New Hampshire Books

This is an obvious labor of love by a sympathetic and careful observer of a local population of spotted turtles in New England. The writing, illustrations and fine details bring to vivid life the most mundane activities of these gentle beasts. If you have any interest in turtles track down a copy of this book!

a true example of brillance, in subject matter and illustrations....!!!!!!!!!

David Carroll marvelously mixes the arts with science: true to his art, he is a refined Thoreau. His love and understanding for his subject is clearly evident.

I have over a dozen books on hiking in New Hampshire (my favorite state and place to climb) but this has to be one of the few that really gets detailed on the trail's good points and bad ones and what to watch for.
The trails are varied, some long and more of 'getting there' attitude and some short but very scenic. The authors really let you know about spots to stop at and why and other neat things to watch for.
I have done at least 12 of the 50 and plan on all if I am able in this short life, lol. No complaints about the descriptions. Also very pleased with the accurate info on parking and directions to the trailhead, which is confusing in some other books.
This is the second book to the 50 Hikes series for New Hampshire, both are unbelievable and invaluable in their information. This one takes us from Barrett Mountain in Southern NH (which by the way is impossible to find informative hiking information on)through the Whites and even one in the Far North. There are quite a few essential 4,000 footers in here, so don't miss out!

Tracy Talley~@

I found this book to be extremely helpful. It makes planning a hiking agenda easy. Great maps and detailed overviews. This book gives you the confidence to allow you to explore more of New Hampshire. No matter which trail you decide to take on...you will know what to expect. Even gives guides to "rainy day" hikes. The only drawback is that you will want to pack it with you!

This is a fine beginners guide to identifying the tracks you might find while hiking in New England, whether you're in an urban area or on a wilderness hike. While not comprehensive, you will find the more common animals from your environment -- 34 mammals (including mice, squirrels, rabbits, snakes, skunks, frogs and toads, fox, coyote, porcupine, raccoon, deer, moose and bear) and 9 birds (including grouse, crow, duck, owl, heron and eagle).

The book begins with a preface of enouragement followed by an introduction on how to use the book and where/how to look for tracks, continues with 2-page species entries, and concludes with a short suggested reading list and an index.

Entries are ordered roughly by size, and a 5-inch ruler is printed on the back cover. Each entry has a couple of descriptive paragraphs on the lefthand page and b&w line drawings of typical tracks on the right.

This little book is surprisingly informative and quite compact -- a perfect introductory book for kids or adults who are interested in the wildlife around them.

I use this book everytime I go hikin

This book is NOT out of stock, as it has been reprinted in 1988 and remains avaliable from Whalesback Books. For orders, call 202/333-2182.

This is a reprint of a book originally published in the 1930s, which describes with great sophistication the architecture of the many 18th century homes that dot the Piscataqua River valley, primarily in Portsmouth. At the time it was written, many of these homes were still occupied by descendants of the original owners, whereas now they are owned by non-profit organizations and are open to the public. It is enormously rewarding to compare the black and white pictures in the book with the houses as they are today. It also contains an introductory essay that gives a superb explanation of the evolution of domestic architecture from America's earliest settlements through the 18th century. As the book explains, Portsmouth, along with Newburyport, Annapolis, and Charleston, are unique among historic American cities because they prospered in the 18th century only to decline thereafter, thereby allowing their wonderful examples of Georgian and Federal/Adam architecture to be preserved. By way of contrast, Boston, New York, and Philadelphia grew so rapidly in the 19th century that most of their examples of this type of home were lost to the wrecker's ball.

Ms. Klimasmith's At Home In The City is a wonderful work of scholarship. The author skillfully draws upon numerous perspectives of literary theory as well as cultural studies to explore the constructive nature (or relationship) between the individual and their environment as depicted in literature during the rapid development of the American city during the late 19th early 20th century.
Like a New Historicist the author draws on various sources from that time period. These sources include novels from authors such as, Hawthorne, Fern, Wharton, Crane, Gilman, Larsen, and James as well as articles from numerous periodicals of the period. Ms. Klimasmith also draws upon the work of social activists, such as Jacob Riis, and the architects of the American Landscape, such as Frederick Law Olmsted. The author reads these works in various combinations illustrating many themes, including, elements of architectural determinism, tensions between changing areas of domestic space, the modern development of culture as commodity, and of course the relationship that the individual shares with these developments.
The breadth of this work goes beyond what I have noted in this short review. The sources are extensive and the arguments are presented in an organized and interesting manner. I really like the way the author uses fiction to inform historical analysis. Anybody interested in American fiction or history, cultural studies, or literary criticism will like this book.

The book is a superior resource for any student of history and literature of the period. It provides detailed information about the trends and influence of urban life on 19th century families that migrated from rural areas to the city, and demonstrates also the effects of this migration on literary works of the period.
Ms Klimasmith has created a very interesting volume; a combination of historical data coupled with examples of texts by important authors of the period.

This is for anyone who wants to find nice hiking trails where they can take their dog(s) along.

