Americana and U.S. States / Cities and States

Scranton, Pennsylvania, U.S.A.: W W Norton & Co Inc, 2003. First Edition. Hard Cover. New/New. Ayers tells his complex story with a master's touch, shifting smoothly between North and South, and between the . . . worlds of his two counties and the wider events of the war that changed them both utterly." - Publishers Weekly. This story gives us the Civil War on an intimate scale, as a story of individuals and families, civilians and soldiers, slaves, free blacks and whites, women and men. It upends what has become the standard view of the Civil War. By taking a ground-level view of the war, Ayers shows that this was not an inevitable clash destined to rage for four years at the cost of hundreds of thousands of lives. The reassuring story of national unification and the destruction of slavery that we have come to embrace does not do justice to the experiences of the people who lived the Civil War. In recovering the experiences of the people who lived the Civil War, Ayers restores the nuances to events, the mix of emotions, partial knowledge, and belief on which people acted. 471 pages including notes and an extensive index, maps and a few photographs. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. more information

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New York, New York, U.S.A.: Viking Press, 1998. First Edition. Hard Cover. Fine/Very Good. Photographs, Drawings, Letters. To understand where we are and where we may be heading . . . in the new millenium, we must reflect on how civilization got to it's current state of affairs. . ." - Douglas Brinkley. In this rich and inspiring book, the acclaimed historian Douglas Brinkley takes us on the incredible journey of the United States - a nation formed from a vast countryside on whose fringes a few small colonies made a bold cast at freedom, then burgeoned into an expanding democracy, and ultimately flourished as a world power. From the first primitive maps outlining a New World to the faded daguerrotypes of young men in uniforms standing beside Confederate flags, to pictures of hopeful immigrants arriving at Ellis Island; to the stirring photographs of civil rights marchers, the terrible images of the Oklahoma City Federal Building bombing - the History of the United States offers a stunning album of people and events. This book contains over 500 beautiful images and deluxe custom maps. The jacket has a small tear at each top corner, and is bent a bit at the spine ends. 628 pages, including a selected bibliography and index. An oversized, heavy book weighing > 5.5 lbs; 4to - over 9¾" - 12" tall. more information

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Gainesville, Florida, U.S.A.: Univ Pr of Florida, 1999. First Edition. Hard Cover. New/New. Photographs. Last printed by the Boston Herald in 1863, Corporal Zenas T. Haines's dispatches from the Civil War in eastern North Carolina provide a lively, detailed account of the history of a Massachusetts regiment operating in the hostile southern coastal lowlands during the winter of 1862-63. In reports originally prepared for the Herald, Haines follows the organization, training, occupation, and combat service of the 44th Massachusetts from recruitment to mustering out. Haines's reports are important for their on-the-spot history of the entire life span of a regiment of novitiate urban soldiers and their critical role in defeating the Confederate army's efforts to drive Union forces from eastern North Carolina. William C. Harris's' introduction places these reports in the broader context of the nine-month troops raised by the War Department and provides additional background on the individual men of this regiment, their purposes in joining, and the history of the war in eastern North Carolina. 215 pages including an extensive bibliography and index. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. more information

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New York: Longmans, Green and Company, 1951. First Edition. Hard Cover. Near Fine/No Jacket. Photographs. This book is an account of what happened to the people and the institutions of a small American town as it went through an industrial boom during World War II. Seneca, Illinois, had a population of 1,235 in 1942; and a population of 6,600 two years later. The boom was due to the location of a shipyard on the bank of the Illinois River. The purpose of this survey was to study the adaptation of social instutions to rapid social change; study the people to new conditions of living; study the influence of a crisis on the long-term history of a community; and to make a record of one significant bit of American life during wartime. 356 pages with index; light wear to corners and spine ends. Cloth binding. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. more information

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Cary, North Carolina, U.S.A.: Oxford Univ Press, 2003. First Edition. Hard Cover. New/New. Photographs. Thomas Jefferson advocated a republic of small farmers - free and independent yeomen. Yet as president he presided over a massive expansion of the slaveholding plantation system - particularly with the Louisiana Purchase - squeezing the yeomanry to the fringes and to less desirable farmland. Now Roger G. Kennedy conducts and eye-opening examination of that gap between Jefferson's stated aspirations and what actually happened. The author focuses on the character, ideas, and ambitions of Thomas Jefferson to show how he and other Southerners struggled with the moral dilemmas presented by the presence of Indian farms on the land they coveted, by enslavement of their workforce, by the betrayal of their stated hopes, and by the manifest damage being done to the earth itself. The pressures upon him, both psychological and economic, are detailed, as are the occasions on which decisions were made determining the future course of American history and the health of the land. Jefferson emerges as a tragic figure in a tragic period. 350 pages with notes, bibliography, and an extensive index. Eight glossy pages of photographs and maps. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. more information

