Product Description
In the late-seventeenth century, Quakers originated a unique strain of constitutionalism, based on their theology and ecclesiology, which emphasized constitutional perpetuity and radical change through popular peaceful protest. While Whigs could imagine no other means of drastic constitutional reform except revolution, Quakers denied this as a legitimate option to governmental abuse of authority and advocated instead civil disobedience. This theory of a perpetual yet amendable constitution and its concomitant idea of popular sovereignty are things that most scholars believe did not exist until the American Founding. The most notable advocate of this theory was Founding Father John Dickinson, champion of American rights, but not revolution. His thought and action have been misunderstood until now, when they are placed within the Quaker tradition. This theory of Quaker constitutionalism can be traced in a clear and direct line from early Quakers through Dickinson to Martin Luther King, Jr. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Very good book
I got the book because I thought it was all about John Dickinson. The last l/3 was about Dickinson and certainly did not disappoint. The first 2/3 is about Quaker thought and action - religious, civil and social - and is truly fascinating. An an attorney and history buff, I found Quaker influence on our early American history, law, constitution and political thought extremely interesting. Jane Calvert is a gifted writer. I highly recommend this book.

Ann Sturgill ... Read more

Product Description
At the urging of an old friend, devout Quaker Elizabeth Elliot travels far from her peaceful New England home to visit a town simmering with the deadly fallout of a government cover-up. Reba Nichols, Elizabeth's ex-college roommate, is convinced that a region of central Washington State is contaminated with radiation from the Hanford nuclear plant. Counting on Elizabeth for support, Reba sets out to gather some damning evidence. But to Elizabeth's horror, Reba's zealous search for the truth quickly reaps a grim reward-murder.Swept up in a deadly confrontation with the darkest side of human nature, Elizabeth's Quaker ethics are put to the ultimate test.Amazon.com Review
To Brother Cadfael and Father Brown, add Elizabeth Elliot to the ranks of amateur sleuths with God on their side. Elliot, the creation of author Irene Allen, is an elderly woman with devout Quaker beliefs. In Quaker Indictment, the fourth in the series, Elizabeth leaves her home in Cambridge, Massachusetts, to visit an old college friend in Seattle--and to help her gather evidence proving that a nuclear facility in the area is leeching radioactive material into the land. When her friend ends up murdered, Elliot joins forces with a mutual acquaintance to solve the mystery, but soon finds herself up against a government agency run amok. Despite murder, arson, and close calls galore, Elizabeth Elliot's strong faith carries her through to the satisfying denouement. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Elizabeth travels to the Northwest
Elizabeth Elliot leaves the comfort zone of her home in Cambridge, Massachusetts to travel to Seattle to visit her college roommate, Reba Nichols.While she is there Reba asks Elizabeth to accompany her to her parents' old home which is near an area where plutonium was once produced.Reba wishes to sell her parents' former home but she wants to make sure that she is not selling land that has been contaminated by radioactive material.The two women travel to the area in question and Reba attempts to get soil samples which can be analyzed so that she can be sure the land is safe to sell.Soon the women are involved in a cat-and-mouse game with federal officials and Elizabeth is shocked at the lengths the government will go to in order to protect its secrets.

I disagree with many of the other reviewers who feel that this is a 1-star book.I found it to be an interesting story and I learned a lot about government subterfuge during the Cold War.Elizabeth did seem uncomfortable being far away from her home and her spiritual friends but that is often the case with people whose religion is an important part of their lives.

Ageism Reigns!
I read a previous Allen Quaker mystery, "Quaker Witness", and enjoyed it though I found her repeated reference's to Elizabeth Elliot's age annoying."Quaker Indictment"'s ageism is much worse. The two main characters met in college 40 years ago--therefore they are in their early 60s. Yet Allen repeatedly calls Elliot "the old Quaker". In the library copy I read, a previous reader circled some of the "old Quaker" references and why, "Why is 60 old?". Indeed, Ms. Allen, why do you characterize her as "old" so often? How old are you? Perhaps to you 60 seems the apex of decripitude. But the incoming Speaker of the House is 66; would Allen call Nancy Pelosi "an old Speaker"? I chide Allen's editor for not recognizing the ageism and correcting it. The story as a whole is not well done and the characters do not develop. It hardly deserves one star.

