Ohio Books

We recently toured Stan Hywet Hall and Gardens and found this great little book in the gift shop. We loved it! The visuals were excellent and plentiful and the pages were filled with lots of facts that made history fun. A wonderful keepsake.

William Edson's dedication to realizing a difficult goal is evident on every page of this volume. He has obviously spent many an hour in the archives of the B&O and other institutions. Every steam locomotive owned by the B&O that ever traveled anywhere on that line is documented here - over 7,000(!) locomotives! For each loco, there is provided the original roster number (and renumber where applicable), the builder, serial number, date built, and date of disposition (nearly always the scrapping date). Small reproductions of shop drawings with technical data of the major classes of B&O steam locomotives are for the most part, adequately reproduced, considering that many of the originals had to have been very fragile due to age. A photo section provides well-reproduced illustrations of the lesser-known classes of B&O steam locos.

This volume is NOT recommended for the new railfan. It is recommended ONLY for experienced and knowledgeable steam locomotive fans and rail historians, particularly those with an interest in the B&O.

If you are a photographer, photography buff, LTV retiree, history buff, or 4 year old boy, this is the book for you. As a photographer and history buff, I enjoyed pouring through this book and viewing all the photographs from back in the day. The author really seemed to care about the content of the book and included some amazing photographs from the LTV Collection. It had the feel of the old Farm Bureau Admin Photographers.
I also loved reading the history behind the photos and the book. The writing was good and the history informational.
My 4 year old son loved pouring through the photos in the book. The trains, boats, and steelyards were definitely attention catchers for him.
And my favorite part of the book is the front cover. The dark ominous steel yard photo is perfect for such an amazing bit of our history here in Ohio. It also made me feel upset that so much of our steel industry is out sourced now. That so many people have lost their jobs etc.
This was a great book and I definitely recommend it.

This is the MOST comprehensive book about Cincinnati Entertainment from 1900 to 1960. I have many Cincinnati books in my personal collection, but none is as complete, photographed, and well documented as this 3rd book in Mr. Singer's Cincinnati series. It is packed with great photos and very complete descriptions. Virtually EVERY theater is photographed and described. Photos are very clear. It even pictures several minor neighborhood theaters I attended as a child in the 1940's and 1950's !! I will refer to Mr. Singer's three Cincy volumes often. Very complete and interesting.

This poetry book rocks! Check out "tree"--the last poem. Full of folly, comedy and deceit, this book is a must for all aspiring poets.

I really enjoyed this book. As a history buff who also enjoys strange and offbeat stories, Neil Zurcher's new book satisfied both of my interests. Whoever dreamed Ohio could lay claim to such people, places, and things as cows who "race", the man who invented disposable diapers, a slingshot car, and an Ohio prison camp that actually housed German POW's. Each story is like a little gem--interesting and well-told. Anyone who wants a really different side of Ohio history should read this book. I plan to keep it on my nightstand for weeks to come.

We so loved this book! Our entire school participated in a literacy event that recreated the text and entitled it "A School Named Fairview." Each classroom interviewed a special staff or support person in our building, then wrote a short paragraph detailing the function performed by their special assignment. Students then painted or drew a picture of themselves to mount on a 12x18 book page. Our art teacher helped mount the figures in special settings. The results are precious, and the entire school community has been enriched. We plan to make the pages into a book as special as "A Street Called Home."

I was excited to see this book come into print. A brief history of how a person (me) from Newark, Ohio (where the author of the 76th Company was from) became transplanted to Hattiesburg and became friends with the great-granddaughter of Charles Miller makes this all the more a great read.
But the fact remains that it is his personal narrative of history, not another person's understanding,that makes this book a great read!
Chapter 12 talks about the battle at Vicksburg. Living within 2 hours of Vicksburg in 2004 when the battle seiged in the year 1863, makes you understand the fate of your family blood line. Brevet Major Miller was just 10-15 seconds early of being the only man killed (see pictue on page 98) by a cannonball coming across the mighty Mississippi in this battle.
Chapter 15 talks about the politics of the day, when in Newark, Major Miller was exposed to the political view of those who opposed the war. He wondered how these people could be so violently against the very men who were keeping the war from their doors! When Blue coats came close to the people at the Valllandigham/Davis campaigne he would hear "hurrah for Vallandigham and Jeff Davis."

I hope you enjoy this book!

My interest is because my Grandfather played for the Columbus Panhandles, Frank Nesser... Good book!