Item Tag : 6.5in

Western Pennsylvania’s Oil Heritage, Pennsylvania, Postcard History Series, Pape

Western Pennsylvania’s Oil Heritage, Pennsylvania, Postcard History Series, Pape The discovery of oil flowing from a well in the wilds of northwestern Pennsylvania shook the modern world in 1859. Refined as kerosene for lamps, a lubricant for home and industrial needs, and ultimately as a fuel for transportation in the form of gasoline, oil literally changed the world and defined global economics and politics. Western Pennsylvania’s Oil Heritage profiles the history of Pennsylvania oil from its discovery and development to its impact on the culture, economy, and environment of the oil region. These vintage postcards provide a glimpse into the wide-ranging history of western Pennsylvania’s oil region, from the cradle of the industry at Oil Creek, to the immensely productive Bradford oil field, and on to cities and towns like Oil City, built largely by the black gold.

Italians in Chicago, Illinois, Images of America, Paperback

Italians in Chicago, Illinois, Images of America, Paperback Drawn from scores of family albums, these intimate snapshots tell the story of the unique and universal saga of Italian immigration and life in Chicago.More than 25,000 Italian immigrants came to Chicago after 1945. The story of their exodus and reestablishment in Chicago touches on war torn Italy, the renewal of family and paesani connections, the bureaucratic challenges of the restrictive quota system, the energy and spirit of the new immigrants, and the opportunities and frustrations in American society.

Smokey the Bear Sutra, USA, American Roots, Hardback

Smokey the Bear Sutra, USA, American Roots, Hardback An impassioned poem with Buddhist imagery and messages of environmentalism, social justice, and enlightenment. Pulitzer Prize-winning American poet Gary Snyder composed « Smokey the Bear Sutra » one spring night in 1969 at a Sierra Club conference. Smokey the Bear is not the U.S. Forest Service’s Smokey Bear, the latter being a highly recognized advertising symbol protected by Federal law. Rather, the imagery of this Smokey comes from Buddhism; according to Snyder, Smokey the Bear Sutra is a dharma protector, modeled after Fugo, the Japanese patron of ascetics and yogis. The message of the Sutra is that we as beings are responsible to protect all other life down to the smallest forms– do no harm, protect our collective selves, and honor the great impermanence. This short work is part of Applewood’s « American Roots » series, tactile mementos of American passions by some of America’s most famous writers.