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
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
120 OHIO HISTORY
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