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Book Reviews by Carolyn Hasenfratz |
My Amazon reviews
Book Reviews on my blog
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The Rise of the Creative Class: And How It's Transforming Work, Leisure, Community and Everyday Life by Richard Florida This book is fascinating. The main reason I wanted to read it is because I'm a member of the Creative Class, and who doesn't like to read about themselves? I've been reading this book with a highlighter marker in hand since the author seemed to articulate better than I could many observations I've made on my own but could not explain as well. Since childhood, I've been aware that I'm a little different than most of my peers and I've consciously cultivated those tendencies from a very early age - not in a rebellious way, but in the geeky/bohemian way. It's funny to read about how when I'm compared to other creative people, I'm not all that different, in fact I'm a walking stereotype! The brand of bicycle I ride even fits! If you are involved in managing creative people, this would be a good book to read to find out what your creative staff prefers in a work experience. Yes in today's economic climate, bosses are more in the drivers seat because creative people who tend to change jobs a lot don't have as many options as they did 10 years ago or so. But you still have to compete with other organizations, and to compete you need to have the BEST creative people, so you have to understand what makes them tick to manage them effectively. Their primary motivations might not be what you think they are if you are not a creative person yourself. I've worked for companies that nurture my creativity and companies that don't, and I wholeheartedly agree with the workplace section of the book. If you are involved in trying to trying to bring economic prosperity to your community, whether as a member of government, city planning, a volunteer organization, a chamber of commerce or something in that vein, this is also a valuable book. Some of the ideas in it might be fresh, even startling - many were to me. Data is analyzed in many different ways to show correlations between the economic growth of cities and their ability to attract members of the Creative Class. Of course reading stuff like this makes my ego go through the roof, it's nice to think that I'm a highly desirable resident in my community. But people of my ilk bring with them things that some people do not see as desirable - one example is tolerance for gay people. The data in this book shows a correlation between communities with a high number of gay people and a high number of creative people. According to the author, it's not necessarily because the creative people ARE gay, it's because communities that are open-minded toward different kinds of people are the same kinds of communities that attract creative people. Another element that creative people find desirable and some others don't is immigrants and people of other races. Creative people want to live in a community where different races and cultures mix, while some people are willing to spend hours and hours of their lives commuting to the suburbs to get away from people with darker skin or a different way of life. This is a very interesting concept in light of the culture in my own hometown of St. Louis, Missouri. We used to have a resident called "Baton Bob" who used to appear at public events in a tutu and tights twirling a baton. Is this behavior unusual for an adult male person? A bit, yes. Is it threatening or offensive? Not to me, but enough people apparently thought so that "Baton Bob" felt it necessary to relocate to another community where he felt he could live as he wanted to live. Some might not think of this as a loss for St. Louis, but consider this - in the creativity indexes in the book, St. Louis has a low ranking despite exemplary cultural and educational institutions as well as wonderful architecture, which tend to be draws for the Creative Class. Anyone who knows anything about the St. Louis area knows we are falling way behind of our economic potential. If we loosened up a bit, could we change this? There is much data in this book that indicates yes, definitely. In addition, St. Louis is considered a very racially segregated city compared to some - it also scores low on the creative index. Coincidence? One thing is for sure - if you make your community more hospitable to creative people, they will bring change with them. Although there are enclaves of bohemianism, St. Louisans are notoriously suspicious of change as a whole. Sometimes when unwanted change is imposed upon us, such as the new Busch Stadium, it's the kind of change that drives creative people away rather than attracts them. The data in the book shows that creative people ARE NOT attracted by sports teams or other prepackaged, spoon-fed entertainment like Casinos, but are attracted by interesting and authentic architecture, street life and experiences. Historic preservationists and advocates of the arts will find much ammunition in this book to support their efforts. Read it! |
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Harley Earl and the Dream Machine by Stephen Bayley Through his work at General Motors at the height of American optimism and the car culture, Harley Earl was one of the most influential designers of all time. Depending on your taste, his team was responsible for some of the most garish or beautiful (or sometimes both) rolling objects the world has ever seen. The text is very good but the photos and illustrations are spectacular. I recommend this book for car fans and lovers of the "Populuxe" era of design. The super slick and somewhat clinical airbrush illustrations will stir a little 1980s nostalgia in you too. |
