1 comments about North Woods: An Inside Look at the Nature of Forests in the Northeast.

1. This book is a concise introduction to the ecology of environments in Northern New England, especially those of the Appalachian peaks. Marchand, a professor at Johnson State College in Vermont, wrote the book partly in response to discussions about the mountains he had with visitors to Green Mountain hiking huts. Topics covered include reading the landscape, plant communities, adaption at high elevations, and the future of the north woods. The book is illustrated with black-and-white photographs and drawings and includes an index.
   
   Although the book is not a field guide to local species, it does include some information that can be quite useful. Rather than provide specific keys to determining the species of trees based on minutiae, Marchand instructs readers how to identify firs, spruces, pines, and hemlocks along the roadside, while driving 55 mph. That is, he encourages readers to look at the big picture first, and only then begin observing details, an approach that many beginners may find less daunting than studying complex keys, but just as effective.

5 comments about A Fever in Salem: A New Interpretation of the New England Witch Trials.

1. While she has a compelling argument, one based on sensationalism, her thesis fails to illustrate why the hysteria found in Salem did not occur in other communities that were afflicted with same microbiological phenomena. This monograph makes many assumptions and more often than not her arguments seem predetermined. The amatuer reader will enjoy her writing, but academic historians will be disappointed.



2. Laurie Carlson had a theory about Salem and supported it using an ambivalence for fact that you might experience gossiping with friends over a beer at Chili's. What a disappointment because it could have been interesting. Where do I start?

   [1] All her research was done using books written in the 20th century. She is (sadly) unknowingly swayed by the biases of those 20th century authors. She wrongly accepts their judgements as fact, which annoyed me immensely. [2] She accepts outlandish courtroom pranks as genuine physical ailments. Why? Even by her own description, the 'fever' that was present in the colony subscribed to far more uncontrollable symptoms than repeating the words of the accused 'in chorus'. [3] She would have benefitted from reading documents from the period. Her understanding of the period is academic and lacks any genuine understanding of the events that unfolded. [4] The sentence that finally made me stop reading? "The first arrivals at Plymouth had been delighted to discover that the Indian population had already been wiped out by an epidemic... [any 3rd grader can tell you there were Indians in Plymouth]" an epidemic which she credits to the French in Nova Scotia, despite the fact that Europeans had been fishing the waters up and down the coastline for years and had even established outposts along the coast long before the puritans arrived in Plymouth. Sigh. [5] Please don't read this book.




3. I happened to appreciate the author's view of what witchcraft really may have been. As a survivor of encephalitis (HSE), I know first hand that your personality changes overnight (or, right after you wake up). Most doctors today can't diagnose encephalitis so I can just imagine what brain-damaged people must have been perceived as back then. Than you for opening others' eyes.



4. Being a survivor I could definately understand what Laurie Winn Carlson was saying. I just more people could. Encephalitis is a strange illness, right, Laurie? Why did you even write this book? Are you a survivor? I run an email support group (if anyone is interested go to:



5. The author's hypothesis is simple enough: The frightening "fits" of accusers during the 1692 Salem witchcraft crisis were caused by an outbreak of encephalitis lethargica, a neurological disorder popularized in Oliver Sacks' 1973 book Awakenings. (A film version starring Robin Williams and Robert De Nero was released in 1990.)
   
   As a former cell biologist, I'm well-disposed to considering microorganisms and disease as the moving force of history. (See Hans Zinsser's classic, Rats, Lice, and History: being a study in biography, which, after twelve preliminary chapters indispensable for the preparation of the lay reader, deals with the life history of typhus fever.) In this case however, the author fails to make the case.
   
   There were a few things that prejudiced me against this book: publication by a small house (Ivan R. Dee); description of the author as an "independent scholar," somehow implying other scholars aren't; a noticeable disdain for the entire field of psychology; and, inclusion of material that is at best tangential, at worst, irrelevant. For example, there is an afterword titled Satanic Possession and Christian Beliefs outlining how to differentiate between mental illness and demonic possession. The mere possibility that there is any reality to demonic possession is antithetical to the author's hypothesis. Chapter Seven, Alternate Outcomes, recounts experiences in New Hampshire a half century after the Salem witchcraft crisis to predict how the Salem crisis might have gone. A much better example would have been the similar crisis in Stamford Connecticut that was concurrent with that in Salem. (See Richard Godbeer's Escaping Salem: the other witch hunt of 1692.)
   
