Thursday, July 26, 2018

Good Guides: Cleveland's Catalog of Cool

From polka bands to popcorn balls, the more recently bumbling Browns to the thankfully no- longer- burning river, Michael Murphy shares his Cleveland. Raised in The Land, Murphy returns to see that the quirky character of his hometown is no longer mocked, but celebrated (mostly). The city, where high cuisine used to be Manners Big Boy or the Woolworth’s lunch counter, has turned into a culinary hub with multiple James Beard Award- winning chefs. There are now boating festivals and kayaking clubs on the once polluted Cuyahoga River. Cleveland has become a place that people actually intend to visit, not just get stuck in when the airport is snowed in.

This foodie guide mixes contemporary with vintage stories and profiles of essential Clevelanders, past and present, like the well- known like Jimmy Brown and Chef Michael Symon, the late Harvey Pekar, and, of course, the most quintessential of all Clevelanders, Ghoulardi.

An Irreverent Guide to the 'Land
by Michael Murphy 
Countryman Press, 2018

Guidebooks and How-to Titles
Food and Drink Magazines
The Book Stall review archives

Wednesday, July 25, 2018

Good Guides: Exploring Wisconsin Trout Streams

Drawing on years of conservation and angling experience, Steve Born and Jeff Mayers tell you about great fishing opportunities unique to Wisconsin. They profile twenty streams, from the bucolic Green River in the southwest to the historic and wild Bois Brule in the north.

This new edition includes updates throughout, new photos, and a new chapter detailing improvements in fishing opportunities since the mid-1990s.

Exploring Wisconsin Trout Streams
The Angler's Guide
by Steve Born, et al
University of Wisconsin Press, 2014

Guidebooks and How-to Titles
The Nature Pages
Nature Writing and Natural Histories

Tuesday, July 24, 2018

Reading the History: Ten Tea Parties

Everyone knows the story of the Boston Tea Party, in which colonists stormed three British ships and dumped 92,000 pounds of tea into Boston Harbor. But who remembers the Philadelphia Tea Party of December 1773? How about the York, Maine, Tea Party of September, 1774? Or the Wilmington, North Carolina, Tea Party of March, 1775?

Ten Tea Parties is the first book to chronicle all these uniquely American protests.

Patriotic Protests That History Forgot 
by Joseph Cummins 

Out of the Past
Book List
History and American West Titles

Friday, June 29, 2018

Now Exploring "Meet the Southwest Deserts"

An introduction to the Southwest's deserts and their life forms by Philip Welles.  Illustrated with photos by Marvin H. Frost, Sr. Published by Dale Stuart King, 1973.




Tuesday, May 22, 2018

Now Exploring "A Place to Which We Belong"


This anthology of nearly fifty short essays by Wisconsin writers explores a personal sense of place. Wonderfully wide-ranging yet united by a common theme, the chapters include both intimate contemplations of lakes or gardens and big-picture overviews of science, politics, and land use. Whether outdoor writers, journalists, storytellers, farmers, social commentators, spiritual leaders, scientists, or conservation activists, the contributors ask, What gives us a sense of place? What make a place worthy of protection and respect?  What binds us to places that somehow touch our minds, hearts, and souls?

Wisconsin Writers on Wisconsin Landscapes
edited by Dennis Boyer and Justin Isherwood 
University of Wisconsin Press, 1998

Book Notes Wild
Nature Writing and Natural Histories
The Nature Pages

Tuesday, April 17, 2018

Reading the History: Lincoln's Final Hours


Kathryn Canavan takes a magnifying glass to the last moments of the president's life and to the impact his assassination had on a country still reeling from a bloody civil war. With vivid, thoroughly researched prose and a reporter's eye for detail, this fast-paced account not only furnishes a glimpse into John Wilkes Booth's personal and political motivations but also illuminates the stories of ordinary people whose lives were changed forever by the assassination.

Lincoln's Final Hours
Conspiracy, Terror, and the Assassination of America's Greatest President
by Kathryn Canavan

Out of the Past
Book List
History and American West Titles

Saturday, April 7, 2018

Reading the History: Rethinking the Civil War Era.


Arguably, no event since the American Revolution has had a greater impact on US history than the Civil War. This devastating and formative conflict occupies a permanent place in the nation's psyche and continues to shape race relations, economic development, and regional politics. Naturally, an event of such significance has attracted much attention from historians, and tens of thousands of books have been published on the subject. Despite this breadth of study, new perspectives and tools are opening up fresh avenues of inquiry into this seminal era.

In this timely and thoughtful book, Paul D. Escott surveys the current state of Civil War studies and explores the latest developments in research and interpretation.

Directions for Research 
by Paul D. Escott 
The University Press of Kentucky, 2018

Out of the Past
Book List
History and American West Titles