17. On Being a Vermonter is a case study of a Vermont farm that existed from the early 1800s to the early 1900s. As the Holmes Farm pioneered advanced orchard methods and made a distinctive contribution to the apple industry in Vermont, the book makes an important contribution to the literature and history of Vermont apple orchards. In addition, the farm was a leading breeder of trotters, horses with a Morgan horse heritage. The book examines the end of the farm due to foreclosure in 1923 and the resulting diaspora of the family and its transformation in a single generation. The author is a direct descendant of the Holmes family, which came to Vermont in the 1780s. In addition to reconstructing the history of the farm, he examines what it means to be a Vermonter by building on the legacy of the farm's 101year history.
9. David Holmes is the author of an earlier book of Vermont history, Stalking the Academic Communist: The Firing of Alex Novikoff. He has degrees from Middlebury College (BA), Columbia University (MA) and the University of Denver (Ph.D.). He has served in numerous university and school leadership roles and writes and speaks widely on education issues. He resides in Panton, Vermont.