Appalachia is not only defined by its magnificent landscape, but also by the unique traditions that define its culture. The Appalachian people place a strong emphasis on the communal understanding of their heritage, using story-telling and oral history to ensure that information and traditions are passed from generation to generation.

Drawing from her lengthy experience as an educator, Linda Hager Pack employs a new way to pass on Appalachia's heritage to the newest audiences. Her book A is for Appalachia: The Alphabet Book of Appalachian Heritage introduces young readers to the alphabet and simultaneously provides a lesson in Appalachian history and heritage. The book presents an array of information about topics such as Appalachian music, quilts, happenings, and farmsteads, and it even includes samples of "haint" stories and traditional folktales.

Each letter of the alphabet is accompanied by an item or phrase that embodies an essential part of Appalachian culture. Pack expands on these ideas with short explanations written in her own voice that clearly explain that aspect of the region. In addition to Pack's text, master watercolorist Pat Banks provides the book with whimsical illustrations that endearingly portray the history of Appalachia, depicting the people, places, and things that have helped to characterize the region.

Using the most fundamental element of the English language, Pack's book creates an enthralling narrative that takes readers back through the history of a diverse and complex region. Adults and children alike, whether native to the region or not, will enjoy this nostalgic look into the past and will come away with a better knowledge of the origins of Appalachian heritage.

Linda Hager Pack, an educator for twenty-two years, teaches children's literature at Eastern Kentucky University. She received the prestigious Ashland Oil Teacher Award in 1996.

Pat Banks, a master watercolorist, is a Kentucky Guild of Artists and Craftsmen member, a Kentucky Arts Council roster artist, and a Kentucky Craft Marketing Program participant.

MORE INFORMATION:

A is for Appalachia

Linda Hager Pack, Illustrated by Pat Banks

$16.95 cloth

The 28^th annual Kentucky Book Fair will be taking place at the Frankfort Convention Center in Frankfort, Kentucky on Saturday, November 7. According to the Book Fair's website, the Kentucky Book Fair was established in 1981 to honor the profession of writing and to provide the opportunity for authors to meet with their reading public. The event, sponsored by theState Journal and co-sponsored by the Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives and the University Press of Kentucky, also raises money from book sales to donate to local school and public libraries. The Book Fair, which will be taking place from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., will feature more than 150 local, regional, and national authors. Admission to the event is free, and several UPK authors will be appearing to promote their works.

·     James C. Klotter and Freda C. Klotter, A Concise History of Kentucky and other books

·     Kolan Morelock, Taking the Town: Collegiate and Community Culture in the Bluegrass, 1880-1917

·     James Archambeault, James Archambeault's Historic Kentucky, Kentucky Horse Country: Images of the Bluegrass

·     Silas House and Jason Howard, Something's Rising: Appalachians Fighting Mountaintop Removal

·     Jim Tomlinson, Nothing Like an Ocean: Stories

·     Mary Ann Taylor-Hall, At The Breakers: A Novel, Come and Go, Molly Snow: A Novel

·     Richard Taylor, Sue Mundy: A Novel of the Civil War

·     James E. "Ted" Bassett and Bill Mooney, Keeneland's Ted Bassett: My Life

·     Susan Reigler and Pam Spaulding, The Complete Guide to Kentucky State Parks

·     Joy Perrine and Susan Reigler, The Kentucky Bourbon Cocktail Book

·     Linda Allison-Lewis, Kentucky's Best: Fifty Years of Great Recipes and Kentucky Cooks: Favorite Recipes from Kentucky Living

·     Nancy Disher Baird, Josie Underwood's Civil War Diary and other books

·     Melba Porter Hay, Madeline McDowell Breckinridge and the Battle for a New South and other books

·     Arwen Donahue and Rebecca Gayle Howell, This is Home Now: Kentucky's Holocaust Survivors Speak

·     Catherine Fosl and Tracy E. K'Meyer, Freedom on the Border: An Oral History of the Civil Rights Movement in Kentucky

·     Tracy E. K'Meyer, Civil Rights in the Gateway to the South: Louisville, Kentucky, 1945-1980

·     Paul A. Tenkotte and James C. Claypool, The Encyclopedia of Northern Kentucky

