Maryland Books

These stories are beautifully, hauntingly written, snapshots that will stay with you long after you've finished reading them. They are brief stories of love and loss, desire and despair, that manage to engage you intimately in the space of a few pages.

My favorite by far was "Fugue", the story of a father obsessed with learning to build and play the organ. I was hooked from the opening lines: "Some fathers on Saturday afternoons fix the car or spray weedkiller on the lawn. Mine would take the air apart and put it back together with a fugue." In the next paragraph, she says, "On summer evenings his organ music got stuck in the screen door and floated on top of the cat's water dish." I love it! I'll never hear music again without this image in my head. Hagenston has managed to make the organ music itself a physical presence in this story, almost another character.

"Fugue" is also the most hopeful of the stories, most of which focus on characters in crisis - a woman whose husband has just left her, a preacher's wife unsure of her new position, a divorced father adrift in the world with only a gram of meteorite to show for his life. "A Gram of Mars" is a wonderfully written collection of short stories. I look forward to reading more from this author.

This book is for anyone who loves Alice Munro or Antonya Nelson or, for that matter, Edith Wharton or any other serious writer who works to create a complex and richly textured world. It's hard to believe that this is a first book. It's terrific.

My favorite story here is "A Gram of Mars", because it shows the lingering, telling effects of divorce on the child(ren) of the family. Not everyone has parents who are larger than life and impossibly strong; in fact, if you live long enough, no one does. The title story is so sad and so full of love..."Fugue" is magical and hilarious...and "Holding the Fort" was another standout. This author's writing reminded me of Lorie Moore, Anne Tyler, and maybe Francine Prose, just to give a general idea.

This is the second in a series of 2 books on the Sugarloaf Mountain region in Barnesville, Maryland. A must-have for any local resident to Washington DC, Maryland or Virginia, you will literally feel like you are up on the mountain in the pages of this book, whose gorgeous illustrations and writing bring the mountain to life in any reader's mind as vividly as the real thing! More importantly, the beauty throughout the pages of this book will drive you out Hwy 70 right over to and up the mountain to see it first hand. One of the North-east's best kept treasures, Sugarloaf Mountain was once the runner-up for what became Camp David, this field guide provides readers with a truely tangible appreciation for why it was also among FDR's favorite resting spots! Make it yours too, beginning with this book!

This book is far more detailed than any other wildflower guides I've seen but is written in simple language that I can understand. The illustrations are beautiful and so detailed that it makes it easy to identify wildflowers I find on Sugarloaf Mountain and in walks along the Potomac River. I like learning about medicinal uses of native plants and the book is filled with herbal lore. It's a friendly book that is scientifically accurate and detailed but also contains personal anecdotes in which the author's love of trees and wildflowers comes through. I carry both this book and the companion volume--Sugarloaf: The Mountain's History, Geology and Natural Lore on my hikes.

One of my favorite things about the book is that the plants are organized according to families, with information about each plant family. It's fun to find members of the lily family and the rose family growing in the woods. The book helps you understand relationships between plants in a meaningful way. I like thinking about how this onion that I'm eating is related to the trout lily that grows along Sugarloaf Mountain's streams! Plus, its illustrated glossary is an extremely helpful learning tool.

I recommend this field guide to everyone, from novice to experienced botanists.

This is from the July issue of Pomegranate Seeds
pomegranateseeds@comcast.net

THE GOOD WORD:
A New Field Guide to Eastern
Wildflowers, Trees and Shrubs
by Jeri Metz

I just purchased the most authoritative and readable field guide to wildflowers, herbs, shrubs, vines and trees for the Mid-Eastern United States. An Illustrated Guide to Eastern Woodland Wildflowers and Trees by Melanie Choukas-Bradley, illustrated by Tina Thieme Brown, is eminently readable and includes all the local native and naturalized species that grow abundantly here without any help from us. This is the perfect book for anyone who is interested in gardening with Mother Nature, creating a water-wise native plant garden, or just identifying the local plants while out walking and hiking. The author describes the plants with expert plant taxonomy, humor, and personal anecdotes, throwing in folklore and history where appropriate. She includes specifics on habitat and range, as well as bloom time and where the plants can be found when walking the trails of Sugarloaf Mountain, Maryland. The illustrations, drawn from life, are simple and beautiful, appropriately delicate when describing fragile spring wildflowers, richly detailed and imposing when capturing the hardier species. They compliment every page they are on.

The book is a love letter from two naturalists to their adored Sugarloaf Mountain, where they spent ten years hiking and painstakingly identifying the plants. They view the mountain as a rare gift and "a learning laboratory." But this guide is so much more than the plants on Sugarloaf Mountain. It covers every plant I could think to look up. It includes a very readable botanical key and a comprehensive illustrated glossary. There are suggested readings. But what makes it unique and exceptional in my library of field guides, is the personal touch in both the writings and drawings. The love that Choukas-Bradley and Brown feel for these plants jumps from the pages and I can feel and see how wondrous and magical each plant is for them. By sharing their reverence and respect for all these plants, they inspire while they educate.

