Killing Ground: The Civil War and the Changing American Landscape (Creating the North American Landscape)

Book Description

" Killing Ground is a significant contribution, a new way of looking at highly familiar images." -- Shelby Foote

"These haunting photographs of then and now offer a new and powerful perspective on the tragedies and triumphs -- above all, the human cost -- of the Civil War. John Huddleston's photographs of selected spots on dozens of battlefields of that war, juxtaposed with photographs of soldiers killed or wounded there and other contemporary illustrations, make telling points in a unique manner. This book does more than prove the old adage that a picture is worth a thousand words; it tells the poignant story of the Civil War in a way that goes beyond words." -- James McPherson

" Killing Ground situates us uncomfortably in a terrain where living memory has only recently completed its transformation into history. John Huddleston has photographed the scenes of this vast communal hurt, from the mightiest battles to obscure actions involving a few combatants; in every instance he asks the land itself to yield up what traces it may hold of the mortal issues contested there. Suburban intersection, brushy tangle, murky pool, well-tended battle park -- all are joined by a commonality that Huddleston insists we not forget: Americans died here, killed by other Americans." -- Frank Gohlke

In Killing Ground, John Huddleston embarks on a photographic odyssey through the modern-day landscape of the Civil War. He pairs historical images of the conflict from sixty-two battle sites across the nation -- battlefield scenes, soldiers living and dead, prisoners of war, civilians, and slaves -- with his own color photographs of the same locations a century and a half later, always taken at the same time of year, often at the same hour of the day. Sometimes Huddleston's lens reveals a department store or fast-food restaurant carelessly built on hallowed ground; other images depict overgrown fields or well-manicured parks. When contrasted with their mid-nineteenth-century counterparts, these indelible images challenge the meaning of place in American culture and the evolving legacy of the Civil War in our national memory.

Customer Reviews:

Long overdue study of America killing grounds............2007-02-07

Huddleston is a brilliant visionary with an extraordinary eye for the subtexts of the cultural landscape. This book is essential to an understanding of the implications of history on contemporary life and to exploring the critical pathways to evaluating our own beliefs.

Hooray for Huddleston!!

This Hallowed Ground?.......2005-10-28

Office buildings, grocery stores and fast food franchises have sprouted where Union Major General George H. Thomas and Confederate General John Bell Hood slugged it out for December days in Nashville 141 years ago. Near the site of some of the heaviest fighting between blue and gray, a KFC sign now advertises discounts on the colonel's secret recipe.

That one of the nation's signature fry shacks is hallowed ground is just one of the many extra-crispy nuggets of irony to be plumbed from John Huddleston's book.

"Killing Ground, Photographs of the Civil War and the Changing American Landscapes." features period images of Civil War sites juxtaposed with contemporary photographs of (roughly) the same location. Huddleston says his photographs were taken "at the time of year when the Civil War fighting took place," and that most "were made in the area where the heaviest killing in a battle happened."

The archival images include iconic scenes of Gettysburg, Chancellorsville and other charnel houses, as well as views of some of the now forgotten corners of the War Between the States. Huddleston's contemporary Civil War geography is one of hangdog towns, suburban ticky-tacky, marquee battlefields and areas that appear little changed in the intervening years. Together these images of the past and present document changes in America's physical and cultural terrain since the Civil War.

Many remind us that steroidal growth is strip-mining places where blue and gray gave their last full measure of devotion. And even marquee battlefields are not immune. A muddy photograph of Civil War Fredericksburg shares space with Huddleston's image of a sign heralding a luxury home project christened "Artillery Ridge II." More jarring is a photograph of Confederates killed in Chancellorsville that is juxtaposed with the embryonic beginnings of a tract of suburban housing.

The book is also sprinkled with images of places that have escaped the backhoe. One of my favorite Huddleston photographs is a crisp, clean composition of tall weeds, trees and overcast sky. It is the site of what was the Union left at Cold Harbor, and it is paired with a photograph of an African American burial party gathering the bones of soldiers who fell there. Huddleston's tranquil field seems a more fitting resting place for these ghosts of the past than the soul-deadening sprawl noted above.

The images dealing with race were for me the most emotionally gripping in the collection. For example, there is Huddleston's photograph of a Jackson, MS hotel with a black lawn jockey in front of one of its windows. He has partnered this photograph with an underexposed image of a wedding on Jefferson Davis' plantation: The adult slaves have gathered in all their threadbare Sunday best, and in front of the party sit the children. One young boy is in comparatively sharp focus and his expression suggests mixed feelings over being part of the proceedings. This scene brims over with humanity and by comparison the hotel's antique-shop relic appears all the more offensive and inane. And in what one hopes is a metaphor for bigotry is Huddleston's photograph of a literal road to nowhere (offshoot of an unfinished highway?) with racial epithets scribbled on the asphalt. It is shown with a period image of a slave market in Atlanta, "Auction and Negro Sales" trumpeted from the storefront placard.

