Ohio and Regional - Recent Titles from Ohio University Press

Our First Family’s Home

Tue, 01 Apr 2008

Our First Family’s Home (2008)
The Ohio Governor's Residence and Heritage Garden

Edited by Mary Alice Mairose

This richly illustrated volume tells the story of the home that has served as Ohio’s executive residence since 1957, and of the nine governors and their families who have lived in the house. Our First Family’s Home offers the first complete history of the residence and garden that represent Ohio to visiting dignitaries and the citizens of the state alike. Once in a state of decline, the house has been lovingly restored and improved by its residents. Development of the Ohio Heritage Garden has increased the educational potential of the house and has sparked an interest in the preservation of native plant species. Looking toward the future, the Residence is also taking the lead in promoting environmental issues such as solar power and green energy.

Photographs by award-winning environmental photographer Ian Adams and botanical art by Dianne McElwain showcase the beauty of the home’s architecture and the myriad of native plants that grace the three acres on which the Residence stands. Dianne McElwain is a member of the American Society of Botanical Artists in New York. Her botanical paintings have won numerous awards and are found in prestigious collections throughout the United States.

Essays highlight the Jacobethan Revival architecture and the history of the home. The remaining pieces cover the garden and include an intimate tour of the Heritage Garden, which was inspired by Ohio’s diverse landscape. Finally, Governor Ted Strickland and First Lady Frances Strickland discuss the increasing focus on green energy at the Governor’s Residence and First Lady Emerita Hope Taft explains how native plants can help sustain the environment.

For more information about this book visit ohioswallow.com/book/Our+First+Family%E2%80%99s+Home.
For a look at new releases from Ohio University Press visit ohioswallow.com/new_releases.

Under Ohio

Fri, 15 Jun 2007

Under Ohio (2007)
The Story of Ohio’s Rocks and Fossils

By Charles Ferguson Barker

There is much more for children to discover about Ohio than first meets the eye. Under Ohio: The Story of Ohio’s Rocks and Fossils, by geologist Charles Ferguson Barker, takes young readers underground to reveal the fascinating story of Ohio’s geology. Barker presents this story through colorful illustrations, sending his readers down the “Ohio Timepike” and back a billion years to when the earth under Ohio split, creating faults that cause the earthquakes felt today. He tells of colliding continents that pushed up mountains taller than the Rockies and of the tremendous impact of the Ice Age, which profoundly altered the landscape. He shows fossil coral and shells, evidence of the tropical seas that once covered the state.

Under Ohio offers a rich, interactive source of information for kids, parents, teachers, or anyone who would like to uncover facts about the state’s geological features. Armed with a list of Ohio’s best sites for rock and fossil hunting, junior geologists will want to set out on an adventure that can begin in their own backyards.

For more information about this book visit ohioswallow.com/book/Under+Ohio.
For a look at new releases from Ohio University Press visit ohioswallow.com/new_releases.

The Hocking Valley Railway

Fri, 01 Dec 2006

The Hocking Valley Railway (2006)

By Edward H. Miller

The Hocking Valley Railway was once Ohio's longest intrastate rail line, filled with a seemingly endless string of coal trains. Although coal was the main business, the railroad also carried iron and salt. Despite the fact that the Hocking Valley was such a large railroad, with a huge economic and social impact, very little is known about it.

The Hocking Valley Railway traces the journey of a company that began in 1867 as the Columbus & Hocking Valley, built to haul coal from Athens to Columbus. Extensions of the line and consolidation of several branches ultimately created the Columbus, Hocking Valley & Toledo. This was a 345-mile railway, extending from the Lake Erie port of Toledo through Columbus and on to the Ohio River port of Pomeroy. The history of the Hocking Valley, like that of other railroads, is one of boom times and depression. By the 1920s, the Hocking coalfields were largely depleted, and the mass of track south of Columbus became a backwater, while the Toledo Division boomed.

The corporate name has been gone for more than three-quarters of a century, but the Hocking Valley lives on as an integral part of railroad successor CSX. The Hocking Valley Railway, complete with 150 photographs and illustrations, also documents a historic transformation in midwestern transportation from slow canalboats to fast passenger trains. Historians and railroad enthusiasts will find much to savor in the story of this ever-changing company and the managers who ran it.

For more information about this book visit ohioswallow.com/book/The+Hocking+Valley+Railway.
For a look at new releases from Ohio University Press visit ohioswallow.com/new_releases.

Loving Mountains, Loving Men

Tue, 15 Nov 2005

Loving Mountains, Loving Men (2005)

By Jeff Mann

Loving Mountains, Loving Men is the first book-length treatment of a topic rarely discussed or examined: gay life in Appalachia. Appalachians are known for their love of place, yet many gays and lesbians from the mountains flee to urban areas. Jeff Mann tells the story of one who left and then returned, who insists on claiming and celebrating both regional and erotic identities.

