America in the Twentieth Century

Preserve the rights of all Americans with this elegant hardback gift edition of the Bill of Rights, proudly made in the USA.

Collectively known as the United States Bill of Rights, these first ten amendments to the United States Constitution limit the powers of the federal government and protect the rights of all citizens, residents and visitors on United States territory. Introduced in 1789 in the First United States Congress by James Madison, these amendments came into effect on December 15, 1791, when ratified by three-fourths of the states. This document plays a central role in American law and remains to this day a symbol of the freedoms and culture of the nation. In this beautiful gift edition, the text of the Bill of Rights is presented alongside a history of the amendments. 

Proudly printed in America, this beautiful gift edition contains the Declaration of Independence along with illustrations and biographies of the signers. It is a treasure for Americans of any age.

Drafted by Thomas Jefferson between June 11 and June 28, 1776, the Declaration of Independence summarizes America's founding political philosophy. At once a cherished symbol of liberty and an expression of Jefferson's monumental talents as a writer, the document captures in unforgettable phrases the ideals of individual liberty and formed the backbone of American's Revolutionary movement. In setting forth these self-evident truths alongside a list of grievances against King George's Brittain, the Declaration of Independence justified the breaking of ties with Mother England and the formation of a new country.

This handsome three-book set, elegantly stamped in celebration of America 250 and proudly made in the USA, features the three most historic founding documents of the United States of America: The Declaration of Independence, The Constitution of the United States of America, and The Bill of Rights.

Drafted by Thomas Jefferson between June 11 and June 28, 1776, the Declaration of Independence summarizes America's founding political philosophy. At once a cherished symbol of liberty and an expression of Jefferson's monumental talents as a writer, the document captures in unforgettable phrases the ideals of individual liberty that formed the backbone of American's Revolutionary movement. In setting forth these "self-evident truths" alongside a list of grievances against King George's Britain, the Declaration of Independence justified the breaking of ties with "Mother England" and the formation of a new country. This gift edition contains illustrations and biographies of the signers alongside the document itself.

The landmark legal document of the United States, the Constitution of the United States of America, comprises the primary law of the Federal Government. Signed by the members of the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia on September 17, 1787, the Constitution outlines the powers and responsibilities of the three chief branches of the Federal Government, as well as the basic rights of the citizens of the United States. This beautiful gift edition contains the complete text of the United States Constitution, as well as all of its amendments. It is a treasure for people of all ages.

Collectively known as the United States Bill of Rights, these first ten amendments to the United States Constitution limit the powers of the federal government and protect the rights of all citizens, residents and visitors on United States territory. Introduced in 1789 in the First United States Congress by James Madison, these amendments came into effect on December 15, 1791, when ratified by three-fourths of the states. This document plays a central role in American law and remains to this day a symbol of the freedoms and culture of this nation. In this beautiful gift edition, the text of the Bill of Rights is set alongside a history of the amendments, thus placing the document in its historical context.

The America250™️ word mark and logo are trademarks owned by the United States Semiquincentennial Commission and any use of such marks by Applewood Books is under license.

Teddy Roosevelt's Historic Guide to Living Life to the Fullest

In 1899 Theodore Roosevelt was Governor of New York and gave a stirring speech on his philosophy of living a most productive life. Based on his own experiences, Roosevelt defined the American ethos of overcoming hardship and hard work in a compelling speech only Teddy could produce. Part of Applewood's "Books of American Wisdom" series, this elegant hardback is a perfect gift for any occasion.

One of the most memorable speeches in American history, Frederick Douglass’s What to the Slave is the Fourth of July? is now available in an elegant hardcover edition.

Douglass first delivered the famous speech on July 5, 1852, to the Rochester Ladies' Anti-Slavery Society. After paying respect to the patriotic architects of America’s independence, Douglass exposed the hypocrisy of a nation that enshrined the inalienable rights of man yet enslaved millions. The signing of the Declaration of Independence was meaningless to slaves, Douglass argued, and the annual celebration of a freedom not afforded to them was the worst possible insult.

