Applewood Books (Copy)

"A first-rate short history of the city, lavishly illustrated, lovingly written, and instantly the best book of its kind." - Provincetown Arts

With economy and style, Dr. Robert Allison brings Boston history alive, from the Puritan theocracy of the seventeenth century to the Big Dig of the twenty-first. His book includes a wealth of illustrations, a lengthy chronology of the key events in four centuries of Boston history, and twenty short profiles of exceptional Bostonians, from founder John Winthrop to heavyweight champion John L. Sullivan, from heretic Anne Hutchinson to Russian-American author Mary Antin.

Manabi Hirasaki was a Depression era boy, Japanese American World War II veteran, savvy entrepreneur, and a generous philanthropist before his death in 2012 at the age of 89. The son of a successful Gilroy, California farmer, Hirasaki vividly recounts his enduring relationship with the world of commercially grown strawberries and his rise to become the first non-family member to lead the board of Driscoll Strawberry Associates, the world’s largest commercial strawberry distributor. A pioneer in the cultivation of the long-stem strawberry, Hirasaki’s autobiography reveals the trials and triumphs of being a Japanese American during World War II, and the post-war boom of California’s agriculture industry. This memoir, written with editor Naomi Hirahara, is a vital history of a life devoted to the American ideals of equality, entrepreneurship, and community.

Trailblazing ornithologist Florence A. Merriam’s classic firsthand account of her adventurous and influential field work through Southern California on horseback, first published in 1896. 

A-Birding on a Bronco is Florence A. Merriam’s enduring personal narrative of the natural wonders and new bird species she encountered while surveying the southern California wilderness atop Canello, her trusty white bronco. 

As the first female member of the American Ornithologists’ Union, Merriam was a trailblazer in the emerging field of birding in the latter half of the nineteenth century. Merriam’s pioneering field work took her across the United States. Perhaps her greatest journey of all is recounted is A-Birding on a Bronco, a classic of American nature writing first published in 1896. Merriam’s lively prose is presented alongside original illustrations by famed artist and ornithologist Louis Agassiz Fuertes, his first-ever published work in what became a storied career. It’s all presented in fine detail in this facsimile printing of the original edition. 

In 1889 and 1894, respectively, Merriam journeyed West to document birds far from her native Northeast. A-Birding on a Bronco recounts these exciting horseback expeditions, vividly describing more than seventy bird species she found in the southern California backcountry, as well as introducing the colorful personalities she met along the way.  

Merriam today is regarded as an essential early voice for conservation, and A-Birding on a Bronco shows her important principles put into practice. In an era when capturing and killing birds for research was commonplace, she was among the first to advocate studying birds in their natural habitats to preserve species. It is a fundamental practice that endures today. Merriam also penned the highly influential book Birds Through Opera-Glass (1890), considered by many to be the first birding field guide ever published. 

Whether you’re a fan nature writing, or of first-person adventure narratives, A-birding on a Bronco stands out as a classic across genres. It’s why, more than a century later, A-birding on a Bronco still resonates with readers today. 

First published in 1920, this is one of the first and best books on the art of animation. Edward Lutz's classic contains many shortcuts to the process of film animation.

These shortscuts were a trademark of Lutz's teaching. This book offers tips on drawing anatomy and motion and gives detailed instructions on how animated pictures are made and work. Walt Disney used an original copy of this book, relying heavily on its advice and teaching. This is both a valuable guide to animation and an extremely collectible classic.

200 new puzzles about Great Moments in American History in this sequel to the best-selling Great American Puzzle Book—perfect fun for young and old alike!

This is not your average puzzle book! Inside, you will find much more than solutions--you'll also discover centuries of great American history and culture, generations of diverse people, and millions of acres of bountiful land. Whether you are matching U.S. presidents to their Secret Service codenames or combing through a word search for Bigfoot, Another Great American Puzzle Book is bound to keep you entertained for hours. Grab a pencil and happy puzzling!

The first major biography on Cole Porter in over two decades, this delightfully entertaining life story of one of the most important musicians and composers of the twentieth century follows Cole from Peru, Indiana to jazz age Manhattan, Hollywood and beyond. 