In memoir and poetry, Mann describes his life as an openly gay man who has remained true to his mountain roots. Mann recounts his upbringing in Hinton, a small town in southern West Virginia, as well as his realization of his homosexuality, his early encounters with homophobia, his coterie of supportive lesbian friends, and his initial attempts to escape his native region in hopes of finding a freer life in urban gay communities. Mann depicts his difficult search for a romantic relationship, the family members who have given him the strength to defy convention, his anger against religious intolerance and the violence of homophobia, and his love for the rich folk culture of the Highland South.

His character and values shaped by the mountains, Mann has reconciled his homosexuality with both traditional definitions of Appalachian manhood and his own attachment to home and kin. Loving Mountains, Loving Men is a compelling, universal story of making peace with oneself and the wider world.

For more information about this book visit ohioswallow.com/book/Loving+Mountains%2C+Loving+Men.
For a look at new releases from Ohio University Press visit ohioswallow.com/new_releases.

Quilts of the Ohio Western Reserve

Tue, 15 Nov 2005

Quilts of the Ohio Western Reserve (2005)

By Ricky Clark

Quilts of the Ohio Western Reserve includes early quilts brought from Connecticut to the Western Reserve in northeastern Ohio and contemporary quilts, including one by a conservative Amish woman and another inspired by Cleveland's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Ricky Clark, one of Ohio's foremost quilt historians, has assembled exquisite examples of calamanco, "T" quilts, and borderless pieced quilts to show the influence of Connecticut aesthetics and history on the making of early quilts in this region. Rich in color, detail, and inventiveness, and often beautifully designed, the quilts of this region commemorate community history, from town fundraisers of the 1890s to a quilt designed by a Lake Erie shipbuilder. Sections of the book include quilts made during the Civil War and for postwar veterans' organizations as well as military and presidential quilts that relate to the history of the Western Reserve.

Quilt design in Ohio has been celebrated in biennial exhibits, round-robin quilts, and most recently proudly painted on barns in rural Ohio. Quilts of the Ohio Western Reserve, lavishly illustrated with forty color photos of quilts, launches the Ohio Quilt Series. A welcome addition to Ohio's cultural legacy, this book will interest the wider world of quilt and textile enthusiasts and historians.

For more information about this book visit ohioswallow.com/book/Quilts+of+the+Ohio+Western+Reserve.
For a look at new releases from Ohio University Press visit ohioswallow.com/new_releases.

Ohio Volunteer

Fri, 20 May 2005

Ohio Volunteer (2005)
The Childhood and Civil War Memoirs of Captain John Calvin Hartzell, OVI

Edited by Charles I. Switzer

When his captain was killed during the Battle of Perryville, John Calvin Hartzell was made commander of Company H, 105th Ohio Volunteer Infantry. He led his men during the Battle of Chickamauga, the siege of Chattanooga, and the Battle of Missionary Ridge. Edited and introduced by Charles Switzer, Ohio Volunteer: The Childhood and Civil War Memoirs of Captain John Calvin Hartzell, OVI documents military strategy, the life of the common soldier, the intense excitement and terror of battle, and the wretchedness of the wounded.

Hartzell's family implored him to set down his life story, including his experiences in the Civil War from 1862 to 1866. Hartzell did so diligently, taking more than two years to complete his manuscript. The memoir reveals a remarkable memory for vivid details, the ability to see larger and more philosophical perspectives, and a humorous outlook that helped him bear the unbearable.

He also depicted the changing rural economy, the assimilation of the Pennsylvania Dutch, and the transformations wrought by coal mining and the iron industry. Hartzell felt individualism was threatened by the Industrial Revolution and the cruelties of the war. He found his faith in humanity affirmed--and the dramatic tension in his memoir resolved--when 136,000 Union soldiers reenlisted and assured victory for the North. The common soldier, he wrote, was "loyal to the core."

For more information about this book visit ohioswallow.com/book/Ohio+Volunteer.
For a look at new releases from Ohio University Press visit ohioswallow.com/new_releases.

Bringing Modernism Home

Thu, 17 Feb 2005

Bringing Modernism Home (2005)
Ohio Decorative Arts, 1890–1960

By Carol Boram-Hays

Ohio enjoys a rich artistic heritage: its inhabitants have made significant contributions in the arts; its schools have produced artists of international acclaim; and its companies have employed progressive manufacturing techniques and pioneering materials in the production of their wares. Ohio's artistic tradition is especially impressive in the area of the decorative arts from the first two-thirds of the twentieth century. The state's economic boom at that time was due, in part, to innovative designs developed by companies working together with artists.

Bringing Modernism Home: Ohio Decorative Arts, 1890–1960 showcases this important contribution. It investigates Ohioans' influence in bringing international vanguard movements-such as Arts and Crafts, Art Deco, and Biomorphism-out of art galleries and museums and into the domestic realm.

