New Jersey Books

This volume is an excellent addiiton to our Brick Presbyterian Church in the City of New York archives. Dr. Miller was an assistant to the Reverend John Rodgers, prominent minister in New York City during the revolutionary war era.

In _The Library of John Montgomerie, Colonial Governor of New York and New Jersey_, Kevin J. Hayes reconstructs the contents of the governor's library based on a manuscript inventory that survives at the New York Public Library. The inventory includes a list of the titles in Montgomerie's library, a collection of over 1300 volumes. While Montgomerie's gubernatorial predecessors, Robert Hunter and William Burnet, had better reputations as men of letters and while both of their libraries probably excelled Montgomerie's, little information survives to detail their contents. The inventory of Montgomerie's library, on the other hand, provides enough detail to make it the largest known library in colonial New York before the 1770s when the library of William Smith, Sr., was catalogued. Enhancing the importance of the inventory of Montgomerie's library is the fact that most of the books are listed by purchaser. The list reads like a Who's Who of colonial New York and New Jersey. The group includes several men who would influence the two colonies for the next several decades: James Alexander, John Chambers, James DeLancey, Archibald Kennedy, Frederick Morris, Joseph Murray, Paul Richards, and William Smith, Sr. Though Montgomerie spent only a short time in New York and personally had little impact on either New York or New Jersey history, his books exerted a lasting impact on the thought of colonial New York's political and intellectual elite. While the manuscript inventory of Montgomerie's library has the potential to contribute to the intellectual history of New York and New Jersey, it lists only spine titles. None of the book titles mention dates or places of publication. Many do not list authors. Based on the surviving manuscript inventory, Hayes, the award-winning author of _The Library of William Byrd of Westover_, brilliantly reconstructs the library's contents. In a detailed introduction, Hayes situates the Montgomerie library within its intellectual and cultural milieu. A thorough index allows the titles to be accessed by author, title, subject, and owners. _The Library of John Montgomerie_ not only reconstructs the intellectual life of one colonial governor, it makes an important contribution to the intellectual history of New York and New Jersey. Combined with his earlier works, _The Library of William Byrd_ and _A Colonial Woman's Bookshelf_, _The Library of John Montgomerie_ solidifies Hayes's status as the leading historian of the book culture of colonial America.

I bought this as a gift for a friend who loves this time period and David Brainerd. He found this book fascinating and added much to his understanding of the time period.

A superb compilation of period postcards reproduced in black-and-white, "Long Branch" showcases the buildings, avenues, vehicles, and people of Long Branch, New Jersey in the first few decades of the 20th Century. Included are postcard images of the most impressive Long Branch hotels and homes, well-known actors, politicians and business tycoons of the day who visited the area, as well as other prominent people of the community. Of special note are the post card images of the beach, the boardwalk, and Ocean Avenue. Each postcard image is supported by an informative caption by Sharon Hazard, who has strong family ties to Long Branch. Entertaining and informative, "Long Branch" could well serve as a template for post-card oriented photograph history compilations showcasing other American communities.

The vacation spot of choice for seven US Presidents - Long Branch, New Jersey. "Long Branch in the Golden Age: Tales of Fascinating and Famous People" is a historical look at this region and its past, filled with much of the figures of American history, casinos, hotel ballrooms, and so much more. One could say you can get a good look at the who's who in the history of the United States by examining Long Branch. "Long Branch in the Golden Age: Tales of Fascinating and Famous People" is a top pick for community library American history collections.

A terrific look at early 1900's Maplewood through postcards.

There is no way to sum up this book except to say "Amazing" and a true testament of the human spirit. Margit's will to survive and her journey are things that no human being should have to go through or live with. To anyone wanting to learn about the Holocaust, they should read this book, share it with other and live out the meaning of "never forget".

This is an amazingly realistic account of what organized crime is really like...for the members, their relatives, and their victims. John Driver is an illuminating, entertaining, brilliant writer.

Memories of Laughter & Garlic is a unique collection of beautifully written stories. Each story touches the heart in its own way, paints such a vivid picture of once upon a time in a place called,'The Bronx', that you become totally absorbed in each and every one. I don't have a favorite story from this collection, except to say whichever I happen to be reading at the time is my favorite for that day!

This beautiful and informative book (one of a series) is valuable for the armchair traveler as well as the actual tourist. History, photographs, simple and elegant maps, as well as interesting tidbits about people and places. For traveling with kids, it's invaluable. No threat of museumitis, here; lots of outdoors destinations to explore. The authors never preach, yet show convincingly that much is available - for family travel as well as adults - beyond multiplexes and outlet malls. They offer interesting and often "hidden" diversions and historically important places to visit: monuments, parks, houses, and more. It's produced lushly, to be enjoyed and admired - and it succeeds.