Missing Friends
I have previously enjoyed Irene Allen's Elizabeth Elliot novels, especially as she has revealed the rich community setting of a Quaker meeting and the inner spiritual life of her protagonist Friend.I was tremendously disappointed in this book.Allen removes Elliot from her natural location, and, as Elliot spends the novel commenting on her dislocation, so the reader feels dislocated as well, with no reward.The circle of Friends whom Elliot relies on is gone, and the characters and suspects she encounters here are not developed enough for us to care.The reader is told much but shared with not at all.I hope if Allen continues to write this series that she returns Elliot to her home in Cambridge and novels that are more fully developed.

A great disappointment
I really loved all three of the previous books in this series.I am not a Quaker, nor even a Christian, but I was deeply interested in Elizabeth Elliot and her spiritual journey, which complemented in a very suitable waythe mystery story in each book.

I had some difficulty in believing thatthe same author had written this book. It was preachy, unfocussed,digressive and completely unsatisfying, all things the previous ones werenot.I have much sympathy with the political position the author takes inthis book, but it's a d**n poor mystery story, and not even a goodpolitical rant, as each gets in the way of the other. Distressing.

Not a mystery, a polemic on evils of govt and nuclear power.
The "old Quaker", as she is constantly and irritatingly referred to in Quaker Indictment, should not have left Massachusetts.The mysteryis simplisticly plotted, the characters are one dimensional and thepolitical pronouncements are banal. I read a lot of mysteries, I havealways been interested in Quakers and I love the Northwest.This novel,which should have had somuch going for it, was a disappointment on allcounts.Make another choice. ... Read more

Product Description
A simple life...a deadly interruption.

Widow Elizabeth Elliot leads a modest life. As Clerk of the local Quaker meeting, she not only handles the congregation's daily activities, but also is their moral and inspirational leader. So when murder strikes this nonviolent community, suddenly Elizabeth's life gets very complicated.

Facing certain IRS eviction for refusal to pay war taxes, pacifist Quakers Sheldon and Hope Laughton had no idea their lives were in danger. Elizabeth finds herself in a real-life nightmare when she discovers Hope murdered...lying on the kitchen floor in a pool of her own blood. Shocked and horrified, Elizabeth has no time to mourn-- the police think she's the killer. Suspicion swirls in Cambridge, Massachusetts-- pitting Quaker against Quaker-- and only Elizabeth's quiet wisdom can find the murderer.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Neither satisfying nor dis-satisfying
Quaker Testimony is one of those mysteries that seems more about what the people do and feel than about the crime and its solution.It reads smoothly enough, with the exception of several lines and thoughts that are repeated too often, and the crime is human enough.Unlike much mystery fiction today, this one has a minimum of blood and gore.The characters are likable, if somewhat dispassionate.

Given one or two other reviews by other Quakers, one has to wonder how much of the detail about the life of Friends is depicted accurately in this book.There are bound to be some differences, of course, depending on where the Meeting is located.The reader should not totally depend on this story to give a totally accurate depiction of that way of life.The beliefs being at the center of the mystery does make this a unique series, though.

For the reader who likes a relatively quiet mystery, with no real threat to the protagonist, Allen writes an adequate tale.It is readable and fast, and somewhat satisfying.Readers who like Allen's novels might also like those of Rita Mae Brown, set in Albemarle County, Va., especially the early books in the series.

After William Penn
Elizabeth Elliot of Cambridge, Massachusetts is Clerk of New England's largest Quaker Meeting.Elizabeth, age 67, and Neil Stevenson have been keeping each other company for several years and are at the point in their relationship where it needed to deepen or things would wither.

The clerk finds Hope Laughton dead in her own house.The house was about to become subject to forfeiture because Hope and her husband Sheldon are tax resisters.In the book it is noted that Daniel Boorstin, historian, has suggested that Quakers were hardened against the ordinary accommodations of the world and thus had minimal political influence.