Throughout the speech, Douglass directly quoted passages from the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution, and the Bible to support his argument that slavery must be abolished in the United States. Douglass was especially critical of the faith leaders in America that used the church to justify slavery rather than to spearhead positive societal change.

Despite Douglass’s condemnation of the institutions that protected slavery, the speech also emphasized America’s young age and her potential to change for the better. In keeping with this belief in an America that would one day guarantee freedom for all, Douglass delivered “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?” to audiences nationwide in the decade preceding the Civil War.

Famous figures such as James Earl Jones, Morgan Freeman, and Douglass’s descendants have performed small sections of the hour-long speech. Abridged editions of the speech are also disseminated for educational purposes. Because “What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?” is an incredibly nuanced speech, it is often misrepresented or shared out of context. Now you can read the speech as it was meant to be experienced, in its entirety.

Frederick Douglass’s most famous speech is as relevant today as when it was first delivered in 1852. A defining document of the United States, What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July? is essential reading for all Americans.

Derived from a patriotic Grammy-nominated spoken word album recorded by The Duke in 1973.

Now, in America, Why I Love Her, we can join Little Duke on his journey through this great land and learn about true American values of love, freedom, compassion, honesty, family, unity, hope, liberty & justice, honor and peace.

Preserve the rights of all Americans with this hardback gift edition of the Bill of Rights, elegantly stamped in celebration of America 250 and proudly made in the USA.

Collectively known as the United States Bill of Rights, these first ten amendments to the United States Constitution limit the powers of the federal government and protect the rights of all citizens, residents and visitors on United States territory. Introduced in 1789 in the First United States Congress by James Madison, these amendments came into effect on December 15, 1791, when ratified by three-fourths of the states. This document plays a central role in American law and remains to this day a symbol of the freedoms and culture of the nation. In this beautiful gift edition, the text of the Bill of Rights is presented alongside a history of the amendments. 

The America250™️ word mark and logo are trademarks owned by the United States Semiquincentennial Commission and any use of such marks by Applewood Books is under license.

"Ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country" —John F. Kennedy

This pocket sized hardcover book contains nearly one hundred quotations from one of America's best-loved presidents, John F. Kennedy. War hero, politician, and 35th President of the United States, John Fitzgerald Kennedy embodied the hopes and dreams of an age.

"I'd like to see any man do better than we did on this trip." - Alice Burke

In 1916, Alice Burke and Nell Richardson embarked on a daring and unprecedented cross-country journey advocating for women’s suffrage. Before the nineteenth amendment enshrined American women’s right to vote in 1920, it was legal only in a few states. So trailblazing suffragists Alice and Nell loaded a Saxon automobile and embarked on a state-by-state campaign for women’s voting rights. Long before the modern highway system streamlined car travel, Alice and Nell drove a grueling 10,700 miles over twenty-six weeks, traversing some of the roughest roads in America. Backed by the Saxon Motor Car Company—one of the original Detroit automakers—and fueled by their own unwavering spirits, Alice and Nell advocated for women’s suffrage in every town along the way. Author Jeryl R. Schriever shares the remarkable story of the first women to ever drive across the country and back, paving the way for generations of women to follow.

Notable Quotations from Malcolm X

This pocketsized hardcover book contains nearly one hundred quotations from African-American Muslim minister and human rights activist, Malcolm X.

“It’s freedom for everybody or freedom for nobody.” —Malcolm X

“There was no way to anticipate the horrors of the holocaust that awaited us on the Dog Green Sector.”

—Dr. Harold Baumgarten

It was the bravery and heroism of the 116th Infantry that began one of the longest days of combat in American war history. In the face of heavy fire and despite suffering the loss of eight hundred men and officers, the 116th Infantry overcame beach obstacles, took the enemy-defended positions along the beach and cliffs, pushed through the mined area, and continued inshore to successfully accomplish their objective.

A member of the 116th Infantry Regiment of the 29th Infantry Division, veteran Harold Hal Baumgarten gives his firsthand account of the June 6, 1944, landing on Dog Green sector of Omaha Beach. A multidecorated hero, Baumgarten was wounded five times before being evacuated. In 1991, he served as a consultant for the filming of the WWII movie Saving Private Ryan.

