- The Frontiersmen
- Wilderness Empire
- The Conquerors
- The Wilderness War
- The Gateway to Empire
- The Twilight of Empire
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Eckert published six novels in his The Winning of America series that include accounts of frontiersmen and notable Native Americans. He conducted extensive research for his works — and inserted fictional dialogue for his historical figures. The series includes the six books below and is a perennial JSF best seller: -
Jesse Stuart Junior Book A Penny's Worth of Character is a lesson in honesty that the reader, young or old, will not easily forget. This delightful story is full of details from Stuart's; native eastern Kentucky. Shan Shelton is going to the store for his mother. If he had a dime, he could buy his favorite treat, a chocolate bar and a lemon soda pop. SOFTBACK By Jesse Stuart -
Jesse Stuart Junior Book Set (9 Books)- Andy Finds a Way
- Beatinest Boy
- Bluetick Pig
- Come to My Tomorrowland
- Huey the Engineer
- Old Ben
- Penny's Worth of Character
- Red Mule
- Rightful Owner
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The Winning of America Series: Book 1 of 6 The frontiersmen were a remarkable breed of men. They were often rough and illiterate, sometimes brutal and vicious, often seeking an escape in the wilderness of mid-America from crimes committed back east. In the beautiful but deadly country which would one day come to be known as West Virginia, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois, more often than not they left their bones to bleach beside forest paths or on the banks of the Ohio River, victims of Indians who claimed the vast virgin territory and strove to turn back the growing tide of whites. These frontiersmen are the subjects of Allan W. Eckert's dramatic history. Researched for seven years, The Frontiersmen is the first in Eckert's "The Winning of America" series. SOFTBACK & HARDBACK By Allan Eckert
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Jesse Stuart Junior Book Grandma Beverley s fond of saying that David is the "beatinest" boy who ever grew up in the valley. And David is sure that his grandmother is the smartest, most wonderful women in the world. This book sis the story out of Jesse's Stuart's native Appalachian Kentucky, about people he knew best. His story has the richness and beauty of golden honey made from autumn flowers. SOFTBACK By Jesse Stuart -
The Winning of America Series: Book 6 of 6 Twilight of Empire, the sixth and final volume in Allan W. Eckert’s highly acclaimed "The Winning of America" series, continues the tale of America’s westward expansion and the trickery, warfare, purchase, theft, and treaty through which it was achieved. Eckert immerses the reader in the history of the Northwest Territories and the Louisiana Purchase during the first half of the nineteenth century as he relates the dramatic events presaging and composing the Black Hawk War of 1832. It is a story with heroes and scoundrels on both sides and is peopled with men whose names have gone down in history. SOFTBACK & HARDBACK By Allan Eckert -
The Sparks family, salty old Peg Sparks, his wife Arn, and their 16-year-old son Sparkie lived in the Plum Grove Hills in a one room cabin. They don't have a lot, but they would not turn a stray hound dog away from their door and certainly not a stray boy like pale, spindly Didway Hargis, who has run away from his wealthy home in town. SOFTBACK By Jesse Stuart COLLECTOR EDITIONS ARE AVAILABLE; PLEASE CONTACT THE JSF DIRECTLY -
The Winning of America Series: Book 4 of 6 From Niagara Falls to Lake Champlain, the warriors of the mighty Iroquois ruled supreme. Not even the savagery of the French and Indian wars could cool their fury or halt their power. But by 1770 the restless white men were warring once again. Thayendanegea, the valiant Iroquois war chief, allied his fierce tribes with the one white man the Indians loved and trusted, Sir William Johnson. Once more the frontier would erupt, pitting the Indians' unvanquished spirit against the white setters' relentless challenge. Allan W. Eckert's Narratives of America are true sagas of the brave men and courageous women who won our land. Every character and event in this sweeping series is drawn from actual history and woven into the vast and powerful epic that was America's westward expansion. Allan W. Eckert has made America's heritage an authentic, exciting, and powerful reading experience. SOFTBACK & HARDBACK By Allan Eckert -
