Ohio History Journal

Book Notes

 

 

Cincinnati Observed: Architecture and History. By John Clubbe.

(Columbus: The Ohio State University Press, 1992. xxvi + 531p.; illustra-

tions, bibliography, index.) At long last here is an engaging and informative

portrait of Cincinnati's architecture, history and cultural traditions. Written

by a native New Yorker and professor of English literature, Cincinnati

Observed wonderfully blends facts, descriptions, essays, quotes, and wit into

the first comprehensive examination of its kind since the frequently cited yet

exceedingly dated Cincinnati Guide (1943). Cincinnati Observed joins seven

previous works edited by Zane Miller and Henry Shapiro as part of the Urban

Life and Landscape Series. Clubbe has produced an insightful look at the

familiar and not so familiar aspects of the Queen City, ranging from a lengthy

discussion of the Carew Tower to a gustatory discourse on Skyline Chili.

Among the book's many pluses are the 45-page index, site maps, and pho-

tographs, both historic and contemporary. More a study of the urban experi-

ence than urban history, Cincinnati Observed provides a welcome breadth so

often lacking in similar studies. It is must reading for travel buffs, architec-

tural enthusiasts and urban historians alike.

 

Ohio Historical Society                               Steve Gordon

 

 

American Anxieties: A Collective Portrait of the 1930s. Edited by Louis

Filler, with a new introduction by the editor. (New Brunswick, New Jersey:

Transaction Publishers, 1993; originally published in 1963 by G. P. Putnam's

Sons. xxi + 378p.; notes, index.) A reprint of a meritorious 1963 work,

American Anxieties, as its subtitle promises, does indeed provide a collective

portrait of the thirties. Professor Filler chose well in selecting his authors and

snippets from their publications, as they offer the reader a stimulating cross

section of political, intellectual, social, and cultural views of a tempestuous

decade, and in the bargain provide clues to understanding the sixties and later.

Filler includes not only such heavy hitters as Sherwood Anderson, John

Dewey, John Steinbeck, John Dos Passos, and H. L. Mencken, but also such

lesser lights as Tom Kramer and Lauren Gilfillan.

 

Ohio Historical Society                         Robert L. Daugherty

 

 

A Book of Memories: Kent State University 1910-1992. Edited by William

H. Hildebrand, Dean H. Keller, and Anita D. Herington. (Kent: The Kent

State University Press, 1993. xii + 327p.; illustrations, index.) In this heavily

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Book Notes                                                   119

 

pictorial history, former faculty members and presidents recount the meta-

morphosis of Kent State Normal School into Kent State University. The

book's title is an apt description, though tough issues-including the events

surrounding May 4, 1970-are not avoided. The essays, especially those by

the late Robert White and by Phillip Shriver, are quite good "reads." Much of

the story is told through photographs and captions, which causes me consid-

erable consternation. The quality of photographic reproduction is inconsistent

and far too often is deplorable. Were it not for that considerable shortcoming,

this would be an excellent example of the genre and a book KSU alumnae

could proudly display on their coffee tables.

 

Ohio Historical Society                   Christopher S. Duckworth

 

 

J. Walter Malone: The Autobiography of an Evangelical Quaker. Edited

by John W. Oliver with an introduction by Arthur O. Roberts. (Lanham,

Maryland: University Press of America, Inc., 1993. xv + 105p.; illustrations,

appendix, notes, index.) This relatively thin volume is the memoir of a

deeply spiritual Quaker family man who, while running the family's success-

ful stone business, devoted himself to Christ and to social activism. Much of

it is moving and will appeal to students of Quakerism and its history, espe-

cially those interested in evangelical Quakerism. The book is a solid contri-

bution to American religious history.

 

Ohio Historical Society                       Robert L. Daugherty

 

 

German Chronicle in the History of the Ohio Valley and its Capital City

Cincinnati in Particular. By Emil Klauprecht. Translated by Dale V. Lally,

Jr. Edited by Don Heinrich Tolzmann. (Bowie, Maryland: Heritage Books,

Inc., 1992. xv + 265p.; notes, indexes.) And, The Diaries of John M. Miller

of Westwood/Cincinnati, Ohio. Excerpts from 1869-1870 and 1881-1894.

Compiled by Susan R. Alexander. (Houston, Texas: Susan R. Alexander,

1993. xiv + 616p.; illustrations, notes, charts, appendices, index.) These two

volumes join a growing list of publications devoted to the field of local and

regional history. Klauprecht's German Chronicle, originally published in

1864, describes in remarkable detail the early exploration and settlement of

the Ohio and Upper Mississippi Valleys during the French and English

regimes. Approximately one-fourth of the book is devoted to the social, reli-

gious, and political history of southwestern Ohio during the first half of the

nineteenth century. German Chronicle has been carefully translated from its

original German Fraktur script by Dale Lally of St. Lawrence University, and

follows the format of the original layout. Don Tolzmann, director of the

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German-American Studies Program at the University of Cincinnati, has skill-

fully edited the volume, providing annotated footnotes and a comprehensive

index. In addition to original sources the index includes names, place names

and a recently added publications/dissertations index.

In contrast to Klauprecht, a self-educated liberal German writer and news-

paper editor, Miller was a farmer and businessman who used his diary to

record everyday life in Cincinnati from 1869-1894. Typical of the period,

The Diaries of John M. Miller note weather conditions, dietary preferences,

events of local importance and a wide variety of religious and community

topics. This hardbound work is faithfully transcribed and supplemented by

several appendices, namely family charts, notes, and a chronology of notable

events contained in the diaries. Miller's daily accounts serve, as the author

states, as valuable remembrances, whereas Klauprecht's writings provide us

with a more sweeping literary account of a German-American's observations

on historical firsts and accounts in Cincinnati and the Ohio Valley. Both vol-

umes fill a gap but will appeal to somewhat different audiences and research

interests.

 

Ohio Historical Society                               Steve Gordon

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