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Raise the Titanic by Clive Cussler Ever since I stayed up all night reading "A Night to Remember" by Walter Lord when I was twelve years old, I've been interested in the Titanic. I've read many non-fiction books on the subject, but never any Titanic fiction until now. Like the non-fiction masterpiece "A Night to Remember", this 1976 novel is given credit for keeping interest in the Titanic alive in the days before it was discovered by Robert Ballard. Because of this reputation, I picked "Raise the Titanic" up at a recent used book sale even though the back cover blurb sounded really far-fetched. After reading it I still say it's far fetched, but the part I thought sounded the most ridiculous, the international espionage aspect, was actually well-done and very enjoyable. The part about raising the Titanic is beyond far-fetched but still fun to think about. I was a little disappointed that the scientific part about how they did it was not as detailed as I was hoping, I think the tension could have been ratcheted up some by making the reader more invested in the process. Of course we now know since the wreck's discovery that it's condition in real life is much poorer than how it was found in the fictional book, but it is enjoyable to imagine "What if?" I have not seen the movie made from this book and I don't know if it's good, but I understand why it was made into one - the story is fast moving and has mystery, action, a little horror, a little sex (albeit silly), and the potential for mind-blowing visuals. If you're in the mood for adventure in a quick, escapist read that you don't have to take too seriously, "Raise the Titanic" delivers. |
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Batchelder Tilemaker by Robert Winter This book is a quick read - it is not much longer than an in-depth magazine article, but it does cover the basics of the life and work of ceramic tile-maker Ernest Batchelder. The best part about the book is the photos - they are many and lavish and if you love ceramics or design from the Arts and Crafts era, you will be purring with pleasure. If you're a fan of Henry Chapman Mercer of the Moravian Tile Works as I am, you'll be intrigued by some of the parallels between the two mens careers - Batchelder was influenced by Mercer and installed some Moravian tiles in his home along with his own. Batchelder and his wife were prominent in the cultural and civic life of Pasadena, California, so if you are doing any research on the history of that community you might also find this book to be of interest. One thing that might have been helpful to include in this book is a listing of places where Batchelder tile installations can be viewed. I know from the book "Weaver of Dreams: The Life and Architecture of Robert C. Reamer" that there is a Batchelder fireplace in one of the lodges in Yellowstone Park, a fact which I unfortunately didn't know until after my last visit there. Another reason to come back, as if I needed one! I will be doing some research to see if can work some Batchelder tile-viewing into my future travel plans. |
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The God Hunters by Mark Reed I have been friends with Mark for 20 years. My first inkling of Mark's creativity came when he showed some friends and I several chess sets he had made in different themes, some dark in tone (warriors in battle complete with blood), some whimsical (sparkling cakes and candies). The exquisitely decorated chess pieces came with equally imaginative boards. Delighted, I felt like I had discovered a great talent. Over the years I've always enjoyed seeing what Mark might come up with next. He's created sculpture, jewelry and digital art scenes that appear to have come from another world, one with ancient and futuristic elements but all his own. I came to enjoy Mark's writings in the area of poetry, which showed the same interesting blend of light and dark - his black humor often has made me laugh at things that really shouldn't be funny. Drawing developed into one of his specialties, and he's created many figurative pieces with fantasy elements. Now that Mark has ventured into prose writing with his first novel "The God Hunters", we get an idea of what kind of stories might be fueling these images. The story in "The God Hunters" involves a human protagonist, 23-year-old David Ruger plucked from contemporary times who has to figure out why he was brought into a parallel universe, and why several species of beings he finds there are determined to get rid of him in some not very nice ways. It's not necessarily obvious who might be a friend or a foe, which establishes a useful sense of tension early on. In a parallel universe, anything goes and Mark uses his imagination and gift for manipulating the English language in a creative way to describe for us alien worlds, interesting and sometimes frightening residents within, and cool technology. In the course of his adventures David experiences beauty, romance, horror, fear, friendship, playfulness, loss and discovery. David and most of the major characters in the story are gay, and gay relationships including sexual relationships are described, though not in a graphic way. You don't need to be gay to enjoy the book if you have a tolerant attitude toward gay relationships. The main point of the book is not really about being gay - although the gay characters experience life as gay people, they do not deal with prejudice because of that in this story, and there is no preaching about tolerance or anything like that. If there is a message being delivered, it's subtle, and it's as much about friendships and how friends can help you deal with adversity as anything else. If you enjoy fantasy and science fiction with a little bit of horror and some humor mixed in, I think you'll like visiting the realm of "The God Hunters" - it kept me entertained from beginning to end. |
