Having been a scholar of Western European history for many decades, I had managed to convince myself that American history was boring not on the same level. Reading this book has demonstrated I have clearly been misguided. After seeing a delightful documentary about the Catskills, known as the Borsht Belt and the Sour Cream Alps, I purchased this book. We are talking mid-twentieth here and the author served as a talking head in the film. My interest had been piqued.

I have fond memories of my parents taking me to see Walt Disney’s animated film The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad (I am showing my age here) based on a story by Washington Irving. The headless horseman seemed pretty spooky at my young age. At the time, I did not realize the setting was the Catskills. Then, movie director Michael Mann created what I consider the ultimate version of James Fenimore Cooper’s Last of the Mohicans in 1992. Romantic and filled with realistic battle scenes, the mountains of North Carolina were used to recreate the Catskills for the story’s setting.

Certainly battles and war make history interesting and Silverman and Silver relate how the fighting impacted the Catskills geographic area during the American Revolution. But even more interesting is their insight into the cultural, social and artistic history. The stories of the lives of Washington Irving, James Fenimore Cooper and the artist Thomas Cole, considered one of the founding fathers of the Hudson River School, are distinctly American stories. This was an era when the newly independent nation and its people were finding their way in deciding what it meant to be American. Pretty riveting stuff.

The era of the Borsht Belt, as depicted, makes me smile. What is more fun than learning how Americans spent their summer vacations. And how many of our favorite artists got their start performing in the hotels of the Catskills? Too many to count.

 The Catskills is full of pleasant surprises and tantalizing historical facts, especially about certain personalities. The book is fully illustrated with paintings and pictures, adding pizazz to the writing. This book has restored my interest in American history.