define the character of Rappahannock County and much of

define the character of Rappahannock County and much of Virginia are the backdrop of these profiles, focusing on real people and their relationship to the land and the forests.

Author Chris Bolgiano, who lives in the Shenandoah Valley, concentrates on efforts to maintain and enhance the life of the mountain forests.

8. Mosby’s Confederacy: A Guide to the Roads and Sites of Colonel Joh® Singleton Mosby, by Thomas J. Evans and James M. Moyer (paperback, $14.95).

Confederate cavalry raider Mosby, the legendary “Gray Ghost” of the Civil War, remains a popular folk hero in these parts of Virginia where he and his partisanraiders harassed Union forces.

This guidebook, rich with pictures and maps, presents detailed descriptions and tours of “Mosby’s Confederacy,” showing the places where Mosby and his men rode, fought, hid and rested. Driving directions provide . clear, how-tofind-it information.

9. Shenandoah Secrets: The Story of the Park’s Hidden Past, by Carolyn and Jack Reeder (paperback, $12.95). This is a fascinating look at the mountainside culture and society that was displaced by Shenandoah National Park in the 1930s.

Brimming with photos of the people, old homes, mills, stills, stores and taverns that once thrived in the hills and hollows, the book is a glimpse at a past that should not be forgotten, and a people who lost their land.

10. When the Root Children Wake Up, by Audrey Wood and Ned Bittinger (hardcover, 16.95).

This children’s book features the beautifully colored illustrations of artist Ned Bittinger, who lived in Rappahannock County for years before moving to Santa Fe, NM.

Based on an old German story about birth and rebirth, the book tells the tale of the “root children” who live in the hollow of an old tree in winter and arise in spring to frolic through the beauties of '' spring, summer and fall.