The first book written and printed in the New World, the Bay Psalm Book holds a unique place in our cultural and religious history. Richard Mather and a group of his fellow New England clergy transcribed biblical psalms into metered verse. In 1640, just 20 years after the Mayflower landed at Plymouth Rock, they printed 1700 copies in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Those first copies are extremely rate - only eleven are believed to exist - and not readily accessible to the general public. Discover one of the most important books ever published in America in this reproduction edition. 

Track Your Own Personal Growth Using Benjamin Franklin’s Book of Virtues

This companion paperback to Applewood’s edition of Benjamin Franklin’s Book of Virtues offers a journal to record your own efforts in becoming a better and more virtuous person using a rubric crafted by America’s beloved Founding Father, Benjamin Franklin. 

In 1848, James Marshall discovered a nugget of gold while excavating a ditch for a sawmill; by the end of 1849 over 100,000 people had migrated to California in hopes of striking it rich. Learn about the events, people, places, and life during the California gold rush. In this book you will find fifteen puzzles full of fun facts and trivia about this fascinating part of American history.

Long and Benson’s 1896 landmark guide to cheese making is an early American handbook to the art. The authors pay particular attention to gourmet cheese varieties that were more usually produced in Europe, including gorgonzola, camembert, and brie. The collection of historic recipes also include traditional English cheeses such as Cheddar, Stilton, Cheshire, and Wensleydale. Discover the methods and principles that shaped turn of the century cheese making in this delectable volume. 

This history of Christmas is an endless delight, with stories about all your favorite Christmas traditions, from Mystic to Maine, the Berkshires to Boston.

Here are some of the more than fifty New England holiday traditions traced and described in this enchanting treasury: Charles Follen and the Christmas Tree Church, Flying Santa, Silent Santa, and Secret Santa; Rudolph, the Most Famous Reindeer, A Magical Ride on the Polar Express, Louis Prang, Father of the American Christmas Card, Candlelight Strolls at Old Sturbridge Village and Capt. James Magee's Holiday Party.

Renowned activist and orator Frederick Douglass delivered his “Composite Nation” speech throughout the country from 1869-1875, sharing his ardent vision of a future America that would draw strength from diversity.

Central to the speech is Douglass’s unambiguous support for Chinese immigration and citizenship. Other then-radical ideas examined in “Composite Nation”—universal human rights, religious liberty, and more—continue to resonate with modern activists.

Frederick Douglass (c. 1818-1895) was an abolitionist, social reformer, orator, and writer. One of the most influential Americans of the nineteenth century, Douglass was known for his rhetorical brilliance. Douglass's speeches drew large audiences nationwide, and his first autobiography is considered the most famous narrative by a former slave.

David W. Blight is the author or editor of over a dozen books, including the Pulitzer Prize-winning Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom and annotated editions of Douglass’s first two autobiographies. At Yale University, Blight is Sterling Professor of History and Director of the Gilder Lehrman Center for the Study of Slavery, Resistance, and Abolition.

“The voice of civilization speaks an unmistakable language against the isolation of families, nations and races, and pleads for composite nationality as essential to her triumphs.” —Frederick Douglass

“I am a brother of the cornhuskers who say at sundown: To-morrow is a day.” -Carl Sandburg, “Prairie”

Winner of the 1919 Pulitzer Price in Poetry, Cornhuskers is an homage to America and the American midwest from one of the nation’s most acclaimed writers, Carl Sandburg. One hundred years after the book’s first publication, this 104-poem collection breathes life into our national past - honoring the prairie, the changing seasons, and the hard working people of the heartlands. 

Succinct and remarkably beautiful. These poems sing with a certain unencumbered honesty that both complicates and informs our understanding of the author’s midwestern wilderness. Sandburg, as the “poet of the people,” as he came to be so affectionately known, writes plainly and unpretentiously about the place that he had called home.

This book revolutionized 19th-century American architecture and changed forever the type of building that was done in our country.

