A History of the Amish: Revised and Updated
The author, currently a historical interpreter (i.e., a historian and a kind of tour guide) in the Amish country of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, successfully presents the entire history of the Amish since 1525 while avoiding both the overly sentimental approach of much popular writing and the anti-Amish bias of the rest. Nolt's emphasis on the role of "shunning" may strike some scholars as overly strong, but he is otherwise quite convincing. John Hostetler's Amish Roots ( LJ 11/1/89) provides a good selection of primary sources; Nolt puts these views in context, while including enough primary material to depict vividly the Amish way of life and beliefs. There are other more detailed and scholarly works about various aspects of the subject, but this is the only recent general history. It is marred, however, by a somewhat confusing organization and bland style. Nevertheless, in view of the general public's appalling lack of knowledge on the subject, this is an essential purchase.- James H. Sweetland, SLIS, Univ. of Wisconsin-MilwaukeeCopyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.