How about a break from all the meanness and backbiting of recent politics and think about some local books for holiday gifts? Sounds like a good idea to me.
Here are some books by local authors, many on local subjects, that might just fit into the stockings hung by the chimney with care this holiday season.
Like all book buying these days, shopping online is all the rage, but please do not forget the local independent bookstores and book sellers in our region. Pearl’s Books in Fayetteville, Fox & Fable Bookstore in Prairie Grove, Gazebo Books in Eureka Springs and Once Upon a Time in Tontitown are among some of the best in stocking local books of interest.
They will be glad to order these books found below if not in stock.
As usual this will be the first installment of suggested books for the holidays.
This year, Denelle Campbell has an absolute must for those growing up in rural Washington County of a historical bent to learning the history of men and women who served as postmasters at all parts of our area.
“Vanished Post Offices of Washington County, Arkansas with Postmaster Profiles,” is a great holiday gift and a wonderful resource book on some now vanished communities such as Wyola, Ridge, Eutaw and scores of other communities now gone.
She also has a previously published book, a dual cookbook and history collection called “Recipes of Trailside Café and Tea Room” — the former Center Street location, which has been torn down for a large apartment complex at the foot of the University of Arkansas.
Local history and some great eclectic recipes in one book.
Master yarn spinner and “Fayetteville’s Storyteller,” J.B. Hogan has a whimsical, autobiography of his life aptly titled, “Somebody Ought to be Crying.”
This personal collection of tales, some tall, others, well, short like Hogan, should be out by Christmas.
Another Hogan classic of almost 15 years ago called “Losing Cotton,” was recently the Pioneers History Book Club reading featured at the Imperial County, Calif., Historical Society. “Losing Cotton,” remains a classic novel of a young Arkansas boy uprooted to life in the state of California as a teenager.
Hogan also has assembled 18 very good stories from his vast repertoire of local topics called “Forgotten Fayetteville And Washington County” from the Otterford Press, an imprint of Roan & Weatherford.
And lastly, the best compilations of the late Dusty Richards’ western writings for the armchair cowpoke in the family.
The Galway Press, an imprint of the locally known Oghma Press, merged Richards’ tale of “Bounty Man and Doe” with a shorter tale from Hogan of “Bounty Riders” into one compact volume.
This is a great gift. Buy one book, but you are getting two great Western stories. The writings by Richards are from his very desirable “Brandiron Series”and s just right for the Western readers palate.
As always, I will recommend a $25 membership in the Arkansas Historical Association and its four issues of the Arkansas Historical Quarterly each season during the year.
Go to Arkansashistoricalassociation.org for more information.
Locally, a $35 basic membership in the Washington County Historical Society (with discounted rates for seniors and school students) delivers four issues of the Flashback, the historical quarterly about the county’s history, to ones’ mailbox for excellent year-around reading.
For more information, go to www.washcohistoricalsociety.org
Maybe more books next week … why not?
Maylon Rice is a former journalist who worked for several Northwest Arkansas publications. He can be reached via email at [email protected]. Opinions expressed are those of the author.
This post was originally published on here
