Maryland Books

FREE STATE BATTLEWAGON is a well-constructed booklet dividing the operational history of the MARYLAND into its various phases; commissioning to Pearl Harbor, post-attack refit till the conclusion of hostilities, and finally her final years till her decommissioning and eventual scrapping. This booklet offers a concise look at the Pacific War from a vessel with a front row seat from day one.

When the typo is in the title I feel it should be noted here. The battleshipUSS Maryland BB46, (not Bb96 as stated)

When the typo is in the title I feel it should be noted here. The battleshipUSS Maryland BB46, (not Bb96 as stated)

I bought this wanting to learn about grape growing, but ended up learning so much more. Paul Roberts writes fluently about wine growing, but also focuses on the environment and philosophies of farming. It's really a great book to immerse yourself in the traditions of farming and grape growing, while at the same time laughing with Roberts about his experiences and his search for the perfect wine.

Tremendous book, phenomenal impact on how we think about grapes, agriculture, and philosophical look at man and his interactions with nature. Mind you, you also get to learn about grapes and winemaking. Recommended by a Louisiana Wine maker and grape grower while on vacation, I was enchanted throughout.

I was hoping to find out about growing cynthiana grapes-this was not the book. This is an interesting book of one man's experience with wine in general and his unending awe of the cynthiana grape.

I liked this book alot. Good to read about local haunts. If you live in maryland and your into the paranormal, then this is a must buy !

Back in 1988 when this book was first published the current popular fascination with ghosts was just beginning and there weren't that many ghost books on the market. This was also a time when many people would never let their real name be used in this type of book for fear of ridicule and business owners would never want their business to be identified as haunted. It has been less than twenty years since this book's publication but my how things have changed. There are still a few people who have seen ghosts that wish to remain anonymous, but not many. As for business owners, they have learned that a good haunting will bring people into their business in throngs and now these same capitalist souls can't wait to get their business' name in a ghost book. There is even a mention in this book of a ghost tour in Maryland, which was an enterprise that even the author herself found unusual. Today there are ghost tours starting at almost every street corner in many major cities. Most notable however is the veritable explosion in the number of ghost books on the market. Being a great fan of this type of book I am of course thrilled to have so many ghostly choices but unfortunately there is a downside to this glut of ghost books. That downside being that many of the books coming out today aren't worth the ectoplasm that it might take to slime a gnat. I am happy to report however that this book has stood the test of time very well and is much superior to many of the books that have followed in it's ghostly footsteps.

This is a rather short book with less than eighty pages of text but there is a lot of spookiness packed into those few pages. The book is not as short as you might imagine however for the typeset is rather small and this tiny type, which rendered necessary the use of glasses, is one of the few problems that I had with this book. Also, a few of the stories were rather lacking in detail and verification and were thus little more than old legends. The majority of the stories were however well researched and included a solid history of the haunted location and the ghost or ghosts in question. Most importantly though, the solid majority of these stories contained the recent eyewitness accounts that are so important to the credibility of this type of book.

Considering the history and location of Maryland it is no wonder that there are spirits aplenty in this one time refuge for the persecuted Catholics of England. Both the Revolution and the Civil War were fought in this state and Maryland was one of the few states that was faced with British invasion during the War of 1812. It is not surprising then to find in the pages of this book the apparitions of Confederate and English invaders along with a ghostly Priest and a disembodied hand. Civil War buffs will also want to note the chapters devoted to the wraiths of Dr. Samuel Mudd and Mary Surratt who both may or may not have been involved in the Lincoln assassination.

All things considered, especially the date of publication, this is a very solid entry in the ghost literature of America. There are some features missing that one would hope to find in newer books, such as directions to the location being discussed but that sort of thing was unheard of in 1988. I would think that Mrs. Gallagher could make quite a good living churning out more of these books in today's climate. She has the talent, of that there is no doubt.

I love this book, I first read it about 13 years ago when my Aunt Belle told me that her house was going to be in it... But have enjoyed the whole thing thuroughly... Well worth the 8 bucks

The author stated in the preface he spent nine years researching this battle and previous events. And it shows, he goes into a LOT of detail about the battle, its causes, its principal characters and the national confusion that preceeded (and followed) it.

