cowtown very well. I was amazed to see a chapter written about my great grandmother, Mary Rea. My grandfather died when my dad was young so none of us knew much about his family. What I've learned has mostly been from Richard Selcer's writings. Met Mr Selcer at a function when he was speaking and got an autographed copy of Hell's Half Acre. That was before reading Ft Worth Characters.
Thanks Mr Selcer for sharing your knowledge!!
2489900
Loved the history of collecting spoons and all about the Chicago World's Columbian Exposition and how that event made spoon collecting "the thing" to do..  I have 12 spoons that were given to my grandmother as an infant (1893-1899).  Most of them were in this book.  The history of early Chicago was great and made me want to know more.  This book is a must for spoon collectors of all kinds.
1326941
This book showed a really interesting side to San Diego history--the gold rush! I've lived here all my life, and didn't know there was so much to learn about gold mining in the Julian area. I especially liked the parts about the people who lived then, and how they worked in the gold mines. I've been to Julian before, but the book made me want to visit again.
2726931
This is a very enjoyable work, well-written and researched, with numerous anecdotes and sidelights. I thought particularly strong  the early chapters on colonial and post-revolution America. One sees in Jefferson an early version of a common type today: the person who is adamantly opposed to debt and credit instruments because he himself is hopelessly swamped in debt. Today's debt paranoiac shuns credit cards and deferred payment schemes of all stripes in favor of cash (paper dollars and checks drawn on bank accounts). But for Jefferson those very paper dollars and banks were suspect. For him, the only "real" money was metallic: gold or silver. The only stores of value in his opinion were coins or bullion or land.
This brought him into opposition to Hamilton, who wanted to inaugurate the new republic by assuming a huge load of debt (all the promises of payment represented by the wartime "Continentals"). Hamilton had a plan to set up a bank and issue paper money backed by gold reserves which didn't exist yet, but which he was confident could be built up by land sales and import duties. His plan, a risky scheme in Jefferson's opinion, was approved by Congress, and our little country began its life with a whopping 42 million dollar debt (p. 102). In spite of Jefferson's misgivings, the scheme worked so well that some twenty years later Jefferson himself was able to double the nation's land area by buying Louisiana from Napoleon.
I was disappointed that in this book, devoted as it is to various forms the dollar took over the years, no mention was made of the exact type of payment by Jefferson for Louisiana. Was it gold bullion? American gold dollars? Spanish gold dollars? Was there some of the paper money that he so despised? Was there a mortgage involved? Or a more racy installment plan (No interest and no payments until May 1808, or until the emperor conquers Russia, whichever comes first! Don't delay! Act now!)
"Greenback" then goes into satisfying detail on the banknote phenomenon, the system of the 19th century whereby banks printed notes (dollars, promises to pay) and either backed them up or did not back them up with gold in their vaults. As I understand it, the US government did not start printing such notes until the Civil War, and it did not become the sole legal printer of dollars until the 1920s. I would have liked more detail about how that latter change came about. What was the exact last day when you could use a dollar printed by a bank. Why did they wait so long to pass such a law, which seems perfectly natural to us now? Might the conversion have had anything to do with the subsequent worldwide depression? All fascinating questions for a follow-up volume which I hope will come from the febrile pen of Mr. Goodwin.
4411119
As I cannot say it better, this information is from the front dust jacket flap of the book:  "Only five cities in Los Angeles County are older than South Pasadena, and few are smaller. Despite its size, and the looming presence of metropolitan neighbors, South Pasadena retains much of the small-town atmoisphere and sense of community its residents enjoyed a century ago. This book tells the story of South Pasadena from mission trails to freeways, from the first adobe to the new civic center. It also traces the history of the city's public schools, the library, and the churches; and it describes the many cultural heritage landmarks. Each chapter is followed by a chronology of important events. South Pasadena: A Centinnial History is a valuable reference work, well organized and engagingly written." The book is illustrated with 175 historic b&w photographs, drawings, and specially drawn maps.
2240859
A very good and well-researched history of the Federal Reserve.
1991901
I like this book because it talks about Anaheim history on a level that is not so complicated and detailed that it becomes boring. Excellent resource for me because I live and work in Anaheim and like placing geocaches in historically significant areas.
1308234
