FRANKFORT — On a Monday afternoon, Dow Memorial Field is left to the glider pilots. The airport is all but deserted; hours pass without a takeoff or landing.

What books do you have sitting on your nightstand? These are some possible additions:

It's often the details that provide the most interesting journey. And in Arcadia Publishing's "Holiday World," the stories behind the first theme park in America will intrigue amusement park and history fans alike.

Arcadia Publishing’s postcard history of Thief River Falls and Pennington County is available locally at HD Floral and online at Amazon.com. The 10,000-plus lines of text were written by Caryl Bugge, director of the Peder Engelstad Pioneer Village.

When traveling down the Allegheny River, one may find the landscape surrounding the river pleasing to the eye. And, one might wonder what the landscape looked like a century ago.

Arizona author Jane Eppinga will stop by the Superstition Mountain Museum in Apache Junction next Saturday to chat with readers and sign copies of her book Apache Junction and the Superstition Mountains, the latest in her contributions to the acclaimed Images of America book series by Arcadia Publishing.

Jane Taylor Thomas and Nathania Branch-Miles found out the reason there are several Livingston roads in Oxon Hill. Long-time Oxon Hill resident Anna Mistretta told them it was once a winding road and Indian Head Highway was built through it. Taylor Thomas and Branch-Miles came across other interesting facts about Oxon Hill while they were writing their latest history book.

Oceanside Police Department's Matthew J. Lyons, a corporal in field operations, as well as a former Marine criminal investigator at Camp Pendleton, has just inked a book, "Images of America: Oceanside Police Department," (Arcadia Publishing, 2006, $19.95).

It was a glimpse of the past,” says Marsha Wight Wise, referring to the first time she laid eyes on the historic mansions of Newport, Rhode Island, the summer she was eight. “I saw those old houses and thought they were works of art unto themselves,” she adds, confessing she’s loved old things ever since.

Lexington's history could fill volumes, but there has never been a book devoted solely to the growth and development of the city - until now.

Lish Thompson has created a treasure, a pictorial walk down memory lane with the small obscure fishing village at the end of the road. This is a Rockville that most of my generation and younger would not recognize – regattas that concentrated on sailing – not a small version of Woodstock South.

A search for old pictures of his 1920s residence led Murfreesboro businessman Bill Jakes into collecting postcards and pictures of his hometown. Ultimately, that collection resulted in publication of the postcard book, "Murfreesboro," released this month by Arcadia Publishing. The 127 page soft-bound book features postcards and a few pictures. Some, like the historic Rutherford County Courthouse, Stones River Battlefield and the York VA Medical Center are familiar to residents of and visitors to Rutherford County. But other scenes of churches, schools, rivers bridges, roads, hotels or motels are long gone or forgotten.

North Myrtle Beach resident John Hook had this fascination, and there was no dancing around it.

Charleston man compiles book of images chronicling his hometown's history Postcards are more than a way to dash off a few lines to friends back home. They can be a snapshot of history, and Stan Bumgardner's book is proof.

We live in a visual world. Family photo albums or videotapes include baby's first birthday, graduations, vacations and other memorable moments in our lives. Photographs are tangible evidence of memories, touching lives for generations to come. That is the premise behind Arcadia Publishing, a South Carolina company that prints regional history books. Its Images of America series is a visual slice of life story told through the use of rare and stunning historical photographs. One of the latest books in the series focuses on Big Bear.

The man known as 'Fessa John Hook is host of the Endless Summer beach music network at www.beachshag.com and author of "Shagging in the Carolinas," available from Arcadia Publishing June 19, about the dance through the decades.

Bill Alley's dad and uncle both were flying enthusiasts from the 1930s into the 1960s, and their aviation fever rubbed off on the boy as he grew up in Medford, Ore.

Greg Hoots, of Kansas City, Kan., is used to seeing the world from behind the wheel of his UPS truck. But when it comes to looking at the past, he prefers to do it through a viewfinder — or, at least, by looking at the product a camera creates.

Arcadia Publishing, the little historical publishing company that thinks nationally and targets locally, is targeting Southeastern North Carolina this summer.

As our history - except that which we're making now - gets farther away, our history books get better and better.

In the introduction to 'Fessa John Hook's book, "Shagging in the Carolinas" he writes, "Shag history reads like love letters written in the sand." His publisher calls the book "a trip down memory lane."

The latest installment of the "Images of America" series to focus on central Ohio is Richard E. Barrett's Columbus 1860-1910 (Arcadia, 128 pages, $19.95). This fine edition opens with the "Civil War Years," then moves through the postwar period, the centennial celebration of 1888 and the final phases of the 19th century. The remainder of the collection then focuses on industrial and business booms that marked the first decade of the 20th century in central Ohio.

The latest installment of the "Images of America" series to focus on central Ohio is Richard E. Barrett's Columbus 1860-1910 (Arcadia, 128 pages, $19.95). This fine edition opens with the "Civil War Years," then moves through the postwar period, the centennial celebration of 1888 and the final phases of the 19th century. The remainder of the collection then focuses on industrial and business booms that marked the first decade of the 20th century in central Ohio.