An Illustrated Guide to Eastern Woodland Wildflowers and Trees; 350 Plants Observed at Sugarloaf Mountain, Maryland, by Melanie Choukas-Bradley. Illustrated by Tina Thieme Brown. University of Virginia Press. $39.95 through the Audubon Naturalist Society and bookstores and on www.amazon.com.

This is a great book for out of towners and also the residents of Baltimore. It really gives you a good out look of the city.

I have read two guides to Baltimore, this one being the much better of the two. Several differences between the two guides, the most striking being that this has a much more positive take on Charm City, and expresses the importance of the people as well as the attractions. After reading this book I was prepared for the fact that Baltimore people are very friendly, like to talk' and expect you to talk to them, whether you are in their store just looking around, or walking past them on the street as they sit out front on the marble steps. And really you should take the time to do it; people are interesting.
This book is $2.00 more and 150 pages longer that the City Smart guide, and well worth the extra money. If you are going to Baltimore, this is the book.

Baltimore has been needing this book for along time! Whether you're visiting or you live in the area (because when visitors come you can never think of where to take them!) this guide has it all. This really is the "insiders" guide, with all the information only a local would know, it even has info on neighborhoods to visit! Baltimore is such a great place to discover, make sure you take this with you and won't miss a thing!

Let The River Run Silver Again!: How One School Helped Return The American Shad To The Potomac River--And How You Too Can Help Protect And Restore Our Living Waters by elementary school classroom teacher Sandy Burk is an informative and profusely illustrated exploration of the difference one school made to greatly impact the environment and nature of the Potomac River. Readers will learn that making a difference is not all that difficult as the pages inform them of the American Shad's history and what caused the species to leave in the first place. Let The River Run Silver Again! is highly recommended reading (especially to the biology or environmental science teacher as a curriculum supplemental resource) and a welcome addition to any personal, school, or community library Environmental Studies reference collection or supplemental reading list.

Let The River Run Silver Again!: How One School Helped Return The American Shad To The Potomac River--And How You Too Can Help Protect And Restore Our Living Waters by elementary school classroom teacher Sandy Burk is an informative and profusely illustrated exploration of the difference one school made to greatly impact the environment and nature of the Potomac River. Readers will learn that making a difference is not all that difficult as the pages inform them of the American Shad's history and what caused the species to leave in the first place. Let The River Run Silver Again! is highly recommended reading (especially to the biology or environmental science teacher as a curriculum supplemental resource) and a welcome addition to any personal, school, or community library Environmental Studies reference collection or supplemental reading list.

Let The River Run Silver Again!: How One School Helped Return The American Shad To The Potomac River--And How You Too Can Help Protect And Restore Our Living Waters by elementary school classroom teacher Sandy Burk is an informative and profusely illustrated exploration of the difference one school made to greatly impact the environment and nature of the Potomac River. Readers will learn that making a difference is not all that difficult as the pages inform them of the American Shad's history and what caused the species to leave in the first place. Let The River Run Silver Again! is highly recommended reading (especially to the biology or environmental science teacher as a curriculum supplemental resource) and a welcome addition to any personal, school, or community library Environmental Studies reference collection or supplemental reading list.

There are not a lot of books out there on the historic Maryland and Pennsylvania railroad, so if you want to learn about the history of this great little line, this is a must have. I grew up in Baldwin Md. and only wish I could have been around to see that train pass by... in some ways after reading this, I feel I have.

Authoritative, well written, and just a little tongue in cheek. A leisurely read about a leisurely railroad.

I'm a little prejudiced about the subject since the little railroad ran past my grandparents dining room window. Dr. Hilton does a fine job documenting the road's history and happily provides many photographs any railroad fan will love. Once upon a time little railroads like this were the lifeline of the country, and the Ma & Pa was a jewel. Incidentally, Ma & Pa comes from the lettering the Maryland & Pennsylvania used on its equipment. They used M & Pa so not to be confused with the Missouri Pacific. Some chance! The addition of the other "a" was a natural.

When the U.S. Government undertook in the late 19th century to commemorate the September 17, 1862, battlefield of Antietam, Union veteran Ezra A. Carman was selected to serve as the governing board's "historical expert." Through countless interviews and exchanges of correspondence with veterans of both sides, supplemented by all the accounts of the battle that had been published up to that time, Carman crafted the government's official understanding of what remains the bloodiest single-day battle in all of American history. He oversaw the placement of and wrote the text for hundreds of cast iron markers (still extant today), supervised the construction of a superb multi-plate atlas of the battle, and crafted a never published, 1,400 page history of the entire campaign.