Demanding Freedom, Equality and Women's Rights

One of the defining documents of the women's rights movement in the United States is the Declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions. Principally authored by Elizabeth Cady Stanton, the declaration was signed by one hundred attendees—sixty-eight women and thirty-two men—at the Seneca Falls Convention in Seneca Falls, NY in July 1848. The controversial and courageous document stated: “…because women do feel themselves aggrieved, oppressed, and fraudulently deprived of their most sacred rights, we insist that they have immediate admission to all the rights and privileges which belong to them as citizens of these United States." It would be another seventy-two years before the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified, giving women the right to vote.  This short work is part of Applewood's “American Roots" series, tactile mementos of American passions by some of America’s most famous writers and thinkers.

Relive the World Series upset that gave rise to St. Louis's baseball obsession

With a legacy of 11 World Series wins, the culture of St. Louis intertwines with the Cardinals. It all started in 1926 with a legendary World Series upset against Babe Ruth’s Yankees. But what goes untold are compelling stories—like Ruth charming the city into what became a tradition of cheering opposing players—that made St. Louis fans go baseball crazy for the first time while early radio broadcasts helped turn the region into “Cardinal country.” These forgotten anecdotes made 1926 more than another championship. The victory transformed St. Louis into a baseball town, putting in place practices, traditions, loyalties, and an energy that have been passed down through time.

Terry Lemons, a St. Louis native, brings a reporter’s eye to recover faded memories that shine new light on the story that began in 1926.

Notable Quotations from Lyndon B. Johnson 

This pocket-sized hardcover book, elegantly stamped with Johnson’s signature on the cover, contains dozens of quotations from America’s 36th President, Lyndon Baines Johnson. 

“Until justice is blind to color, until all education is unaware of race, until opportunity is unconcerned with the color of men’s skins, emancipation will be a proclamation, but emancipation will not be a fact.” -Lyndon B. Johnson, remarks at Gettysburg, May 30, 1963

Remembering two palaces of retail

For generations, Scranton’s two big department stores, The Globe Store and Oppenheim’s Scranton Dry Goods Company, affectionately known as “the Dry,” dominated retail in the Electric City. Facing each other on Wyoming Avenue, they created special memories for those who walked their sales floors with attractive displays, special events, community service and elaborate Christmas decorations. Many fondly recall the steamship round of beef carved to order at The Globe’s Charl-Mont Restaurant or waving to customers passing by on the escalator from the Dry’s mezzanine Tea Room. Together, the two stores brought the best the world had to offer to Northeastern Pennsylvania.

Join Scranton-area native Daniel J. Packer Jr. and step through the iconic revolving doors into a bygone era of shopping in grand style.

“A well-told, richly contextualized investigation of an appalling episode in American history” (Kirkus Reviews, starred review).

Between 1927 and 1979, more than 8,000 people were involuntarily sterilized in five hospitals across the state of Virginia. From this plain and terrible fact springs Elizabeth Catte’s Pure America, a sweeping, unsparing history of eugenics in Virginia, and by extension the United States. Virginia’s eugenics program was not the misguided initiative of well-meaning men of the day, writes Catte, it was a manifestation of white supremacy. It was a form of employment insurance. It was a means of controlling “troublesome” women and a philosophy that helped remove poor people from valuable land. It was cruel and it was wrong. As was amply evidenced by her acclaimed 2018 book What You Are Getting Wrong About Appalachia, Catte has no room for excuses; no patience for equivocation. What does it mean for modern America, she asks here, that such buildings are given the second chance that 8,000 citizens never got?

“Riveting and tightly argued,” Pure America is another necessary corrective to the historical record, a must-read for anyone concerned with how to repair its damage (The Wall Street Journal).

A Publishers Weekly Best Book of 2021

Wit and Wisdom from an Icon of of the American Twentieth Century

This elegantly stamped gift edition hardcover contains nearly one hundred quotations on hope, humanitarianism, and more from First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt.

“People grow through experience if they meet life honestly and courageously. This is how character is built.”