One quibble: Some of the period battlefield carnage (especially the close-ups of amputated limbs) seemed gratuitous, and distracted from the more restrained - and poignant - illustrations of war's cost.

But that it just mere nitpicking.

Overall this book would make a compelling addition to your stack of Civil War photography books. Huddleston offers an at times disquieting reminder of a past that is literally underfoot, and a poke at the collective conscience that more should be done to be done to protect our historic sites. And in a nation where the Civil War still resonates, that future generations will little note nor long remember a past that has been paved over is a proposition that not only armchair historians should find alarming.

Haunting and strange.......2004-04-26

I couldn't put this book down.I found it compelling-the battleground that has now become a parking lot. Period photos of battle scenes are contrasted with the same sites as they appear today.One reviewer is apparently disgusted because "they could be your backyard" Exactly. These pictures of old battle grounds ARE someone's backyard and thats what makes this photo-essay so amazing.

A provocative photo-essay.......2003-06-27

This book combines historical images with stark contemporary photography in a challenging, thought provoking way. Many of the old images are shocking, even gory, and provide a very striking contrast to Huddleston's photos. I assume this book would appeal more to fans of contemporary photography trends, and the content owes much to previous works in this vein. (Joel Sternfeld's "On This Site: Landscape In Memoriam" and Mark Klett's "Second View: The Rephotographic Survey Project," to name two.)

A disservice to the memory of the Civil War.......2003-05-29

I was stunned when I examined this book. There is
generally no relation between the period photographs and
the modern photographs, which could have been taken in
someone's backyard (yours or mine!). The text is negligible
in volume and quality. Save your money for something you
will treasure for years - this book isn't it.

Killing Ground - Photographs of the Civil War and the Changing American Landscape

Average customer rating:

Killing Ground - Photographs of the Civil War and the Changing American Landscape
John Huddleston
Manufacturer: The John Hopkins University Press, Baltimore
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000VZXXUI

Book Description

This book uses the Hamtaro phenomenon — based on the adventures of ten-year-old Laura, her insatiably curious pet golden hamster Hamtaro, and his zany Ham-Ham gang — to teach kids ages six to eight the fun of exploring a colorful fantasy world and adding their own ideas to it. Hamtaro Punch-Out Activity Book contains a cardboard playhouse and characters for children to build and play with, as well as mazes, games, stories, other activities, and exclusive character profiles based on Ritsuko Kawai's best-selling manga series, Hamtaro Tales.

Customer Reviews:

Great fun for the Hamtaro fan!.......2004-01-16

My daughter (8 years old) loves Hamtaro, so we got her this book for Christmas. She and her 6 year old brother were able to punch out and assemble most of the pieces themselves. And they have really enjoyed playing with the little clubhouse and hamster figures. I'd recommend this book to Hamtaro fans who like to play make-believe, and who like to work on paper projects.

It's soooo much fun!!.......2003-11-07

Omigosh! I loved this! Though it takes a little bit of time to assemble (and I needed my dad to help with a few parts) it was worth the time to assemble it! Because now my friend and I play with it! It was soo much fun!!

Hamtaro Punch-Out Activity Book Is Great!!.......2003-04-02

I got one of these for my 8 year old daughter for Christmas and
she loved it!!! She did need some help assembling the house and because it is made of paper you have to be gentle when playing with it...we have set it up as a decoration in her room!!
There was a story to read, Bijou's in Danger and mazes...the only thing she found "babyish" was a hide and seek page that she thought was too easy...
Overall this is alot of fun..

Customer Reviews:

don't call me rover!! :5001 names to Call Your Pet.......2002-06-11

Growing up I had a dog named "loser" because of the big black ring around his eye...I thought that may also be an appropriate name for this book.

Pretty good.......2001-01-21

This book proved very useful to me in naming all my pets in the past (countless fish, five dogs, a rabbit, a mouse, a hamster, you can see why I would need help in choosing names.) Some of the suggestions in this book are funny; others are very cute. But many are stupid and you'd never actually consider them. I'm getting two frogs soon and I think I'll refer back to here to name them. The nicest, most exotic name I picked from here was for a fish I called Ruby Fruit.

it sucked needed to be more interesting.......1999-03-29

the book had no theme, just names. better job could have been done

I really liked this book.......1998-09-07

I really liked this book. It helps you find names (or even make up names!) For your pet.