Carman's role in the subsequent development of historical interpretation of this battle and the resultant literature cannot be overstated. Every historian who subsequently worked in the field - consciously or not - has been to some degree influenced by Carman's initial efforts, for his labors not only shaped the physical space of today's Antietam National Battlefield but also provided the template for all subsequent interpretation by first the War Department and then by the National Park Service (where it still forms the core of the interpretive model). Further, his unpublished manuscript has been used a principal source by the authors of every major history of the campaign and battle published in the 20th century: Murfin's Gleam of Bayonets, Sears's Landscape Turned Red, Harsh's Taken at the Flood, etc.

But using this resource has always been difficult - until now! The physical manuscript resides in the Library of Congress, where access is almost always restricted to the microfilm. (And if you've ever tried to read 1,400 handwritten pages on a microfilm reader, you know what a chore that can be.) Although it covers everything from politics to logistics to international diplomacy to political economy to civil-military relations IN ADDITION to providing a comprehensive strategic, operational, AND tactical account of the two-week campaign (including full treatments of the battles at South Mountain, Harper's Ferry, and Shepherdstown Ford) - the original work contained no index of any sort, nor in many cases even the most rudimentary of citations for its hundreds of sources.

Joseph Pierro has corrected these many obstacles, making this seminal yet underutilized resource available and accessible to scholars and Civil War enthusiasts alike. He spent some years tracking down and providing - in complete footnotes at the bottom of each pages - citations for hundreds of passages, allowing future users of the Carman manuscript to evaluate and return to Carman's OWN sources - including many of his never published letters from veterans that reside in various repositories.) He also provided a deft yet much needed polish of professional copyediting to Carman's sometimes clunky, occasionally bewildering sentences structure. The result is a major addition to the literature that stands in equal measure as reference work and as narrative history.

By its very nature, this is NOT intended as a work for beginners. (The closest comparison I can make is to John Bigelow's The Campaign of Chancellorsville - written around the same period.) At nearly half a million words, the sheer volume of information will overwhelm anyone without a prior base of knowledge. But for anyone researching ANY topic related to the 1862 Maryland campaign, or for those buffs who want to go beyond the broad strokes of the action, this long-needed contribution to Civil War history is a must have.

It took a century to get here, but the result was worth the wait.

We have been very lucky to have two important manuscripts published in the last year. First, Savas Beatie published the Cunningham dissertation as "Shiloh and the Western Campaign of 1862" in 2007. Now, Routledge brings us the Ezra Carman manuscript on Antietam. These happy events are an opportunity to improve our scholarship on two important and often over looked battles.
Ezra Ayers Carman led the 13th New Jersey, Third Brigade, First Division, Twelfth Corps on September 17, 1862, fighting in the area of the Dunkard Church. After the war, he held a number of government position and was active in veteran's organizations. He maintained a lifelong interest in Antietam and in 1894 received an appointment as Historical Expert to that battlefield's board. His mission was to gather and coordinate as many firsthand accounts as possible. He directed the writing of the historical markers and is responsible for the Antietam maps in the Atlas of the Battlefield of Antietam. He died in 1909, leaving behind a hand written manuscript covering his research and understanding of the campaign and battle. This manuscript is one of the foundation documents used in every book on the battle but, until now, was never available to the public.
This is not a "my experiences at Antietam" book! This is a detailed, comprehensive campaign study of 24 chapters with extensive documentation and footnotes. Supplementing this is 15 appendices covering everything from army organization to the British perspective on the battle. While written 100 years ago, the author did a modern campaign study including national and international political considerations in addition to detailed battle studies.
The editor has maintained the tempo and feel of Carman's writing. While cleaning up the worst of the grammar, he did not modernize the prose. This decision, keeps both the immediacy and feel of 19th Century military history. Some may object to this but I feel it is an important addition, reminding me that this is not a third or fourth person account.
This is a LARGE book! Each page is about half again the size of a standard book and you will want a place to lay it flat for reading. There are no maps. The author assumes the reader would have access to an Atlas of the Battlefield of Antietam and did not include any. The editor has respected this and published without maps. I use my Trailhead Graphics Antietam National Battlefield map while reading to orientate me and keep the action is perspective. This is an invaluable reference work and a major improvement to my Civil War library.

The book is a wonderful read and very informative and everything the reviewers said it would be.

When I first read Maryland The Seventh State A History, when it was first published, it became increasingly obvious that it filled a long standing gap, in that there was no previous book that covered Maryland and its twenty-three counties and Baltimore City, to the extent that this book does. With this newer fourth edition,the author has expanded the information to further enhance it with a more in-depth look at all aspects of Maryland and its history. There are wonderful photographs, maps and seals, making the reader wanting to visit the hundreds of historical areas outlined in this edition.This is truly a definitive work for learning all about Maryland. Get this book and learn why Maryland is known as "America In Miniature."

