Customer Reviews

The Oregon Companion: An Historical Gazetteer of the Useful, the Curious, and the Arcane

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I love this book! And, clearly, for Mr. Engeman, writing it was a labor of love..it shines through on every page. I have never been much of a "place booster": You know, the type who says, "our state (or city, etc.) is the best!" As a native Oregonian, I realize that my state, like all others, comprises beauty, wonder, the mundane, ugliness, and everything in between. From the indescribable Columbia Gorge to the strip mall, we have it.

But The Oregon Companion helps me see our state with new eyes. It contains over 400 pages of historical information, trivia, wonderful photographs (I could swear I saw some of those exact scenes from the back window of my grandparents' car!) and revelation. Its alphabetical arrangement makes it easy to access exactly what you're looking for, and boldfaced words indicate cross-references within the book itself.

The book's subtitle says it all: this is no dry historical tome. Rather it is written with wit and verve by someone who knows what he is talking about and has a blast doing it. I look forward to many happy hours of reading Mr. Engeman's take on areas I am familiar with, as well as learning what I don't know (yet). And like all great works, it inspires me to want to learn more.

And, while I am sure Mr. Engeman did not have this as his goal, he has solved my gift-giving dilemmas for years to come: it is hard to imagine a friend or family member who would NOT love this book!

Right now I feel like getting in my car with this book and just driving all over Oregon to see what I have been missing.

I only wish every state should be so lucky as to have a "companion" like this one. Perhaps with this inspiration, they will!

I thought I knew Oregon... I went to college there, I lived there for a total of 7 years, I led a tour there, but this book showed me how little of the State I had grasped. This book is written by a scholar of the State's history, places, and culture, who has found something to say about every dot on the map. The title is apt, and I will carry it with me the next time I visit.

What a great read! I like short, fun, informative, useful and useless books like this sometimes. It is like reading small town newspapers from all over the state. It was a delight to read about some of the places that I had visited as a child. Some are still around (places at the beach) and some are not (Lambert Gardens). The stories are interesting and fun enough to reel in teenagers as well as adults. I mean, who can resist Jake the Alligator Man? My only regret is that I can't find a similar book for Washington.

My daughter and son in law had recently moved to Oregon and not being very familar with the area, I thought this book would provide them with a starting point as to what to do and where to go. A report from them indicates this book was very helpful and interesting.

One of the selling points of this volume is its presentation of rare antique photographs. In the sample, at least half of the images render very faintly of the kindle screen. It appears the originals were sepiatone and not converted in any way for the kindle edition.

This book is intersting espically about old oregon areas of long ago and no longer around.