Maryland Books

Here's an exploration of the University's two centuries of struggle to achieve state university status; from its initial agricultural college status to its Civil War struggles, its evolution into a tuition-free people's college, and its movement into university status. But The University Of Maryland At College Park: A History isn't just about school politics: within its pages are profiles of student and faculty culture over the decades, social and political atmospheres affecting the college's focus and growth, and how the modern university status is changing the school. A pick for not just University grads and fans; but for any reader of higher education history and politics.

Although I have no particular knowledge or interest in the University of Maryland at College Park, this history is so well written that I still found it an interesting read that was hard to put down until I had finished it. The author goes through the history of the college from its founding as the Maryland Agricultural College through the Civil War, the Great Depression, and the riots of the 1970's to today. An intimate portrait of the college as well as a trip through the history of this part of Maryland it contains many period photographs that add to the charm of the book. "The University of Maryland at College Park, a History, is highly recommended to anyone interested either in the college or the history of Maryland in general.

I enjoyed this audio book. Listened to it in the car in preparation for a field trip to Antietam. It is not an in-depth report but it is interesting and goes by quickly.

This audio book was absolutely brilliant. The characters so aptly described what it was like to be there at that time and place. It was incredibly easy to follow and a great book to listen to!

The first, detailed, comprehensive, and thoroughly "user friendly" guidebook to some 200 of region's waterfalls, Gary Letcher's Waterfalls Of The Mid-Atlantic States provides directions to each beautiful site enabling the reader to use it as a guide book to experiencing these natural, beautiful wonders in person. Some of these sites are in or near major cities, others are tucked away in remote wilderness areas. The flowing falls are, for the most part, on national, state, and municipal parkland, forests, and game lands in Maryland, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. Each waterfall is rated on a scale of 1 to 5. The location information includes GPS coordinates; trail access and difficulty; waterfall type and source; geological factors; historical and culture features; and even the best times of the year to visit them. Enhanced with tips on waterfall photography and the author's "Seven Ways to Find the Height of a Waterfall", Waterfalls Of The Mid-Atlantic States is confidently recommended reading for tri-state area backpackers, hikers, canoeists, and anyone else with an appreciation for the natural beauty and spectacular wonder of falling water.

THis book is a must have for any outdoor enthusiasts, bikers who enjoy daytrips, photographers, families, and everyone in between!

This book not only SHOWS you these wonderful Natural Wonders, but also gives you the ability to travel to them and see them for yourself, the directions are fabulous!

Mr. Letcher goes a step further by providing history to the falls that will allow you to understand the nature of the falls as well as tell your children or friends each fall you visit.

THIS BOOK IS A MUST HAVE, YOU WONT BE DISAPPOINTED! i have already purchased several for gifts. THIS IS A GREAT GIFT BOOK~!

this was a book that anybody can read and understand. it is also a book that is kind of relaxing. "Beautiful Swimmers" is a book about the Chesapeake Bay way of life that got/gets a lot of praise, deservedly so. But I do think that "Watermen" is better. Anybody that is interested in the Chesapeake should give "Watermen" a read.

The watermen of the eastern shore of the Chesapeake are a breed apart. In the late 1970's Randall Peffer went to Tilghman Island in search of family ties. There, he lived the life of a waterman for a full year, during which he dredged for oysters aboard wind-powered skipjacks, went eeling, tonged for oysters, hunted clams and longlined for fin fish. The result is this treatise which although a bit contrived at times (filled with exposition framed as dialogue), still manages to capture these independent and hardy individuals as they were; fearful for the future of their lifestyle, but clinging to traditions dating back more than three hundred years. Filled with fascinating detail, poignant and honest, Watermen is a recommended read.

Just so buyers know beforehand, this is a great, descriptive book. However, it is best used as a supplement to field identification guides, as this one contains only drawings that, although well-drawn, are black and white and are not included for every species. Still a great resource though!

Turning my photographic endeavors more toi nature, I decided to start doing my homework, so that I better understand the wildlife in my area.

I must say that I thought there would be photos, but I found illustrations instead. But hey are excellent, although not every animal variation is shown. The author goes into amzing descriptive detail - much more than I expected.

Whether you are a nature photographer in the Maryland area, nature enthusiast, or student, this book is a steal at less than $15!

I teach English as a Second Language in Taiwan. Unlike most books about linguistics, this book helped me understand "what happens when people talk", and that has made me a more effective teacher. I re-read it several times a year to keep its insights fresh in my mind. Each re-reading reveals new depths of understanding. In spite of being almost 10 years old, I still regard as the best of its kind.

I've been on a kick recently to read all the books I can get my hands on pertaining to language. I found this one in the philosophy/linguistics section of my local bookstore. It subsequently sat in my "to-read" pile (which now numbers around 1,462 books) for a few months. When I finally picked it up I was floored by the amount of fascinating information it contained about English and its similarities to the world's other languages. The rather surprising but clearly correct conclusion of the book is that no matter how weird, foreign, alien, or just bizarre other languages may sound to us, human languages all share the same basic means and mechanics of expression! None are more inherently "difficult" than others, as is borne out by the ease with which infants in every speech community of the world pick up their native language with the same ease and celerity. The author also blows to smithereens the notion that English or any other language is "better" or "more expressive" than any other, and demonstrates that English prevails as the world's preferred language largely as the result of geopolitical factors, rather than its "superiority". In fact, whether a group of people speak English, Ancient Greek, Swahili, Apache, Russian, Chinese, Egyptian, Burmese, Polynesian, French, Latin or Eskimo language , every one of these speech communities possesses a tongue capable of rich expression, poetic nuance, literature, subtlety, and flights of imagination. Where they differ is that each one, is custom-suited to the physical realities and the cultural traditions of the particular place, and represent the best means for the populace there to communicate and transact business. So much for the notion that when European explorers "discovered" indigenous communities in their journeys, that the natives spoke "primitive" tongues! This implication, with the benefit of modern linguistic knowledge and hindsight, was simply racist and chauvinistic. Did I mention that this book is written in a lively and entertaining manner, and is great fun and a very entertaining read? Well it is! I also very much enjoyed the chapters about verbal dueling, meta-language, and attempts to teach language to animals. If you are a word buff, I recommend this book to you wholeheartedly. Enjoy!

These Zagat guides are just great, and this one is no exception. They are pithy, witty, and above all useful. I don't go out without consulting them.

This is an indispensible reference guide for dining in the Washington, Baltimore and Annapolis areas. It is easy to understand and navigate with reviews of most restaurants in terms of food, decor/ambiance, price etc. The reviews are right on for the restaurants I have tried. Also very handy are the crossreferences for many categories such as brunch, parking, late night dining etc. Probably the best feature is another index listing the "best" restaurants for various occasions as identified by readers.

Highly recommended, I get a new one every year.

The Eastern Shore is a great area for bike riding, and this is a great book. I have used it for years.

I ordered this street map book for my daughter, as she heads off to college, so she can drive to her grandparent's home in New Carrollton, MD. Unlike the wide open spaces of the Mojave Desert where we live, Eastern cities are a bit more complicated and require decent maps with which to navigate. We were extemely impressed to find the ADC street map easily usable, and it clearly showed the three (3) house street on which her grandparent's live. It doesn't get any better than that!

I bought this before a trip to Baltimore, and it was quite useful and up to date. The print and maps in general were large enough to read in the car. It highlights schools, hospitals and other places. Also includes maps of Anne Arundel, Carroll, Harford and Howard.

It is just a map book. If you are looking for ideas of what to do in Baltimore, you would be better served with one of the many Baltimore guidebooks.