This is easily the best, most comprehensive book on Maryland and its history I have seen and read. It provides so much badly needed information for people of all ages, and is great for students. The Chronology is wonderful, and its areas on Maryland's founding, and the various wars is most interesting. It has tons of information on all of Maryland's counties, the hundreds of historical areas, maps, photos, seals, and so much more. If anyone is looking for the one book to own on Maryland and its history, this is the one! I highly recommend it.

This new Fourth Edition, 456 page hardback book is written on parchment paper, and is the one book that covers all of Maryland. It contains a complete chronology from 10,000 B.C. to 1998 for Maryland, as well as another chronology on Baltimore City. It covers the Founding of Maryland, the American Revolution, the War of 1812, and the Civil War. It has a seperate section on each county and Baltimore City that contains in-depth information on its founding, origin of its name, history; and its map and seal, as well as all the historical places of interest located in the respective county and Baltimore City. Other sections include: United States Postage Stamps that commemorate Maryland; Obsolete Bank Notes (currency) from Maryland banks; Miscellaneous documents from Maryland's Past; Information on all of Maryland's governor's and Lt. governors; All State Symbols & Great Seals, past and present. Biographies of all the Lords Baltimore as well as other persons famous to Maryland and its history. Many photographs, line art, complete index and more! Completely up-dated to 1998. This is the one book to have to learn all about Maryland, its history, geography and interrelationships. It also has an interesting section on Maryland's Firsts, (things that happened first in Maryland) as well as general information on Maryland. This would make a great gift for present and former Maryland residents, history buffs, students, teachers - anyone interested in learning all about the State of Maryland. A Beautiful Book, suitable for coffee table display. Its front cover has the Maryland flag in color and the back cover has the obverse and reverse Great Seal in color. This book is highly reccomended.

This is by far the best photographic portrait of the Eastern Shore of Maryland ever published. It was just breathtaking !
The cover shot tells so much of what has made up the history of this quaint outback of Maryland. Anyone with a mind for beautiful photography should include this book for their library.

Whow ! By far the best photographic portrait of the Eastern Shore of Maryland I have ever seen, Just loved it.

This book is a charming collection of photographs showing the beauty of the eastern shore of Maryland. As one of the photographers I can tell you that this book shows off the areas local photographers as well as some photographs taken by visitors to our shore. Seeing the Eastern Shore through so many pairs of eyes gives new insight, even to those who have lived here for years. If you love Marylands Eastern Shore you will love this book!

This is a wonderful account of the Calvert mansion in Riverdale, Maryland.
This is a must for history buffs.

In 1794, when Rosalie Stier was 16, her Belgian family fled the Terror and came to America. When her family returned to Europe after her marriage, she wrote direct, intimate letters--over 230!-- covering all aspects of her domestic circle, her house and garden, politics, and society.

She pulls no punches: she hated "Tommy Jeff" and "Queen Dolla lolla" Madison; thought American might benefit from a king; made major investment decisions for her family; described the "rockets' red glare," (glimpsed from her bedroom window); and oversaw her daughter Caroline's debut into society.

An inspiring figure from this often-overlooked period, she gives the lie to those who believe that plantation mistresses-or housewives-did nothing but take care of a house. Her letters give the true picture of the all-consuming details: addressing business cares (she taught herself bookkeeping), educating her nine children; looking after her many servants and slaves; and (despite the household) surviving her isolation.

Her letters were discovered in the 1970s, when her family's centuries-old manuscript collection was cataloged. Rosalie's voice, buried for almost two centuries, is heard again.

This book is the letters of Rosalie Stier Calvert, mistress of a manor house in Maryland in the early 19th century. She was an emigre from Antwerp who eventually came to feel herself American. She married into one of the first families in Maryland. In addition to running her household and bearing 9 children, she handled her father's and brother's not inconsiderable investments. In her letters home, Rosalie made interesting observations on the politics and social scene of the day, as well as telling her family about her day-to-day life. Rosalie almost comes alive in the pages of this book.

I loved the photos, especially the old ones, and the write-ups underneath them. What a fun book with great photos and informative history.

This pictorial history by the authors Hayes and Jacob is very well done, and most enjoyable. I reveled in the photos and the brief chapter introductions that tell a lot about the category being discussed.

I'm not old enough to remember everything written in Ocean City Volume I, but I do remember a lot of what is in this volume because it starts the historical period from the mid-1950s. I went to OC with my family when I was a kid and would go back in a heartbeat. Nicely done book: good writing, unique photos.