·     Jeff Worley, What Comes Down to Us: 25 Contemporary Kentucky Poets

·     Chris Holbrook, Upheaval: Stories

·     William Lynwood Montell, Tales from Kentucky Funeral Homes and other books

·     James McCormick and Macy Wyatt, Ghosts of the Bluegrass

·     Linda Hager Pack and Pat Banks, A is for Appalachia: The Alphabet Book of Appalachian Heritage

·     Thomas G. Barnes, Rare Wildflowers of Kentucky and other books

·     George Ella Lyon, With a Hammer for My Heart: A Novel and other books

·     Martha Layne Collins, The Public Papers of Governor Martha Layne Collins, 1983-1987

As the abundant life of summer quickly fades and the weather cools, the days shorten, and the leaves turn, tales of the frightening, unknown, and macabre return to the forefront of the mind. People have always been fascinated with death and what might come afterwards, and the Halloween season consistently reawakens this interest in understanding the morbid and uncovering the supernatural.

While many people are familiar with the concept of death, few understand how it is managed within society. Folklorist and oral historian William Lynwood Montell explores the business of death in his latest work, Tales from Kentucky Funeral Homes, offering readers entertaining, often hilarious, and occasionally poignant accounts that provide unique glimpses into an often overlooked but vital profession. Through its use of personal accounts and descriptions, the book reveals an insider's perspective of the funeral business, compiling anecdotes and recollections from funeral home directors and embalmers with lifetimes of experience serving families throughout the Commonwealth.

While many people are unfamiliar with the funeral home business, almost everyone has come in contact with ghost stories. Through numerous first-hand accounts of the supernatural and passed-down tales of lore, James McCormick & Macy Wyatt's new book, Ghosts of the Bluegrass, offers a glimpse of the mysterious, interesting, and often terrifying side of Central Kentucky that is certain to force many readers to keep a light on at night. McCormick and Wyatt taught a course together at Georgetown College on interviewing techniques, and decided to use ghost and death lore as the vehicle for teaching these skills. The book is a compilation of stories collected by twenty-three students that not only present inexplicable ghost stories but also relate the history of a region and the colorful people who call Kentucky home.

William Lynwood Montell, professor emeritus of folk studies at Western Kentucky University, is the author of many books, including Tales from Kentucky Lawyers, Tales from Kentucky Doctors,and Haunted Houses and Family Ghosts of Kentucky.

James McCormick, professor emeritus of art at Georgetown College, has participated in many international art competitions and invitationals, curated more than fifty exhibits, and served as a consultant to the Kentucky Arts Commission.

Macy Wyatt is professor emeritus of psychology at Georgetown College. She was instrumental in establishing the Counseling Center at Georgetown College.http://www.georgetowncollege.edu/

MORE INFORMATION:

Tales From Kentucky Funeral Homes

William Lynwood Montell

$24.95 cloth

Ghosts of the Bluegrass

James McCormick and Macy Wyatt

$19.95 paper

As fall descends upon us, we are reminded that Thanksgiving is fast approaching. In Kentucky's Best: Fifty Years of Great Recipes, newly released in paperback, Linda Allison-Lewis provides readers with unique recipes for all courses that are perfect for every fall table-spread. Below is an excerpt from the cook book containing the recipe for Pumpkin Crunch, a favorite dessert created at the White Pillars Bed and Breakfast in Russell Springs, Kentucky.

Pumpkin Crunch

2 cups cooked and mashed pumpkin

12 ounces evaporated milk

3 eggs, lightly beaten

1 cup sugar

4 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

½ teaspoon salt

1 yellow butter cake mix

1 cup quick-cook oats or 1 cup chopped nuts

½ pound (2 sticks) butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix pumpkin, evaporated milk, eggs, sugar, pumpkin pie spice, and salt together. Pour into buttered 13 x 9 x 2-inch cake pan. Sprinkle dry cake mix and oats or nuts over top. Pour melted butter over top of mixture. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes. Serve warm, with whipped topping if desired.

Yield: 12 servings

Linda Allison-Lewis is the food columnist for Kentucky Living magazine and the author of Kentucky Cooks: Favorite Recipes from Kentucky Living.

MORE INFORMATION:

Kentucky's Best: Fifty Years of Great Recipes

Linda Allison-Lewis

$19.95 paper