Maryland Books

A wonderful guide to places to see & things to do when you want to hop to a nearby area but aren't familiar with it. Takes you off the beaten path to discover interesting-curious-historical places not mentioned on the chamber websites. Offers succinct descriptions to evaluate the fit such a visit is for you and your family.

Incredibly handy for those times when you decide on Saturday that you want to do "something different" this weekend, but have not a clue what are your options. Divided into activities appropriate for each season, the book suggests a wide range of trips around the area, from historic exploring to art appreciation to communing with nature. I had an old version of this book that I lent out and lost, and I loved it so much I'm buying another copy!

This is a great series - esp. if you'd like to introduce a place before visiting. We bought L is for Lobster before visiting Maine & found it was fun for many levels of readers and great pics for the little ones.

I bought this book for a 2-year-old, but it is definitely for an older child, so I am giving it to a 5-year-old instead. The illustrations are colorful and realistic -- almost photographic in detail. Each letter represents something about Maryland. For instance, E is for Eastern Shore. There is a short verse pertaining to each letter, as well as a side-panel that gives a longer, more detailed explanation about that thing. This is the type of book that should stay in the family library, and can be enjoyed by adults too. If my grandmother were still alive, I would buy it for her, because she had so much Maryland pride.

Very informative review of the B&O when it was a force to be reckoned with.

Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Color History describes the rich history of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad from 1827 to 1987 when it merged into CSX Corporation. The book has excellent black and white and color photographs of Baltimore and Ohio passenger trains like the National Limited and Capitol Limited and freight trains. I like the color photos of the National Limited (Cover and page 43) at Jersey City with a pair of Baltimore and Ohio E8 diesels on the front of the National Limited in April 1958. I also like the color photo of the National Limited at St. Louis Union Station sharing the platform with Gulf Mobile and Ohio's Abraham Lincoln in November 1964 on Page 99. This is an excellent book.

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Joe Welsh is one of the best passenger train writers in the U.S. and there is lots to admire in his "Baltimore and Ohio's Capital Limited and National Limited". The book condenses the stories about these two Chicago/St. Louis trains (and uses some of the same photos) that appear in separate volumes by Harry Stegmaier originally published 15 years ago, in 1993.

Certainly the five-page photo spread (pp. 52-56) of the Capital Limited pulling out of Chicago after a late February 1935 snowstorm are stunning and there are other great photos I hadn't previously seen, including the evocative depiction of the Capital Limited whizzing past a boat along the C&O Canal.

The photos of the African-American porters and dining car waiters are a haunting (and repugnant) reminder of how racial servitude continued well into the 20th century, partly because because of social attitudes and because African-American men had far fewer career choices. I was also struck by the photo of the two doves being released into the frigid Chicago air during a christening of the Capital Limited in November 1938. I wonder how long those doves survived during the rigorous Chicago winter.

What's lacking in Welsh's book is an attentive editor. Silver Spring, Maryland is twice identified as Silver Springs in photo captions. The latter place is in Florida, far south of the route traversed by the B&O. Curiously, Silver Spring is spelled correctly in the text and in the too-frugal index.

I also wish some of the captions were more specific. The two-page spread on pp. 94-95 depicts the Capital Limited chugging across a bridge at what appears to be Harper's Ferry, WV. Couldn't the photo caption specify the locale? And since the book contains lots of images, why didn't the publisher squeeze a B&O route map into the contents?

I like Welsh's short chapter about the B&O's competition, the Pennsylvania Railroad, which also ran trains between New York/Baltimore/Washington and Chicago and St. Louis.
While I don't think Welsh's book supplants Mr. Stegmaier's earlier, more detailed accounts of these great passenger trains, many railroad fans -- especially B&O partisans -- will welcome Welsh's newer, scaled back account.

I have owned Baltimore and Ohio's Capitol Limited and National Limited book since December 4, 2007. The book has excellent black and white and color photos of the Capitol Limited and National Limited. My favorite color photos of the National Limited are in Chapter 1. I like the blue and white colors of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad.

Robert Wilhelm
robertleewilhelm@yahoo.com

Rails criss-crossing vitually every street in gritty downtown baltimore. A 4,000+ foot long "EL" somewhere in the central city.....trolleys traveling down dirt roads with horse-drawn carts. Trolleys over rivers and lakes. PCCs and deck-roof cars running at the same time until the end in 1963.

These are just some of the fine collection of images you will enjoy within the covers of this book. True - it is missing some key technical information on rolling stock, and a more detailed map would have been nice. But the photos in this book wil without doubt take you back to a more simpler "analog" time that existed in America.

To be sure, some of Baltimore has improved since the 1950's, but it was a time when its streecars had character, and was its main mode of transport.

For an escape back in time for the transit enthusiast, this book will not dissapoint you.

On one hand, a reviewer of this book COULD demand more narrative analysis of the Baltimore Transit Company as a business operation, or more details about its roster of rolling stock and maps of the routes served. What were the dynamics between the company's top leadership and the public utility commission that regulated public transit back in those days? One suspects that some colorful personalities were involved, but this book doesn't delve into that subject. A review Baltimore's streetcar operators and their work-a-day culture would have added another layer of interest, especially in light of the post-war era's rapid changes in technology and society. That is also absent.