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Finding Amelia: The True Story of the Earhart Disappearance by Ric Gillespie Ric Gillespie is the Executive Director of The International Group for Historic Aircraft Recovery (TIGHAR). Before I was familiar with the research that TIGHAR has done, I didn't know much about Amelia Earhart except that she disappeared "without a trace". Well the one thing I thought I knew about her turned out to be wrong. There were lots of traces and the most fascinating for me are the radio messages that were picked up for a few days after she failed to reach Howland Island on July 2, 1937. I'm convinced she was very nearly found alive. When you read this book you'll be frustrated by how close the Navy came to rescuing her. You'll also learn a lot about the World Flight attempt, the lengths the US Government was willing to go for a celebrity with connections, the way the media dealt with major news stories and the state of aviation and radio technology in the 1930s. If you're an admirer of Amelia Earhart, you may be somewhat disillusioned by this book. It's often said about Amelia that her celebrity status outweighed her actual flying ability. That might be true, but there is no doubt that she had some real achievements under her belt and she was certainly courageous and had plenty of ambition. However, the planning for the second World Flight attempt was rushed as a direct result of her wreck in Hawaii on the first attempt. She did not take the time to learn how to use the radio and direction finding equipent well enough to be able to diagnose technical problems on the fly, and technical problems with the radio equipment did come up right at the wrong time. Using the radio in 1937 was not that easy, and she and Navigator Fred Noonan also did not know Morse code which would have given them more options. The rushed plans also caused some problems with the Coast Guard's participation in the Howland Island landing. I know Amelia wanted to make womens' lives better by showing that they could pursue their interests even if they were not traditionally feminine. She probably did some good there. If she wanted to show that women could be just as reckless as the guys, she did a fantastic job of that! Communication problems of two kinds is the main reason the flight failed. She chose a challenging, dangerous, but probably achievable flying goal and skimped on the preparation with predictable results. That's not very glamorous, and there are some readers who would probably prefer another ending to the story. Obviously I accept TIGHAR's theory about what happened to the flight. You may not. For me one of the most famous mysteries of all time is mostly solved. The smoking gun is the radio signal triangulation diagram on page 164. If someone can explain that diagram some other way (and although my imagination is vivid I can't think of how) then I'll listen to other theories. There are still some unanswered questions though - where is the aircraft wreckage now, if any of it still exists? What happened to the bones? How long did Earhart and Noonan live before expiring? If this book intrigues you, read Amelia Earhart's Shoes by Tom King next, and check out www.tighar.org. |
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Death in Yellowstone: Accidents and Foolhardiness in the First National Park by Lee Whittlesey I read this book after my fourth visit to Yellowstone Park. It is so scary that it made me wonder how I survived four visits! Various manners of death throughout the history of the park are described in a not unnecessarily exploitative manner. I say not unnecessarily because the author includes gruesome details because he thinks it's important to shock people out of their complacency - he's trying to save lives and avoid over-regulation due to visitor carelessness. Those of us who only come to the wilderness on vacation need to be aware that when we are in a National Park, we are not in a theme park - the environment has not been sanitized for our safety. The opening chapter on death in hot springs is the most horrific in the book, in fact it's one of the most horrific things I've ever read anywhere. This is unfortunate from a literary standpoint as it makes the rest of the book somewhat anticlimactic, but it's probably the most important chapter and that's why the author put it first. The hot springs in Yellowstone are very beautiful, very deadly, and the landscape they're in is very alien to what most of us will encounter in our lives when we're not in Yellowstone so it's important to understand what can happen. I recommend this book to anyone who is planning to visit Yellowstone, even if you're not a first-time visitor, and especially if you are going to bring children. |
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The Ascent of Man by Jacob Bronowski This is a series of essays on the scientific advances human beings have made up until the early 1970s when it was written. Great for a review on science and history since I've been out of school for awhile, and filled with thoughtful insights on human nature and technology. It's refreshing that the author did not despise humanity or decry technological progress as so many people do today, although he did rightly caution us about the correct use of science and the danger of being sure of ourselves. Bronowski also drew parallels between artistic and scientific achievements of the time periods covered in the book in a way that was fresh to me and insightful. The book is superbly illustrated with scientific illustrations, photos and fine art. It's possible that if I had read this book while still in school I might have been more interested in science than I was. I was a Fine Art major and science already influenced my art somewhat, if I had read this book then I think I would have been inspired to go farther in that direction. There was a time when Art and Science were not as compartmentalized as they are now. It's nice to be reminded of that! It's also nice to be reminded of the heights that humans are capable of achieving. This book might restore some of your optimism at a time when our culture is well into it's decadent phase. |