Carol Boram-Hays discusses a variety of media and forms, including glass, ceramics, enameling, furniture design, metalwork, and jewelry. The book is lavishly illustrated with examples of work from more than 120 artists and companies. Although twentieth-century decorative arts have been the subject of increasing interest in both the public and private sectors, Bringing Modernism Home is the first publication to examine the wide range and superb quality of works produced by Ohio artists and companies.

For more information about this book visit ohioswallow.com/book/Bringing+Modernism+Home.
For a look at new releases from Ohio University Press visit ohioswallow.com/new_releases.

Beyond Hill and Hollow

Sat, 15 Jan 2005

Beyond Hill and Hollow (2005)
Original Readings in Appalachian Women’s Studies

By Elizabeth S. D. Engelhardt

Women’s studies unites with Appalachian studies in Beyond Hill and Hollow, the first book to focus exclusively on studies of Appalachia’s women. Featuring the work of historians, linguists, sociologists, performance artists, literary critics, theater scholars, and others, the collection portrays the diverse cultures of Appalachian women.

The chapters in Beyond Hill and Hollow examine the hidden lives of Appalachian prostitutes, urban Appalachian women in the 1800s, rural women in company towns, and an African American Appalachian poet from the 1900s. Contributors look at Appalachian opera houses, Jewish women in the coalfields, the writings of Wilma Dykeman and Sharyn McCrumb, and activists in out-migrant communities like Cincinnati. With an introduction by editor Elizabeth S. D. Engelhardt, Beyond Hill and Hollow firmly establishes the field of Appalachian Women’s Studies.

Appropriate both as a reference and as a classroom text, Beyond Hill and Hollow expands our understanding of Appalachian women’s lives. Readers, whether from the region or beyond, may recognize themselves or women they know in its pages.

For more information about this book visit ohioswallow.com/book/Beyond+Hill+and+Hollow.
For a look at new releases from Ohio University Press visit ohioswallow.com/new_releases.

The Center of a Great Empire

Sat, 01 Jan 2005

The Center of a Great Empire (2005)
The Ohio Country in the Early Republic

Edited by Andrew R. L. Cayton

Nowhere did the revolutions in politics, commerce, and society in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries occur more quickly or more thoroughly than in the Ohio country. A forested borderland dominated by American Indians in 1780, Ohio was a landscape of farms and towns inhabited by people from all over the world by 1830. The Center of a Great Empire: The Ohio Country in the Early Republic chronicles this dramatic and all-encompassing change.

Andrew R. L. Cayton and Stuart D. Hobbs have assembled an impressive collection of articles by established and rising scholars. They address the conquest of Native Americans, the emergence of a democratic political culture, the origins of capitalism, the formation of public culture, the growth of evangelical Protestantism, the ambiguous status of African Americans, and social life in a place that most regarded as the cutting edge of human history.

For The Center of a Great Empire, distinguished historians of the American nation in its first decades question conventional wisdom. They emphasize contingency rather than inevitability and contention rather than progress. Downplaying the frontier character of Ohio, they offer new interpretations and open new paths of inquiry through investigations of race, education, politics, religion, family, commerce, colonialism, and conquest. As it underscores key themes in the history of the United States, The Center of a Great Empire pursues issues that have fascinated people for two centuries.

For more information about this book visit ohioswallow.com/book/The+Center+of+a+Great+Empire.
For a look at new releases from Ohio University Press visit ohioswallow.com/new_releases.

A Second Voice

Wed, 15 Dec 2004

A Second Voice (2004)
A Century of Osteopathic Medicine in Ohio

By Carol Poh Miller

Doctors of osteopathy today practice side by side with medical doctors, employing the same diagnostic and curative tools of scientific medicine- with a difference. A Second Voice: A Century of Osteopathic Medicine in Ohio is the story of that difference. Focusing on the historical experience of a pivotal midwestern state, historian Carol Poh Miller illuminates struggles common to osteopathic medicine nationwide as it fought to secure its place in American health care.

First promulgated by Dr. Andrew Taylor Still in 1874, osteopathy was a reaction against the primitive medical practices of the period. Believing that the body had its own natural curative powers, Still manipulated vertebrae to free circulation and to remove pathology. Early osteopaths endured discrimination, as orthodox medicine and its allies sought to prevent the establishment of Still's new healing method.

Written in conjunction with the one-hundredth anniversary of the Ohio Osteopathic Association, A Second Voice traces the origins and growth of the profession in Ohio. It recounts the early legal battles, the establishment of separate osteopathic hospitals, and the hard-fought campaigns to win equal practice rights and to build a state college of osteopathic medicine. Finally, it reconsiders the notorious murder trial of Cleveland osteopathic physician Sam Sheppard in the context of his family's contributions to the osteopathic profession and a prosecution that, evidence has shown, fingered the wrong man.

A Second Voice is a valuable addition to the history of medicine in Ohio and the nation.

For more information about this book visit ohioswallow.com/book/A+Second+Voice.
For a look at new releases from Ohio University Press visit ohioswallow.com/new_releases.