⁃Eleanor Roosevelt, My Day, Eastport, Maine, August 1, 1941

Originally published in 1849, Thoreau’s classic essay on resistance to the laws and acts of government through non-violent means was largely ignored until the twentieth century when Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr., and anti-Vietnam War activists applied Thoreau's groundbreaking ideas.

This elegant hardcover gift edition features an introduction detailing the importance of Thoreau’s ideas in the fight for civil rights across the world. Discover an iconic essay in the history of American philosophy and human rights.

Notable Quotations from Ida B. Wells

This pocket-sized hardcover book contains dozens of quotations from American journalist, educator, civil rights leader, women's rights leader and co-founder of the NAACP, Ida B. Wells.

Once in a great while an important artifact is suddenly recognized as being so valuable that it demands a wide and immediate audience. Citizen USA, from the permanent collection of the Japanese American National Museum (JANM) is such an artifact.

The unpublished book was written in 1943 when the author, Charles Ferguson, was the Director of Adult Education at the Manzanar concentration camp where Japanese Americans were incarcerated. In words and photographs, the story chronicles the camp experience through the voice and perspective of a young sansei girl from Hollywood, California. She describes the routine of camp life as well as the fear and uncertainty about the future that she and her family face. At the book’s conclusion she wonders, “Isn’t America still democratic?”

Produced in the form of a photo album, the unpublished work was never forgotten by the Ferguson family. After the author's death, his wife Lois donated the book to JANM in 2003.

Seeing hard truths and difficult circumstances from a child’s point of view is more powerful than ever before. This story will resonate with audiences unimagined in 1943.

As chair of the United Nations committee tasked with its writing, Eleanor Roosevelt helped enshrine human rights forever in the American consciousness in this 1948 declaration that remains the foundational text for international human rights. Including thirty articles declaring the basic rights and freedoms of all peoples, this document was a landmark in the history of civil rights and directly informs international law today. This hardback gift edition is an artfully designed tribute to the iconic document.

Come along for a haunted treck through New Orleans, where evil ghosts horrify, and good ghosts inspire. New Orleans thrums with ghosts, some so strong they terrify holy Voodoo priests. This guide, for the truly intrepid, leads you to ancient ghosts who patrol the French Quarter. Reveals the spirits who dine at Antoine’s and Commander’s Palace. Introduces you to the eternal residents of the Hotel Monteleone. Lures you under the shade of giant oaks to the undead duelling nearby. Teases you with mirages of vampires climbing from flooded caskets in Lafayette Cemetery. Fuels you with the power of Voodoo to call on your departed ancestors. Warns you to sneak past ruptured tombs and wicked mansions like Madame LaLaurie’s, where tortured spirits wail. 

Quotes from America's Beloved Architect and Iconoclast

This elegant pocket-sized hardcover gift book, part of Applewood's Quotations of Great Americans series, contains nearly one hundred quotes from builder, Architect, political commentator and cultural rabble-rouser, Frank Lloyd Wright.

Traversing and Taming Treacherous Terrain

Today, people enjoy the convenience of Colorado’s roads without realizing that beneath lie the original Ute and Spanish trails, mountain men’s pathways, and early military wagon roads. The cultural landscape of western Colorado has undergone immense changes since the mid-sixteenth century. The rapid advancement of transportation technology has enabled the conquest of complex climate zones and challenging regional topography. Early western Colorado inhabitants once migrated on footpaths that followed the path of least resistance, traversing lush meadow corridors between rugged mountain ranges, paralleling the river bottoms, and enjoying the welcome shade of cool canyon trails in the high desert. The early Ute people, Spanish explorers, mountain men, and U.S. topographical engineers developed resourceful ways to make travel less strenuous and cover greater distances. Historian David P. Bailey chronicles their early treks, which paved the way for the first major thoroughfare through western Colorado.

Decorate your tree and celebrate 250 years of liberty with this fun Declaration of Independence mini-book!

Including artful illustrations of the signers alongside the full document in a hardback stamped mini-book ornament, this gift is perfect for cherishing our shared values of freedom, democracy and liberty for all during the holiday season.