After Elizabeth's entry to the house, federal agents appeared and summoned the police to attend to the matter of the dead woman.In a twenty four hour period Elizabeth is charged with murder and subject to jailing.Suspicion also falls upon Sheldon.As Clerk of the Meeting Elizabeth has a leadership position which she feels called upon to exercise.The result is that she runs down some investigative leads, thereby giving the reader a sense of the peculiarities of some of the individual members of the meeting. She feels overwhelmed by the burdens of the Quaker tesitmony to nonviolence.

Self-justification and rationalization are as deeply embedded in Quakers as in Baptists and Methodists.Elizabeth's correspondance with her college roommate details an instance of clergy abuse of considerable pain to the roommate.After much travail Elizabeth and Neil go to Walden Pond.The solution to the mystery is yielded to in the end as Sheldon discloses to Elizabeth his new faith in Catholicism.Neil and Elizabeth do become closer to each other as family visits and marriage are planned.

The author does a nice job describing a religious group.

I am a Quaker
One of the things I like about the Society of Friends is that no one can claim to speak for it, and that includes me. However, I have found all this author's works to be different from any Quakerism I've experienced. It's possible that she's speaking from real experiences that I don't share, but I wince to think that we're being encountered through these books by people who will never encounter us in any other way.

Excellent Quaker instruction, mediocre crime mystery
As a British Quaker, this book was of considerable interest to me. The picture it portrays of American Quaker life was a surprise in some ways - the intensity of the faith and the faithfulness of daily behaviour struckme as extremely 'other worldly'. Elizabeth is a likeable woman, and concernfor her kept me reading. However, the actual mystery was very predictablealmost from the first, and the somewhat contrived accumulation of accident,would-be suicide and ultimate detection is not especially well structured. It is, however, courageous to write about murder amongst Quakers, and thePeace Testimony is very well explored, in the light of imperfect humanbeings, and their capacity for sin and self-deception. Rebecca Tope

A great mystery with morals!
This is the 3rd Quaker Mystery that I have read by Irene Allen!It is a wonderful book dealing with real life Quaker issues!I felt it was a refreshing twist on your typical mystery.I am looking forward to reading her next one - Quaker Indictment.I am Quaker and the religious aspects of the book are true to the religion!It also was a fun book to read!!I hope others will read Irene Allens Quaker Mysteries! ... Read more

Product Description
This study draws upon original qualitative research in which the author - in systematic and analytical ways - asked nearly fifty Quakers, from both the eastern part of the United States and in England, to describe their understandings of Quaker silent worship in the unprogrammed tradition. The research draws upon contemporary theory and integrates an interdisciplinary perspective about the complex relationship between silence and words. ... Read more

Product Description
This brilliant study shows the pivotal role the Quakers played in the origins and development of America's family ideology. Levy argues that the Quakers brought a new vision of family and social life to America--one that contrasted sharply with the harsh, formal world of the New England Puritans. The Quakers stressed affection, friendship and hospitality, the importance of women in the home, and the value of self-disciplined, non-coercive childrearing. This book explains how and why the Quakers have had such a profound cultural impact on America and what the Quakers' experience with their own radical family system tells us about American families. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

An insightful study of early domesticity in American life
Exploring, in detail, the evolution of Quaker cohorts from the mid-seventeenth to the mid-eighteenth century, Levy produces a thorough and novel study of early Anglo-American culture in eastern Pennsylvania.His premise seeks to unravel traditional arguments, which advance the belief that New England served as the primary model, and the origin, for the modern American household.Levy convincingly argues that domestic systems developed through the Quaker families, and not New Englanders, who emigrated from northwestern England.There practices, he contends, shaped the modern American familial landscape and solidified the domestic household.The study, according to Levy, "of Quaker Farmers in the Delaware Valley is chiefly the study of the origins of an influential form of domesticity in American life." (21)

The opening chapters detail the subtle, but important, distinctions between Puritans and Quakers.The former, according to Levy, focused on patriarchy and institutions while the latter emphasized the importance of women in the household, child rearing, and "sanctifying human relations and domestic arraignments in households and meetings."(50)Levy continues to develop the aforementioned arguments throughout his work, and weaves a cohesive, but sometimes dense, narrative that adequately ties Quaker family practices to those adopted by American households today.

