Books on history probably fail to make the pages of business book reviews far more often than they should. As James Klotter argues in the opening chapter of his latest book, the past “can inspire and provide a model to emulate” — a premise that certainly applies to success in business as equally as it does to other disciplines.
In Bluegrass Renaissance: The History and Culture of Central Kentucky, 1792-1852, Klotter and co-editor Daniel Rowland have assembled a group of writers and historians with a diverse base of expertise to be part of an in-depth review of a particularly significant historic period in central Kentucky. One of their unifying premises, Klotter suggests, is to explore the aspects of the past that will form the future.
Early on, the editors warn one of the dangers of historic memory is that individuals often remember selectively or imperfectly. By presenting a rich diversity of perspective, this book avoids this pitfall and provides instead a meaningful, insightful review for any reader. It looks at aspects of the past that remain pertinent and appear to be destined to play a role in the future.
Most of the essays were first presented as part of a 2007 symposium put on by the Gaines Center for the Humanities at the University of Kentucky and others. Klotter is the state historian of Kentucky and the author of several other books on Kentucky. Daniel Rowland, coeditor, serves as director of the Gaines Center and is an associate professor of history at the University of Kentucky.
In the opening chapter written by Klotter on central Kentucky’s “Athens of the West” image, his description of early Lexington could be read as a depiction of some of todays’ high-tech centers. What made Lexington “so appealing and exciting to citizens and visitors alike,” Klotter writes, (was) “the sense of innovation, the enthusiasm for enterprise, the devotion to education, the emphasis on culture and beauty.” Such an image can serve as the foundation for the beginning of a rebirth, he suggests.
Shearer Davis Bowman provides a fascinating comparison of Kentucky’s “Athens of the West” with the original Greek city-state. The use of this approach provides keen insight into Lexington at the time of Henry Clay versus the Athens of Pericles.
In his essay “Putting Kentucky in Its Place,” author Stephen Aron details the changing importance Kentucky has held in American history.
“To put Kentucky in its place,” he writes, “requires that we embrace a history of becoming but not ever wholly being.”
Once considered part of the West, Kentucky, as this changed, was not fully “of the South” either. This problem of placement offers differing historical understandings of the commonwealth.
Kentucky’s Southern placement included slavery, a topic that Gerald Smith makes real by use of detailed research data as well as first-person accounts. Smith’s descriptions highlight the impact of slavery on all aspects of Kentucky life.
Randolph Hollingsworth provides details about the role of women in Kentucky’s early years while exploring the history of Rebecca Boone.
Maryjean Wall begins her essay on Kentucky’s horse industry with a simple statement: “In the beginning was the soil.” The soil, she explains, made the land rich in minerals and grass, and that made the Bluegrass horse industry. Wall’s beautifully lyric approach to any topic reminds us again why we so enjoy this Kentucky author’s work.
There are fascinating profiles of Kentuckians as well. Mark Wetherington examines the lives of three political leaders, including the well-known Isaac Shelby. Matthew Clarke does an excellent job illuminating the influence of Constantine Rafinesque, a naturalist and archeologist who helped define culture and growth in Lexington.
Tom Eblen and Mollie Eblen are exceptionally fine in telling the history of Rev. Horace Holley, who became president of Transylvania University. Holley’s story emphasizes the impact a single individual can have on an institution, as well as the longstanding divisions over education in Kentucky.
Other contributors deserve equally high praise. Estill Curtis Pennington does a superb job in presenting portrait painters of the day. Nikos Pappas examines the cultural significance of the wide variety of concerts and music in the commonwealth. The chapter on Benjamin Henry Latrobe by Patrick Snadon, illustrated with numerous drawings, is exceptionally fascinating.
The book draws to a close with an Afterword by Lexington Mayor Jim Gray. If there is one criticism to be made, it is that Gray’s comments might have better served as a preface to the book. He underscores the need to learn from the past with personal reminisces with Kentucky’s historian laureate, Thomas Clark, and sets the history of this book exactly as it should be, as a fulcrum to leverage an inspired future.
While this is a book of history, a portion of its success lies in its careful design and order that compels and inspires the reader to think in terms of how these historic ideas apply to the Bluegrass today. If you care about the commonwealth, get this extraordinary book as a first step in helping to define its future.