Fresh Off the Press: Today's New Releases
There's nothing quite like the excitement of publication day, that moment when months (or sometimes years) of research, writing, and careful editing finally comes together in a finished book ready to share with the world. Today is one of those special days for us, and we couldn't be more thrilled to introduce you to our newest additions to the local history library.
So grab your favorite reading chair and get ready to embark on some incredible journeys through time – all without leaving your hometown. Here's what's hitting the shelves today, fresh from our printing press and ready to find their way into your personal library.
Throughout its history, Moscow has been known as the home of the University of Idaho and various agricultural businesses. As the town has grown and evolved, Moscow has become the commercial hub of the area, and it took on a new slogan, the “Heart of the Arts.”
The Latah County Historical Society explores over 130 years of Moscow’s history through photography and traces its roots back to the Latah County Pioneer Association, founded in 1891.
American Bicentennial by Lawrence R. Samuel
With America's 250th founding anniversary upcoming, it is opportune to reflect upon the cultural impact and history of America's Bicentennial celebration of 1976. The early 1970s was dominated by economic and political turmoil, and the nation looked to the Bicentennial to provide an outlet for moving past difficult times by defining the American ethos through a celebration of its past. Though the celebration sought to recycle many of the nation's mythologies, both good and bad, it was successful in reinvigorating the country by reminding them of what made America exceptional. Author Lawrence Samuel explores the cultural history of the American Bicentennial and helps us to ponder the very same questions of who we are as a people and a nation, as we look ahead to America at 250.
She Walks in Beauty by Dawn Powell
For teenager Linda Shirley, her residence in a family boarding house is a fact to be hidden, ignored, and, eventually, escaped. She aims for a better life and tries desperately to win the approval of the town’s elite, particularly the popular Courtenay Stall, over whom she pines. Her younger sister, Dorrie, is a dreamer who not only tolerates but often delights in the colorful guests of the house, from the reluctantly retired theater troupers to the glamorous young woman of ill-repute, the bed-bound intellectual in the attic to the circus snake charmer who keeps her “babies” in ill-secured boxes under her bed.
The Infamous Theaters of Virginia City, Nevada by Carolyn Grattan Eichin
Virginia City boomed in the nineteenth century, with thousands coming to try their luck in the mines. The entertainment industry boomed with it. Piper’s Opera House became one of the most well-known theaters in America, attracting actors from the East and West Coasts for lauded performances. The Alhambra Theater took a different approach, advertising acts with women in scanty clothing to bored, restless miners. The vibrant scene drew in big names like renowned actors John McCullough and Lawrence Barrett, William Cody (better known as Buffalo Bill) and even Mark Twain.
Haunted Central Louisiana by Michael D. Wynne
New Orleans doesn’t hold a monopoly on Louisiana’s haunted lore. Souls who brave the shadows along the bayous and byways of Central Louisiana will encounter a haunted heritage centuries in the making. From the legends swirling about Alexandria’s historic Hotel Bentley and the Old Pineville City Hall to an exploration of an abandoned speakeasy in downtown Alexandria, explore the spirted legacy of the Crossroads of Louisiana.
New York City Monuments of Black Americans by David Felsen
One overlooked aspect of this collection is its monuments of Black Americans, each with its own remarkable story. The first appearance of a Black person in a city monument came in the Civil War Soldiers’ Monument in Brooklyn’s Green-Wood Cemetery in 1876, but this was a nameless symbolic figure. It wasn’t until 1945 that Booker T. Washington became the first identifiable Black American honored in a New York City monument. In 2007, the city dedicated its first monument to a Black woman, Harriet Tubman. Behind every first is a story of triumph over adversity and exclusion. Local author David Felsen reveals the stories behind thirty inspiring monuments that have endured, as well as how they found their place in the city’s history.
Lucas the Little Longhorn and the Legend of Meadow Mouse Pete
Meet Lucas the little longhorn, a pint-sized dreamer with a heart as big as the Lone Star State. When Lucas decides to build the greatest ranch Texas has ever seen, he knows he can’t do it alone. So he rounds up his team of small critters (even tiny Meadow Mouse Pete) and “little by little, they build something great—the biggest little ranch in the whole darn state!”
With its rollicking rhymes and vibrant illustrations, Lucas the Little Longhorn invites readers big and small to remember that little bodies can build great things, especially when we work together. “There’s something about doing things as a crew, that can make almost anything more fun to do!”
A celebration of friendship, courage, and teamwork, Lucas the Little Longhorn will delight and inspire even the littlest readers to follow their dreams, no matter how big!
This colorfully illustrated rhyming board book teaches your littles about the great state of Texas.
From the size of the skies to the height of Aunt Birdee's hair, we all know it's bigger there!
It's Hot in Texas
This colorfully illustrated rhyming board book covers the Texas summers using playful comparisons. From Texas spice to sweet tea on ice, this book is sure to keep your little ones as cool as a cucumber.