Most interesting is Levy's discussion of land in the Quaker community, which focused on the distribution of land to Quakers children, especially their sons.According to the author, about "three hundred acres would seem to ensure to their children's households protection from `the world' and enough peace to enjoy and exemplify the `Truth.'"(137)In a somewhat whimsical follow- up, the author noted that "Puritan farmers left land and not advice."(151)The importance of land in early Quaker culture underscores the national satisfaction that American contemporaries enjoy in land ownership.The author eloquently ties the aforementioned historical landscapes together, and provides a solid argument that Quaker's at least, in some fashion, molded American interest in private land ownership.

Another fascinating aspect of this work is Levy's careful attention to the role of females in Quaker communities.According to the author, women provided a pivotal familial dynamic which was central to the progression of Quakerism.In short, he noted that the Quaker social order "needed expert, hard- working female vessels of seemingly meek purity to embody and communicate `holy conversation' in intimate and public relations." (221) The evidence presented by the author is compelling, that Quaker woman shaped the nuclear family, and thus shaped contemporary American households.

The illustrations in the work supplement, and enhance the author's thematic concentration on Quaker domesticity, especially the oil and canvas sketches by Edward Hicks and Thomas Hillborn.The statistics, while adequate, are less supportive to the author's conclusion and their placement, along with the footnotes, at the end of the work prove to be a minor distraction to the reader.

This work is appropriate for both the colonial novices and experts, and those who have an appreciation for genealogical and religious studies.A really well written and well argued work that lends credence to the hypothesis that the modern American household was shaped more by the Quakers than the Puritans.

Quaker Origins of U.S. Ideal of Family Life
First rate social history.

In spite of the mid-eighteenth-century crisis and subsequent decline of Quakerism in Pennsylvania after the American Revolution, the importance of domesticity in the lives of the Pennsylvania Quakers was fundamental to all other aspects of Quaker society, and has had a far-reaching impact on American family life well beyond the colonial era. Quakers (as opposed to New England Puritan emphasis on patriarchy, or the importance of public order and display for the Anglicans) intentionally created the model for the "modern" American family ideal of domesticity for the new republic. While this child-centered, economically and morally self-sufficient model thrived in Pennsylvania from 1681 until the 1750s, its influenceextended well beyond the eastern seaboard colonies and the eighteenth century. It became the model for the later and larger national expansion of the American republic.

Quaker domesticity shaped Pennsylvania's tendencies towards pluralism and republicanism. But it is ironic that the universalization of the Quaker family model coincided with the decline of Quakerism and the rise of a secular republican ideology lauded by various Enlightenment philosophes. "While the separation of church and state was the dominant trend in Anglo-American society, the Quakers actually increased the conflation of Quaker church and Pennsylvania state during the eighteenth century" (p. 155). While political Whigs held Quakers and their pacifism in contempt during the American Revolution, the fall of Quaker political hegemony in Pennsylvania led to a correlation between the private virtue embodied in their form of family life, and the non-authoritarian public virtue of republican political ideology.Pennsylvania's commercial economy and "liberal" society were touted as the model for the new American republic, and it was hoped that it would spread to both New England and the South.In essence, Quaker family ideals were distilled into a source for American culture in general. "The Pennsylvania Quakers originated and established the institution of the morally self-sufficient household in American society" (p. 22). Hence, the modern, Western, child-centered, conjugal, nuclear family as idealized and desperately needed today.

My 4 instead of 5 star rating (it rates a 4.5) is based on the
minor quibble that Levy ignores the downsides of 18th century Quaker family life, and does not explain why if everything was so nurturing and "free," so many Quaker children left the fold and out-married non-Quakers, and hence were banished from the Society of Friends.

