Massachusetts Books

This is a very well written children's book that also provides a wonderful introductory history of Massachusetts. My 4 year old daughter recieved this book as a Christmas present and she loves it. Reminds me of EB White's genre of stories, e.g., Trumpeter Swan. The animal characters really come to life and have great personality thanks to the author's writing. As a mom I have appreciated that this is a well crafted tale, no violence, just a beautiful story. My daughter prentends to read this book to her stuffed animals and is already asking if there is another Nicholas book to read when this is done!

I love my town! we are the best!

This book is simply the best book for getting around Boston and doing it quick. If you move quick and travel lite, this is for you - an essential carry along. [...] I love this book....

There's something most of us find fascinating about the lineages of persons of note, whether they're royalty, U.S. presidents, movie stars, military leaders, or literary and historical figures like Pocahontas and Louisa May Alcott. The Virginia ancestry of the Queen Mother is relatively well known, as are the New England cousins of the late Princess of Wales and the Duchess of York -- but did you know Elvis Presley, Jimmy Carter, and Jesse Helms are all collaterally related? Roberts is probably the leading expert at this sort of thing, especially when it comes to uncovering surprising connections, like the British royal descent of Karl Marx's wife (whose grandmother was Scottish), and he carefully lays out examples of what might be called "genealogical evolution," demonstating that genealogy really is inclusive, not exclusive. Many British, European, and American contemporaries are much more closely related than we often realize. There are also a number of descents contributed by guest columnists which maintain the same high standard of documentation.

There are now a number of critical studies of the Nobel laureate's fiction, but none replaces Clingman's authoritative guide. The book proves particularly useful to American readers, as Clingman provides cogent discussions of the historical and political setting of Gordimer's apartheid-era writing.

Lists the Prouty family members in the Old Burial Ground behind the Spencer, Mass. Congregational Church. The cemetery was walked in 2000 by the author who compared it with the earlier transcription.

I don't own this book yet, but I have looked at it in libraries. It is a very useful book, and I would love to purchase it. It's just that I don't want to pay out this amount of money for a book right now. Maybe later.

Leveillee has joined careful empiricism, with "a science of the heart." The exceptionally well-documented scientific data are considered at many conceptual levels, allowing the reader to understand what happened at this very special, sacred place. The project team included several Native American representatives who contributed a great deal to the appropriate and respectful treatment of the site contents and contexts. Leveillee has accomplished what so many prehistorians-as-anthropologists have long hoped for when interpreting a Northeastern North American ancient Native American site. This book is a significant contribution to anthropology, and will be particularly useful for anthropologists and archaeologists who deal with material evidence of ritual practices. It is highly recommended.

I had the pleasure of attending one of Professor Joel Freedman's US History classes at Finger Lakes Community College in Canandaigua, NY. Joel Freedman was a strong advocate for the mistreated patients at the Foxboro State Hospital in Massachusetts. His push for change sparked the beginning of reform in our nation's institutions and hospitals for the mentally retarded. I think you will find this book interesting and exciting as he relives the investigations of Massachusetts' mental institutions.

-Brian Barrett

The biography of Brad Washburn makes a terrific yarn, even for us armchair adventurers. This is a well-told tale, with a transcribed "oral history" from Mr. Washburn, interspersed with the narrative supplied by Mr. Smith. The significance of Mr. Washburn's life, and what makes this book worth reading, is that his mountaineering adventures were part of the 20th century's final conquest of high places in this world. The high mountains were the last frontier, and Mr. Washburn lived it, wrote about it, mapped it, and (more importantly) photographed it. Fortunately, National Geographic chose to include a variety of Mr. Washburn's best photographs. His friendship with, and admiration for, Ansel Adams is apparent. Buy this for the read, but also buy it as a coffee table book.