Kansas: A Pictorial History

by Robert W. Richmond

Chock-full of cultural contrast and captivating characters, Kansas history just can't be expressed in words alone. But the state's best pictorial history has been out of print for more than a decade. Now updated and completely redesigned, A Pictorial History brings the state's past to life in more than 600 fascinating photographs, drawings, and paintings. They will take you across the hills and prairies, past the thatched houses in a Kansa village, by the abolitionist "Beecher Bible and Rifle" Church, down the Santa Fe Trail, up the Chisholm Trail, and across a river on a rope ferry for a nickel (five cents more if you bring your horse). On the way, you'll visit hundreds of other places and meet the people--both famous and infamous--who helped shape the state's history.

288 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1961

Reviews

[Sheri · Rating 3 out of 5]

If I was only rating this book based on the photos, it would be a 5-star rating. Alas, the text accompanying the book provides a fairly sanitized narrative of Kansas history. Example: no discussion of discrimination against African-Americans or the serious human rights violations committed against the native Americans who predated Europeans in the state of Kansas. Another example: Fort Riley is held up as one of the two largest Army bases in the US at the time of WWI, but the origins at Ft. Riley of the influenza epidemic that killed hundreds of thousands of people in the US never get mentioned. Great photos though.

[MKF · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an old book so it is a tad outdated but the pictures are fascinating. It appeared as though the ending was rushed and so they just added a bunch of different pictures of what they thought was interesting. I think that with so many photos available they could have chosen a lot more for the modern era of history. Not only did it feel rushed it felt unfinished as well.

[Cws]

K978.1Mil