Terrific History Books in Museum Gift Shop

Edward Beyer’s Travels Through America-An Artist’s View is among a variety of books for sale in the Historical Society of Western Virginia Gift Shop. This book is the first English translation of a travel narrative of  America in the 1850s, seen through the eyes of a German itinerant artist.  It is also a preliminary catalogue of the artist’s work, profusely illustrated throughout with more than fifty reproductions of paintings, lithographs, maps, and other items in full color.

An insightful essay by Al McLean, current president of the Historical Society, reviews the current state of scholarship and knowledge about Edward Beyer’s life and work. In his essay for the book, McLean  noted: “The itinerant artist would paint a resort for $50 plus room and board.” The Homestead in Hot Springs was one of the resorts Beyer painted; he also captured Natural Bridge, Christiansburg and Buchanan. The book costs $35. It contains appendices, including a list of known works by Edward Beyer, and a translation of a letter written by the artist from Lynchburg, Virginia, as well as suggestions for further reading, and an index.

The Gift Shop and its online store feature a wide variety of books on photographer Winston Link. Life Along The Line and O. Winston Link, the Man and the Museum are consistent best sellers.

Of special prominence among books on local history is Nineteenth-Century Brick Architecture in the Roanoke Valley and Beyond: Discovering the True Legacy of the Deyerle Builders and The builders’ book revisits the legend of Benjamin Deyerle as the leading builder in the Roanoke Valley during the 19th Century. It is based on a study that sought to determine precisely which buildings were built by the Deyerles, and by whom among them. The study employed traditional methods of historical research, but in tandem with a novel approach that focuses on bricks – how they were made, their physical properties, and how they were laid – in the construction of some of southwestern Virginia’s finest works of architecture.

Nineteenth century brickmaking, building construction, and architectural design in the Roanoke Valley and beyond are effectively explained and illustrated with 180 images and maps. Author Michael J. Pulice worked as a field archaeologist for nearly a decade before earning his Master of Architecture degree from Virginia Tech. He has held the position of architectural historian for the Virginia Department of Historic Resources Western Regional Office since 2001. The book sells for $20.

Special pricing is now available on several books. These include American Theatre ($10); Civil War Talks ($10), Johnston’s Frontier Adventure ($6), Notable Women West of the Blue Ridge ($6), The Visits of Lewis & Clark to Fincastle ($6) and William Fleming, Patriot ($4).