Old Order Amish: Their Enduring Way of Life (Center Books in Anabaptist Studies) - Hardcover

Donald B. Kraybill

3.86

7 ratings by Goodreads

9780801844263: Old Order Amish: Their Enduring Way of Life (Center Books in Anabaptist Studies)

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0801844266 ISBN 13: 9780801844263

Publisher: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1993

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Here at last is an authentic portrait of the Amish, in striking photographs and honest accounts of their daily concerns and enduring traditions. Photographer Lucian Niemeyer earned the trust and friendship of Amish families by helping to harvest crops on their farms in Pennsylvania's Lancaster County, site of one of the oldest Amish settlements in North America. After "many backbreaking days" in the fields, he gained acceptance in a community that draws sharp lines of separation from the outside world--and has, by tradition, shunned photography. With the encouragement of his Amish friends who welcomed the chance to correct inaccurate accounts of Amish ways, Niemeyer began to assemble this honest and sensitive photographic record. He worked without filters or darkroom manipulations, using only natural light. The results are unprecedented--photographs of families, community gatherings, even the seldom seen interiors of Amish homes and schools. These unique images capture the deliberate simplicity and the natural beauty that characterize Amish life in Lancaster County.

In the accompanying text, Donald Kraybill--author of the highly acclaimed Riddle of Amish Culture--tells the often surprising story of today's Old Order Amish. His introduction provides a sweeping overview of Amish life in North America and explains how a traditional people have managed not merely to survive but to flourish in the midst of modern life. In thirty-five "vignettes" throughout the book, Kraybill explains Amish views on issues ranging from "Childbirth" and "Women Entrepreneurs" to "The Riddles of Farm Machinery," "Sowing Wild Oats," and "The Politics of Separation." His concluding essay examines why modern observers are so drawn to the Amish and their traditional values.

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About the Author:

Lucian Niemeyer was born in Essen, Germany, and was an executive for Volkswagen of America before becoming a full-time photographer in 1986. His photographs have appeared in numerous magazines and exhibits, and in his books, Chesapeake Country and Long-Legged Wading Birds of the North American Wetlands. Donald B. Kraybill grew up in a Mennonite family on a dairy farm in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. His many books include The Riddle of Amish Culture, The Amish and the State, and Amish Enterprise. He is professor of sociology and Anabaptist Studies at Messiah College.

Review:

"Impressive... This handsome book confines itself to the Amish country of Lancaster, Pa., but delves far more deeply into the families' life, philosophy, and customs." -- Parade

"The combined talents of Niemeyer and Kraybill result in a portrayal of the Amish that gets way beyond the stereotypes and the superficial." -- Philadelphia Inquirer

"A vivid, 200-page study that focuses on the whys and hows of Amish culture. Billed as a plain look at a romanticized people, the book offers an uncompromising view of the Lancaster Amish through Niemeyer's 35mm Leica." -- Lancaster Sunday News

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