I strongly recommend this book to keen Civil War fans (as well as history fans). It covers very meticulously what is possibly the most decisive battle of the whole war. A battle mostly fought because the confederate side dropped battleplans. Historians have speculated for years what would have happened if not for that!

I can't add much to this review that plenty of other reviewers haven't already covered. Suffice to say you will read about courage, disasters, eye-witness accounts of the fighting and army maneuveors, tactical overviews of the battle right down to names, official correspondance between generals and presidents (and foreign ambassadors), and the private memoirs and thoughts of the principal characters. Like me you will probably bury your head in your hand and groan on numerous occasions when you read of McClellan's...well, I can't think of how to phrase "stupidity" nicely.

The battle itsself is described so well and so vividly I was unable to put the book down. It felt like actually watching it!

Also - if you enjoy the history of this book, I recommend "How Few Remain" by Harry Turtledove, which is the first "prediction" novel in an 8-volume series about our world if those battleplans *hadn't* been dropped (available from Amazon).

The Gleam of Bayonets by James V. Murfin is a worthwhile read concerning the bloodiest day that the American military has ever experienced. It is not the best book I have read concerning Antietam. For that I would recommend Landscape Turned Red : The Battle of Antietam by Stephen W. Sears.

Murfin's basic premise is that Antietam was the turning point in not only the Civil War, but in American history. The Union "victory" allowed Lincoln to issue the Emancipation Proclamation and turn the war from one concerning economics and unionism to that of one to end slavery. By changing the nature of the conflict, intervention by the French and British was averted. Murfin's conclusion seems to based more on his assumptions than analysis.

Where the book shines is in the comparison of the generalship of McClellan and Lee. Murfin goes a fine job discussing the strengths and weaknesses of both. For McClellan, who history has justifiedly ridiculed his handling of the entire Maryland Campaign, Murfin rightfully gives him credit for reorganizing the Army after the debacle of the Second Battle of Bull Run. Murfin is also correct is in his conclusion that Antietam was the best chance, prior to Appomattox, that the Union had to end the War and that McClellan needlessly lost that opportunity. On the day after the battle McClellan had up to 25,000 fresh troops, combined with at least the same number of other troops which could have been used to crush half as many battle fatigued Confederates. The cautious McClellan chose not to fight, and Murfin may be correct, that the Union was then condemned to two more years of bloody conflict.

Murfin is deservedly more complimentary to Lee. Antietam may have been Lee's greatest tactical achievement. Outnumbered two to one, he was able to properly predict McClellan's moves and fight a battle that he should not have fought to a tactical stalemate. Any historical reviewer should have marveled at the ability of the Confederate Army to have survived the battle, without being routed, much less avert a Union victory. However, Murfin properly criticizes Lee's initial decision to invade Maryland and Lee's expectation that any tangible results could be achieved. The one point that Murfin misses is that the decision to stand and fight at Antietam needlessly sacrificed thousands of Confederate troops that Lee despritedly needed at future battles.

All in all, this is a good read. The book is well written and Murfin does a fine job of interspersing quotes from the participants with his narrative. As a result, one gets a good feel of the soldiers thoughts and feelings on that bloody field.