   Encephalitis lethargica is a rare neurological disorder that appeared at about the same time as the 1918 influenza pandemic. Unlike influenza which is caused by a virus, the definitive cause of encephalitis lethargica is unknown. It might even be an immunological consequence of influenza. It's symptoms are varied and vague: high fever, headache, double vision, delayed physical and mental response, lethargy, coma (in acute cases), abnormal eye movements, upper body weakness, muscular pains, tremors, neck rigidity, and behavioral changes including psychosis. (See National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.)
   
   Like Linnda Caporeal (Ergotism: The Satan Loosed in Salem?) , Carlson tries to shoehorn symptoms like "abnormal eye movements" and "psychoses" into a physical cause. A great deal of her argument is comparing experiences reported by accusers and their observers against possible symptoms for encephalitis lethargica. In many cases, commitment to "proving" her hypothesis ignores obvious, more mundane explanations. For example, descriptions of symptoms like "some suffered only a mild affliction, perhaps a heavy weight on their chests and legs while in bed, which left them momentarily paralyzed," or "people felt sudden weights on their chests at night so that they could not breathe ... complained about weight on their chests while in bed at night, an inability to speak," are well-known descriptions of the common experience called "sleep paralysis." They do not require special explanation.
   
   The author is sometimes overreaching, if not plain wrong. For example, page 46 states:
   
   [Midwives] were present in Salem and in colonial settlements, but there are no references to individuals or their families seeking them out for assistance in combating an epidemic. .... Some women who were tried as witches had performed as midwives, but they were not tried for any offense connected with their vocation.
   
   Both Mary Beth Norton's In the Devil's Snare, and Richard Godbeer's Escaping Salem report midwives did indeed serve as a kind of "nurse practitioner:"
   
   Women like [midwife] Sarah Bates emerged as experts from those communities of mutual care, their skills endorsed by the experience and gratitude of their neighbors rather than university degrees or formal apprenticeship. Goody Bates had a finely honed instinct for discerning what ailed a sick neighbor and was widely respected for her abilities.
   
   But what's missing from A Fever in Salem is epidemiology. This is most evident in the "touch test" used to "prove" an accused was indeed a witch. An accuser would fall into a fit - and usually faint - at the mere sight of an accused witch. If the accuser revived at the touch of the accused, it "proved" the accused was a witch. Biological epidemics are not so easily turned on and off.
   
   In some ways, A Fever in Salem is an example of cognitive dissonance. The author continually tries to extend her hypothesis, and thereby add validity, but at each step the exercise backfires. For example, a map reprinted from Robin Briggs' Witches & Neighbors: the social and cultural context of European witchcraft, shows areas of heavy, moderate, or light "persecution or important witch-hunts." Not surprisingly, dark centers spread into moderate, then lighter areas. Two pages after, a different map, with a four-fold change in scale, shows bird migration patterns. The author's conclusion?
   
   ... we see how closely they match up. Birds migrating from sub-equatorial western Africa fly directly over these areas as they head north each spring ... Migratory birds may have brought disease from western Africa to Europe, where a virus in their blood was extracted by arboviral mosquitoes who then fed on peasants and villagers.
   
   Not only do they not match up closely (to my eyes), eight pages later Carlson suggests the vector might have been ticks.
   
   In all, weighed in the balance, and found wanting. I would not recommend this book.

4 comments about The Encyclopedia of New England.

1. "Finally, a book that defines New England. And it wasn't easy. Just released, this massive volume weighs as much as our cat. It includes 1.5 million words in 22 thematic sections, written and edited by hundreds of experts. "The Encyclopedia of New England" includes 1,300 entries on important people, places, events, ideas and artifacts, plus 500 illustrations and maps on a total of almost 1,600 pages.
   Edited by Burt Feintuch and David H. Watters (both from UNH), this reference of New England culture includes an introduction by poet Donald Hall. New England, as you will soon see, is much more than white steeples, stone walls and maple syrup." (from Seacoast NH website)



2. This is a great reference but, unlike many others, it is not simply a list of things with discussion. It is written as a carefully woven story of New England. It is fascinating and wonderful to read.