Don't call me Rover: 5001 names for your pet

Average customer rating:

Don't call me Rover: 5001 names for your pet
Rita Blockton
Manufacturer: Scholastic
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
ASIN: 0590282093

DON'T CALL ME ROVER-5001 NAMES TO CALL YOUR PET

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DON'T CALL ME ROVER-5001 NAMES TO CALL YOUR PET
Rita Blockton
Manufacturer: Avon Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000IOCX0I

Book Description

A surprisingly large number of women writers, directors, and performers have created works that talk back to Shakespeare, or to most earlier and more traditional interpretations of his plays, in the late 20th century. For example, Jane Smiley's A Thousand Acres, which rewrites King Lear, and Marina Warner'sIndigo, which rewrites The Tempest, protest biases against women and racist and imperialist attitudes that Shakespeare's plays have come to symbolize. In this collection, feminist critics--and Jane Smiley herself--explore a range of such rewritings, as well as recent Shakespeare performances directed by women.

Triangulated Visions: Women in Recent German Cinema (S U N Y Series in Feminist Criticism and Theory)

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Triangulated Visions: Women in Recent German Cinema (S U N Y Series in Feminist Criticism and Theory)

Manufacturer: State University of New York Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0791437183

Women of Vision: Histories in Feminist Film and Video

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Women of Vision: Histories in Feminist Film and Video

Manufacturer: University of Minnesota Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Library Binding

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ASIN: 0816633711

Book Description

Film/Women's Studies

Legends and rising stars of feminist film and video tell their stories.

Alexandra Juhasz asked twenty-one women to tell their stories-women whose names make up a who's who (and who will be) of independent and experimental film and video. What emerged in the resulting conversations is a compelling (and previously underdocumented) history of feminism and feminist film and video, from its origins in the fifties and sixties to its apex in the seventies, to today.

Women of Vision is a companion piece to Juhasz's 1998 documentary of the same name. The book presents the complete interviews, allowing readers to hear directly the voices of these articulate, passionate women in an interactive remembering of feminist media history. Juhasz's introduction provides a historical, theoretical, and aesthetic context for the interviews.

These subjects have all shaped late twentieth-century film and video in fundamental ways, either as artists, producers, distributors, critics, or scholars, and they all believe that media are the most powerful tools for effecting change. Yet they are a very diverse group, with widely varying personal and professional backgrounds. By presenting their interviews together, Juhasz shows the differences among those involved in feminist media, but also the connections among them, and the way in which the field has been enriched by their sharing of knowledge and power. In the end, Juhasz not only records these women's careers, she broadens our understanding of feminism and shows how feminist history and documentary are made.

Interviewees: Pearl Bowser; Margaret Caples; Michelle Citron; Megan Cunningham; Cheryl Dunye; Vanalyne Green; Barbara Hammer; Kate Horsfield; Carol Leigh; Susan Mogul; Juanita Mohammed; Frances Negrón-Muntaner; Eve Oishi; Constance Penley; Wendy Quinn; Julia Reichert; Carolee Schneemann; Valerie Soe; Victoria Vesna; and Yvonne Welbon.

Alexandra Juhasz is associate professor of media studies at Pitzer College and an author and producer of independent film and video.

Book Description

Invaluable instructions for chess players at all levels includes elementary ideas for immediate practical use; how to attack, featuring tactics of Fischer, Keres, Alekhine, and other masters; challenging chess problems; and 60 complete games by Blackburne, Marshall, Spielmann, Tartakower, and other immortals.

Customer Reviews:

Mediocre, at best.......2004-03-11

At first glance, this slim book held promise, and I sat down eagerly to read it. The writing, while somewhat juvenile, was still more... entertaing than the standard chess book fare. However, once I applied his so-called "tricks" to my own game, I realized how outdated they really were. For example, in the starting phase of my end game, I took his advice of 3. Nc3 e6 4. Nf3 Be7. Big mistake. I lost two moves afterwards. Pick this up if you're interested in cute anecdotes and charming plays. But otherwise, I suggest "Simple Chess," by Michael Stean, a much more enlightening read, to be sure.

