Massachusetts Books

The Orphan Seal is a wonderful book that presents a true story full of scientific information in such a way that is neither condescending nor too intellectual. I found it to have the right mix of storytelling charm and facts. A child interested in science will love it.

The ORPHAN SEAL is a wonderful book for everyone. This true story is written with warmth and caring. Each of my grandchildren will receive a copy of ORPHAN SEAL because it is an educational and fun book to read.

The Orphan Seal is a heartwarming and true story of a tiny harbor seal pup separated from his mother by an April storm on the coast of Maine. Washed up on the rocky shore, coastal residents saw the pup and reported him to the Seal Rescue Program at the New England Aquarium in Boston. Two of the Rescue Program scientists verified the seal was orphaned and took the sick, malnourished pup to the Aquarium's hospital. Veterinarians treated him and by September the pup (named Howler by the Aquarium staff) was ready to return to the sea and was successfully released off the coast of Cape Cod. The Orphan Seal is wonderfully illustrated by Dawn Peterson in perfect accompaniment to Fran Hodgkins' charming, engaging story for young readers ages 4 to 10 of a young seal named Howler and the good people responsible for his rescue.

So writes Dorothy Sterling in this remarkable book. She goes on, "It builds and destroys".

Ostensibly a natural history guide, at times The Outer Lands reads more like a poetic drama. Here is the author's description of the formation of the beaches:

"Waves battered against the gravel banks, carrying away rocks, stones, and clay. Undermined by the storms of winter, washed out by spring rains, boulders tumbled from the bluffs. A million times, and a million times a million, the smaller fragments of the glacial till somersaulted along the ocean floor. Pulled by winds and pushed by currents, they were swept out to sea and tossed back to shore. Rocks rubbed against each other. Stones clattered over the surface of the boulders at high tide. Filing, scraping, polishing rough edges, the endless motion of the waves turned the coarse gravel into smooth pebbles, and the pebbles into sand."

Wonder abounds even in the very small things. For instance, "The architecture of a snail's shell is not only a thing of beauty but a precise bit of engineering". And indeed, so it is.

There is even a section entitled "Worms Can Be Beautiful". In it Sterling makes her point, "Although `worm', often coupled with the word `lowly' conjures up unpleasant images, these marine worms are by no means at the bottom of the evolutionary ladder. They are lowly when compared to the readers of this book, but their bodies and behavior are admirably adapted to the tidal world in which they live. Viewed without prejudice, they can seem surprisingly beautiful".

With these insights and deft description, we explore beaches, bays and sounds, marshes and dunes, ponds and bogs.

The interesting facts never stop coming. We learn, for instance, that a single meadow mouse consumes about thirty pounds of vegetation per year.

The Outer Lands has a timeless, vintage feel. Much more than a reference work, it's a perfect read for a foggy afternoon.

Highly recommended.

Dorothy Sterling describes the Outer Lands (The Cape, Long Island, Nantucket, etc.) very eloquently, using understandable, interesting language. She adds charming local folklore and local sights, as well as maps and drawings that contribute so much to the book. This book is great for leasure reading as well as a textbook for a marine biology class.

Dorothy Sterling describes the Outer Lands (The Cape, Long Island, Nantucket, etc.) very eloquently, using understandable, interesting language. She adds charming local folklore and local sights, as well as maps and drawings that contribute so much to the book. This book is great for leasure reading as well as a textbook for a marine biology class.

This book assumes you know nothing about sculpting. It is in larger print and clear diagrams for each step and technique. The basics are given along with a photograph of each tool, optional tools and supplies. The projects to make are in order of difficulty and rated with one to four stars. Several patterns range from a simple snake to a complex stegosaurus. Each page has a full scale pattern along with a picture of the finished sculpture followed by clear diagrams and instructions. This is great for kids and a classroom. There is a gallery of even harder ones pictured for those daring to create their own patterns and copy them on their own.

Paper, Scissors, Sculpt! has good pictures that you can trace onto paper which you can then cut, score and sculpt. The various shapes are rated from easy to more difficult, in that order, so that you can learn as you progress. The instructions are clear.
My 4-1/2 yr. old granddaughter was able to make a snake and a bat with little help from me. She was thrilled with the resulting snake (and added glittery eyes).
Though I haven't had time to make many of the animals I'm looking forward to working on the more advanced designs.

Paper, Scissors, Sculpt is an awesome book for all ages! It's way easier then origami and it takes almost no time at all. In this book, you can learn how to quickly make a snake that curls naturally or giraffe that actually supports itself...all with regular paper! Whats more, is that for each project you need no more than one piece of paper.

Anyone should seriously check out Ben A. Gonzales book for some amzing rainy-day (or any day) fun!

