Here, at last, is an authentic portrait of the Amish, in striking photographs and honest accounts of their daily concerns and enduring traditions. Photographer Lucian Niemeyer earned the trust and friendship of Amish families by helping to harvest crops on their farms in Pennsylvania’s Lancaster County, the site of one of the oldest Amish settlements in North America. After “many backbreaking days” in the fields, he gained acceptance in a community that draws sharp lines of separation from the outside world–and has, by tradition, shunned photography. Niemeyer began to assemble this honest and sensitive photographic record with the encouragement of his Amish friends, who welcomed the chance to correct inaccurate accounts of Amish ways. He worked without filters or darkroom manipulations, using only natural light. The results are unprecedented–photographs of families, community gatherings, and even the seldom-seen interiors of Amish homes and schools. These unique images capture Amish life’s deliberate simplicity and natural beauty in Lancaster County.In the accompanying text, Donald Kraybill–author of the highly acclaimed Riddle of Amish Culture–tells the often-surprising story of today’s Old Order Amish. His introduction provides a sweeping overview of Amish life in North America and explains how traditional people have managed to survive and flourish amid modern life. In thirty-five “vignettes” throughout the book, Kraybill explains Amish views on issues ranging from “Childbirth” and “Women Entrepreneurs” to “The Riddles of Farm Machinery,” “Sowing Wild Oats,” and “The Politics of Separation.” His concluding essay examines why modern observers are drawn to the Amish and their traditional values. Seller inventory-Aurora-Box#22-006