Absentee Landowning and Exploitation in West Virginia, 1760-1920 [Hardcover]

Barbara Rasmussen (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A thought-provoking and frequently insightful work that will contribute significantly to the ongoing scholarly debate concerning the roots of Appalachian dependency." -- Journal of Appalachian Studies

"The book is consistently and appropriately engaged in present-day political concerns and ends with a prescription to revise West Virginia tax codes. Both activists and scholars can benefit from Rasmussen's research." -- Register of the Kentucky Historical Society

Product Details

• Hardcover: 232 pages
• Publisher: The University Press of Kentucky (October 25, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0813118808
• ISBN-13: 978-0813118802
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,637,908 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Rasmussen's Book Tells a Basic Truth of West Viriginia, April 17, 2005

By 

H.M. Joyce "wv mountaineer" (Lake Charles, LA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Absentee Landowning and Exploitation in West Virginia, 1760-1920 (Hardcover)

Anyone with any rudimentary knowledge of West Virginia history will appreciate this work by Barbara Rasmussen. A basic trait of most humans is that they will take care of the land they own and depend on for their existence. They will also have a sense of community unlike the many industrial giants that took advantage of not only West Virginia but many other parts of our country. West Virginia history is sadly filled with exploitation of the state's people and resources. Industrialism in West Virginia proved once again that without a sense of responsibility for helping your workers grow both personally and financially you breed a population of dependents and you end up with socialism. This lead to the Great Depression and we are just now climbing out of the socialist mess it left behind. I recommend that you read Rasmussen's book and decide for yourself where the truth lies.

2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Amateur work, March 18, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Absentee Landowning and Exploitation in West Virginia, 1760-1920 (Hardcover)

This appears to be the senior thesis of a struggling C or D student. The writing is very poor and it appears that the writer decided what conclusions she would reach and then fit all the facts to reach that conclusion, and failed to consider other sides of the issue. A very one-sided, polemic and unintellectual book.

2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Rigged methodology and BAD history, January 7, 2002

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Absentee Landowning and Exploitation in West Virginia, 1760-1920 (Hardcover)

The work of a biased amateur with no sense of the true West Virginia. The methodology is poorly conceived and rigged to yield the author's desired outcome. This book is a classic example of how not to do history.