Michigan Books

The relaxing beaches and the bustle of Chicago's lake front - Lake Michigan has much to offer as a vacation destination. "Lake Michigan Travel Guide" is a complete and comprehensive tourist guide to the area surrounding Lake Michigan, granting readers everything they need to know. Pointing out countless attractions as well as good stops for food and rest, and enhanced with detailed black and white photos throughout, "Lake Michigan Travel Guide" is an essential read for anyone heading into the area and for community library travel collections.

In the early months of World War II, the United States Navy recognized the need for ships to train pilots in carrier take-offs and landings. Realizing that current aircraft carriers already in service could not be used for this task, another approach was taken. Based on the recommendations of Commander R.F. Whitehead, the Navy acquired two Great Lakes pleasure cruisers: the S.S. Seeandbee and the S.S. Greater Buffalo. These ships were coal-fired sidewheelers which passengers rode on pleasure cruises on the Lakes. They were loaded with luxurious staterooms, atriums, and beautiful furniture. But, due to the needs of the war effort, they were purchased, stripped down, and converted into training aircraft carriers for pilots destined to fight in the Pacific War.

The S.S. Seeandbee became known as the USS Wolverine, and the S.S. Greater Buffalo became known as the USS Sable. Each was dratically changed from their previous appearance so as to incorporate a flight deck and "island". The flight decks were approximately 500 feet long, but there was no way to store aircraft belowdecks. So, land bases were incorporated to house the planes and pilots. Training consisted of take-offs and landings. After a pilot successfully completed 14 of these, they were carrier-qualified and ready to face the enemy.

The primary purpose for designing these ships was so that training would not have to have been conducted in either the Pacific or Atlantic oceans, because the risk of submarine or aerial attack was too great. Plus, escorting ships would have been required. By concentrating training on the Great Lakes, there was no need for escorts or armaments on the carriers. Over 17,000 pilots were qualifed for carrier combat during the war, and many of these pilots, including former President George H.W. Bush, trained on the Wolverine and Sable. These carriers served throughout the war.

This is an excellent book and tells the story of two little-known ships of the U.S. Navy. Despite their autonomy, these ships played a vital role in the war effort. The book is packed with vintage photographs and informative text.

I recommend this book very highly. If you're interested in naval aviation, then this book is a must-read.

Zimmermann's book catches the spirit of the Lake Michigan Railroad Car Ferries from the Ann Arbor No. 1 to the Chief Wawatam. The Society for the Preservation of the SS City of Milwaukee agrees that the ship represents the pinnacle of carferry design. The ship is a National Historic Landmark, and Zimmermann's story and photo's describe his Lake Michigan carferry experience in detail. As Zimmermann states in the book, the SS City of Milwaukee is being preserved at Elberta, Michigan.

This book is highly recommended for several reasons. First, many small towns all over America are being swallowed up by urban sprawl or are becoming bedroom communities for nearby cites, wherein their former identities are lost. This book provides a window into the past of Lake Orion, a popular destination for Detroiters ever since the railroad arrived in the early 1870s. Each picture is a treasure in itself. The author captures the names and happenings frozen in time by the cameras lens. The identities of those in the pictures and their histories will be lost with the deaths of those older among us who remember those pictured and remember the events chronicled. The book is a time machine into the past.
For those, like myself, who spent many a wonderful day enjoying this lake, the book will bring back fond memories. For those who may never have been there, it is a passage in time to an earlier and less pressured era, before television and all the depersonalizations that technology has burdened is with.
Lose yourself fin the book and you will find the experience most rewarding.

Stonehouse is a master when it comes to Great Lakes research & storytelling. This book is more research than storytelling, but it is still great. The synopsis of the wrecks are short, sweet & to the point. Awesome book & highly recommended.

A refreshing look at the Mayflower landing takes the shape of the voyage itself from the perspective of a sailor. The author was a sailor and describes the ship, the navigation and the voyage from the first sighting of land to the final anchoring in Massachusetts Bay. The book is very well researched.

this was an informative and enlightening book. When I look around my home town I see old buildings and the old town streets and wonder how they came to be. It gave me perspective in the county where I live. Well done!

This is a wonderful book that examines a father and son relationship in a Midwestern farming community. The struggles between generations and the authors own internal conflicts brought me to tears. The author captures the German-Lutheran morality and displays it affectionately. I loved this book because it showed the difficulty in following ones own dream, perhaps at the cost of someone elses dream. How to be true to oneself and find respect for making lifes difficult decisions.

My father gave me this book to read several years ago and it sat in my desk unread. Two years ago, my father passed away, and I just now read the book. How I wish I had read it when he was alive. My thanks to Howard Kohn for writing such a wonderful book, one I wish I had written.

First, note that this book is available from the public domain as a pdf and in other formats.

Second, note this is not a book about modern machining or wood working techniques.

Third, if you are willing to take the trouble to learn these techniques, virtually all of the power and flexibility of a modern machine lathe is available for little more than the cost of your time and materials. This book was written at a time when mechanics/machinists/smiths etc. were expected to make their own tools.

Interestingly, virtually all of the tools of modern machinists had been invented by the time this book was published and most subsequent developments have been predicated on the availability of modern materials, readily available electricity, and the increasing economy of ready made tools.

I was personally amazed and delighted to learn how much could be accomplished with very basic machines if I was willing to supplement my tools with effort and ingenuity.

If you are looking for anything from a new challenge to an introduction to lathe and machine work this book has been a great beginning for at least 100 years. If you are looking for the power of a modern machine lathe without the $1000 - $10,000 price tag, this book could be some very good news.

Have fun, work hard and God bless.

One of my hobbies is studying exemplary textbooks. I want to learn from great teachers.

Waldo Sweet's books on learning Latin are incredible examples of great language teaching in which the student learns from personal experience. This book is one of his best.

The book is based on 166 sentences that illustrate every concept taught in the book.

This is a brilliant way to teach. It really give me a sense of going step by step in a language that some people believe is challenging.

Latin used to be included in the curriculum of any serious student ( notice Latin words and Latin-based words I must use just to write this review in English!). This is no longer the case.

However, anyone who really wants to understand language and appreciate life in a more rarified sense will want to learn some Latin.

This book presents a structural approach to the language which, as far as I know, is unique in the teaching of Latin.

My only frustration is that the tapes mentioned are no longer available (based on my web searches). However, you can easily find mp3 samples of Latin pronunciation on the net gratis.

When I first bought this book many years ago I bought it just because it's such a great textbook.

When I decided to study Latin I returned to Dr. Sweet's book.

I recommend it without reservation.