- JJ, 11

As a new recruit in the growing international army of Civil War reenactors, I was anxious to evolve past the usual march-and-shoot mass maneuvers into effective first-person interaction with spectators. But having never even seen a living-history interpreter, I wasn't sure what to do. Then I found Ms. Roth's delightful book on the internet! She interviewed scores of experienced interpreters at the best living-history museums in the United States and Canada to find out how they hook -- and keep -- the interests of their visitors. The result is some imaginative out-of-the-box approaches that make visitors think they're being entertained instead of educated! The fun that the interpreters obviously have with their roles is infectious -- I could hardly wait to try it! This is a MUST read for anyone who's ever thought of going to a historical reinactment as either a participant or a spectator.

I have participated as a living history first person interpreter for over 6 years, and have been a visitor at many living history sites across the country. I am also the period costume coordinator for a living history site. I have seen first hand many effective and ineffective presentations.

While reading and searching for textbooks for our upcoming "Dame School" program for young ladies at our site, I came across this book. Since the text is clear and written to be interesting as well as educational,I have chosen it as a textbook for our "school". I believe our young students will be able to relate well to the book, and that we will be able to use this book to guide them to more effectual presentations. I also highly recommend it for adults.

This book is very good at giving hints on how to engage visitors in conversations useful in imparting stories of the site one is working, as well as methods to diffuse potential problems. It presents varied types of sites which were reviewed by the author, and gives good examples of what is effective and what is not. This book also discusses class distinctions and first person interpretations of difficult and traumatic events and activities of the past, such as slavery. To give a well rounded view of history, first person interpreters can't just present the rosy side of life!

The extensive listing of living history sites which is in the back section of the book would be very useful to persons who are considering the hobby or profession of first person interpretation.

Television, movies, computers, even video games have changed the way we look at history. Recently written books on history are now in a style that gives the reader a greater understanding of what our founding father's and 19th century pioneer's daily lives were like.
Everything, it seems, is three dimensional today. Try visiting an American History museum - it's not your father's museum, that's for sure!
In her book, "Past Into Present," Ms. Roth just about covers every aspect of presenting history in all its glory and gore by using the process known as 1st person. First person brings the folks from the distant past back to life by having a re-enactor or a museum docent dress in period clothing, doing a job or a chore from the past, and speaking as if they actually ARE that long-dead person, alive again, here to share their knowlegde of times gone by. I, myself, impose a 1st person technique for my civilian impression in the 21st Michigan Civil War reenactors, and I must say that "Past into Present" truly helped me understand the importance of what I am representing while doing my impression. Through her book Ms. Roth also helped me see the pros and cons of being a 1st person living historian as well - how to stay in character, for instance, without jumping back and forth between first and third person.
From what I have seen at some re-enactments - and even at a museum - some living historians do not give the past the justice it deserves. They are the ones who should own this book as well. I've learned to give the reverence these folks from the past that we are emulating the respect they so deserve.
The writer can get a bit wordy (so can I, can't you tell?) but if you are one who is a bit more passionate about the past and would rather get deeper involved in history than the average person, then I would suggest you taking a gander at this book and read how you can become one from the past into the present at your next reenactment.

My husband & I are both descended from The Mayflower - He from William Brewster & Stephen Hopkins and I from William Bradford. This book has added so much information for our Genealogy. I cannot tell you how many times I have used it to add information to our family history file. It has many years of use.

There are hundreds of books out there about the Pilgrims and the first Thanksgiving and all that goes with the subject. But the majority of these books are written either in a stodgy, encyclopedic (read: Boring!) format, or they are written for children. Well, now I have one that is actually written for adults, as well as in an easy to read manner. Written mainly from a genealogical stance, the author, Eugene Aubrey Stratton, did his "putting flesh on the bones" research; that is, he sought out how the pilgrims lived their daily lives in all aspects of their time and place. Instead of the cartoonish figures we all see come November, Mr. Stratton actually gives an authentic look to these early Americans. He makes the reader feel that they now know the pilgrims, not only through their historical prominence in our early history, but by name, and we feel their hardships, especially of their first winter here. After the first time reading this book, I re-read it, only this time I read the 'Biographical Sketches' section, located toward the back of the book, first, THEN I went to the beginning. My advice to the first time reader is to do the same. You will then know who you are reading about as names are mentioned.
This book is, simply put, the best of its kind. Maybe more genealogists should write our history books! At least they bring history to life!

In doing research on my own ancestor who was a passanger on the Mayflower and one of the original Pilgrims, I have used over 50 books. This one is by far the best. Very readable, this book provides an excellent narative of many of the events of the first 70 years at Plymouth, and detailed descriptions of many of the Pilgrims. For anyone interested in this era, this book is a must.

The education of America's children is so important to us as a society. Yet very few people know what's really involved in how children learn and how teachers teach.And even less is known about the role of educational publishers. This is an eye-opening insider view of how Houghton Mifflin went about it, told not only by Miller but by his colleagues in the business. Those in charge of seeking solutions today would do well to take a page or two out of this experience.