What started as an assignment for a newspaper's 100th anniversary edition of the battle of Antietam, The Gleam of Bayonetd is the result of six years of intensive research and consultation with regarded historians. Murfin, an editorialist for the Hagerstown, Maryland "Herald Mail" newspaper and a member of the Hagerstown Civil War Roundtagle, explains in the book's preface his opinionated style of writing. For Murfin, what started as a mere examination of the battle, eventually became an analysis of the controversial Union General George B. McClellan. Throughout the book, Murfin examines and analyzes McClellan's excessive strategic caution, his failure to initiate an offensive, and how his indecisiveness shpaed Lee's decisions. Murfin portrays McClellan as a cautious general, reacting to Lee's movements as if Lee would, in some way, make a tactical error. This tactical error if committed would somehow afford McClellan the opportunity to launch a successful military offensive. On the other hand he describes Lee as the more cunning general, who knew McClellan's weaknesses and exploited them with his reactions. Comparing the generalships of McClellan and Lee to that of a game, Murfin writes, "It was a game of chess with McClellan moving only on piece at a time as if the same rules applied to war. Lee proved to be the master chessman, however." Convinced of the significance of McClellan's and Lincoln's relationship, Murfin dedicates and entire chapter to this relationship entitled "McClellan-Lincoln's Dilemma." In this chapter he examines McClellan's selection as General in Chief, his lack of initiative during the Peninsula Campaign, and his relationship with the political power in Washington. Intriguing as well are the two chapters examining both armies' physical contion to fight, and the Union Army's delay in pursuing the Confederate invaders. Murfin provides a detailed and descriptive analysis of Lee's Maryland Campaign strategy, and his seven reasons for taking the war to the North. Likewise, he looks at McClellan's blundered attempt to pursue the Confederate Army, while having in his possession "The Lost Order," and outline of Lee's entire campaign plans. In the chapter "The Flower of Lee's Army," Murfin writes of Confederate General Hood's arrest for insubordination, the conflict between Generals A P Hill and Stonewall Jackson, and of Hill's eventual relief from command. Murfin describes in detailed written accounts the Confederate's shoeless feet, their ill health, lack of uniforms, lameness, and diarrhea. Murfin writes, "Its seems almost symbolic that the "big three" of the Confederacy -Lee, Longstreet, and Jackson-rode into Maryland in a fashion that would soon be used by hundreds of Confederates when they left; by means of ambulance." The Gleam of Bayonets is a well written and scholarly account of the events leading up to Antietam and the battle itself. The equal treatment of both armies, and the almost blow by blow manner in which Murfin describes the events, absorbs the reader. His accurate portrayal of General George B. McClellan provides a greater understanding of the Union's failure and McClellan's eventual relief from command by President Lincoln on 5 November 1862. Scholars and history buffs alike will enjoy and benefit from the historical facts, documents, and human focus of this book. Winner of the Fletcher Pratt Award, the Gleam of Bayonets 402 pages is worthy of further examination by all persons interested in this significant battle or the generalship of George B. McClellan. JAMES W. GROVE, JR. AMERICAN MILITARY UNIVERSITY

This is an important piece of literature for the trout fisherman of Maryland. This is a high quality guide that every trout fisherman in Md can learn from. The authors cover most all of the catch and release streams in the Free State. The book is very specific in that they only cover the C&R streams. There are other great streams in Md that are not C&R per the title and were left out. They cover directions, techniques, hatch info and more for each piece of water.

One gripe is the authors are a little optimistic about some of the streams. A lot of these streams especially in non-western Md are about 70% hatchery stocked, so when those fish are depleted the fishing is less than ideal. There are still some good streams covered like Gunpowder and Hunting Creek that hold a good bit of wild browns. However, even these streams don't have a good concentration of wild Brook or Rainbows.
Nothing is worse for a fisherman to hit the streams at the wrong time and not find fish as a lot of these streams are stocked in the Spring and the hold-over rate for Brook and Rainbows is usually less than 9 months in the water.
They neglected to mention that here. Also, some of the pictures don't do the stream, creek, or river justice. [Note this review is for the fully revised 2nd ed.] However, I recommend this to every trout fisherman in Md.

I was picking up a few items to tie some flies this past weekend and while waiting at the counter I saw this book and started browsing through. I couldn't believe it. This book is incredible in its detail of every catch and release stream in Maryland. It includes maps with parking locations and access sites. It guides you as to the type of fly to use and what has worked and when for them.
My only gripe has to be in the mapping portion. Even though they have close up details, I found myself having to get out another map to find my way to where their maps start. An example, I was looking for where routes 97 and 32 cross and was looking in the opposite direction from where the stream that was described was located. Being relatively new to Maryland and Flyfishing this is par for the course and expected.
That is a minor complaint and I am pleasantly surprised to have found this book and the waterways that I will soon visit thanks to these gentlemen.
Thanks

This book covers all those fishing spots within a day trip of Washington, DC. A great read for all those places they cover which you would never know about otherwise. My 12 year old son and I found several great spots from this detailed read!

This book is without a doubt the most informative and entertaining about the history and life of the canal prior to it becoming a park. I've recently fallen in love with the C&O Canal trail and this book truly has made a profound difference on how I view the trail and its history. The true-life accounts contained therein are priceless and give the reader a real feel of how life on the canal really was.

