Jonathan A. Jones – författare

Would you turn your back on your family and friends if the local authorities asked you to do so? Residents were asked to do just that during the Missouri/Kansas Border War prior to and during the Civil War.



William Clarke Quantrill and his infamous raid of the city of Lawrence, in 1863, is known to most residents on the Missouri/Kansas Border. What led Quantrill and his men to such a drastic and risky undertaking in the first place? Moonlit Mayhem: Quantrill''s Raid of Olathe, Kansas tells this story from the Bleeding Kansas years to the rise of Quantrill and eventually to the raid on Olathe on September 6, 1862. 

Quantrill''s raid is an event that would shape Olathe''s history for many years to come. Most locals have little knowledge of this event that so heavily impacted the history of their town.  Moonlit Mayhem provides a view of life, on both sides of the border. In addition, short summaries of events before and after the Olathe Raid, give the reader a complete picture of the time and key players on both sides. Moonlit Mayhem is packed with over 100 color images and maps showing the modern locations of historic events. This meticulously researched work is a must for anyone looking for an easy to understand explanation of the Border War and its impact on the residents of the border counties.  

There were no winners and losers in the Border War, the residents of the border counties suffered greatly.  Moonlit Mayhem tells their story.

The Missouri/Kansas Border is full of sites where Civil War events occurred. Some of these locations are well-known, while others are just spots on the road where key events in the Civil War took place. Border War Tour gives those with an interest in local history a guidebook as to where these sites, all within driving distance of Kansas City, are located. Whether you are a history buff or just want to get out of the house, this guidebook provides all that is needed to see and understand the sites that greatly impacted local history during the Civil War.

Presented in chronological order as the events occurred, Border War Tour leads the reader through the history of the conflict on the border, beginning with the Bleeding Kansas Era, to the Lawrence Massacre, all the way to the end of the Civil War. The story of each site is presented with an explanation that includes color maps and images, which help the traveler to fully understand the event itself, as well as the impact it had on both sides of the state line.

Border War Tour is a must-have for those interested in the Civil War and its impact on the Kansas City area. The explanations and images included in the book bring the locations to life for visitors and remote readers alike.

The most common questions asked when preparing for a trip to Europe are: How much should I tip? What is the best way to travel? Is it safe? How do I change money?  An American''s Guide to European Travel provides answers to these questions and more in a short, easy-to-read, and carry format.  

Using charts, maps, and examples, this guide gives the reader valuable information that will be needed when traveling in Europe. Topics such as tipping, transportation, safety, costs, dress codes, and more are covered in a way that will be valuable when traveling in all European countries. 

In the spring of 1972, the small, Missouri town of Harrisonville found itself with a hippie problem.  Hippies had settled into the town square surrounding the county courthouse. The group of young people included men who had recently returned from tours in Vietnam as well as high school teens who idolized these older men. City leaders needed to act. But how?

The situation worsened to the point that one of the hippies, Charlie Simpson, would enter the square on April 21st with an M-1 carbine and murder three people before taking his own life.  After the tragic shootings, the situation with the hippies did not improve. Tiring of the situation, some Harrisonville citizens formed a vigilante group to attempt to drive the hippies off the square. The two groups would clash in the battle of the Harrisonville Square.

Through extensive research, the author, a former Harrisonville resident, tells the compelling true story of the conflict between hippie culture and polite society in the early 1970s in the small town. Hippie War: Battle for the Harrisonville Square takes the reader on a rollercoaster journey through the genesis of the problem, the murders, and what steps were taken attempting to bring the two sides together.