US Mall 1 - How the States Got Their Shapes

	List Price: $22.95 Our Price: $12.25 Your Save: $ 10.70 ( 47% ) Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Manufacturer: Collins
Average Customer Rating:
Binding: Hardcover Dewey Decimal Number: 917.3 EAN: 9780061431388 ISBN: 0061431389 Label: Collins Manufacturer: Collins Number Of Items: 1 Number Of Pages: 352 Publication Date: 2008-06-01 Publisher: Collins Release Date: 2008-05-27 Studio: Collins
Related Items Hometown Revelations - How America's cities, towns, and states acquired their names Names on the Land: A Historical Account of Place-Naming in the United States (New York Review Books Classics) A Voyage Long and Strange: Rediscovering the New World Polk: The Man Who Transformed the Presidency and America America's Hidden History: Untold Tales of the First Pilgrims, Fighting Women, and Forgotten Founders Who Shaped a Nation
Spotlight customer reviews: Customer Rating: Summary: Disappointing Comment: This book is somewhat interesting, but overall it is very disappointing. Light on substance, heavy on repetition, and full of errors. It quickly glosses over major historical events to race through each state's borders. The choice of dealing with the states alphabetically is odd and leads to reiteration of the same facts over and over without deeper explanation. The French and Indian War is mentioned 16 times, but the causes of it are never described. Errors are frequent. In "Arizona," Stein writes about a buffer "...around the town of Yuma, California..." Yuma is in Arizona. He states that Texas joined the United States in 1846. It became a state in 1845. He never describes New Hampshire's northern border, stating that the western border of that state is the Connecticut River but completely ignoring the fact that the northern border departs from the river on its way to Maine. The book seems amateurish and incomplete. I realize the author is a playwright, but that is not an excuse. It left me wanting more. Customer Rating: Summary: How The States Got Their Shapes Comment: Very interesting information presented in an easy to read format. Pick it up and put it down, read selectively, it's all fun and fascinating. Customer Rating: Summary: Thanks Mark Stein! Comment: It has always been a mystery to me how states wound up with the boundaries that they currently have. Of particular interest was my home state of Arkansas with the notch at the top and bottom corner along with the bent line on its western border with Arkansas. This book finally laid my questions to rest. Rather than reading the book from front to back, I skipped around to the states I have lived in the past. My current home of Texas made riveting reading as I learned of the wars and disputes that defined the boundary. Particularly, why Oklahoma has a "panhandle". The history and associated conflicts - especially those of the slave states - makes for a fantastic read. As an example, I enjoyed the way California basically told the federal government what they would and would not do. How things have changed! The subject may sound a bit mundane to some but I can assure the potential reader that it is very interesting and provides well-researched facts that you will carry with you on your next road trip. Thanks Mark Stein. Michael L. Gooch, SPHR Author of Wingtips with Spurs Customer Rating: Summary: How the States Got Thier Shapes is a must read Comment: This is a book that should be read by everyone. It is not only fascinating with the twists and turns of events that shaped each state, but teaches so much about our history as a growing nation. For me it is especially delightful since no one who was involved those many years ago could have imagined what those shapes would represent in the book The Little Man In the Map: With Clues To Remember All 50 States See how those shapes created by a myriad of forces have now become the simple clues to remember the name, shape and location of the states. Customer Rating: Summary: Fun and enlightening! Comment: I'm a geographer and cartographer and I endorse this book! My only quibble is that I wish there were more footnotes/bibliography, but what the heck--this book is pure fun!!
Editorial Reviews: Customer Rating: Summary: Disappointing Comment: This book is somewhat interesting, but overall it is very disappointing. Light on substance, heavy on repetition, and full of errors. It quickly glosses over major historical events to race through each state's borders. The choice of dealing with the states alphabetically is odd and leads to reiteration of the same facts over and over without deeper explanation. The French and Indian War is mentioned 16 times, but the causes of it are never described. Errors are frequent. In "Arizona," Stein writes about a buffer "...around the town of Yuma, California..." Yuma is in Arizona. He states that Texas joined the United States in 1846. It became a state in 1845. He never describes New Hampshire's northern border, stating that the western border of that state is the Connecticut River but completely ignoring the fact that the northern border departs from the river on its way to Maine. The book seems amateurish and incomplete. I realize the author is a playwright, but that is not an excuse. It left me wanting more. Customer Rating: Summary: How The States Got Their Shapes Comment: Very interesting information presented in an easy to read format. Pick it up and put it down, read selectively, it's all fun and fascinating. Customer Rating: Summary: Thanks Mark Stein! Comment: It has always been a mystery to me how states wound up with the boundaries that they currently have. Of particular interest was my home state of Arkansas with the notch at the top and bottom corner along with the bent line on its western border with Arkansas. This book finally laid my questions to rest. Rather than reading the book from front to back, I skipped around to the states I have lived in the past. My current home of Texas made riveting reading as I learned of the wars and disputes that defined the boundary. Particularly, why Oklahoma has a "panhandle". The history and associated conflicts - especially those of the slave states - makes for a fantastic read. As an example, I enjoyed the way California basically told the federal government what they would and would not do. How things have changed! The subject may sound a bit mundane to some but I can assure the potential reader that it is very interesting and provides well-researched facts that you will carry with you on your next road trip. Thanks Mark Stein. Michael L. Gooch, SPHR Author of Wingtips with Spurs Customer Rating: Summary: How the States Got Thier Shapes is a must read Comment: This is a book that should be read by everyone. It is not only fascinating with the twists and turns of events that shaped each state, but teaches so much about our history as a growing nation. For me it is especially delightful since no one who was involved those many years ago could have imagined what those shapes would represent in the book The Little Man In the Map: With Clues To Remember All 50 States See how those shapes created by a myriad of forces have now become the simple clues to remember the name, shape and location of the states. Customer Rating: Summary: Fun and enlightening! Comment: I'm a geographer and cartographer and I endorse this book! My only quibble is that I wish there were more footnotes/bibliography, but what the heck--this book is pure fun!! Array