For more on the long-term national cultural influence of colonial Quakerism readers should seek out David Hackett Fisher's book, "Albion's Seed." ... Read more

Product Description
Anyone wanting to gain an insight into the range of Quaker beliefs would do well to read this engaging anthology of Quaker experience. I was very moved by the honesty and openness of the contributors on such thorny questions as pacifism, evil, simplicity and their understanding of God. Harvey Gillman, author of A Light that is Shining. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Personal reflections on Quaker themes
This is an easy to read and interesting book, despite the rather weak praise on the back cover from Don Cupitt ("I commend this book warmly"). It consists of short pieces by twelve different Quaker writers on themes including pacifism, evil, simplicity, the nature of God, meeting for worship and more. Each theme is a new chapter with twelve numbered reflections; this arrangement worked in part but I found myself wanting to know who had written which piece, especially as I sometimes thought I was reading a piece by a man and was surprised to discover comments such as "when I was pregnant..." I wasn't sure if the pieces were always in the same order of author and so couldn't get a sense of continuity of one contributor's particular thought, although this was possibly the point.

The writings were generally of a high standard, not written in theological language but providing a flavour of the thoughts and beliefs of the different quakers contributing. The book could be used as a devotional and certainly gave me a new insight into the Religious Society of Friends. What I particularly liked was the contributors' willingness to say when they were unsure about something or when issues were hard, and particularly appreciated the quotation given from one of the Quaker texts: "respect that of God in everyone... avoid hurtful criticism and provocative language... think it possible that you may be mistaken."

This is a book that would provide helpful insight and food for thought for Christians of all denominations but it does focus on some particularly Quaker ideas (meeting for worship and pacifism, for example) which may mean it is more popular amongst Quakers. However it's a worthwhile read for anyone who wants to consider their spirituality further. ... Read more

Product Description
Meet Elizabeth Elliot, a Quaker whose quiet wisdom and determined will are her powerful tools of detection.In the world of paleontology, the name of the game is research. Some would even kill for credentials. So it comes as no surprise-and as quiet satisfaction for many-when an eminent scientist is found murdered in his Harvard lab. The prime suspect is a beautiful graduate student, the Professor's only female advisee, who has just filed sexual harassment charges against him. Harvard is determined to close the case and convict the student-when Elizabeth Elliot, lifelong Quaker and Clerk of the Meetinghouse in Cambridge, steps into the fray at the student's request. Elizabeth is convinced of her innocence. Her only hope to clear the young woman is to penetrate Harvard's sanctum sanctorum to find the devious killer-knowing full well that brilliant minds are often the most dangerous...AUTHORBIO: IRENE ALLEN, the author of three Elizabeth Elliot Mysteries, resides in Washington State.She is a Harvard and Princeton-educated geologist and a member of the Friends Meeting in Cambridge. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

What a strange little book.
Had never heard of this series before, but ended up getting the book as a freebie, so I thought I'd read it. I started in, enjoyed the first several chapters before it began to lose its luster. Three separate times, I put it down, wondering if it was worth continuing -- I had no 'investment' in this book, after all.

But I kept on -- for one thing, the plot is interesting, as is the insight into academia, the petty nastiness, the gamesmanship, the toleration of less-than-worthy professors because no one "wants to take the time" to deal with a bad professor.I understand.Secondly, the characters are interesting if not quite believable.As holder of a doctorate myself, I can't quite see how "Janet", the harrassed PhD student, could have gotten this far in the world lacking a recognizable backbone.Like some of the other characters, I too wonder why she put up with it as long as she did.Then, too, the whole Quaker thing is interesting. I didn't realize there were still those who spoke with the soft "thee" speech pattern, or really addressed each other as "Friend".I admire the morality.

So what's wrong?The writing style. If you're looking for 242 pages of unrelieved declarative sentences, one after the other, then this is your book.If you don't mind having the characters constantly, endlessly, identified by their profession or religion, then go for it.I was nearly to the point of twitching when on and on, there were sentences reading, "The Quaker sat down...." or "The Clerk looked at her desk and wondered...."Excuse me, Irene Allen, but you gave your characters have actual names.Is there some Quaker doctrine about not using them? The gimmick of constantly referring to Elizabeth Elliott as "The Quaker" or "The Clerk" -- and Janet, as "The student" -- grew tiresome very quickly.

Bottom line: I finished it, none the worse for wear. I liked the plot, enjoyed the characters, wouldn't mind reading more about them, in other books.But if all of them are written in this stilted, off-putting style, I think I'll pass."The Reader" has had enough, thank you.