3. I am from New England and was looking forward to receiving this book. It reads like a textbook and is incredibly boring. Don't waste your money!



4. Though organized a bit unconventionally "New England. the Culture and History of an American Region" is a wonderful addition to the growing number of State and regional encyclopedias being published in the United States.
   
   An independent America owes much to New England for the region's political and military leaders, indeed much of its population, played a seminal role in this country's fight for independence. Massachusetts alone provided more fighting men to the Continental Army and more private fighting ships than any other colony. And the region's culture is at the core of America's.
   
   Entries in this encyclopedia are organized into twenty-two major categories, beginning with "Agriculture" and ending with "Tourism". They illuminate not only the history, but everyday life in modern New England. Most entries end with suggestions for further reading.
   
   The result is a wonderfully compiled and written single-volume that addresses every imaginable aspect of life in new England.
   
   Best of all, the volume is available from Amazon for about half the price being charged at most retail book stores.
   
   If you love New England, you will love this encyclopedia!

No comments about Kayaking the Maine Coast: A Paddler's Guide to Day Trips from Kittery to Cobscook, Second Edition.

No comments about You Know You're in Rhode Island When...: 101 Quintessential Places, People, Events, Customs, Lingo, and Eats of the Ocean State (You Know You're In Series).

1 comments about Lonely Planet Cape Cod, Nantucket & Martha's Vineyard (Lonely Planet Travel Guides).

1. I spotted this Lonely Planet guide for the Cape at the library. Using it during a long weekend at the Cape made me realize I needed to own it. It contains a wealth of useful, interesting information about what to see and do--and every restaurant evaluation from it was accurate. This guidebook is worth every penny for a family or a couple traveling alone.

No comments about Colonial Marblehead: From Rogues to Revolutionaries.

3 comments about Selected Short Stories (Dover Thrift Editions).

1. Honestly, I've never been an avid reader of DH Lawrence. This is not to say, I dislike him as a writer. Not true. The literature that I have read by him, most I've found interesting and good. It had been a while since I read any DH, until I picked up SELECTED SHORT STORIES. I picked it up primarily for the story "The Prussian Officer." I wasn't disappointed with the short story at all. It's quite a homoerotic story about a Captain and his subordinate, telling of DH and his other work in many ways. The story is compelling, yet tragic, which I liked. The other stories that followed didn't quite compare. I found the other's dry and verbose (especially "Daughters of the Vicar"). I'd recommend this collection just for the "The Prussian Officer."



2. I RECENTLY TRIED TO 'GET THROUGH' VOLUME 1 OF LAWRENCES SHORT STORIES. I LOVE HIS WRITING. IT'S BEAUTIFUL AND FILLED WITH WILD SENSUAL IMAGES. HOWEVER, WHEN I FINISH EACH STORY, I WONDER: SO WHAT??? WHAT WAS THAT ALL ABOUT??? EACH STORY SEEMS TO BE SIMPLY A SLICE OF LIFE, MANY DEALING WITH MAN/WOMAN RELATIONSHIPS. BUT AT THE END OF EACH, I DID NOT FEEL THAT I HAD LEARNED OR GAINED ANYTHING FROM THE READING. ALSO, MOST DID NOT HOLD MY ATTENTION - EXCEPT FOR THE BEAUTIFUL USE OF LANGUAGE AND SENSE IMAGERY.



3. D.H. Lawrence was a superb short story writer, and The Rocking Horse Winner is perhaps one of the greatest short stories ever written. The only other short story that is its equal is The Bet by Anton Chekhov. I would say more but that would be spoiling it for you. Let it suffice to say that Lawrence is now a much overlooked writer, however, his message of how modern industry is destroying all that is vital and natural in mankind is as poignant today as when he first wrote about it almost 100 years ago! So what's new?

No comments about Vermont Street & Road Atlas (American Map).

1 comments about Sugar Creek Inn (New England Novel Series, 2).

1. Truely a charming addition to Sharon Snow Sirois's 'New England' series. This small town story was so enjoyable. Jack(Jacilyn)Miller and her sisters were a hoot! Jack meets the new pastor and she doesn't want to like him because she is engaged! She is keeping a promise to her late Grandfather,but is this what God has planned for her life?

   Book #1. in the New England series:'Sawyer's Crossing'.