Appalachian Heritage

New Appalachian Books by George Brosi Berry, Wendell. Wild Birds. 146 pages. San Francisco, California: North Point Press, 1986. Hardback in dust jacket. $13.95. Howard Frank Mosher, writing in The New York Times, called this a "leisurely and engaging collection...informed by a passionate vision of our collective responsibility to future generations and to the land." He termed the first story in the collection, "Thicker than Liquor," "hilarious and revealing." These stories are all set in the same rural community inspired by the area where the author has farmed most of his life at the mouth of the Kentucky River. They are in sequential order beginning in 1930 and ending in 1967, and they involve the same families which have appeared in Berry's previously published novels. Each story can be read separately or as part of a whole which could be considered a novel. For the grace of his writing, for the rich insights which flow from every few pages, for a deep feel of the land and its people, this book will stand as one of the very best of 1986. Brown, Stephen W. Voice of the New West: John G. Jackson, His Life and Times. 242 pages with a bibliography, index and illustrations. Macon, Georgia: Mercer University Press, 1986. Hardback in dust jacket. $22.95. John G. Jackson is not exactly a household word today, but in the first quarter of the 19th century around Clarksburg, then in western Virginia, he was quite a prominent businessman and politician. This examination of his life and times is an important contribution to the study of the history of this area and of the Appalachian Region as a whole. •George Brosi owns and operates the Appalachian Bookstore and publishes the bi-monthly Appalachian Mountain Books. He also sells books through mail orders to clients in all parts of the country. If readers need more information about any of the above listings, write him at 123 Walnut Street, Berea, Kentucky 40403. 72 The Coal and Economic Development Series of Publications From MACED: Six publications for $40.00 or individually as follows: Curtis Seltzer with Stephen Robinson. Coal Employment: Trends and Forecasts, 1975-1995. 87 pages with 31 figures and 18 tables. Berea, Kentucky: Mountain Association for Community Economic Development, Inc., 1986. 8 !/2XlI paperback. $7.50. Figures are presented for the United States, Appalachia, and the eastern and western Kentucky coalfields. The conclusion is that "Appalachian coal employment will bear the brunt of the industry's loss—a total of 14,700 jobs." Duncan, Cynthia L. Coal and Economic Development In Central Appalachia: A New Framework For Policy. 122 pages with 41 figures and 7 maps. Berea, Kentucky: Mountain Association for Community Economic Development, Inc., 1986. An 8'/2xll paperback. $7.50. Comparing measurements of the quality of life in rural Kentucky counties which produce coal with those that do not, the author suggests that coal production isn't necessarily a blessing to area residents. She then makes concrete suggestions for ways that coal producers can contribute to overall development. Industry Perspective On Development: Transcripts OfInterviews With Coal Industry Leaders. Curtis Seltzer and Cynthia L. Duncan, editors. 451 pages. Berea, Kentucky: Mountain Association for Community Economic Development , Inc., 1986. An 8'/2xll paperback. $12.50. Apparently an "equal time" piece, counterbalancing the Association's objective research showing the harm coal ordinarily does to rural development. Labor Productivity Changes In Appalachian Coal Mining. Energy Ventures Analysis. 56 pages with 9 figures, 2 tables and one map. Berea, Kentucky: Mountain Association for Community Economic Development, Inc., 1986. 81/2x11 paperback. $7.50. Comparisons are made between south, central and northern Appalachia, but the overall trends revealed are a reduction of manpower requirements for the future and greater productivity from larger scale mining. Seltzer, Curtis. The Coal Industry After 1970: Cost Internalization, Good Works, And Public Planning For Development. 115 pages with 3 figures. Berea, Kentucky: Mountain Association for Community Economic Development, Inc., 1986. 8!/2?11 paperback. $7.50. This analysis emphasizes the importance of stabilizing production and employment in the coal industry as prerequisites to economic development in the coal fields. Public and private policies to encourage this stabilization are suggested...