""Kentucky III"" is filled with crisp, evocative images: the delicacy of dogwood trees in full bloom, the magnificence of fine thoroughbreds, the view of rolling hills from a gracious antebellum porch.

The award-winning team of photographer James Archambeault and writer Dr. Thomas D. Clark captures the magic of Kentucky.

Renowned photographer James Archambeault has the rare ability to capture the historic, archival, and artistic aspects of his photographic subjects. His award-winning craft is evident in the careful selection of time, season, and subjects in his beloved Kentucky. In his new book, he preserves the landscapes, buildings, and sights of old Kentucky as many of them fall into neglect, become irreversibly altered, or disappear completely. In addition to his essay describing the early settlement of Kentucky, Archambeault explains the historical and cultural significance of each of the more than 100 color photographs. Some of these subjects are well-preserved historic landmarks, such as White Hall in Madison County and "My Old Kentucky Home" in Bardstown. Others support the daily life and work of Kentuckians, such as a Sunday afternoon celebration of a baptism in Jessamine Creek or friends sharing their thoughts on a warm February day in Sharpsburg, Bath County. The passing of a previous way of life resonates in photographs of a drive-in theater, mom-and-pop grocery store, covered bridges, and old farm houses. Archambeault captures the friction between the historic Kentucky and its future, such as grain silos from the 1930s standing within view of a new subdivision in Shelby County or the Joseph Ewing log cabin in Scott County bordering the site of a future industrial park. James Archambeault's Historic Kentucky is a photographic elegy to the scenic treasures of our culture. Including a foreword by Wendell Berry, the book also reminds us of our responsibility to serve as stewards for Kentucky's rich history and historic places.

The third of #1 New York Times bestselling author Fern Michaels’s novels set in the bluegrass, horseracing country of Kentucky. Nobody can measure up to Nealy Coleman Diamond’s standards as a trainer, not even her daughter Emmie, who now runs the family’s Blue Diamond Farms. When Nealy she returns to the stables for a family reunion, she realizes that Emmie has let the farm slide and has picked a small, gutsy colt to send to the Derby—a nice horse, but clearly the wrong one. Suddenly Nealy is back in the game, ready to prove she’s not too old to back a winner—even if means taking on another colt as her own personal project. Now Emmie and Nealy engage in an unstoppable rivalry, one that may irreparably damage their relationship. Each is determined to win—no matter what the dangers, no matter what the cost.

On any given day, more than forty thousand horses roam the fields of the Bluegrass, and there are more than five hundred horse farms in the region known for its rich soil and rolling hills. Kentucky Horse Country: Images of the Bluegrass is renowned photographer James Archambeault's pictorial portrait of the natural beauty of Kentucky's Bluegrass region and the thriving thoroughbred industry for which it is famous. The book contains more than 150 full-color images ranging from tender scenes of mares and foals grazing, to the excitement of race day at Keeneland, to gorgeous landscapes of pristine white fences enclosing lush pastures. The region has long been associated with the best achievements of the equine world. In 1871, a horse named Lexington was foaled in Scott County, and many famous thoroughbreds can trace their lineage back to this great sire. Having photographed the bluegrass for decades, Archambeault is intimately familiar with the backstretch and the barns, the fields and the foals, that are known around the world. In the course of his career, he has been able to see many of the legendary horses that have made horse racing so exciting and popular: Affirmed, Alydar, Spectacular Bid, Secretariat, Seattle Slew, and Cigar. Rare photographs of these and other racing royalty are included in the book. The handsome barns and well-tended pastures found throughout central Kentucky have been the home to international racing champions, and now individuals from all over the world, including England, Ireland, Japan, Dubai, and Saudi Arabia, have a stake in the region's flourishing horse industry. As preeminent racing historian Edward L. Bowen notes in his introduction, "It is a special place where the ruler of Dubai and a stable groom have something in common; the queen of England can admire a leathery old jockey; a philanthropist and a veterinary professor have the same goals; and a $2 bettor celebrates at the same moment that a corporate CEO grits his teeth in disappointment." The vibrant photographs in Kentucky Horse Country are accompanied by Archambeault's captions and narrative descriptions, as well by a lively introduction to the history of thoroughbreds in the Bluegrass by Bowen. The book also includes a foreword by Kentucky native Steve Cauthen, the youngest jockey to win the Triple Crown, who once again calls the Bluegrass his home. James Archambeault's latest work is a Kentucky triple crown for those who love horses and horse racing, for those who revel in the magical beauty of the Bluegrass, and for those who are looking for a grand introduction to what makes this region so unique.

During the Great Depression of the 1930s thousands of writers were hired by the Works Project Administration to create hundreds of guidebooks on all of the states in the U.S. These volumes that were produced became known as the American Guide Series. This series has been described as the biggest, fastest and most original research job in the history of the world. No library collection in Kentucky would be complete without a copy of Kentucky: A Guide To The Bluegrass State.