How Kentucky Became Southern
Immediately after the Civil War, the attention to direction shifted from North and South to East and West - the East being the much wealthier of the latter two due to the fortunes made by the industrialists during the time of the Civil War. Their desire to become the Thoroughbred racing center of the nation was challenged by Kentucky, but the commonwealth's lack of general wealth and their justifiable reputation as a violent and reckless region was against them.
In "How Kentucky Became Southern," author Maryjean Wall provides a thorough history of the Thoroughbred industry in Kentucky, challenging the belief that the state has always been the epicenter of the American horse world, and provides the tales of particular competitions that set the stage for the the definitive winner of the designation. Aware of the number of different identities that Kentucky holds, Wall addresses only the Bluegrass and its struggles in the late 1800s to maintain a identity that would keep it paramount in the industry that it is known for to this day. Kentucky's willingness to adopt the identity as a southern, and therefore genteel, society becomes apparent as an economic rather than a political decision.
Author Wall was a turf writer for the Lexington HeraldLeader for 35 years and ably combines her love of the horse racing industry with that of her love of historical research in her book "How Kentucky Became Southern."
Kentucky's Natural Heritage
In the foreword to "Kentucky's Natural Heritage," well-known Kentucky author Wendell Berry laments that which has been exploited and squandered of Kentucky's natural resources and refers to the effects as "ecological poverty." In a detailed history of the state's last few hundred years, he takes readers through a system that has encouraged industrial growth, and offered little in the way of land education and ecology. The effects have been devastating. And yet that which remains is unique, extraordinary - and highlighted in this illustrated guide to biodiversity in our commonwealth.
Presenting a convincing argument for conservation, a team from the Kentucky State Nature Preserves Commission has organized this substantial volume - with more than 250 breathtaking photographs, maps and charts - in an effort to preserve and protect the remaining natural areas and make the link to human health an obvious connection.
From their efforts and the information they have acquired in the years since their inception in 1976, 50 nature preserves have been established to protect Kentucky's natural heritage. Writes Berry: "Maybe one of the finest sources of hope are the people for whom the effort of conservation has ceased to be a separate activity and has come to be at one with their ways of making their living...For them, land health is not something added to their economy, but is at once their economy's basis and result."
Celebrating the vast range of wildlife, flora, fauna and ecosystems, "Kentucky's Natural Heritage" is an invaluable advocate for the implementation of environmental education programs that are integral to the maintenance - and preservation - of what is left of Kentucky's natural treasure.