Valley of Opportunity recreates an age when Indians; colonists; and post-Revolutionary settlers embraced a similar dream: to create a successful economy in the rural hinterland of the middle colonies. Peter C. Mancall draws on abundant evidence from seldom-used archives in the region; as well as from libraries on both sides of the Atlantic; to reconstruct their daily economic life.The author describes the varied economic transformations that took place in the area; considering these changes from an environmental as well as an economic standpoint. He shows how different groups of people perceived the resources of the region and how their perceptions shaped settlement patterns; land use; and the formation of commercial networks. Ultimately; each of the three peoples looked beyond the mountains that set the boundaries of their physical world and tried to establish ties to the larger commercial network that linked North America to Europe.Mancall offers connections between the development of a particular region; previously overlooked by most historians; and the wide pattern of American economic change. He breaks through old ethnocentric barriers of settlement history by portraying Indian people in their full diversity and by including Indians and whites as actors of comparable significance; and he shows how attitudes that developed in the colonial period affected economic patterns well beyond the Revolution. Integrating a range of disciplines; from anthropology through ecology and geography to zoology; he seeks to answer the questions: what did different groups of people make of the natural resources of this river valley and how did they allocate the rewards? His answers provide a novel overview of the economic culture of the eighteenth century.Studded with sharp insights and attention-catching quotations that mirror everyday life of the times; Valley of Opportunity will appeal to those interested in the development of the American economy; the impact of the Revolution on urban Americans; and the relations between the peoples who together created a vibrant world along the edges of European settlement in North America.
#851648 in Books Cornell University Press 2010-04-08Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.06 x .84 x 5.48l; .94 #File Name: 0801448751240 pages
Review
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful. Take this journey and be transformed.By RobThis is one of the most profound books you could ever read about transformation. The author approaches it through a depth psychological perception of the Egyptian's beliefs about death; and how the netherworld journey was a transformation that resulted in rebirth. This book took me about ten months to read during a very difficult passage in my own life. But by the author's understanding of the religion of Ancient Egypt as well as the regenerative powers of the human unconscious; he has provide a map for rebirth; and given a symbol that would help anybody taking this trip. And to have a symbol will allow you to endure anything. Read this book carefully; let it work on you. Jung said; "Death surrounds life; like Night surrounds the day." And at times; the night will impose itself on your daytime consciousness. But it does not seek to destroy you; it seeks to transform your daytime consciousness into something richer and more profound. ....2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. ExcellentBy LRI used this book for a research paper. Very pleased with the comprehensive; well researched and immediately applicable information. One of the best introductions to the Books of the Amduat from a Jungian psychological persepective.13 of 14 people found the following review helpful. A Transforming Experience; Thom F. Cavalli; Ph.D.; author of Embodying Osiris; the Secrets of Alchemical TransformationBy Thom F. Cavalli PhDI wish I could add as many stars as one finds in the tombs at the Valley of the Kings. This is a superb book that should be read slowly while sipping tea. Having just completed my own book on Osiris and all the research involved in that project; I thought it was time for a break. Instead; at the suggestion of a dear friend; I picked up The Sungod's Journey and could not put it down. While there are many excellent books on ancient Egypt; it takes someone as gifted as Andreas to recast old interpretations into a new and exciting paradigm. While Andreas stirs up his views of the Amduat in a Jungian vas; anyone with an appreciation for Depth will come away transformed after drinking down this powerful potion. Andreas keen insights; his alchemical allusions; eloquent writing and wisdom carefully guides the reader through the maze of the underworld; the duat; by one who knows the landscape. As the reader emerges from the darkness; he or she cannot but celebrate the transformation that has occurred. A simply brilliant book!Embodying Osiris: The Secrets of Alchemical Transformation