Publishing: A Leap From Mind To Mind by Harold T. Miller (President and Chairman of the Houghton Mifflin Company) tells the true and complex story of the independent publishing firm of Houghton Mifflin from the years of World War II up through 1990. From Houghton Mifflin's recruitment of expert authors; to develop cutting-edge textbooks of the finest possible learning programs; to Houghton Mifflin's work in developing solid standardized tests for aptitude measurement; to ongoing business nuances of an ever changing and always competitive market place, Publishing: A Leap From Mind To Mind is an involving real-life saga arising from the publishing industry and highly recommended reading.

For anyone who longs to know what really happens in the process of publishing books -- and even in areas such as reading textbooks, math textbooks, or children's books -- you should consult Publishing: A Leap from Mind to Mind. The former CEO of Houghton is as candid as he is insightful, presenting a variety of topics in a compelling fashion. Unlike most books on publishing which show how the barbarians have taken over, this refreshing volume shows how to create a successful publishing enterprise. And the final chapter on the Culture of Independence should be read and thought about by everyone in, or thinking of going into, book publishing.

I am an avid reader of historical texts. I am very interested in the history of America and am always hungry for more knowledge. I recently took up in interest in discovering more about the Quakers. I had almost given up after reading the endless selection of rather boring texts, leaving me either sleeping or wanting to. Then, I found Quaker Nantucket. From this book, I have learned volumes of information, and had a good time doing it. This book is interesting, and begins every chapter with an exciting section of the ongoing saga. I enjoyed myself, and hope to have the chance to congratulate Mr. Gow and Mr. Leach myself.

The authors provide detailed information about the rise and fall of Nantucket's Quaker community and its whaling industry. If your Nantucket ancestors include family names like Macy, Starbuck, Coffin, Bunker, etc., you'll gain additional persective on the interconnections between family, religion, and whaling, the "splintering" of the Quaker community, and some reasons for migration off island.

This is an amazing book. The author takes you into the life or Quakerism. You learn how it all began with George Fox, and how in ended. Also, you learn about how the whaling industry affected Quakers on the island on Nantucket. This is a must read.

Great reference for a first-time overnight camper who won an award for beginning kayaking at Camp Starfish in NH this summer!

This is an excellent book for those yakers who are looking for an escape from motor boat laden waters. It is well illustrated and has helpful tips on where to put in and what to expect as you traverse the water ways.

we live in broad brook, connecticut and this is the first year we've had kayaks. in the early summer we met a woman on the scantic river near the somersville dam and she recommended this book. best tip of the year. there are so many great paddles in here that you'd never know about just by looking on a map. we'd been driving around, shooting in the dark, and mostly being disappointed by what we found. every paddle we've taken out of the book has been excellent. can't recommend it highly enough.

This is the best kind of academic writing: direct, technically accurate and concise, yet intriguing, lively and infomative. Segal clearly has affection for his subject, yet does not hedge on Ford's notoriously disagreeable qualities. A clear-eyed look at a complex man and his ideals.

This book is fabulous! It captures this topic better than any I've ever read. It's very interesting to me, and I'm not in the least way associated with Ford. Great book and enjoyable read!!

Henry Ford is famous for setting up the basic concepts of mass production. And some of his factories Highland Park, River Rouge and Willow Run to name three were truly huge facilities producing huge numbers of vehicles, even aircraft. Yet at the same time he was concerned about the social aspects of the businesses.

In the early 1920's he was instrumental in Ford setting up nineteen smaller 'village industries.' Each of these industries were set up to provide some kind of easily specified component that would be used in Ford vehicles or manufacturing. These included things like voltage regulators, twist drills, manufacturing test equipment, etc.

After his death, in the late 1940's and early 1950's these nineteen was shut down, usually merged into a large factory in the newly formed parts division. This effort cannot be considered a failure. All in all, the nineteen plants were too small, too hard to manage.

Now similar outside suppliers provide such sub component manufacturing, but they are larger, and independently owned. This same concept is also followed closely in Japan where smaller independent suppliers make components for automobiles and other products.

I first read this book back in the late '80s in prep for a vacation to the Lexington/Conord, Ma area. I couldn't put it down. It is so well written and factual but reads like a novel. If someone is interested in the history leading up to the American Revolution this is the book to start with. It lays out all the details of the American and British sides while keeping the reader totally involved. After reading my library copy I went out and bougth a copy, that's how much I loved this story.

The author presents rich insights to events and characters on both sides involved in our nations struggle for independence. The amont of research the author has done is tremendous and it seems that much of the information is newly discovered. The book is full of history yet reads very well.

I had not realized before reading this book how many of our nations early heros had developed their military background and leadership ability through their experiences in the French and Indian Wars and how the military leaders on both sides had developed respect for the other because of those shared battles.

I think every American History teacher should own and read this marvelous book to supplement what is available in traditional texts.

I found this book to be a truly fascinating history of the beginning of the American Revolution. Don't be fooled by the title. It covers much more than just Lexington and Concord. It gives good background information on the origins of the war, and follows the conflict through the British evacuation of Boston nearly a year later. It is a very fast paced, well written book. I highly recommend it.