Books Received

BOOKS RECEIVED Leroy Barnett is the BFF (“best friend forever”) of reference librarians and historians throughout Michigan. His many meticulously researched publications and bibliographies have cast light on a wide variety of fascinating and important aspects of Michigan history that have been ignored or forgotten. On a personal note, in the course of his many research trips he claims to have saved time and cut costs by cooking his meals while driving his car, selecting recipes from the classic culinary guide, Manifold Destiny: A Guide to Cooking on Your Car Engine. Mr. Barnett is the retired reference archivist of the Archives of Michigan. Frank Boles Director of the Clarke Historical Library LeRoy G. Barnett. Michigan Imprints, 1851-1876. 4 vols. East Lansing: Michigan State University Libraries, 2013. Leroy Barnett’s four-volume Michigan Imprints, 1851-1876 completes a Works Progress Administration (WPA) project begun nearly 80 years ago. The original goal of the WPA project, called the American Imprints Inventory (AII), was to locate and record all of the documents printed in the United States prior to 1876. Prior to the AII, two major works attempted to create a comprehensive list of Michigan imprints through 1850—Streeter’s Michigan Bibliography (1927) and McMurtie’s Early Printing in Michigan (1931). The work from the AII resulted in the release of a compendium to fill in the gaps missed by the previous documents. Due to World War II, the AII project was halted before compilers could release an inventory of Michigan imprints from 1851-76. Barnett’s comprehensive inventory with 6201 entries was generated using the original index card records collected by AII workers from 1936 to 1941, which are currently held at the Bentley Historical Library at the University of Michigan. Barnett also added additional information to supplement the information originally organized by the WPA project. The entries are grouped by year throughout the four volumes. Volume I includes a detailed introduction providing information about the bibliographical methodology as well as information that will be useful for the first-time user of these volumes regarding the format of the Books Received 132 bibliography. Volume IV includes a personal name index. Barnett notes that many of the entries found in these volumes cannot be located through electronic on-line public access catalogs, such as MeLCat or WorldCat. Bryan Whitledge Central Michigan University LeRoy G. Barnett. Michigan State Government Documents: A Researcher’s Guide to Indexes, Finding Aids, and Reference Tools. East Lansing: Michigan State University Library, 2013. Michigan State Government Documents is a bibliography created by LeRoy G. Barnett dedicated to locating State of Michigan documents found in the Library of Michigan or the Archives of Michigan. Barnett wished for an inventory to open up more pathways into Michigan research after he noticed a scarcity in researchers investing their time in the state. He took it upon himself to create that list, paving a road much smoother for those who wish to delve into Michigan’s history. This helpful work lists 33 categories from ‘Agriculture’ to ‘Women’ with stops at such listings as ‘Courts,’ ‘Health,’ ‘Public Safety,’ and dozens more. A true boon to Michigan researchers. Casey Gamble Central Michigan University Michael H. Hodges. Michigan’s Historic Railroad Stations. Detroit: Wayne State University, 2012. Pp. 186. Illustrations. Cloth, $39.95. Before Michigan became the state people most associate with the automobile, it had a long and rich history of railroad traffic. Writer and photographer Michael H. Hodge’s Michigan’s Historic Railroad Stations traces this history through a collection of photos detailing how depots, built between 1890 and 1925, have survived a century in which the automobile has replaced the train as the state’s most important form of transportation. A few of his subjects are still functioning depots, others have new uses, and a few are abandoned. Hodges presents his study on a case-by-case basis, juxtaposing his photos with historical pictures, postcards, and accounts of each building’s history. Michigan’s Historic Books Received 133 Railroad Stations will be sure to delight both railroad fans and lovers of historic buildings. Thomas Darragh Central Michigan University Jason Karlawish. Open Wound: The Tragic Obsession of Dr. William Beaumont. Ann Arbor: University...