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The Substance of Style: How the Rise of Aesthetic Value Is Remaking Commerce, Culture, and Consciousness (P.S.) by Virginia Postrel The premise of this book is that human beings have an innate need for aesthetic beauty, and that the relative affluence of our current culture and the lowering of the cost of beautiful things has resulted in a culture that is more visually sophisticated than ever before. I agree with the premise, those who don't seem to disagree mainly for political reasons, since this is not the anti-capitalist book they would have preferred to read. If you liked Populuxe by Thomas Hine and Learning from Las Vegas by Robert Venturi then you will be sympathetic to the author's celebration of the democratization of good design and the ability of consumers to express themselves individually. |
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Mission 66: Modernism and the National Park Dilemma by Ethan Carr I wanted to read this book mainly because of my interest in post-WWII architecture. It's a nice bonus that in order to set the background for Mission 66 architecture, you learn about environmental attitudes of the early and mid 20th century, the New Deal and the CCC and WPA, the Roosevelt, Truman, and Eisenhower administrations, the National Park Service and their sense of self and mission, and changes in American culture and lifestyles. I can't wait to get to part about the actual architecture. I've raced ahead and looked at the pictures - they are not particularly large and are black and white, but still exciting. I see many places I've been, and some places I'd like to go. Thanks to Mission 66, we not only get to see natural wonders in our parks but in some places, really cool architecture as well. Here is a sample of what I'm talking about - http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=79941&l=079d975879&id=1360719899 Now that I've finished the book, my opinion is that I think people who are very interested in the history of the National Park Service will enjoy it. At times the discussion of the role government bureaucracies and personnel changes played in shaping the vision of the park service gets a little dry, but it is part of the story. Many parks are mentioned but Yellowstone and Yosemite not surprisingly are the most prominent so if you're a fan of either of those parks you might be particularly interested in this book. Mission 66 was an attempt to do many things to improve visitor experience in the National Parks after they were overwhelmed with visitors and saddled with outdated facilities in a post WWII tourism boom. Infrastructure was a big part of the program - too big, according to some critics. Some preferred the older rustic architecture to the modern style of Mission 66 buildings feeling it was more picturesque harmonious with nature. Some thought that large numbers of visitors should not be accommodated with new or improved roads and other facilities, but instead discouraged so that only people who really appreciated the parks and were willing to put forth a lot of effort to get there could visit. I personally take a less elitist view because I think most people will not care about preserving natural landscapes unless they get to see them now and then. The author deals with the drawbacks and successes of the program and explains how the park service changed its emphasis in the 1960s and 1970s to become more in line with contemporary attitudes about what conservation means. If you've attended ranger talks or visited museums in national parks you will probably be familiar with some of these concepts - restoration of species and landscapes to make them more like they were pre-European contact, for example. You already know what my personal opinion is of the style of architecture chosen by Mission 66 planners. To me the mid-century modern architecture adds to my enjoyment of the parks. In the private sector, it's being destroyed or modified beyond recognition at an alarming rate, so to me the National Park emphasis away from building over the last 40 years or so has been a huge blessing allowing more of these buildings to stay around long enough be appreciated. However I wonder if that's going to change. The author draws parallels between current times and the post WWII visitor boom, where some parks face an ever-growing load of visitors and infrastructure that is aging once again. I hope that if new construction is wanted, that more buildings from the Mission 66 era are not sacrificed. I know a few sadly already have been. Mission 66 planners once considered demolishing the Old Faithful Inn - aren't you glad they didn't do that? I hope that the park service comes to see the Mission 66 buildings as a cultural resource worth preserving, as the older rustic architecture is now seen. |
