John Alexander Williams's West Virginia: A History is widely considered one of the finest books ever written about the state. In his clear, eminently readable style, Williams organizes the tangled strands of West Virginia's past around a few dramatic events? the battle of Point Pleasant, John Brown's insurrection in Harper's Ferry, the Paint Creek labor movement, the Hawk's Nest and Buffalo Creek disasters, and more. Williams uses these pivotal events as introductions to the larger issues of statehood, Civil War, unionism, and industrialization. Along the way, Williams conveys a true feel for the lives of common West Virginians, the personalities of the state's memorable characters, and the powerful influence of the land itself on its own history.

West Virginia: A History (States & the Nation)

History

Williams, John Alexander

Americas

W.W.Norton&Company

Turning to Nature in Germany is a study of mass movements that aimed to bring the German people into closer contact with nature. In the early twentieth century organized hikers, nudists, and conservationists all looked to nature for solutions to the nation's political crises. Following these movements over three political eras―the Second Empire, the Weimar Republic, and the Third Reich―the book shows how manifestations of popular culture reflected the concerns and hopes of their time. Williams breaks with historians who have long seen nature movements as anti-modern and irrational by arguing that naturists were calling not for Germany to turn back the clock, but for the nation to find a way to navigate the treacherous waters of contemporary life and strive toward a brighter future.

Turning to Nature in Germany: Hiking, Nudism, and Conservation, 1900-1940

Europe

Stanford University Press

Interweaving social, political, environmental, economic, and popular history, John Alexander Williams chronicles four and a half centuries of the Appalachian past. Along the way, he explores Appalachia's long-contested boundaries and the numerous, often contradictory images that have shaped perceptions of the region as both the essence of America and a place apart. Williams begins his story in the colonial era and describes the half-century of bloody warfare as migrants from Europe and their American-born offspring fought and eventually displaced Appalachia's Native American inhabitants. He depicts the evolution of a backwoods farm-and-forest society, its divided and unhappy fate during the Civil War, and the emergence of a new industrial order as railroads, towns, and extractive industries penetrated deeper and deeper into the mountains. Finally, he considers Appalachia's fate in the twentieth century, when it became the first American region to suffer widespread deindustrialization, and examines the partial renewal created by federal intervention and a small but significant wave of in-migration. Throughout the book, a wide range of Appalachian voices enlivens the analysis and reminds us of the importance of storytelling in the ways the people of Appalachia define themselves and their region.

Appalachia: A History

The University of North Carolina Press

Business & Money

Economics

Univ of North Carolina Pr

"An excellent book, lively and well written, and likely to appeal to a wider audience than the typical academic monograph."--William D. Phillips, Jr., author of The Worlds of Christopher Columbus
Sinking Columbus describes and analyzes the failure of the 1992 commemoration of the 500th anniversary of Christopher Columbus's voyage from Spain to the New World, once "universally" hailed as the "discovery of America." Despite this failure, the book recognizes the Quincentenary as an important and illuminating event in the recent political and cultural history of the United States, Europe, and Latin America.
 The authors draw upon their personal experiences as both organizers and observers of the celebration to explain how and why, in a few short years, the Columbian myth was transformed from a romantic, Eurocentric tradition into a postmodern, multicultural critique of New World history.
 The book reviews the U.S. Jubilee Commission, the failed Chicago World's Fair, ethnic controversies in the United States, and various international efforts (especially in Spain, Italy, and Latin America) to commemorate an anniversary whose meaning changed drastically from the time initial planning began until the year it finally took place.
 Chronologically, the book ranges over the cultural history of the past century as well as the past decade. Geographically it focuses on the United States, Spain, Italy, Mexico, and the Dominican Republic. Ultimately, an underlying theme emerges--that the failure of the official Quincentenary is offset by the fact that the anniversary provoked and encouraged a healthy, widespread discussion of major issues such as colonialism, ethnicity, diversity, and the place of indigenous peoples in contemporary societies.
 Stephen J. Summerhill, associate professor of Spanish and Portuguese at Ohio State University, has written scholarly articles on Miguel de Unamuno, Maria Zambrano, Luis Cernuda, and other Spanish authors.
John Alexander Williams, director of the Christopher Columbus Quincentenary Jubilee Commission from 1986 to 1988, is professor of history at Appalachian State University. This is his fourth book.

Sinking Columbus: Contested History, Cultural Politics, and Mythmaking during the Quince

Summerhill, Stephen J.

University Press of Florida

West Virginia and the Captains of Industry

Industries

West Virginia Univ Pr

This book takes an entirely new and comprehensive approach, examining the geographic, cultural, political, economic and social factors that have shaped the Mountain State and its people.

West Virginia: A History for Beginners

Appalachian Editions

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Williams, John Alexander. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Williams, John Alexander