New Jersey Books

Bounded by the Hudson and Atlantic to the east, and by the Delaware River to the west, New Jersey has a lot to offer to the visitor or to those who've lived there all their lives. Just don't wander onto Tony Soprano's lawn. The "Portrait of America" series is a wonderful introduction for pre-teens to the 50 states and to the places and events that shaped the history of the United States. This "New Jersey" installment is particularly good. The book is broken down into sections like "History", "Culture", "Economy" etc., and each section is thoughtfully written and edited. And this edition is loaded with several beautiful photographs. The "Culture" section is my personal favorite. This book, as well as the entire "Portrait of America" series, will prove to be a valuable teaching tool to all primary school educators.

Being a Minister in New Jersey and a Minister in the oldest Denomination (the Reformed Church in America) with the longest, continuous ministry in America, this book was a quick and eager purchase for me and I was not disappointed. Greenagel certainly took the time to research the churches listed in the book and did a "beautiful overview" of the denominations in the area.

Any lover of church architecture will surely want to pick up a copy of this book for his/her self and reference. The pictures are clear and the commentary on each church is enough to raise your interest as you read through the book.

If you are a new or an old hand to duck decoy collecting, this is an invaluable reference. The photographs are excellent and show both form and detail. This book is a classic guide, that many vintage decoy collectors and sellers use for identifying carvers of old decoys. Highly recommended by a decoy collector (me).

The New Jersey Devils are an amazing team in the NHL. This year, they earned their third Stanley Cup Championship and this book takes you on their journey to earning that cup. The New Jersey Devils in my opion are the best NHL team out there.. and i'll keep rooting for them forever. GO DEVILS!!

This book covers every species of fern (and clubmoss and horsetail, that sort of thing) reported in New Jersey, with excellent maps showing exactly where. It also includes good pictures, brief descriptions of each species, range and habitat and lots of interesting comments. Great for finding out what might be in a given area, not as good for identifying a specific sample. Still, I really enjoyed it.

The `Preface' says that NJ citizens lack the "strong sense of pride" shown by many other states (p.ix). Do residents lack "a sense of unity or rooted-ness" (p.x)? The early settlers create self-government and discarded "hereditary aristocracies, feudal land systems, established churches, omnipotent governments" to choose freedom and opportunity (p.xi). The population of Dutch, Swedes, Finns, and English was different from the Puritans of New England and the English planters in the South. The Dutch first settled in NY and NJ, conquered the Swedish colony in south Jersey, and were conquered in turn by the English in 1664.

Chapter II tells about East Jersey, founded by the Proprietors, and how it was colonized. To attract settlers they offered extremely liberal political and religious privileges, and this established the basic forms of self-government (pp.24-25). Allocating lands to settlers encouraged a high degree of economic democracy (p.29). The rise of large landowners who demanded quit rents from those who had patents led to "law suits, riots, and political controversies" until after the Revolution (p.33). Counties were created as an intermediate between towns and the provincial government (p.34). In 1702 East and West Jersey were united as a Royal Colony. Chapter III tells about West Jersey, the first Quaker colony, and influenced by the liberal, humane Quaker philosophy (p.38). The Concessions of West Jersey placed almost unlimited political power in an assembly elected by all the inhabitants. Personal rights had elaborate safeguards against tyranny or injustice (pp.43-44). The differences between East Jersey (townships) and West Jersey (dispersed farms) were affected by their adjacency to New York or Philadelphia (pp.56-57). The history of the Royal Province is in Chapter IV. Self-government was greatly curtailed (p.59). The legislature alone could levy taxes and control spending (p.61). This chapter tells of the political strife. The French and Indian War was followed by heavy taxes and large debts (pp.71-72). The most difficult problem was finance and debts. The lack of specie resulted in the loan-office system to create paper money, the interest helped to pay for government (p.73). The claims of the proprietors led to riots (pp.77-78).

Chapter V tells of the colony and its diverse population of English, Dutch, Scotch, Irish, German, Swedish, or French (pp.80-81). It describes the people and places, colonial economy, religion, educations and the arts. Most of the Indians moved out of New Jersey (p.102). Chapter VI explains the movement for independence. After 1763 there were rising taxes and less freedom. The Stamp Act and the Townshend Act afflicted the colonies, then united them in opposition. This chapter explains the road to rebellion. By 1775 the revolutionary cause was in control before armed conflict (p.121). The legislature was very powerful (p.122). Chapter VII gives a history of the warfare that occurred in New Jersey, the land bridge between New York and Philadelphia. Tom Paine's "Crisis" stirred patriotism (p.136). The 1776 Christmas attack won a victory after defeats and retreats. Washington then made a flanking attack at Princeton while others captured military funds in New Brunswick (pp.140-143). This was the turning point in the war. The Battle of Monmouth in 1778 showed that American troops could match the British and Hessians in the open field (p.147). The properties of Loyalists was confiscated and sold (p.153). The war left destroyed property and a damaged economy (p.154).


Chapter VIII tells of New Jersey under the Confederation. The economy recovered. The state legislature was elected annually and was extremely democratic (p.159). The laws of entail and primogeniture were replaced by the law of division (p.161). Political differences continued, there were currency shortages, burdensome taxes, and economic stagnation. The legislature began a loan-office to issue paper currency based on land (p.163). NJ had high taxes because it lacked public lands that could be sold for revenue, and it had to pay tariffs to New York and Pennsylvania. NJ wanted a central government that could meet its financial obligations. The adoption of the Federal Constitution was followed by "incredible frauds" and an ascendancy by conservative forces (p.174). The author ends with a rosy scenario but doesn't tell what happened next (p.175).

I am a novice gardner and I found this book to be very helpful. My first trip to the nursery was overhelming. After I purchased this book my second trip went well. I knew exactly what I wanted to buy and where to plant it when I got home. It has pictures on every page which is great!

This is a great book if you love cemeteries (like I do). I grew up in Monmouth County, and this has given me leads on graveyards I didn't know existed. Plus all the background info on each burial ground, whether or not they still exist, what shape they're in...really a great book.

The New Jersey Lighthouse Calendar is a wonderful collection of photos traditional lighthouses and lights. Everything from the Twin Lights at Navesink to the Ship John Shoal light and the more traditional lighthouse house of Barnegat Bay.
Not only is it beautiful to look at but the dates are big and the day boxes are big enough to make notes.
A great buy!

This book Can realy help you get the right manufacturer for your business.