Drafted by Thomas Jefferson between June 11 and June 28, 1776, the Declaration of Independence summarizes America's founding political philosophy. At once a cherished symbol of liberty and an expression of Jefferson's monumental talents as a writer, the document captures in unforgettable phrases the ideals of individual liberty that formed the backbone of American's Revolutionary movement. In setting forth these self-evident truths alongside a list of grievances against King George's Britain, the Declaration of Independence justified the breaking of ties with Mother England and the formation of a new country. 

A popular career choice for most five year olds, firefighting conjures images of pump trucks, sirens, and ladders. This informative and fun ABC journey gives a bit of firefighting history with B is for bucket brigade and moves into the 21st century with T is for thermal imaging camera. The colorful illustrations sport a spotted Dalmatian hidden on every page.

Quotes from America's Iconic Labor Leader and Socialist

This elegant pocket-sized hardcover gift book, part of Applewood's Quotations of Great Americans series, contains nearly one hundred quotes from American labor leader, five-time presidential candidate, and socialist, Eugene V. Debs.

"The issue is Socialism versus Capitalism. I am for Socialism because I am for humanity. We have been cursed with the reign of gold long enough. Money constitutes no proper basis of civilization. The time has come to regenerate society — we are on the eve of universal change."

-Eugene V. Debs, “Open letter to the American Railway Union,” Chicago Railway Times, January 1, 1897

Explore the true story of a famous crime that inspired Anatomy of a Murder

Just after midnight on July 31, 1952, Army Lieutenant Coleman A. Petersen walked into the Lumberjack Tavern in Big Bay, Michigan, and shot Mike Chenoweth in retaliation for an assault on his wife. This revenge killing rocked the small lumber town in the Upper Peninsula, and the trial that followed inspired a best-selling novel and an Academy Award–nominated motion picture, Anatomy of a Murder.

Using the testimony taken from trial transcripts, the police investigator, and the killer, author Patrick J. Baker shares the real story of a sensational murder trial that captivated the Midwest and the aftermath that drew the eyes of the nation.

An enduring feedback loop where belief masquerades as evidence and credibility becomes collateral damage.

In April 1966, police officers in rural Ohio and western Pennsylvania chased a glowing object across eighty miles of back roads. The encounter—silent, blinding, and seemingly intelligent—became one of the most famous UFO cases in American history and helped inspire the opening scenes of Close Encounters of the Third Kind. But the mystery didn’t end when the lights vanished. Drawing on primary sources, official records, and personal experience, this book traces how a single night’s events were transformed into lasting folklore—shaped not just by witnesses and the media, but by the U.S. military’s own investigative machinery. Rather than merely asking what the police chased, a more unsettling question is asked here: how did government involvement, belief, and mistrust combine to create a self-perpetuating legend that still echoes today?

Author Michael Kishbucher, a career Air Force and Defense Intelligence Agency officer, revisits this strange Appalachian legend from an uncommon perspective: from within the intelligence community itself.

Frank Kelly was a prominent Manchester photographer in the mid-20th century, owning and operating Frank Kelly Studios for over 49 years.

Together with his wife, Eleanor, he captured the essence of Manchester through portraits of its people, businesses, and iconic landmarks. This book showcases his remarkable body of work, including rare images of local businesses and notable events, such as multiple presidential visits to the Queen City. Additionally, Frank Kelly was a well-respected portrait and wedding photographer who took great pride in photographing generations of Manchester families. Sam Kelly Theodosopoulos, grandson of Frank Kelly, is a committee member of the Manchester Historic Association. A Manchester Central High School graduate, he holds a bachelor of arts in political science from George Washington University. John Clayton, a longtime local historian, is the former executive director of the Manchester Historic Association. With 25 years as a reporter and columnist for the New Hampshire Union Leader, he is also the author of seven books exploring Manchester and New Hampshire history. 

The murders that shocked Michigan

In the early morning of Tuesday, August 11, 1931, a Washtenaw County farmer found the smoldering remains of a car. Inside were the bodies of four teens, burned almost beyond recognition. Police immediately began an investigation, even tapping Harry Bennett, head of the Ford Motor Company Service Department, for assistance. Three killers stood trial two days later as a mob gathered outside the Ann Arbor Courthouse clamoring for a lynching. With the mob held back by the Michigan National Guard, Bennett delivered the killers to Jackson Prison by midnight Thursday. At the time, the so-called Torch Murders were deemed the most gruesome act of homicide in Michigan’s history—and perhaps the nation’s.

