The Indiana Way: A State History [Paperback]

James H. Madison (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 22, 1990 | ISBN-10: 025320609X | ISBN-13: 978-0253206091

"This is a splendid example of how to write well balanced, highly readable state history." -- The Old Northwest

"Madison has succeeded as have few other authors of state histories in blending modern scholarly concerns with the traditional narrative historiography of his state. This book is in many ways a model state history." -- Choice

"Neither too detailed and provincial, nor too broad and comparative, The Indiana Way adopts an integrated analytical approach, but also includes some narrative and biography." -- Journal of American History

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This is a splendid example of how to write well balanced, highly readable state history." —The Old Northwest

(The Old Northwest )

"Neither too detailed and provincial, nor too broad and comparative, The Indiana Way adopts an integrated analytical approach, but also includes some narrative and biography." —Journal of American History

(Journal of American History )

"Madison has succeeded as have few other authors of state histories in blending modern scholarly concerns with the traditional narrative historiography of his state. This book is in many ways a model state history." —Choice

(Choice )

Product Details

• Paperback: 364 pages
• Publisher: Indiana University Press (August 22, 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 025320609X
• ISBN-13: 978-0253206091
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #699,354 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good read, June 7, 2007

By 

K Lee "HLOB" (wisconsin) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Indiana Way: A State History (Paperback)

Those that are looking for a general overview of history, in the state of Indiana, will get what they are looking for. Well written and researched. I would have liked to have seen more individual accounts, but that is only a personal preference.

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great State History Reference, November 1, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: The Indiana Way: A State History (A Midland Book) (Hardcover)

As a local history buff, I was pleased to encounter this book at the bookstore. Professor Madison does a nice job outlining Indiana's history in a way that the average arm-chair historian can understand without any difficulty whatsoever. The first section is devoted to the land and the early people who inhabited the land. He does a great job getting the geographical history down in a concise manner. It's easy to ramble about the topic, but Madison does a nice job of being brief, but also impeccable with content. He covers all the bases.
I particulary enjoy the social history, which talks about race-relations and also about people who helped form the State.

Most major events in American History are taken from the Hoosier perspective as well. While reading, you can tell that Madison has a particular love for the State of Indiana. He writes about it in such a way that demonstrates his admiration for the early settlers, but also he looks at them from a realistic point of view. He does not write history from rose-colored glasses, and writes in a honest and refreshing sort of way.

My only complaint would be that there needs to be more pictures. I do have to add that the photos included are obviously carefully selected, as they make silent statements in themselves. For example, the one of Klan members exiting a church in rural Knox, Indiana, or the one of a one-room delapitated school house in northern Clinton Co. He did a great job in selecting appropriate photos... I only wish there were more.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Quite frankly a dissapointment, April 5, 2008

By 

wogan "the book reader" - See all my reviews
(TOP 50 REVIEWER)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Indiana Way: A State History (A Midland Book) (Hardcover)

I really thought I was overreacting to the lack of some information in this book, so I gave it to another Hoosier who is well versed in Indiana history and they agreed with me. What is contained in the pages is good; however I found a huge lack of content concerning the more northern sections of the state. The effect of the railroad - after all Indiana for the main years of rail travel was one of the more important sections of rail travel between the east and the west, it had the largest and most modern switching yards in the world. Indiana also was a huge manufacturer of band instruments, it also had one of the main pharmaceutical labs in the world, producing vitamins, Alka-Seltzer. There is no mention at all of one of the larger cities in the northern section that contained all of the previously mentioned items - Elkhart. How can you give a state history and leave out such a significant city?