On the other hand, this book's fascinating collection of photos and captions are the reader's reward. Resplendent streetscape details are captured in prints derived mostly from large-format, black & white negatives. While the streetcars are of course the subject, the same photos are also a window on post-war Baltimore and its unpretentious people in unposed, candid moments. This time-capsule quality alone makes this book very enjoyable. In the end, the lack of operating stats and other trivia is forgivable.

Anyone who has been to Lexington Market knows that it is a unique and colorful part of the social and economic fabric of Baltimore. This wonderful book tells the market's story in rich and compelling detail. It not only conveys the big picture of the market's historic place in the city's evolution, but also relates the stories of individuals and families who helped to make the market such a special place. "Baltimore's Lexington Market" should be read not only by those fascinated by Baltimore, but also by anyone with an interest in urban history and the evolution of the American economy, because the market's story is in many ways a microcosm of America's general development over more than two centuries. The book is also liberally illustrated with gorgeous prints and photographs. Schultheis should be highly commended for writing a book that is as fascinating and pleasurable as the market whose story it tells.

Lexington Market in Baltimore, which was founded in 1782 by John Eager Howard, a hero of the American Revolution, is the largest continuously running market in the world. Yet its incredible roller coaster history hasn't really been explored until now. For anyone interested in how American commerce has evolved in the past two centuries, Patricia Schultheis has produced a fascinating must read.

Another great photo history book of the area in which I grew up. I've recommended it to friends and several have told me they purchased it and are just as happy with as I am. My children and some of my grandchildren have also read and enjoyed it.

An interesting background of an inner city park with a history. Local residents have brought the park back to an active community roll from several decades of neglect. The current multi-cultural stage still leaves room for improvement but progress is on-going. Wonderful photographs. A joy to read. Thank you, Tim.

Tom Flynn has compiled a wonderful array of vintage photographs telling the story of Baltimore's colorful baseball past. I am not a baseball fan but still enjoyed this book. Fan or not, no one can deny that baseball plays an important part in the American story. Tom does an excellent job of telling Baltimore's slice of baseball history.

Wonderful book recalling Baltimore baseball, especially during a time of innocence in baseball history. Interesting facts, photos and a great start to the book with the forward by Examiner writer Sean Welsh. Bravo!

For me this text is a joy and a delight. In the preface the authors remark that to acquire a thorough grasp of the subject requires hard work They assert the virtues of this book to be clarity of presentation, selection of topics, and interesting exercises. They express their hope that the book will help the student to become as enthusiastic about the subject as the authors are. In my case they achieve their goals.

Very many years ago I took complex analysis in grad school using the then-recent text by Ahlfors, and with a 100% Teutonic professor; I then found the subject boring. This book, however makes me enthusiastic. It is one of the few math texts I own that I like for bedtime reading, opening it to something of interest, or just to a random section or some exercises, and relaxing while reading as if it were an adventure novel. When I put it down, consequences trickle through my mind as I go to sleep. No, it's not an easy subject, but the authors make it an enthralling one, at least for me.

This is not the easiest book on complex analysis to read, but nevertheless I really like it. If I had to use one word to describe it, it would be thorough. I have not read much beyond the first half of it, so my comments do not apply to the more advanced chapters.

The prose is sometimes clear, but at times you have to think very hard to get through it. Although there are a number of diagrams, I do not find them particularly helpful. The book does not move too fast, it actually moves quite slowly, but it explores a lot--it is very thorough.

This book has a ton of exercises, and some of them are very hard and very deep. I think the exercises are the best part of this book. This book makes me realize that a lot of other complex analysis textbooks do not have enough exercises, especially challenging ones. My favourite part are the exercises that explore counterexamples to converses of theorems. There are also a lot of great exercises involving infinite series.

I think this book would be most appropriate to someone who had already taken an undergraduate course in complex analysis and was taking a more advanced graduate course, or wanted to enrich their understanding on their own. This is a study text, not a reference text; it is ideal for learning and challenging a student. It is not concise, and it is harder to follow than the books by Lang, Newman & Bak, or Gamelin. However, I am convinced that someone reading this book would reach a deeper understanding of the subject than someone reading any of those other books.

One of the best books I have read on the military court-martial process during the MaCarthy/Cold War era. Very revealing, especially regarding unlawful command influence.

Everybody knows about Gen. George Patton and his Third Army, but few people have heard of Gen. Robert Grow and his 6th Armored Division. Grow's 6th AD was one of the units that was responsible the success and fame of the Third Army.

You might expect General Grow to return from World War II and enjoy accolades and well-deserved retirement. Instead, he was court-martialed and railroaded in the 50's, and at least one of his persecutors was a fellow general with whom he had a conflict during the Battle of the Bulge.

Author Dr. Hofmann has produced a meticulous study of the case and the events leading up to it, and provides a disturbing look at Pentagon rivalries and politics.