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State of Fear by Michael Crichton I have always enjoyed Michael Crichton's books - they never fail to take you on a wild ride filled with thrills, chills, and adventure. Sure sometimes they read like he's trying hard to write a movie with some exciting escape sequences and gruesomely creative ways of killing people off, and this would certainly make a good one. I'd be shocked if this ever got made into a movie though - how many people in the entertainment industry, which has for the most part uncritically accepted the now debunked theories on global warming and continues to try to indoctrinate us with them, would dare to make a movie where the characters say things like this: "It's not logical to say that freezing weather is caused by global warming." "What's logic got to do with it?" Normally I don't approve the mixing of entertainment and politics, but I have to admit when it goes against the grain as in this case I find it refreshing. If you believe in global warming as the mass media currently presents it, you won't like the book and probably won't finish it. References for data that the characters in the book present as factual are provided so you can look up the information for yourself and see if it's true. Do you dare to do that and possibly think outside the box a little bit? It's a shame if you don't finish it, because the essay at the end, "Why Politicized Science is Dangerous" should be read by everyone. It draws parallels between the history of the eugenics movement and global warming movement. "Once again, critics are few and harshly dealt with". |
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Henry Chapman Mercer and the Moravian Pottery and Tile Works by Cleota Reed My Mom and Dad visited Henry Chapman Mercer's home in Doylesville Pennsylvania last year and knew it was something I would like, and bought me this book for me later. Mercer was truly a "Renaissance Man" of the Arts and Crafts Movement and his home and tile works reflect his interests in world history, archaeology, architecture, and the culture of the ordinary people who built the United States, as reflected in their tools. His definition of the word tool was very broad and could include buildings and even ideas, as well as things we would normally consider to be tools, for example Pennsylvania Dutch stove plates, one of many things he collected with a passion. Mercer was a "gentleman scholar" which means he came from wealth and could afford to work in whatever fields his personal interests led him to. Admirably, he committed his time, resources and considerable energies to scholarship and the arts. Eventually these interests led him to the Arts and Crafts Movement which in turn inspired him to found a pottery with the goal of reviving the dying folk art ceramics of his region. His first attempts at creating pottery vessels were not satisfactory and he soon turned to tile-making at which he was very successful both artistically and financially. Cleota Reed's book does a good job of explaining what this very interesting man was all about. It includes an excellent biography and a thorough account of the development of his tile work, from his early experiments and working methods, his influences, the growth of his business and the construction of the Moravian Pottery and Tile Works building, his commercial output and commissions, and the construction and decoration of his extraordinary home. The book also explains how he was a pioneer in the field of concrete construction and how his tiles played a role in both the interior and exteriors of concrete buildings. The book is well illustrated with pictures of the work being discussed, in both black and white and color. I recommend this fascinating and inspiring book for people who are interested in the Arts and Crafts movement, tiles and mosaics, ceramics in general, architecture of the early 1900s, and architectural decoration. |
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Traveling the National Road: Across the Centuries on America's First Highway by Merritt Ierley A history of how the road began plus wonderful firsthand accounts from the writings of people who traveled the road in it's heyday. Find out what is was like to ride in a carriage or wagon, and partake of the hospitality of taverns in the early to mid 19th century. Find out also what it was like to take a nostalgia trip on the road when it had fallen out of favor due to competition with railroads and traffic was scarce. Eerily reminiscent of today's Route 66 nostalgia buffs who gaze upon the ruins of old cafes and gas stations and think about days gone by. On the National Road in the 1870s, travelers could meditate on the ruins of taverns, smithies and toll gates. Some of the selected writers have a real gift for language and will touch your heart. There are maps and illustrations throughout the book. The maps are not detailed enough to use for attempting to drive the road today, to the extent that it's possible. There is a chapter toward the end about a modern-day trip down the road. It is not detailed enough to use as a guide but may very well pique your interest enough to seek out such a guide. I know I'm intrigued enough to see if one exists. |
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Ghost Ships, Gales and Forgotten Tales: True Adventures on the Great Lakes by Wes Oleszewski My Dad lent me this book, he bought it on a trip to the Great Lakes. This is another one that I didn't read for awhile because I thought it would be depressing, but it turned out to be more thrilling than depressing. Yes, some of the stories end in tragedy but not all of them do, and since they're about incidents that are not world-famous, I didn't know the endings to any of them ahead of time. The Edmund Fitzgerald, the only Great Lakes wreck that I could have named before reading this book, is not included. The stories that ended in rescue made me long to go on a lake-going adventure, but I can't imagine taking the risks that people routinely took around 100 years ago. It amazed me, captains that would knowingly head into a storm in a leaky, overloaded boat, and more amazingly they could find crews to go with them. One crew member survived six different wrecks! Apparently people had a different attitude toward human life back then. |