Trouble in academia
After reading "Quaker Silence" I looked forward to Irene Allen's second book, "Quaker Witness".In this entry in the series, Quaker Elizabeth Elliot becomes involved with Janet, a young graduate student at Harvard who is pressing charges against a professor who has been sexually harassing her. When the professor is found murderered, Janet becomes the chief suspect and Elizabeth, who believes in Janet's innocence, launches her own investigation.

This book has some flaws which make it less effective than "Quaker Silence".There are a couple of subplots in the story, which feature an ex-convict who comes to live with Elizabeth, and a disagreement about putting in a wheelchair ramp at the Quaker Meeting House where Elizabeth is the Clerk.These are handled clumsily and don't really fit well with the rest of the story.Also, the character of Janet is not very sympathetic as she expresses herself very sharply and sometimes sprinkles her conversations with profanity.These character flaws do not endear her to the reader, who is supposed to sympathize with her plight.The best aspect of this book is Elizabeth herself, whose inner thoughts are shared with the reader and who exhibits great strength of character and true devotion to God.

Not perfect, but....
This was fun read, a little too cluttered in places, but the character of Elizabeth Elliot is utterly charming and fascinating, which made the book worth reading.I'll be seeking out more of this series, just for the fun of reading about Elliot.

Disappointing portrait of science and academia
I was quite surprised to learn from the biography at the end of "Quaker Witness" that author Irene Allen "is a Harvard- and Princeton-educated geologist" -- what I had found most disappointing about QW was the depiction of a fictionalizedHarvard paleontology department, having spent much of my life in or associated with scientific academia, and in predominantly male departments (math, computer science, physics, astronomy, relevant because of the sexual harassment theme).The tone just somehow didn't ring true, more reminiscent perhaps of several decades ago than the early 90's when this was supposed to take place.

I have read others of Allen's series about Elizabeth Elliot -- an elderly woman living in Cambridge on the edge of Harvard, member and Clerk of the local Friends (Quaker) Meeting --and found them rather enjoyable because of the Quaker background, the local Cambridge color, and Elliot's personal life.The somewhat stilted writing had seemed appropriate to my assumptions of the deliberate pace of Quaker life and views.But when this same tone is applied to the world of academic infighting and striving, it makes me reevaluate my confidence in her portrayal of things Quaker.

A list of just a few things that struck me as "off", compared to my own experience and observation:It seems odd that a graduate student would still be living in a dormitory after, presumably, several years at a school, as heroine Janet Stevens is; it requires *some* sort of explanation.Allen writes "the word 'prayer' ... seemed inappropriate from a science student [Janet], educated to secularism."I don't know any scientist who would say or believe this, much less a grad student with interior urges to religion.Many scientists have deep and sincere religious beliefs, and while it would be considered inappropriate to start a lecture with, say, "Jesus brought me here today to present this equation he inspired", most consider faith or lack of faith irrelevant to the value of the science produced:it's not important whether God or simply chance guided your hand to that fossil, but what the fossil says about life. (The above quote also seems inconsistent with another student's devoted Catholicism.)The cutthroat competition Allen portrays, even paranoid secrecy, among grad students is very foreign.Students are constantly bouncing ideas off each other, collaborating, helping each other out.Also, though students and non-tenured faculty do put in long hours, as Allen describes, that is as much through fascination with their work, deadlines, and sometimes the need to keep an experiment or observation going for an extended period without funds to hire more assistance, as it is desperation for advancement.The crucial piece of apparatus, the "oxygen line" which released the poisonous gas used to murder the evil professor, is described several times.While probably technically correct (though incomplete: where does the carbon come from which combines with the released oxygen?) I find it bizarre that a scientist would not also bend the ear of the unwary visitor with extensive description of *why* they were extracting the oxygen from ancient fossils (presumably to measure isotope ratios which would tell about the climate).While I'm sure there were a decade ago, and still are, departments with the resolutely anti-female attitudes of Allen's Harvard paleontology, this has hardly been SOP for decades.Incidents, nowhere near as pervasive, I heard of in the 60's and 70's were regarded as shocking, or at least tasteless, anomalies.Contrary to the near uniform shunning by fellow students that Janet suffered, in real life the woman in a largely male department is eagerly sought out, and has been for decades.