Both Instructive and Entertaining.......2003-06-17

This is a collection from the USCF's weekly syndicated chess column written by Peter J. Tamburro. Pete's mission was to resurrect some of the treasures of the past that had been lost due to the changeover to algebraic notation. Think about it...How many of you would buy a book published in the old descriptive notation? Probably not many of your hands shot up so Pete was really onto something. The positions and games that he highlighted in his column are true treasures and by converting them to algebraic notation he has made them more accessible to a new generation.

Some people might say that the games and positions can't be of value because they are so old, but that kind of comment just belies the person's ignorance of chess. I recently purchased Samuel Reshevsky's "The Art of Positional Play" and about five minutes afterwards a buddy stuck his nose up at it and said he preferred books with more recent games. I gave him the most disapproving look I could muster at such short notice and told him he should have his FIDE master's rating stripped for such a moronic comment. The point of Reshevsky's book is to increase your pattern recognition of positional themes and to learn how to handle them. The date the games were played has no bearing whatsoever on the relevance of the positions to modern play because the same themes appear in all chess games...and will continue to appear in all chess games. The same can be said about Pete's book: "Learn Chess from the Greats". As Pete points out in one of his columns: "The same positions you see in a model game may not occur again, but the ideas will."

Pete says his goal with the columns was to "instruct and entertain." He certainly succeeded. Pete's style of presentation is certainly entertaining and the positions and games are indeed instructional. He has chosen real gems to illustrate key ideas that all chess players need to grasp. And one of the beautiful things about Pete's book is that it is not written for any particular niche. All players, regardless of level, will find benefit within these pages. I recommend this book to all people who love chess.

Jon Parker

Very Impressive.......2002-03-07

This book is outstanding. It goes through a variety of moves, not just openings. Also this book taught me how to get a checkmate with only two bishops left. Once I was in a tournament and I lost my rook and only had two bishops left. The other guy only had his king left. The judge told me I had to draw because you can not get a checkmate with two bishops. I refused and I proved him wrong. If I did not read this book I would have just settled for a draw. Thank you Pete for a very impressive book.

Very Pleased!.......2001-02-27

Quality book! Great use of some exciting games and the stories behind the games are very entertaining! The author really creates the mood for each game in such a way that the stategy sticks in your chess mind.

A Very good read and learning guide.

Looking forward to the next book!

great format.......2000-12-29

Unlike other geeky chess books, this condensed book has a lot of meat to it. It allowed me to choose an article by the informative index (which was amusing,also).

I will keep this book by my side, or in my backpack, so I can continue my learning curve in an upward motion. A chapter at a time, even randomly, will allow me to completely digest each new idea before moving on to the next one.

Average customer rating:

This pocket guide is a great fit for today's "time crunching" managers.

An introductory (maybe too much) book

Great Book

Systems Thinking Made Understandable

Shows how a systems approach can simplify all change

The Manager's Pocket Guide to Systems Thinking and Learning
Stephen G. Haines
Manufacturer: HRD Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0874254531

Book Description

Systems Thinking is a more natural and better way to think, learn, act, and achieve desired results. Effectively implemented, it can dramatically improve a manager's effectiveness in today's complex and interconnected business world. This book provides managers with many practical new Systems Thinking tools and the main concepts of Systems Thinking to enhance individual, team, and organizational learning, change, and performance. Every manager should have a copy!

Customer Reviews:

This pocket guide is a great fit for today's "time crunching" managers........2007-09-21

Having read Haines' "The Complete Guide to Systems Thinking & Learning," I was glad to see a shorter, easy to use guide. What I liked most about this guide is the simple models & guideline boxes. How much simpler can it get than having someone remind you how to use the models or ask you the questions necessary to put theory into practice? In my opinion, this pocket guide is a great fit for today's "time crunching" managers.

An introductory (maybe too much) book.......2007-03-25

I was looking for a simple book on systems thinking and this is definitly it. However I find it in many cases too simplistic. It mixes hard and soft system thinking without enough care for the origin of this separation. If you are interested in system thinking you can start here but certainly not stop here.

Great Book.......2003-01-01

This book presents the elements of systems thinking in a clear and simple way.

Systems Thinking Made Understandable.......1999-11-24

Haines gives an excellent explanation of systems dynamics. This book makes systems theory understandable, practical, and easy to apply. Haines provides models, tools, and explanations that help the reader put systems theory to use in personal and organizational development.

Shows how a systems approach can simplify all change.......1999-11-04

Simplifies and clarifies a new, universal approach to all organizational change--systems thinking--that I was able to put into action immediately and virtually eliminate crisis management.

Provides clear, easy-to-implement management tools--including a great strategic planning model--for facilitating change on every level, while supplying a blueprint for real-time, interorganizational communication.

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