The Winning of America Series: Book 2 of 6 For over two hundred years no Indian force in America was so powerful and feared as the Iroquois League. Throughout two thirds of this continent, the cry of "The Iroquois are coming!" was enough to demoralize entire tribes. But these Iroquois occupied and controlled a vast wilderness empire which beckoned like a precious gem to foreign powers. France and England secured toeholds and suddenly each was claiming as its own this land of the Iroquois. Alliance with the Indians was the key; whichever power controlled them could destroy the other. Wilderness Empire is the gripping narrative of the eighteenth-century struggle of these two powers to win for themselves the allegiance of the Indians in a war for territorial dominance, yet without letting these Indians know that the prize of the war would be this very Iroquois land. It is the story of English strength hamstrung by incredible incompetence, of French power sapped by devastating corruption. It is the story of the English, Indian and French individuals whose lives intertwine in the greatest territorial struggle in American history--the French and Indian War. SOFTBACK & HARDBACK By Allan Eckert -
The Winning of America Series: Book 5 of 6 With his unmatched ability to bring our vibrant early history to life, Allan W. Eckert now presents his latest saga of the battle for the North American wilderness. Here, in all its fascinating human drama, is the struggle to control the "gateway to empire" — Chicago Portage, the vital link between the East and the untapped riches of the west. Caught up in the turbulent sweep of events are two men--John Kinzie, a successful trader with a heroic taste for a new frontiers who fought to live in mutual respect with the Indians, and Tecumseh the Shawnee leader, a man of unparalleled wisdom and courage who would see his dream of a united Indian empire betrayed. As the British move toward the war 1812 both men and their people would be trapped in a tragic conflict that would threaten the land they so passionately loved. SOFTBACK & HARDBACK By Allan Eckert -
The Winning of America Series: Book 3 of 6 The Conquerors, the third volume in Allan Eckert's acclaimed series, The Winning of America, continues the narrative of The Frontiersmen and Wilderness Empire: the violent and monumental story of the wresting of the North American continent from the Indians. But the locale has moved westward—to the northern frontiers of Pennsylvania, to Michigan and the Green Bay area, especially the crucial outposts of Fort Pitt and Fort Detroit, Sandusky and Mackinac. SOFTBACK & HARDBACK By Allan Eckert -
This book captures the spirit of Christmas in 43 true stories by 39 authors. Thirty-five of the stories are set in Kentucky and the others are from neighboring states. All of these powerful and well-written stories emanate from the heart of Appalachia, and many attach themselves to your heart. This is a great Christmas gift book! SOFTBACK VERSION FULL COLOR INTERIOR -
Jesse Stuart Junior Book Mike finds a hound dog in the pasture which is obviously lost. Someone has been mean to the dog, and Mike wants him very much, but the hound won't come near him. Finally, his father helps him bring the dog home. After Mike and Speckles become inseparable, a neighbor claims to be the dog's rightful owner. Two dramatic encounters show that a good hound never forgets his real master. SOFTBACK By Jesse Stuart -
This boundary-crossing book views ballet through the eyes of 24 Appalachian women who began their ballet lessons in childhood. Combining research in dance with analysis of interviews with the women, the work highlights what ballet meant to girls who sought a more magical world than the one they occupied. Keen in insight and colorful in detail, the narrative includes experiences of renowned dancers, past and present—Maria Tallchief, Misty Copeland, and Wendy Whelan among others. Surprising notables, world heavyweight champion, Muhammad Ali, born in Louisville, Kentucky, and Olympic gold medalist in gymnastics, Mary Lou Retton, from Fairmont, West Virginia, make cameo appearances in the narrative too. An engaging story of why ballet was meaningful to girls from the hills and hollows of central Appalachia, Another World: Ballet Lessons from Appalachia recognizes vital intersections—children and their families, students and their teachers, local and global communities—in the development of talent. LISTEN TO THE THINK HUMANITIES PODCAST FEATURING PENDARVIS HERE (EPISODE 287) SOFTBACK VERSION By Edwina Pendarvis -
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True Christmas Stories From the Heart of Appalachia SOFTBACK VERSION ~ FULL COLOR INTERIOR Appalachia Christmas Stories SOFTBACK -
Jesse Stuart's enduring story to this idyllic love that conquered hate and fear draws strength from the calmness of the surrounding Tennessee mountains, where nature, in all her glory, heals the wounds inflicted by men. It is a rich and poignant story, full of local mountain life and humorous touches. Daughter of the Legend is a master storyteller's finest, most lyric book, a book rewarding in the reading and delightful in the memory. It touches the heart and eternity. SOFTBACK By Jesse Stuart -
