Massachusetts Books

After my wife and I first went to Boston, and before our second trip, I acquired and read this book. On the first trip we found ourselves, one grey afternoon, in the bar at the Ritz Carlton opposite Boston Common, having drinks. It had the atmosphere of something... but what? Now we know that Sylvia Plath and Anne Sexton used to also go here for drinks after Robert Lowell's poetry classes. Wouldn't you have loved to have been a fly on the wall for those times.

This book is a fascinating recounting of those times and the many poets in Boston and Cambridge and their various relationships by one who was of that circle. Not a "tell-all", just human. People on their life journey. Interesting formative people. It can guide you on an alternative tour of the city and with a little imagination you can 'see' and feel what went on behind those walls from the time and the people who led one writer, I forget which, to say 'America did not enter the twentieth century until the 1960s.' These are among the formative ones and this is one of the places that led that to happen. You will see Boston differently after. And isn't that what makes any read worthwhile.

This is a great book.
As Mets and Yanks tear down their stadiums, Fenway remains. Does this make the Red Sox the only true team left? They resisted the temptation to build a megaplex like all of the other corporate teams and it has paid off. The Yankees have lost their stripes once again demonstrating that true baseball fans have their purest outlet with Fenway and the Sox.
This book is a smart take and worth reading by anyone who enjoys thinking about baseball. A nice addition to any library, but I would suggest for those who enjoy intelligent conversation about the game and what it means...

This is truly one of my favorite books (arcane though it is). Sphrantzes' court history is personal, immediate and very human. Unlike most Byzantine historians the reader gets a sense of the author's personality. All of the characters are well rounded with normal strengths and weaknesses. I find the story of Constantine XI last days to be very moving as he struggles to save his city from the assault of the Turks. Sphrantzes portrait shows Constantines' strength as well as his despair in those final days.

Great end notes too.

I have lived in Weston for over 20 years, spent my summers here, and my Grandparents moved here in 1937. Pam's book is a must have for any coffee table, especially a Weston Massachusetts one! The town's history is thoroughly investigated and recorded, the index is easy to use and shows all the connections between families over time, and the historic pictures are wonderful. If there were a history course in the Weston public schools, this would be THE text book! Whenever I have a question about who was who and where in Weston, Pam's book is the authority and the best resource!

Perhaps the definitive account of James, Sr. You have to have a taste for both James and the author's thought processes, but if you are intellectually adventurous, the book will richly repay the reading. For insights on Swedenborgian theology, and copious documentation on Sr,'s profoundly anti-institutional ecclesiology, I am eternally grateful.

Always supremely confident in his own abilities, if Henry James, Sr. were alive today, well, that'd just be absolutely insane.

You should read this book.

Everything you ever wanted to know about Central Mass!!

I know the writer and he knows his history about Southborough, Massachusetts.
Great Book!!!!

this book is a must have for anyone serious about feng shui. It isn't just another one of the basics book out there to pick from but is a comprehensive guide of all the different symbols and their meanings. Great library resource addition!

I love Mitch Kachun! I cannot say enough good things about this author. The book is terrific, lucid and evocative. Really brings up new points. I heard him speak about this topic, which made me even more interested in the book. A real find.

Sections include:
-Coastal Wetland Ecology: A General Overview (different tidal wetland habitats, their description and characteristics, & typical species of each)
-Identification of Coastal Wetland Plants (keyed system, easy to use diagnostic keys)
-WETLAND PLANT DESCRIPTIONS and ILLUSTRATIONS (this is over half the book, organized by environment: Each entry with name, common and scientific names, family, full description, habitat, range, similar species, and very accurate diagram drawings by Abigail Rorer. Over 150 species covered).
-Places to Observe Coastal Wetlands, with maps
-Sources of Other Information, References, Glossary, and Index.

Should the author ever desire to revise or write another edition, I hope he doesn't change much, as it is good, but he might consider adding a few key upland plants which grow in extreme proximity to coastal wetland plants; these might be American Beach Grass (Ammophila brevigulata), Beachpeas (Lathyrus maritimus), Seaside Rose (Rosa), Stinging Nettle (Urtica dioica), Bayberry (Myrica pensylvanica), Sea Celery (Ligusticum scoticum), Common Sow Thistle or Beach Lettuce (Sondus oleraceae) - but these are easily learned on their own.

This is an excellent, very well written reference manual, useful to environmental consultants, wetland delineators, and botanists. Get a plastic book cover to protect it, and use it in the field (or salt-marsh, as the case may be). This may be the best text on this particular subject. -DMM