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Westminster, Maryland, U.S.A.: Random House Inc, 1999. First Edition. Hard Cover. Fine/Fine. In this wonderful book, one of America's masters of nonfiction takes us home - into the town of Northampton, Massachusetts, and into the extraordinary, and the ordinary, lives that people live there. As Tracy Kidder reveals how, beneath its amiable surface, a small town is a place of startling complexity, he also explores what it takes to make a modern small city a success story. A book about civilization in microcosm, it makes us marvel afresh at the wonder of individuality, creativity, and civic order - how a disparate group of individuals can find common cause and a code of values that transforms a place into a home. And this book makes you feel you live there. 349 pages including bibliography. The binding is brown and grey. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. more information

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Westminster, Maryland, U.S.A.: Random House Inc, 1999. First Edition. Hard Cover. Fine/Fine. In this wonderful book, one of America's masters of nonfiction takes us home - into the town of Northampton, Massachusetts, and into the extraordinary, and the ordinary, lives that people live there. As Tracy Kidder reveals how, beneath its amiable surface, a small town is a place of startling complexity, he also explores what it takes to make a modern small city a success story. A book about civilization in microcosm, it makes us marvel afresh at the wonder of individuality, creativity, and civic order - how a disparate group of individuals can find common cause and a code of values that transforms a place into a home. And this book makes you feel you live there. 349 pages including bibliography. The binding is brown and grey. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. more information

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New York: Oxford Univ Press, 2003. Second Printing. Soft Cover. New/No Jacket. Photographs and Drawings. After beginning his architectural career in England, Calvert Vaux came to America in 1850 at the invitation of architect Andrew Jackson Downing. In 1852, he removed to New York City and asked Frederick Law Olmsted, the landscape architect, to join him in preparing a design for Central Park. During the next 38 years in New York, Vaux defended and refined his vision of Central Park and pursued a distinguished architectural practice. After the Civil War, he and Olmsted led the nascent American park movement with their designs for parks in many American cities. And as a pioneering advocate for apartment houses in American cities, Vaux designed buildings that mirrored the advance of urbanization in America, including early model-housing for the poor. His works also include many Gothic and Palladian style dwellings, the original portions of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the American Museum of Natural History, and a stunning proposal for a vast iron and glass building to house the Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia. Most notable, perhaps, are the many bridges and other structures that he designed for Central Park. This book is the first in-depth study of Vaux's life and work. 378 pages with notes, bibliography, and an index. Illustrated in black & white. 4to - over 9¾" - 12" tall. more information

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Milwaukee, Wisconsin: Milwaukee Publishing Group, 1996. First Edition. Hard Cover. As New/Near Fine. Photographs. The resurgence of Milwaukee in the 1990s is a remarkable story, and one that will continue to be written. The writers have recorded this story as it has unfolded, capturing the unqiue community spirit that makes Milwaukee an exciting place to live, work, and play. Within these pages, the authors skillfully paint a vivid portrait of a city proud of its past and ready to take charge of its future - of gleaming skyscrapers gracing a revitalized downtown, of a center for arts and culture that rivals any in the world, and of pioneering education and health care opportunities. The comibination of looking ahead while retaining a sense of community and neighborhood identity has nurtured a metropolitan progressivism virtually unequaled anywhere else. Included are hundreds of fascinating historical and contemporary photographs. A glorious keepsake that belongs in every home, this handsome volume is the perfect gift for commemorating the city's 150th birthday. 416 pages including an index. The cover is slightly bent at the ends; now in a protective cover. Folio - over 12" - 15" tall. more information

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Missoula, MT: Pictorial Histories Publishing Company Inc., 2000. First Edition. Soft Cover. New. This is the story of a road, the Yellowstone Trail. It was built between 1912 - 1928, and was one of America's first transcontinental automobile routes. At the time, very few good roads existed as automobile travel across the country had not become popular. As the oldest organized highway, the Yellowstone Trail was built to encourage travel, with the hopes that this would then encourage government to set aside funds to build better roads. The author travelled back and forth across this road to gather information, much of it from residents of the towns through which it winds. This fascinating history includes many maps and photographs, both current and vintage. 200 pages. 4to - over 9¾" - 12" tall. more information

