When Stage-Coach Days in the Bluegrass was first published in 1935 by the Standard Press in Louisville, the New York Times reviewer described "this charming work" as "an interesting example of that very useful class of books, local histories, which so rarely get the attention they deserve." Along with his focus on the development of stage-coach travel, Coleman covers details such as pioneer roads, taverns, travelers' experiences, mail carriers, and the coming of the railroad. This fascinating look at an age gone by is truly a work of regional culture.

Compiled as an act of love by the amateur historian J. Winston "Squire" Coleman, a lifelong resident of the Lexington area, the book offers bits of Bluegrass as well as national history. Along with his focus on the development of stagecoach travel, the author covers period details such as pioneer roads, taverns, conflicts among drivers, travelers' adventures, mail carriers, turnpikes and tollways, and the coming of the railroad. Celebrities who crossed the Bluegrass by stage included statesman Henry Clay, singer Jenny Lind, gambler Sam Austin, and abolitionist Delia Webster.

The three artists whose lives are the subjects of Three Kentucky Artists -- Joel Tanner Hart, Samuel Woodson Price, and Edward Troye -- enjoyed considerable fame in their own day, though they are now little known outside of Kentucky. Each made a lasting contribution to the social and cultural life of central Kentucky in the nineteenth century. J. Winston Coleman, Jr. sketches the careers and relationships of the artists who played significant roles in the history of the Commonwealth.