This State of Wonders: The Letters of an Iowa Frontier Family, 1858-1861

"This fascinating collection of 75 letters, written by members of the John Hugh Williams family to son and brother James Madison Williams, provides intimate glimpses into frontier life...Through the letters readers share the uncertainties of the Iowa climate, the importance of education (both formal schooling and the considerable access to newspapers and literary works), the shared New Church (Swedenborgian) religious faith, the concern for a daughter's health, the sense of isolation, and the pain of separation from a loved family member...a worthwhile collection, judiciously edited and with a solid interpretative foreword and epilogue."—Choice