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Truckee, California, U.S.A.: Fine Line Productions Inc, 1994. First Edition. Hard Cover. Fine/Near Fine. Prosor, Larry. In ten years of travel throughout Nevada, I have explored its deserts, mountains, cities and small towns and have met the independent, resilient people who live here. Even with the diversity of livelihood - from rancher to casino owner, small businesses to government workers, I've found most share a genuine pride in the state and a passion for wide-open spaces. This can be a harsh environment with extremes of temperature and terrain. But, throughout Nevada I have seen some of nature's finet work. Some of these wonders are breathtaking, while others simply make me feel at peace with the world. It is my hope that this book will show Nevada as a serene, sometimes primitive land with precious natural settings that should be preserved for the enjoyment of our children and their children, rather than as a wasteland to be exploited as a digging and dumping ground. Nevada is one of my favorite places. Let's hope that we learn to manage this unique environment so that future generations will be able to enjoy it as I have. - Larry Prosor This book is fully illustrated with stunningly beautiful photos, and essays to enhance them. 175 pages. The binding is grey cloth with gold lettering. The jacket has a tiny tear at the top near the spine, and is a bit bent at the top. Folio - over 12" - 15" tall. more information

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Dallas, Texas, U.S.A.: Turner Company, 1949. First Edition. Hard Cover. Very Good/No Jacket. This is a book for high-school-age students and anyone interested in the history of Texas. The background of Texas history involves a review of the colonial systems of three great European nations, as well as the development of the United States prior to 1821. During the period of the Republic, Texas was an international bone of contention in the relations of England, France, Mexico, and the United States. This is a wonderful book about Texas from Spanish occupation to rule under Mexico, on to the Americanization of Texas, the winning of independence, the return to the Union and the last chapter discusses Texas and Texans in the Decade of World War II. Several maps are included. 516 pages including an index. Blue cloth cover with light wear at the corners and spine ends. Prior owner's name written on the inside cover, and there is a sticker ghost on the ffep. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. more information

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New York, New York, U.S.A.: Princeton Architectural Press, 1991. First Edition. Soft Cover. New/No Jacket. Rencoret, Francisco Javier. Over seventy full-color paintings, Francisco J. Rencoret studies the myths about the development of New York City: the moment of arrival, the isolation of the island, the domination of Manhattan over it's neighbors, the image of the skyscraper, the paradox of Central Park, and the conflicting faces of Times Sqare. According to Rencoret, "transformation in New York City is more than a symptom of modern times; it is the very means by which this City seeks to create an identify for itself." His image of New York has transformed it into an idealized place of history and fantasy - a Hugh Ferriss city for the 1990s. Each of the paintings in New York City: The Edge of Enigma - which call to mind Rem Koolhas's illustrations for Delirious: New York - offers a solution to the current problems of the City in an attempt to regain its myths. An intorduction by Val K. Warke and a discussion of the impact of narrative on New York City accompany the paintings. 88 pages; the cover has some scuffing along the vertical edges on the front. 4to - over 9¾" - 12" tall. more information

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New York, New York, U.S.A.: Bloomsbury Pub Plc USA, 2001. First U.S. Edition. Hard Cover. New/New. This is the true story of what may or may not have been the greatest hoax ever played on the citizens of Gotham. When Uncle John DeVoe and a man only known as Lozier sit down in the old Centre Market to discuss the impending doom threatening New York City, those around them can't help but eavesdrop. Overdeveloopment of its southern tip has put the island in jeopardy and unless something can be done to stop it, the city will sink into the harbor. DeVoe and Lozier claim to have been sent to avert disaster and tell the eager listeners of their plan to save their great city. What may have instigated their grand deception and why was it blindly embraced? 152 pages including a bibliography. 12mo - over 6¾" - 7¾" tall. more information

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Helena, Montana, U.S.A.: Falcon Pr Pub Co, 2000. First Edition. Soft Cover. Near Fine/No Jacket. Photographs. This volume presents the stories of twelve extraordinary women from Tennessee's past. Some are well-known, such as Elizabeth Gilmer, who transformed herself into columnist Dorothy Dix, and Sarah Polk, America's eleventh First Lady. Others may be less familiar, including Ida B. Wells Barnett, one of the first Black investigative journalists and the woman who founded a home for young unwed mothers in Chicago, and Emma Bell Mills, who recorded rural mountain life through words and paintings. The women featured in this book, all born before 1900, influenced society in ways that still affect us today. Susan Sawyer, the author, notes that these women are linked by "their determination to triumph over challenges, their remarkable fortitude to overcome adversity, and their courage to remain strong in difficult times." Read about their exceptional lives in this collection of absorbing biographies. 140 pages, the bottom right corner is bent a bit. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. more information

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