Peeling away myth from truth, author James Mann tells the story in full for the first time ever.

A Lifeline from Darkness

More than a year before America entered World War II, a ship from Europe became one of the nation’s first and closest experiences with the wickedness of the Holocaust. As war raged across their homeland, dozens of Jews boarded the SS Quanza in the summer of 1940, desperate to escape Nazi evil. Tragically, the United States barred their entry. When Mexico denied them as well, it seemed that they would become the next victims of the Holocaust. But a lucky stop in Norfolk, Virginia, saved their lives. Sallie and Jacob Morewitz, lawyers who had fought for the Jewish community for years, rushed into court on their behalf, and Jewish and pro-refugee groups rallied to their cause. Even Eleanor Roosevelt stepped in. After many defeats, America welcomed them to a new, safe life.

Award-winning journalist Jason Norman unfolds this remarkable story of deliverance.

The waters of Lake Michigan are a calm and tranquil place--until they aren't

Lake Mishigami, as the Ojibwe referred to the big waters of Lake Michigan, has a violent side, especially when the winds roar, creating waves that are freshwater giants. These waves have mercilessly taken many ships—along with their crews and passengers—to the bottom. Many have paid a dear price for mistakenly thinking this massive lake is nothing but an oversized pond. A single monstrous storm in November of 1880 sank or damaged north of 100 ships and claimed nearly 100 lives. But tragedy on the lake is so often met with heroism, those who brave carnage to save their fellow man. Lake Michigan can go from serene to devilish in less than an hour—author Michael Passwater delves into these transformations and their aftermath.

From the largest explosion in human history to the infamous Port Chicago Mutiny trial, Concord After World War II captures pivotal moments in California's history.

Explosive growth after the war made Concord a popular stop for presidents, celebrities, and musical events. A small town of about 1,500 people in the 1940s now is home to more than 120,000. Jazz musician Dave Brubeck was born here, and the internationally acclaimed Concord Blue Devils still perform here. The 1960s saw the birth of the annual Concord Jazz Festival and Concord Jazz Records. Concord became sister cities with Kitakami, Japan, in the 1970s. The controversial Spirit Poles were erected in the 1980s, and De La Salle High School’s unbelievable 151-game football winning streak began in the 1990s.

Area native Joel A. Harris is the author of Images of America: Concord and Past & Present: Concord. He is a state bar certified specialist in estate planning, trust, and probate law. Harris is a board member of the Concord Historical Society, who provided many of the outstanding images presented in this book. Other wonderful photographs are provided courtesy of the Contra Costa County Historical Society and local residents.

Delve into ghost stories pulled from century-old headlines and reported anew with author and investigative historian William G. Krejci. There was a time when ink-stained scribes would head into the community to report on ghostly visitations—many of their stories have been forgotten until now. At a Lorain County farmhouse, spectral women were said to manifest in the darkness of night. A haunted mansion was replete with the unexplained in Akron’s North Hill neighborhood. Rumors of a haunting at Cleveland’s Grays Armory have long circulated. New evidence reveals the site to have been the scene of two mysterious deaths and possibly a haunted house. Does a peddler who went missing two centuries ago drag chains across the attic floor at a Portage Lakes tavern?

Authors Cary O’Dell and Richard L. Sprehe lead a literary investigation of a brutal cold-case murder. 

In May 1975, in the small Southern Illinois town of Centralia, the body of one of its best-known residents, John Shakespeare, was found nearly nude, bound, and shot, execution-style, in the basement of his home. Shakespeare, sixty-nine, was a wealthy bachelor, an eccentric, an heir to the Shakespeare fishing fortune, a world-renowned collector of vintage cars, and, maybe, a possessor of a few secrets.

Despite the victim being well liked in the community, state and local police, and eventually even the FBI and Interpol, found a plethora of suspects while investigating the crime. Could it have been his longtime business associate? Or the mysterious hitchhiker seen in town just days before his body was found? Or a long-ago name from his past?