Books by Jeffrey Adams

The valleys of the Juniata River occupy the very heart of the state of Pennsylvania. This ecosystem is a substantial contributor to the great Chesapeake watershed that drains a major portion of the continent. Ancient Native American pathways along the Juniata gave way to an early turnpike and soon welcomed a canal. With much fanfare, the Pennsylvania Railroad chose the Juniata Valley as the choice route to unify the state. The land that provided iron, lead, and pure silica sand at the start of the Industrial Revolution today provides hiking trails. The waterways that once hauled grain to market are now a destination for millions each year seeking relaxation and recreation. Through vintage photographs and images culled from albums and attics, Juniata's River Valleys lends a glimpse at life in earlier times along one of America's most spectacular waterways.

The films of the Coen brothers have become a contemporary cultural phenomenon. Highly acclaimed and commercially successful, over the years their movies have attracted increasingly larger audiences and spawned a subculture of dedicated fans. Shunning fame and celebrity, Ethan and Joel Coen remain maverick filmmakers, producing and directing independent films outside the Hollywood mainstream in a unique style combining classic genres like film noir with black comedy to tell off-beat stories about America and the American Dream. This study surveys Oscar-winning films, such as Fargo (1996) and No Country for Old Men (2007), as well as cult favorites, including O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000) and The Big Lebowski (1998). Beginning with Blood Simple (1984), it examines major themes and generic constructs and offers diverse approaches to the Coens' enigmatic films. Pointing to the pulp fiction of Dashiell Hammett, James M. Cain, and Raymond Chandler, the study appreciates the postmodern aesthetics of the Coens' intertextual creativity.