I had been looking forward to this book's publication since a New Hampshire bookseller told me this summer it was coming soon. I live in Vermont 7 months of the year, and New Hampshire the remaining 5. I own a 4-year-old shepherd/black lab mix, Diamond, who loves to go hiking with me. So this book is perfect for us to plan new adventures.

The author has selected hikes which are safe and suitable for dogs, as well as delightful hikes for their human companions. I was glad to see some of my favorite hikes are included in the book, and there are many others I look forward to doing with Diamond.

The hikes are rated from one to four paws for difficulty, and dog regulations specific to each hike (proof of rabies, leash laws) are given. I am impressed with the detailed topographic maps, especially since the maps in my two "Best Hikes with Children" books, by the same publisher, are a bit disappointing.

I was glad to see that the author details many safety-related and ethical issues pertaining to hiking with dogs. The ten essentials include gear one should carry for dogs (leash, water, portable bowl) as well as obedience training (to be done before the dog goes hiking). The ten canons of trail etiquette are guidelines to ensure that your dog won't offend other hikers, and that you won't lose the privilege of hiking with your dog on the trails.

The Bones of the Earth is a treasure of historical stories unique to New England that could be lost without writers like Howard Mansfield to keep them alive. His thoughtful account of traditions, landmarks and history reminds us all to document our own stories for future generations. Mansfield's humor and sense of irony in showing the strange contrasts we often don't see makes this a delightful book to read.

Howard Mansfield's The Bones of the Earth will make you see your surroundings in a whole different way. At a time that much of humankind stands at the verge of forgetting who and where we are, this book reminds us to honor the oldest landmarks, the sticks and stones by which we know home.

This book is Historical information on both the area I grown up in and family bacvkground. I greatly enjojed not only ready this book, but found that being about to see many of the places and items mentioned in the bok added to my enjoyment. Please note that "Boy Captive of Old Deerfield" proceeds this and "Boys of the Border" follows this. All 3 are excellant and contain much interesting information on the settlement of Western Mass.

This is the first in a series that cronicles young Stephen's life in an early American, frontier town and capture by indians from Canada. The book was not only hard to put down because of continual actions, but I was always learning a little bet here and there about early colional life and Native American life.

The first chapter was a little tough getting used to some of the Olde English spelling an phrases. But soon I no longer noticed them at all. I would recommend this book to anyone from about 5th grade and up.

I won't spoil the ending, but do yourself a favor and order "The Boy Captive in Canada" at the same time because the story doesn't end in this book. It continues into the next.

The Breath of Parted Lips is an anthology of work from over 150 poets, judiciously selected from the Frost Place, a sanctuary for poets and poetry. The collected poems honor Robert Frost, himself a lifelong teacher of poetry who encouraged the creative visions of young students, and Donald Sheehan, who has nurtured the legacy of the Frost Place. An original, eye-opening lyrical compendium, flourishing with the brilliance of creative work.

The Franconia, New Hampshire, farm of the American poet Robert Frost was turned into a museum and center for poetry and the arts in 1976. From that time, "The Frost Place" has been annual event wherein an emerging poet has been invited to spend the summer living in the house where Frost once lived and wrote some of his greatest poetry. The Breath Of Parted Lips: Voices From The Robert Frost Place, Volume One is a remarkable anthology of twenty-four poets, each of whom won that honor of a summer's residency and document the success of the original concept as a means of generating outstanding poetry while nurturing the poet's muse in the rooms and views that were once the inspiration of the great Robert Frost. Poem At 40: Windwashed--as if standing next to the highway,/a truck long as the century sweeping by,/all things at last bent in the same direction./An opening, as if all/the clothes my ancestors ever wore/dry on lines in my body:/wind-whipped, parallel with the ground,/some sleeves sharing a single clothespin/so that they seem to clasp hands,/seem to hold on.//And now that I can see/up the old women's dresses,/there's nothing but a filtered light./And now that their men's smoky breath/has traversed the earth,/it has nothing to do with them./And now that awkward, fat tears of rain/slap the window screen,/now that I'm naked too,/cupping my genitals, tracing with a pencil/the blue vein between my collar bone and breast,/I'll go to sleep when I'm told.

We had the pleasure of meeting Ms Wall at our school when she came to do a reading of her book for us. It was a great tale with acurate historical events and places in NH. And the story was told in a way that the children actually got to "feel" what it was like to live in Matty's day and time, as well as the pressure of her circumstances of racial issues for that time.
I would Highly reccommend this book for older kids, as a great way to open up conversations about different things.

Ms. Wall does a beautiful job of sharing a piece of our American history in a way that draws you in and makes you feel like you are a part of it all.
I found this to be a wonderful story and a gentler way of introducing my daughter to the horrible subject of slavery. Somehow she makes it easier for a child to understand and yet does not sugar coat the facts.
This book has earned a place on my shelf with other classics like Catcher in the Rye and Tom Sawyer. Thank you Ms. Wall for this wonderful book. We look forward to the next one.