I am using this book to research my Civil War novel, which takes place, in part, along the Canal. The book has proven quite valuable both for its medium-detail history, and for its first-hand descriptions of the Canal's function, and the lives of Canal families. (The Canal functioned in much the same manner throughout its history, so the first-hand accounts provide a good window to earlier days.)

The book is well-written, clearly a labor of love for the Maryland author. It is a good historical source, and a fun read for those planning a visit to the Canal (now a National Historical Park.) There are also some funny, sad and astonishing anecdotes, giving the reader a good "feel" for the lives of the Canal folk.

Paul M. Bauer

Belmont, MA

I am somewhat partial to this book. My grandfather J.P. Mose is in this book and I have Elizabeth Kytle to thank.
You will read several accounts of what life was like boating and working on the C&O Canal from those that lived the "Good hard life".
One of the greatest parts of this book is reading these accounts and Elizabeth Kytle keeps the wording exactly how these people speak, which makes it that more appealing to the reader.
They all have great stories to tell and it leaves you with a new appreciation for generations that have gone before us.
She gives you an excellent look into the history of the Canal and brings to life the importance of preserving our heritage.

The plot and the writing of this book was so good, you would want to keep on reading. I loved the dialogue between Victoria and Robert. They were very comical. Victoria has a mouth on her; she does not take mess from anybody. I was so intrigued by the first chapter that I knew this was going to be a good book. The mystery and the suspense added interesting twist to the book. If you want something new in a romance book, this is the book to get.

This story was a refreshing story. A well written book with suspense about an arsonist and black on black prejudice.
The romance was developed rather slowly, but thinking about it some more, it was more believable that way.
I recommend that people read this book by Ms. Girard. Superbly written and entertaining.

Victoria Spenser has a past and a psychic ability to detect fires that she's trying to leave behind. A native of Jamaica she is forced to move to America to the only relative who will claim her, Aunt Janet.

Aunt Janet works for Robert Braxton, an arson investigator with a painful past of his own. When Victoria goes to work for Robert as his maid she thinks she may have finally settled into a real life. But then the fires start and she goes to the police with her visions to offer help. Robert doesn't believe in psychics and is outraged that he is employing a woman who claims to be one.

Ms. Girard delivers a refreshing story with Illusive Flame. A wonderfully researched and executed suspense centering around an arsonist and the prejudice of people who don't understand true psychic abilities. At one point, the intense storyline had me checking my own smoke detectors.

The romance was very slow moving for me, seemingly forgotten sometimes as the desire to catch the arsonist took precedence. However, Victoria and Robert's relationship did develop into a believable joining at an extremely emotional time. I myself fell in love with Robert on page 247!

Kudos to Ms. Girard on a very entertaining read that I would definitely recommend!
Reviewed By: AC Arthur, Black Butterfly Review

What a wonderful experience it was to turn the pages of this book. Imagine seeing your high school after many decades or being reintroduced to foods, customs, and places that you have long forgotten about. Each page brought the return of memories of my life growing up, or reviews of people and places before my time that had an influence on my life. There were many pictures of people in my family (especially those of older generations)and I will look forward to sharing this family tree with my children. I even learned some new things about my family and my birth city. Memories abound.

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At the moment this book on "Jewish Baltimore" is most popular in Baltimore (#1) and Pikesville, MD (#3). Little wonder it should be selling well in Baltimore and Pikesville, a suburb adjoining Northwest Baltimore, part of the Greater Baltimore Jewish ghetto.

In "Jewish Baltimore" Gilbert Sandler recounts the long, slow trek of Baltimore's Jews from East Baltimore (where my father was born) through Northwest Baltimore (where my parents first lived after they married) to the neighborhoods of Forest Park and Park Heights Avenue (where my grandmother Julie lived) on to Pikesville (where I grew up) and even further northwest to Owings Mills.

"Many of Sandler's essays invoke famous names in Baltimore history," says the blurb on the book's dustcover. Included among the "famous names" Sandler invokes is my family's name, which never seemed famous to me when I was a child (or thereafter).

