by Joseph Ruckman.  Softbound, 63 pages, 5” x 8”.  This small volume encompasses a wide range of valuable information in an easily readable format, and serves as a great primer for “brushing up” on frontier America.  The book opens with a broad overview of the 18th century environment in which the longhunters lived, and then moves on to the clothing, weapons, and equipment that they relied on during their sojourns through the trackless forests of the 18th century.  The author’s use of either primary or well-researched secondary sources provides a firm foundation for his work.  His personal experience recreating the life of a mid-1700’s woodsman is evident throughout the book and adds much to its character for those who read between the lines.  In short, there is no doubt that Ruckman’s collaboration with Cathy Johnson’s Graphics/Fine Arts Press has produced a great little reference book which deserves a place on the bookshelf of every serious student of the 18th century longhunter.