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The Lost Life of Eva Braun by Angela Lambert This is not a book I would have picked out for myself because the Nazi era is not a part of history that I like to think a lot about. However, the book was lent to me and I had the flu so since I was already feeling bad I decided it was a good time to read it. Now that I read it I'm glad I did - it was very thought provoking. What it attempts to answer are two very difficult questions - was there anything in particular about German culture in the first half of the 20th century that made them more susceptible than others to becoming enthralled by a destructive madman, and why would a seemingly pretty decent - or at least she was given the tools to be if she so chose - young woman give her youth and her life to such a person? The answers I got out of this book are to the first question, no not really, the people were not that different, it's just that the madman was particularly charismatic, and to the second, there is never a shortage of women available who are willing to behave this way. Neither are the answers I would have liked, and I don't know if they're right, and I don't know if they are what the author intended to convey. Very disturbing book. For the sake of knowing the truth you sometimes have to look evil right in the eye even if it makes you feel afraid. It's scary to think that a cruel madman does not necessarily appear to be cruel or mad to everyone at all times. It's the same reason that "In Cold Blood" was a particularly disturbing read. If they did, it would be easier to stop them before it's too late. The book is written by a journalist, not a historian, and the sources cited are sometimes secondary sources, like newspapers or other books and those can always be wrong or even sheer fantasy, so that makes me wonder about the overall quality of scholarship. However, enough primary sources are cited to make me think there is at least some truth in the book. The fact that the author steers away from sensationalism about Hitler's sex life or health when given the opportunity makes me give her the benefit of the doubt more than I otherwise would. When you're reading about a period in history that you know a lot about it's discouraging when people try to feed you the Bigfoot/UFO/Loch Ness Monster type version when you know the real story is just as interesting and you don't need the fantasy. When I have to trust the discernment of the author more because my knowledge is not as deep, it reassures me when they don't go the sensational route. That said, things that degrade many other journalist's work and make their whole profession look suspect are present here - besides questionable scholarship, there is some making everything about her personal political beliefs (which might make someone less discerning about sources when it's something that supports your political views) and injecting herself into the story. | ||
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ANTHROPOLOGY CONTEMPORARY PERSPECTIVES by Phillip Hunter Illustrated David E. Whitten Rereading a book I got a long time ago at a used book sale. I never took the class, but the SIUE textbook service was getting rid of an old copy and it looked good so I bought it. Fascinating, made me stay up too late more than once. |
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1939: Lost World of Fair by David Gelernter The main reason I wanted to read this book was to form mind-pictures of how the fair might have looked, because I love art deco design. The book succeeded very well at that, with the help of excerpts from a contemporary fictional diary that was kept by a visitor as a young woman. Her character was exceptionally observant and articulate and her memories are fascinating. I got a lot more out of this book than mind-pictures. The diary excerpts are put into historical context by the author, and his commentary draws comparisons between the character of the American people then and now - and we don't look very good in comparison. They had challenges ahead of them and knew it - and they dealt with them admirably. It would be a good idea for all of us to understand better how people of that time period looked at the world - our survival might depend on a major attitude adjustment in their direction. Anyone who is interested in the idea of technology being the means from which we're delivered from our problems would probably find this book very interesting. People who lived at the time of the fair had strong feelings about that and the fair both reflected and influenced them. Fascinating to think about whether or not the results were what was hoped for. Worlds Fairs in general are very interesting to me because of expectations of the future that people of the particular time period had, and how they expressed their expectations. |
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The Early Church (The Penguin History of the Church) (v. 1) by Henry Chadwick I'm reading this because I wanted to refresh my memory of early Christian history and understand better how beliefs and traditions developed. Now that I've finished it, my opinion is that it assumes some knowledge that I don't have so it's not for novices to this part of history, but it's worthwhile to learn about how doctrine and the organizational structure developed and the historical forces in play that helped shape both. I would like to read a similar book that focuses in depth on Christian Art, church architecture, and worship practices from the same time period. There was a little bit about that toward the end but I wanted more. |
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Carolyn's Stamp Store Rubber art stamps designed by Carolyn Hasenfratz for your creative craft projects. Many Route 66 designs available. www.carolynsstampstore.com |
Carolyn Hasenfratz Design Award-winning web design and development, Flash animation, presentations and slide shows, and graphic design. www.chasenfratz.com |
The John's Modern Cabins News Chronicles historic preservation efforts on Route 66, the Main Street of America. www.jmcnews.com |