Nonetheless, this is still an engaging book, and the mystery aspect is quite well thought out. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Getting into the mystery
This book has recently been reissued in Britain. Based on a series of meditative talks, it is a step-by-step analysis of the implications of the unprogrammed worship of traditional Quakers, leading to group mysticialexperience of the Divine Presence, the Teacher Within, the Light of theChrist.Sometimes a little heady, but finally very touching to the heart. ... Read more

Product Description
This volume is produced from digital images created through the University of Michigan University Library's large-scale digitization efforts. The Library seeks to preserve the intellectual content of items in a manner that facilitates and promotes a variety of uses. The digital reformatting process results in an electronic version of the original text that can be both accessed online and used to create new print copies. The Library also understands and values the usefulness of print and makes reprints available to the public whenever possible. This book and hundreds of thousands of others can be found in the HathiTrust, an archive of the digitized collections of many great research libraries. For access to the University of Michigan Library's digital collections, please see http://www.lib.umich.edu and for information about the HathiTrust, please visit http://www.hathitrust.org ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Excellent, detailed account of 17th century Quakerism
"Hidden in Plain Sight: Quaker Women's Writings, 1650-1700" was an expensive purchase for me, but it certainly does live up to the cost.

As an anthology of Quaker women's writings in the seventeenth century, "Hidden in Plain Sight: Quaker Women's Writings, 1650-1700" does an excellent job of illustrating the lives and theological perspectives of numerous women who joined what was for its time very much a radical sect. The writings are explained with a clarity that would allow even a beginner to Quakerism to understnad very clearly the character of seventeenth century England.

Yet, at the same time many of the pitfalls undoubtedly present in modern Quakerism are utterly absent here. The theological reflection, the reflection of the presence of the sacred, is completely central throughout all these writings: this serves to ground them in a truly deep spirituality. The result is that we see exactly how the women felt they were being guided, rather than them being guided by outside sources.

Moreover, there is more than a peek into the past in the modern-looking text of the book, and the introductions and long lists of petitioners are a delightfor the historian.

Difficult to find (Pendle Hill have wanted to reprint it) but worth the money nonetheless. ... Read more

Product Description
The story of a Quaker woman from Henry County, Indiana,who taught in the Friends Schools in Ramallah, Palestine, between theyears 1922 and 1954. She returned for 6 months in 1963. In her ownwords: "My life with the Arabs was rich and satisfying. Their warmthand hospitality can never be described. Their kindness and eagersharing in the work for Palestinian youth was a joy that was farbeyond my hopes." ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Poorly Written, Little to Offer
This story of Mildred White could have easily been a lot better. It follows her life, giving background on the Quaker history in America and specifically Indiana, and the history of Mildred's family. It follows her call to go to Palestine, and gives some background on the history of the Friends school in Ramallah. Then, with the use of narrative and actual letters, Jordan tells the story of White's life- her time in Palestine and her trips back to the U.S.

But to say "story" is really too kind. The writing is simply too dry, and not at all gripping. It's frankly bad writing. I found myself having to skim through large sections. This was more of an individual's admittedly laudable desire to put to paper some of her own family history- as Lois is Mildred's niece. And it is of more interest to those who are related to the Whites and the Jordans. This is truly a shame, as one gets hints of a many amazing events that happen in Mildred's life- she lives through the rise of Zionism and al nakba, or The Catastrophe, when the ethnic cleansing of the Arabs from Palestine occurred. Jordan shares some of that time, but it's squeezed into a couple chapters, and the stories mentioned take up a paragraph at a time. She simply doesn't pull you in. It's not like you feel for any of the characters of this biography, including Mildred. It could be a textbook, except there's little information conveyed.

But there are also aspects of Mildred's life that lack real vividness. There is little sense of a great battle to wage, and a good fight well won. Zeal could have been applied to service and non-violent action, but if it happened, it is not wellcommunicated.