The late Harry M. Caudill saw the land and people of Appalachia with an unflinching eye. His classic, Night Comes to the Cumberlands, follows the long road traveled by the Southern mountaineer. By Harry M. Caudill -
This is the journal Jesse Stuart kept following his near fatal heart attack in 1955. It was a time of his severest trial yet greatest fulfillment which began in an oxygen tent and ended with his happy return to a full and vigorous life. Here are the innermost feelings and moods of a man whose heart may give out at any moment, the new respect and even love that he develops for his heart, his thoughts about God, life, land, and home. By Jesse Stuart -
Appalachian Murders & Mysteries: True Stories from West Virginia, Kentucky, and Southern Ohio, 23 stories by 17 authors compiled and edited by James M. Gifford and Edwina D. Pendarvis. The tragic events described in this book could have happened anywhere, but they happened here in central Appalachia. They are a part of our history. Together, these stories create a literary “mourning quilt,” commemorating the innocent and the guilty and piecing together significant remnants of 200 years of life in eastern Kentucky, southern Ohio, and West Virginia. HARDBACK Compiled and edited by James M. Gifford and Edwina D. Pendarvis -
A Collection of essays, short stories, and poetry from writers, including Jesse Stuart, Billy C. Clark, James B. Goode, and Thomas D. Clark. SOFTBACK -
On September 26, 1918, during the devastating Battle of the Meuse-Argonne Forest, Kentucky native Willie Sandlin, acting alone, attacked and disabled three German machine gun nests and killed all twenty-four occupants. During the day’s fighting, Sandlin “voluntarily and deliberately” raced forward into dangers so great that he could hardly hope to survive. For his “conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty,” Sandlin received the Medal of Honor, which was presented to him by General John J. Pershing before Sandlin returned to America at the end of the war. HARDBACK VERSION FULL COLOR INTERIOR By James M. Gifford -
Best known for his nonfiction work "Night Comes to the Cumberlands," Harry M. Caudill also wrote fiction, including “Dark Hills to Westward: The Saga of Jenny Wiley,” first published in 1969 and recently reprinted in a new softback edition by the Jesse Stuart Foundation. When Jenny was an old woman, a preacher had sat down with her and wrote out her captivity story. Although Jenny may have embellished it many times, it is the only first-hand account we have, and it’s the primary source for Caudill’s novel. Briefly, here is her story. Thomas and Jenny Wiley had pioneered land on Walker’s Creek in Bland County, Virginia. On October 1, 1789, while Thomas was away, a small band of Indians, seeking revenge for a recent defeat at the hands of white settlers, attacked the Wiley cabin and killed and scalped Jenny’s three older children and her brother. Jenny, seven months pregnant, was taken captive along with her baby son, Adam. SOFTBACK VERSION By Harry M. Caudill -
Though there are many biographies of the great Shawnee chief Tecumseh (1768-1813), this effort by historical novelist Allan W. Eckert may spark new interest — and controversy — with its "hidden dialogue" technique. After more than 25 years of research, the author felt free to recreate Tecumseh's conversations and thoughts in what proves to be an entertaining blend of fact and fiction. The orator and organizer's life was shaped by his tribe's tragic confrontation with westward-moving whites, who encroached on Native American lands along the Ohio River valley. His long struggle against this dispossession led Tecumseh to create a historic confederacy of tribes, but this crowning achievement was destroyed by his own brother at Tippecanoe in 1811. SOFTCOVER By Allan Eckert -
In the year 1771, a white boy named Marmaduke Van Swearingen was captured by the Shawnee Indians in what is now West Virginia, but was then the edge of the American frontier. Impressed with his bravery, he was not killed but instead was taken to Ohio where he was adopted into the tribe and given the name Blue Jacket, from the blue shirt he was wearing at the time of his capture. Eckert has taken all of the known facts of Blue Jacket's life and has woven them into a narrative of compelling interest, with a very different perspective on the way America was settled. The reader will learn what life was really like on the dangerous frontier wilderness that was West Virginia, Kentucky and Ohio before the Revolutionary War. By Allan Eckert