Massachusetts Books

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.

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.

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.

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.

This is a great book, the best ever written, I am sure, on the very important topic of helping maintain, and sometimes create livable communities in rural areas. The only handicap for owning the book is the rather huge price, $ 86.00, and not discounted by Amazon. We would like to have all our county planning commission members have a copy of the book, but can't afford to do so.

The bible on proper planning. I wish more planners would read it. I am an average citizen who wanted to learn more about smarter land use plans and this book really has great ideas. It is expensive, but well worth the price. Shows how poor our current clear-cutting practices are compared to the beauty of an open space subdivision design. Buy this-you will really learn a lot!

You can still buy this book from the American Planning Association (www.planning.org) for about $60, even though Amazon, and other book stores, have it listed as "out of print."

Many years ago as a fledging new lawyer, I read portions of the trial transcript from Sacco & Vanzetti trial. I was able to glean some of the injustice rendered in this case, but Professor Bortman's book clearly and concisely laid out the elements of a tainted legal system in Massachusetts in the 1920s. It was not until I read Professor Bortman's book that I fully understood the political elements involved at the time of the Sacco & Vanzetti trial. This book is a must read for every student of American history, especially legal history.

For a short book, the story is very well paced and still manages to give it a level of 'Hollywood Court Room' drama, although in this case, the story is real. The writing is clear and unpretentious and very accessible.

The final chapter detailing the modern day reaction to the
case serves as a warning that even one of the most advanced Western democracies has a way to go in ensuring Justice For All is more than just a slogan and that, with one or two minor exceptions, the case could occur again in modern times.

Mr. Bortman has hit the nail on the head with this informative and well-written account of the famous trial of Sacco and Vanzetti. The background, trial and aftermath are treated with evenhandedness and an admirable attention to detail. Moreover, this book is easy to read yet chock full of facts, eyewitness accounts and analyses.

This quick-read will turn even one with little prior knowledge of this episode into a well-versed expert. If more historical passages were covered as well, the historical awareness of our citizenry would skyrocket.

I have read many books on Salem and its history; I live almost next door to Salem; I was even born there for heaven's sake! I thought I knew everything important about this historic New England city.

And then I read this book! I learned new things about what I thought I already knew, and I found that there is much about Salem that has been largely ignored. Most people are familiar with the witchcraft hysteria, the China trade, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and the modern witch industry. But how many of us knew that many of Salem's characteristic architectural details are derived from that China trade? Or that Salem, too, was one of the New England textile towns - one of the towns that suffered from the loss of this industry? That Salem has been an immigrant city for many years, encouraging people to come to work in its mills - until those mills close! Or that Salem is currently home to a thriving Dominican population?

I found it especially helpful to look at one place - this city of Salem - from a variety of perspectives. Now that I've read Morrson's book I think I can say that I know this town pretty well!

This was a rare book that shifted how I view things. I found this book to be unique in its approach to looking at the city of Salem, MA and addressing its sense of place. Although I found each chapter interesting, the whole collection together really got me thinking in new ways about how I view communities and the multiple layers that make them up.

Having taught Salem History to children for many years I find this book fascinating. (In fact, where was this book when I needed it?)Chapter by chapter, allows the reader to actually see the development of Salem from a small colonial village to the modern day.

The details ranging from the crimes that happened in Salem during the centuries to the remaking of the place as a global city, is plotted out in such detail, that at times it reads like a novel. Pay attention to Chapter 7-detailing Hawthorne and his part in the city-as this is written with style and elegance.

McFarland is a professor of American history at UMass with several volumes on 19th century political history to his credit, but here he turns his attention to a subject much closer to home: The migration of his mother's family from the east coast just after 1800 to the west coast c.1900. The various lines began in western Connecticut and in Rensselaer, New York, and in western Virginia and North Carolina, and they followed the paths trod by many thousands of frontier families (including most of my own lines), along the lower margin of the Great Lakes and down the Ohio River and across the Midwest. One branch of the family finally moved in the 1870s and `80s through Iowa, Nebraska, and Colorado into northern California and then to Oregon, while another headed down through Kansas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, and Arizona into southern California. From the Atlantic to the Pacific in a century -- that is, in large part, the American story. The author is fortunate in that his ancestors were avid correspondents (and, later, photographers) so he is able to combine primary family source material with the contextual secondary sources available to all historical researchers. He also takes the opportunity to weave into this family narrative what he knows about contemporary events in the wider world, so this book is considerably more than "merely" genealogy. He also possesses a smooth and felicitous writing style and I do not hesitate to recommend this book to anyone interested in grass-roots American history or in a broader approach to family history.

I stumbled across this book in the library. A few pages into it I decided I just had to own it. While reading it I'm saying to myself either, "Yes, that's how it was for my ancestors!" or "Wow, I never considered the role of religion/land grant systems/whatever on the decisions my people made."

This book tells how past cultural trends, local conditions, and historical events affected ordinary people and shows clearly that in order to know the people, we have to know the history.

This is not the book of an amateur genealogist but of a professional historian -- deeply researched, well reasoned, and skillfully written. A very satisfying book.

I found this book to be fascinating! If you want to see how genealogical research can produce compelling American history, this is the book to read. For example, I grew up in Los Angeles, and had no appreciation for the 1850s' bloody struggle over the extension of slavery into territories before they reached statehood until I read <>. I also didn't realize that southern Ohio (largely settled by Virginians who came overland and down the Ohio River) and northern Ohio (largely settled by New Englanders who came west via the Erie Canal and Lake Erie) had such radically different views on slavery. Before I read <>, events such as the Compromise of 1850, the Missouri Compromise, the Dred Scott decision and John Brown's raid at Harper's Ferry were just bland factoids I had memorized for tests in my high-school American History class. Now I see them as the tips of a huge iceberg that tore into this country's fabric long before the greycoats shelled Fort Sumter, and could well have sunk it. This book puts the disembodied events we studied with little interest and less understanding in our American History textbooks into the context of individual families' lives. These families' struggles, their fateful decisions, their hopes for their children, their successes and their disappointments all leap from every page of this riveting study. American history will never look the same to me after this book.