Terlingua was a very remote town in south-western Texas in the Big Bend region--a town that only came to exist because deposits of mercury were found in the area. This book tells of the history of this remote mining town and the Chicago-bred "quicksilver" baron, Howard Perry, who founded it and ran it for years almost as a feudal lord more than a businessman. Well-researched and with an emphasis on ethnic conflict between white Americans and Mexican workers in the area that is welcome but surprising considering the book was written in the late 1970s before ethnocultural/labor studies historiography was much in style with mainstream historians in the South, this book is a very crucial volume to anyone interested in western Texas, the Big Bend, mining history, or company towns. The writing is strong, inviting, and while not of the nearly-novel-like trend some contemporary historians take on, it's a book you'll find hard to put down if you're into the topic. Dr. Ragsdale has apparently written several other books on Texan history which I now am keen to read.
4465616
This is a well researched and written book about a western icon.  Unlike many westerns, this one is a very interesting read - sharing not only the life of Bat Masterson but the gunfighters and others who lived around them and their experiences.  For example, a whole chapter is on Jim Masterson and his experiences in southern Kansas and Colorado in the late nineteenth century.  Although the book does an excellent job of covering Bat during his Dodge days and especially his two years as sheriff of the county and the "battle of the Plaza" afterwards, I especially liked the stories about his late years in Denver and New York, including his close calls with possible gunfights during that time.  Yes, Bat Masterson did not kill 27 men, and only one is credited to him, but it is clear from this book, that the reason for this was that most people stayed clear of him because of the recognition of his prowess with a six gun.  This book is not only a history of Bat Masterson but an excellent history of the gunfighters who crossed his path.  Consequently, I highly recommend this for any individual interested in that period of US history.
3302417
I have just finished reading Outlaw New Mexico, and once again was informed and entertained by Ron Franscells careful research, excellent storytelling, and subtle sense of humor.  He writes in an easy, conversational style about outlaws obscure and infamous, and adds some sobering depth to  the term Wild West. The section on Billy the Kid is concise but thorough.
  Students of New Mexico history will find Outlaw New Mexico to be a valuable resource.  I especially recommend it to anyone who has lived in, or longed to live in, The Land of Enchantment.
2837553
I wish I had purchased this book before spending the first nickel on any silver coinage. The perspective given can only come from the tons of experience this author has. I greatly appreciate the knowledge he is willing to pass down.
1451260
Great pictorial history of Gary, Indiana that's a worthwhile addition to any Indiana history collection.
3165600
Larry does an amazing job of painting a detailed picture about the founding of Lookout and 924 Gilman Street as well as the up's and down's of having success in the independent music world. It's interesting to read about the history that formed one of the most unique music scenes in American history.
2823481
I am a big fan of Bill Brands' work.  He's one academic historian who can make complex subjects understandable to Average Joes like me.  Unlike the previous reviewer, I don't have much background on the Money Question, which, as Brands explains, so deeply divided the nation for the first dozen or so decades of its existence. So this book was a learning experience for me.

In "The Money Men," Brands elucidates five pivotal stories in America's economic development:

*Hamilton's efforts to establish a national bank and his program to finance the developing country's growth through national debt

*The Jackson-Biddle "War" in which Pres. Jackson prevailed in killing off the Second Bank of the United States

*Jay Cooke's role in financing the Civil War

*The failed attempt of railroad barons Jay Gould and James Fisk to corner the gold market

*J.P. Morgan's role as the nation's de facto central banker.

Of these, I was particularly drawn to the story about Cooke's innovations in selling Union war bonds to the general public. Major bankers, especially New York bankers, had shown only tepid appetite for such bonds amid Union battlefield setbacks.  Indeed, except for Lincoln, Cooke may have been the man most responsible for keeping the Union army in the field.

I was also surprised to learn -- as apparently were his contemporaries --of the relatively modest size of Morgan's estate: $68 million.  By comparison, Andrew Carnegie amassed a $225 million fortune.

Brands wraps up with the resolution to the Money Question -- the establishment of the Federal Reserve Bank in 1913.  The Fed system was a compromise that combined elements of Hamiltonian capitalism and Jeffersonian democracy.  With a couple of glaring exceptions (late 20s/early 30s and 1970s) the Fed system has served the nation's economy well across nine decades now.