Portland Book Review on Mikel Classen’s “True Tales: The Forgotten History of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula”

True Tales: The Forgotten History of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula by Mikel B. Claussen takes the romance out of the stories of northern Michigan. Instead, Claussen weaves a yarn of facts the way only a Yooper can. His style is approachable and very much based on the storytelling of the region, plenty of facts peppered with clever interjections.

These little-known tales are written with the respect and matter-of-fact style that readers will appreciate. While “just the facts” for the most part, with pertinent quotes from relevant materials, the odd authorial interjection catches the reader at prime moments for a laugh, or at least a quick smile.

Deeply informative, but never boring, each chapter covers a different event or person in the often dangerous and sometimes lawless Great Lakes frontier. Maybe Michigan natives especially will be surprised by these stories from the state’s past. Claussen doesn’t focus on the well-known or the glamorous stories, but instead the odd, the little-known, and the people who labored so hard to provide for themselves and their families in an unforgiving and brutal environment.

This is a wonderful volume to better understand the little-understood region that is Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.

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Author Mikel B Classen
Star Count 4/5
Format Trade
Page Count 162 pages
Publisher Modern History Press
Publish Date 01-Apr-2022
ISBN 9781615996353
Amazon Buy this Book
Issue June 2022
Category History
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Coats of Arms [PB]

978-1-61599-695-7
$21.95
An Introduction to The Science and Art of Heraldry
In stock
1
Product Details
UPC: 978-1-61599-695-7
Brand: Modern History Press
Binding: Paperback
Edition: 1st
Author: Marc Fountain
Illustrator: Marc Fountain
Pages: 40
Publication Date: 10/01/2022

With full-color pages accessible to readers of any age, this how and why quick-start guide explains knighthood and nobility and royalty, what coats of arms mean, how to create your own, and how to assemble those of your ancestors. Heraldry is the art and profession of creating designs within shield-shaped outlines meant to identify important individuals and their descendants, as well as organizations (towns, schools, corporations) and nations. These designs often come surrounded by additional symbols such as helms, crowns or crests. Although few of us bear actual shields in the modern world, many today print their ancestors' armorial symbols onto paper, engrave them into jewelry or tableware, and carve them into wood and stone. Readers will learn about:

  • Symbols of Identity - where Heraldry came from, and how it can still empower people today
  • Within the Shield - the symbols which identify a person or family or organization
  • Beyond the Shield - the symbols which identify social rank (gentry, knight, noble, royal)
  • Ancestry - where last names came from, and where you come into the story

"Coats of Arms is a thorough and comprehensive guide for anyone fascinated by heraldry. You'll learn how to differentiate a duke from a marquis, a firstborn son from a second, and the meaning behind every symbol on a shield. A treasure to refer to time and time again. I know I'll be referring back to it when I get back to genealogy and looking at my own medieval ancestors' coats of arms." --Tyler R. Tichelaar, PhD and award-winning author of King Arthur's Children: A Study in Fiction and Tradition

"History can be boring beyond belief if it is a mere list of names and dates. Or it can be immensely fascinating. Coats Of Arms: An Introduction to the Science and Art of Heraldry will bring past times and even present customs to life through the study of symbols of many kinds, many though not all relating to badges of nobility. Any student of history, and of cultural differences, will benefit from looking at the many beautiful illustrations, all of which are keys for entry into ways of thinking and living. It is a good day when I learn something new, so I really enjoyed editing this book for the publisher." --Bob Rich, PhD and author of Sleeper, Awake!

"One of the most difficult requirements for teachers of history and English is to find ways to assess students with special needs.Coats of Arms offers a uniquely creative means to enhance the study of Medieval Times; most students, with or without disability, will enjoy learning patterns, colors and shapes that relate to their personal history. Creating one's own coat of arms using methods centuries old will help students relate to the past while tying together strands of history still used in the present. A secondary bonus is the intriguing vocabulary presented in this book, with new meanings for 'hatching' and 'field' as examples." --Carolyn Bouldin, reading comprehension specialist and teacher of secondary English

Learn more at https://coatsofarms.actionablehope.com

From Modern History Press

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