The book has two main features: essays and photographs. A number of the essays are based on columns Sandler has written over the years for the Baltimore Sun newspaper and for the Baltimore Jewish Times. The book is subtitled quite aptly "A Family Album. " It is a photo album of all of Baltimore's Jewry. The photos are superbly chosen and the captions are well researched, nicely written, and enhance the excellent pictures.

Historically, Jewish Baltimore was decidedly not a single community. There were separate German Jewish and "Russian" (really Central and Eastern European) Jewish communities. And they were truly separate. The German Jews had come first to Baltimore and they looked down on the "Russian" Jews.

This book is bittersweet for me. It brings back some wonderful people to me, some who are now dead. But it also brings back to me the feelings of discomfort, even pain, I felt about the highly segregated situation in which we then lived where the "colored people" lived separately from the "white people," where Jews lived separately from those who were not Jewish, and where German Jews lived apart from the "Russian" Jews. All of these and other ghettos around Baltimore were based on "restricted housing" covenants and on the ingrained narrow customs of prejudice.

Gilbert Sandler evokes with warmth the history of Jewish Baltimore and he neatly skirts most of the less warm and cozy memories some of us have who lived as members of Jewish Baltimore.

A lovely "Family Album" it is. An account with balance between the bitter and the sweet it is not.

This is a book that could describe my life in pictures.

I was born in Pikesville and had lived there all my childhood. I grew up living nearby my grandparents on Park Heights Avenue, grew up knowing every place of Reisterstown Road. And I grew up as a Jewish girl who went to Camp Louise every summer of her life and spent those lazy summers on the White House (Camp Louise) lawns making friends with girls who even now I still keep in touch with.

It's a book that'll describe your life. Trust me: it described mine.

I saw this book at Oatlands Plantation during the holidays. I think it's a great guide for someone just visiting the area or someone who lives in our historical state.

This is not your usual travel book. No five-star hotels. No "Night-Life" section. What it is, is a practical guide to exploring one of most interesting and historic stretches of road in this country. It is a guidebook inspired by the Journey Through Hallowed Ground Partnership. This group describes itself in its website as follows: "The Journey Through Hallowed Ground Partnership is a non-profit organization dedicated to raising national awareness of the unparalleled history in the region, which generally follows the Old Carolina Road (Rt. 15/231) from Gettysburg, through Maryland, to Monticello in Albemarle County, VA. From its communities, farms, businesses and heritage sites, we have an opportunity to celebrate and preserve this vital fabric of America which stands today in the historic, scenic and natural beauty of this region."

The guide is a combination of basic history, introductions to historic sites and other points of interest, and recommendations of places to stay and to eat along the way. It provides the information needed to spend some time poking around one of the most fascinating sections of the country.

The Old Carolina Road (US Route 15) has more history along it than almost any region in the US, and this great travel guide through its words, photos, and maps takes the visitor back into that honored history and out again into the thriving towns and villages that anchor it. The book is a thorough guide to all the exciting historic sites, natural beauty, friendly people,and great places to eat and shop from Gettysburg to Monticello.

Not out of print. Reprinted in 1991, 1998, and 2000 by Clearfield Company, Inc., by Genealogical Publishing CO., Inc., 1001 N. Calvert Street, Baltimore, MD 21202.

Good resource if your family line is there. Found some information on Ninian Beall, his father and grandfather. They were weavers in Scotland! A confusing marriage date is listed in the book but no information on my line through Ninian's Rachel.

This book is not out of print. You people need to get yourselves updated. There is a new, 1998 version, in two volumes for sale and I can't seem to find a price for it. Please Update Yourselves!! You might make a sale!!!

This book contains no fewer than five of my family lines and was so well researched, I found my own name and the names of my seven brothers and sisters, who were listed in the correct chronological order and with correct dates of birth, with only one very minor mispelling and one name reversal. I was already familiar with ancestral lines about five generations back and was able to determine Ms. Doliante was quite accurate and thorough in all details. The entire book is extremely well documented, citing land grant records, wills, Bible records, census records, birth, death, and marriage records, court records, and personal interviews to back up all lineages. I found photographs of my ancestors, both some that I had seen before and some that I had not seen, as well as photocopies of Bible records and wills. The book is an absolute gold mine of information for anyone whose family surnames are found within its pages. I was just thrilled to find it!