Two stars because of some history shared about Palestine in the 20's - 50's, and nice tidbits like that "Ramallah" used to be called "Ram Allah"- Hill of God. The book also serves to put a much more human face on the very oppressed Palestinian people. More books that do that are sorely needed. But Ramallah Teacher should largely be skipped. ... Read more

Product Description
16-page section of 32 b/w photos5 maps6 x 9 Includes Henry Simmons's 1799 journalThis account of a 1799 Quaker mission to a Seneca village in northwestern Pennsylvania is based on the journal of Henry Simmons and offers a captivating look at Seneca culture of the period-their festivals and games, division of labor, and fascinating cult of dreams, which affected many of their actions.The perceptive Chief Cornplanter, realizing that his people must adapt to new social and economic patterns, welcomed the Quakers as teachers, not so much for their religion, but for their knowledge of agriculture. The interactions between the two groups brought on conflicts among the Senecas and new developments in their culture, among them the rise of the powerful prophet Handsome Lake and his Longhouse religion. The author shows how Simmons and Cornplanter each attained a grasp of the other's religion, politics, and lifestyles and were able to mutually achieve their goals by finding the similarities and utilizing them.David Swatzler is a professional writer who lives in Cooperstown, Pennsylvania. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A book about Indian Peace, not Indian Wars
This book is fantastic and covers so many topics so thoroughly, it is hard to choose just one thing as the best part.The author tells about the Quakers, their history and beliefs, about the Iroquois and their history of war and land loss, as well as giving a rare glimpse into everyday life in the 1700's--games, religious festivals, feasts, mythology.The story of the interaction of the groups as they get to know each other and explore their similarities and differences is sometimes funny, sometimes sad, and the author even includes a glimpse into the religious and social implications of the interaction for the Indians.The story of Handsome Lake is particularly well-told.At the end of the book, I felt that I understood the whole vast episode, and I even had a certain fondness for Henry Simmons, the irascible Quaker.His entire 1799 journal, which is a wonderful read, is included as an appendix, and is worth the price of the book. ... Read more

Product Description
This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A joy to read
The dry title of this book is deceiving. Although Brinton thoroughly researched his subject -- the spiritual autobiographies (called journals) of the members of the Religious Society of Friends -- this is not an academic work. It lives up to its subtitle as an exploration of the religious experiences of Friends through their own words with engaging anecdotes and excerpts as well as insightful comments. These ordinary people spoke movingly and charmingly about their spirtual lives. I not only bought this book but sought out two of the original journals to read. ... Read more

Product Description
This is the history and genealogy of the Great Welsh Tract near Philadelphiagranted by William Penn in 1682 and settled by a group of Welsh Quakers. The area of the tractincludes the Pennsylvania townships of Merion, Radnor, and Haverford, near Philadelphia.Following introductory chapters on the causes of the Welsh exodus and the negotiations andterms of the grant, Glenn's focus is on lists and genealogies of the settlers themselves, and hebrings many of the pedigrees down through the 1800s. Detailed genealogies or extensivegenealogical notes can be found on the following families, many of which figured prominentlyin the history of colonial Pennsylvania: Rees John William, Cadwallader Morgan, John andWilliam ap Edward, Edward Rees, Roberts of Pencoyd, Hugh John Thomas, Owen, Bevan ofTreverigg, Rowland Ellis, Ellis Lewis, Humphreys, Cadwalader, Wynnewood, Roberts, Walkerand Thomas families, Parry, John ap Thomas and Jones, Herbert and Awbrey families, EdwardJones, Hugh Roberts, Lloyd of Dolobran, Brooke and Morgan families, Robert and ThomasLloyd, and Warner of Blockley. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

This is a splendid history of an active religious group.
This book provides a remarkable glimpse into the rich history of the Hudson River Valley and Upstate New York into Canada through the lens of the Quakers.Formerly a prominent religion in New York State ranking third at the beginning of the 19th century, New York Quakers have had a leading role in education, prison reform, women's rights, peace activism and temperance.The chapters on the 19th century are particularly rich in fascinating details while the 20th century material is a little more general. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A Quaker economist looks at social revolution
A Quaker economist looks at economic development through the eyes of his religion, becomes dissatisfied with his work as economic advisor, and tries to find a path for helping overcome economic development. (This book is once again in print). ... Read more