Maryland Books

This is an index to all the wills of colonial Maryland (1634-1777) as found in Will Books 1-41 at the old Land Office in Annapolis, now on file in the Hall of Records. It contains the names of approximately 16,000 testators, alphabetically arranged, giving the year of probate, the county, and the volume and page where the complete will is recorded. Among a host of other virtues, it is a convenient index to persons whose wills are abstracted in Jane Baldwin's Maryland Calendar of Wills, published in eight volumes between 1904 and 1928.

I'm doing a series of long weekends this summer rather than one long vacation. I kind of like this variation on summer vacationing! This past weekend? Baltimore. To prepare, I bought this book, and it proved to be a nice investment.

I have the good fortune to live in central Pennsylvania (in Hershey), and lots of cool places are within driving range--from New York City to Virginia on the coast, and to many places inland.

This volume is recent enough so that it outlines restaurants that are still in operation, the usual sites to see, and so on.

The book opens with some general background, including a brief history of the area.

Then, the usual components--where to stay (including a nice section on beds and breakfasts), where to eat, nightlife, shopping, antiques, events, the arts, and so on.

For instance, where to dine. The area is broken down by geography and then some suggested venues noted for each. I was at the Inner Harbor, so "Downtown" is what I focused on. The selection was very helpful. Indeed, there are more good places than I could possible try out! So, on our next visit to Baltimore, I have outlined a set of neat places to dine, necessitating selecting a hotel in a somewhat different area of the city.

In the end, this is a useful volume if you are interested in some time in Baltimore.

"An excellent guidebook for those seeking to learn where information on certain surnames can be found in the South."--Car-del-Scribe (August 1991).

Maryland has a unique treasure in the form of the Ladew Topiary Gardens. Harvey S. Ladew (1887-1976), originally from New York, came to Maryland looking for more room to fox-hut as Long Island became built up. He bought a farm and laid out 22 acres of very distinctive gardens, including such unusual features as "room" gardens and of course, the extensive, often whimsical topiary. Ladew designed and did a great deal of the actual gardening himself. Wishing to preserve his work, towards the end of his life, he and his friends created a foundation to maintain the gardens.

I am not the sort of person who watches Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous or reads society pages, so I must admit that I found Ladew's life somewhat dull. Admittedly, if I had inherited the kind of money that he did, I don't think that I would have become a wage-slave either, but drifting around the world going to lots of good parties, while undoubtedly a lot of fun for Ladew, doesn't make for interesting reading, in my opinion. There are, however, lots of people who do follow the rich and famous, so this may all be very entertaining for them to read about Ladew palling around with the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, Noel Coward, and various others aristocrats and socialites. The biography is generally very laudatory, though I must say that I wouldn't have been interested in second-guessing whether or not he should have fox-hunted, etc.

The book is beautifully done. There is a section of color plates, and an abundance of black and white pictures scattered throughout the text. There are abundant notes, and the section is laid out so that it is easy to match the reference in the text to the corresponding notes. Explanatory notes are included with the bibliographic. There is also an index.

This is a nice representation of Chesapeake Bay lighthouses, with great pictures and some interesting stories. Very visually pleasing with good content!

This book presents a history of University of Maryland basketball, with profiles of it's most outstanding players and coaches, from the prospective of Cole Field House -- Maryland's decades-old and recently-replaced basketball venue. This is a wonderfully nostalgic book for Maryland basketball fans.

This is the first and the classic of the Maryland Seafood Books. It has all the best basics such as Maryland Crab Cakes, Cream of Crab Soup, oyster recipes and more. It could be worth looking for a copy. I lost mine and always look at flea markets, etc. for a used one.

This rather brief (205 pages including a bibliographical essay) is a good look into antebellum Maryland, a state that was very much the key to holding the Union together. Of particular interest to me was the violent nature of Baltimore, a city as gang-ridden as Five Points in New York, if Mr. Evitts is to be believed. That knowledge certainly give new light to the Pratt Street Riots of April 19, 1861, an event that saw the Civil War's first deaths. Evitts writes well, clearly, and avoids stereotypical academic prose that is a struggle to read. To the contrary, his prose keeps interest high and at times can even be exciting. My only regret is that he didn't spend more time on Lincoln's handling of the Maryland legislature during 1861. Recommended both for Marylanders interested in their state's history and most definitely for students of the Civil War.

While Baltimore Sun's columnist Michael Olesker (a native) is too liberal for my sensibilities, his "Baltimore, "If You Live Here, You're Home" is a wonder read.

A collection of his columns between 1979 and 1995; it's a respectful and loving paean to the city of Baltimore.

The heroes, characters, politicos, sports figures, neighborhoods, crime and missing friends are featured subjects.

It resonates for all who enjoy, love, live or work in Baltimore.

Well done.

This book tells its stories mostly through pictures of the types of people you are likely to encounter in the city of Baltimore. Being a recent convert to the charm of Baltimore, I really enjoyed the photographs and appreciated the way they conveyed the sense of community that you can find in the inner city if you look for it.