Fisher is a very good writer, very smooth and easy and for a book that is basically history, it is a breeze. She alternates anecdotes and facts with her own ideas and interpretations and exhibits lots of basic common sense, tact, and charm along the way.

Some aspects of Vermont character that Fisher describes were already anachronistic by the time she was writing in the 50’s. She lavishes attention on stuff that feels truly ancient now - an entire afterword on the ins and outs of the New York/ Vermont Land battle, Landlords vs Free ownership. For her the emotional and economic fall-out from the civil war, was a vivid memory of her childhood as the people who lived through it were still alive and talking about it. She talks about the deeply held belief in the value of each human individual regardless of origin that led to a crippling economic and physical commitment to the Civil War. After, there was an exodus followed by an influx of folks of other ethnic origins than the mostly English/Scottish settled in Vermont up to that time. She describes the potash boom, the merino sheep boom (and busts), the advent of the charming Morgan horse. Now, those matters are part of a barely remembered past, like the stone walls and cellar holes you encounter in the deep woods.

As I read, having lived in Vermont off and on for 30 years, I was constantly asking myself: “How has it changed?” “Are these things still true?” “Can they remain true?”

The Vermont I know endured a second influx of new people, starting as a trickle in the late 50’s into a flood by the late sixties, mostly from the Northeast states. Most of these people have strong dreams and ideals of going back to the land, living conscientiously, and making do. Traditional farms are now far and few between, although many people cultivate unusual plants and animals. Most villages have plenty of suburban characteristics. None, frankly, can supply all of your needs: pharmacies have mostly been scooped into a department of the big supermarkets that are, for many, a half-hour drive away; doctors tend to cluster together; even schools are a hefty drive for most. So village life is fragmented and people do not know each other as they did. Good and bad. Vermont has Walmart after putting up a fierce fight and getting some concessions (the stores are actually downtown in both Rutland and St. Johnsbury).

So what remains of the traditions she describes? Independence. Yes. Unpredictability. Yes. A spirit of entrepreneurship. Yes. Toughness. Yes. Tolerance. Yes. Social commitment (to ideas as well as practical matters). Yes. What has changed mostly, is manner of expression of those traditions - the Walmart fight would be one, sending a socialist to Washington would be another, at the same time Vermont voters often seem to work for contradictory ends, say, reducing spending while simultaneously fprging ahead with some social or green agenda or other, sometimes mystifying to onlookers. For all that this is not a very sunny state, there are probably more solar panels here per capita than other places. And those things happen not because the state is wealthy, but because the people in it aren’t afraid to try new things or stand up to to the big guys, corporations and developers and sometimes, their own fears.

Is it paradise? No. Ask me that in March and I’ll probably cry.

To read Vermont Tradition at this time was a perfect accompaniment to my return here, a reminder of all that I love about the place (with the exception of March.) If you enjoy American history, especially about New England, you'll love it. ***** ( )