Summary

Central Appalachia is the system of linear ridges, intervening valleys, and deeply dissected plateaus that make up the rugged terrain found in western and southwestern Virginia, eastern and central West Virginia, western Maryland, and a portion of south central and southwestern Pennsylvania. Through its concise and accessible approach, A Natural History of the Central Appalachians thoroughly examines the biology and ecology of the plants, animals, and other organisms of this region of eastern North America.

With over 120 images, this text provides an overview of the landscape of this region, including the major changes that have taken place over the past 300 million years; describes the different types of forests and other plant communities currently present in Central Appalachia; and examines living systems ranging from microorganisms and fungi to birds and mammals. Through a consideration of the history of humans in the region, beginning with the arrival of the first Native Americans, A Natural History of the Central Appalachians also discusses the past, present, and future influences of human activity upon this geographic area.

Contents

Preface

Chapter 1 Introduction to the Central Appalachians

Chapter 2 History of the Flora and Fauna

Chapter 3 Plant Life of Central Appalachia

Chapter 4 Forests of Central Appalachia

Chapter 5 Non-Forested Areas of Central Appalachia

Chapter 6 Plants of Special Interest

Chapter 7 Lower Plants

Chapter 8 Mushrooms and Other Fungi

Chapter 9 Non-Insect Arthropods and Other Invertebrates

Chapter 10 Insects of the Central Appalachians

Chapter 11 Reptiles, Amphibians, and Fishes

Chapter 12 Birds and Mammals

Chapter 13 Humans in the Central Appalachians

Chapter 14 Past, Present, and Future

Index of Common and Scientific Names

Bibliography

Figure Credits

Index

Author

Steve Stephenson has lived, worked, and carried out research throughout the Central Appalachian region for much of his career. He is a Research Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Arkansas and the author of Myxomycetes: A Handbook of Slime Molds and The Kingdom Fungi: The Biology of Mushrooms, Molds, and Lichens and a coauthor of Macrofungi Associated with Oaks of Eastern North America.

Reviews

Coming Soon

Summary

The Kaiserchronik (c.1152–1165) is the first verse chronicle to have been written in a language other than Latin. This story recounts the exploits of the Roman, Byzantine, Carolingian, and Holy Roman kings and rulers, from the establishment of Rome to the start of the Second Crusade. As an early example of popular history, it was written for a non-monastic audience who would have preferred to read, or may only have been able to read, in German. As a rhymed chronicle, its combined use of the styles of language found within a vernacular epic and a factual treaty was a German innovation.

The Book of Emperors is the first complete translation of the Kaiserchronik from Middle High German to English. It is a rich resource not only for medieval German scholars and students, but also for those working in early cultural studies. It brings together an understanding of the conception of kingship in the German Middle Ages, from the relationship between emperor and king, to the moral, theological, and legal foundations of claims and legitimacy and the medieval epistemological approaches to historiography.

This translation includes a substantial introduction that discusses the historical and philological context of the work, as well as the themes of power and kingship. Each chapter begins with a brief introduction that distinguishes historical truths from the epic fiction found within the original text.

Contents

Coming Soon

Author

Henry A. Myers is Professor Emeritus of History at James Madison University. 

Reviews

“A significant contribution in History, Cultural Studies, and German Studies.”
Siegfried Christoph, Professor of German, University of Wisconsin, Parkside

Summary

Coal burns underground and destroys a small town. A woman confronts police officers with her pet copperheads. A young girl drinks Drano. A man is banned from his favorite bar.

Within these eleven short stories, Flannery O'Connor Award winner and poet Gary Fincke brings into focus the small struggles of ordinary people. The characters within this collection, from boys and girls to fathers, mothers, and the aging, live in cities, in towns, and in rural areas. Yet, no matter the surroundings, all seem alone within a collective anxiety.

Set against extraordinary events, such as the Three Mile Island accident, the Challenger Disaster, and the Kennedy assassination, these stories personalize history through a juxtaposition between large and small tragedies and the unflinching desire to find insight within and redemption from weakness and shortcomings.

2014 Paterson Fiction Prize finalist

Contents

            There’s Worse                                            

            The Out-of-Sorts                                         

            The Fierceness of Need                           

            Weepers

            All the Big Things                                                   

            Private Things                                             

            The Proper Words for Sin                         

            You Can Look This Up                              

            The Blazer Sestina                                     

            The Promises of Labels                           

            Somebody Somewhere Else        

Author

Gary Fincke is the Writers Institute Director and Charles Degenstein Professor of English and Creative Writing at Susquehanna University. Winner of the 2003 Flannery O’Connor Award for Short Fiction, the 2003 Ohio State University/The Journal Poetry Prize, and the 2010 Stephen F. Austin Poetry Prize for recent collections, he has published twenty-four books of poetry, short fiction, and nonfiction, most recently The History of Permanence, The Canals of Mars, The Fire Landscape, Sorry I Worried You, and Amp’d: A Father’s Backstage Pass, a nonfiction account of his son’s life as a rock guitarist in the band Breaking Benjamin. His work has appeared in such periodicals as Harper’s, Newsday, The Paris Review, The Kenyon Review, The Georgia Review, Ploughshares, American Scholar, and Doubletake, and has been read by Garrison Keillor on NPR. He has twice been awarded Pushcart Prizes for his work, including “The Canals of Mars,” which was reprinted in The Pushcart Essays, an anthology of the best nonfiction published during the first twenty-five years of the Pushcart Prize volumes. He has been recognized by Best American Stories and the O. Henry Prize series, and cited eleven times in the past thirteen years for a “Notable Essay” in Best American Essays. Gary Fincke grew up near Pittsburgh and currently lives in central Pennsylvania.

Reviews

“Subtle yet powerful, passionate but clear-eyed . . . It's all I want from fiction."
Steve Yarbrough, author of Safe from the Neighbors and The Oxygen Man

"Richly detailed and generous. A moving collection.”
William J. Cobb, author of The Bird Saviors

“Powerful, insightful, and cut to the bone.”
Joan Connor, author of How To Stop Loving Someone

“Wonderfully quirky, unpredictable stories. This is a remarkable collection.” 
Dan Chaon, author of Among the Missing and You Remind Me of Me

"Flannery O'Connor Award winner Gary Fincke crams the full spectrum of the human condition into the 11 short stories gathered in The Proper Words for Sin. The author, who teaches at Susquehanna University just north of Harrisburg and grew up near Pittsburgh, uses the ordinary lives and circumstances of his characters to cast shadows over larger events such as the JFK assassination, the Challenger disaster and the nuclear accident at Three Mile Island. While ratcheting up the anxiety, Mr. Fincke's poetic sensibility never allows him to craft a hyperventilating word. This is thoughtful, morally engaged fiction at its best."
Tony Norman, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

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