Historic Herbal Medicine

Nicholas Culpeper was a seventeenth-century English botanist, herbalist, physician and astrologer. Published over 350 years ago as a practical health guide, The Complete Herbal (1653) is still a definitive herbal guide for today. It contains a rich store of pharmaceutical and herbal knowledge, including herbs and where to find them, herb presentation, plasters and more. 

The 1921 step-by-step guide to drawing by E.G. Lutz that’s remained a classic for aspiring artists for over a century.

Learn the basics of illustration from influential cartoonist and early animation pioneer E.G. Lutz and start drawing today with Drawing Made Easy. This fun, whimsical beginner’s guide from a century ago offers today’s young artist clear step-by-step instructions and fundamental techniques for approaching a range of useful subjects.  

Easy-to-follow visual examples and straightforward written instructions show how to vividly render a wide selection of flora, fauna, and people in a variety of settings and scenes. Beautiful flowers, soaring birds and butterflies, galloping horses, playful people, and so much more are brought to life on the pages of this lovingly reproduced facsimile reprint. 

E.G Lutz has been guiding aspiring artists across generations, beginning with a young Walt Disney who was inspired by a copy of Animated Cartoons, Lutz’s early guide to animation published in 1920. Now see why Drawing Made Easy remains an essential guide more than one hundred years later. 

Published over one hundred years ago, this enduring, secret text is the authoritative guide to divine understanding you have been seeking.

Steep yourself in the ancient arts of astrology, palmistry, augury, numerology, cartomancy, graphology, and much more.

Inside you will find all manner of practical instruction, including how to fashion talismans, avoid unlucky wedding dates, interpret moles and bumps, decipher dreams, and tell fortunes with tea, crystals, and cards.

The secret to good luck is right in front of you. As you foretell the future for family, friends, and lovers, remember that your fortunes are never fixed. You now hold your destiny in your hands.

Farewell Address of the Presidents of the United States collects eleven addresses delivered by departing presidents, from George Washington in 1786 to Donald J. Trump in 2021. Other addresses include Andrew Jackson, Harry S. Truman, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Ronald Reagan and more. Discover the iconic moments and recent speeches of departing presidents and their message to the nation.

One of America's earliest books and one of the most important early Pilgrim tracts to come from American colonies.

This book helped persuade others to come join those who already came to Plymouth. Pilgrim Father Edward Winslow's first-person account of his experiences on the Mayflower voyage and the settling of the Plymouth Colony.

Grab your popcorn and a pencil!In Great American Movie Night Puzzle Book, work your way through puzzles themed around America's real favorite pastime. Test your movie knowledge with puzzles like Movies about Theatre, Colorful Titles, Acting Presidents, Buddy Cops, and Best Picture.Featuring 200 puzzles packed to the brim with information about iconic, beloved, and lesser-known films, this book will help you exercise your mind while finding your new favorite movie. Perfect for in the car, on the couch, or anywhere else, take this book with you wherever you go.

Hours of entertainment await movie buffs and novices alike!

This one-hundred puzzle book also works as a travel guide to help travelers explore national parks all across America.

Whether you're all cooped up or in your coupe, this unusual mix of puzzle book and travel guide will help you hit the real or virtual road and learn about places along the way. Throw it in the back seat and let your antsy passengers have fun and learn. Or make a pit stop, grab a cup of coffee, and puzzle through where you'll go next. From your car or your couch, the road trips in this book help you discover places that reveal diverse aspects of America's inspiring national parks. Enjoy the journey!

Grab a pencil and take a trip around New England, whether by car or couch. You are sure to discover unique, weird, and inspiring places to enhance your journey. These fun and challenging puzzles will engage travelers both young and old!

Inside you will find puzzles themed around Connecticut, Maine, Massachussets, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont.

Grab a pencil and take a trip around the Northwest, whether by car or couch. You are sure to discover unique, weird, and inspiring places to enhance your journey. These fun and challenging puzzles will engage travelers both young and old!

Inside you will find puzzles themed around Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington, and Wyoming.

This two-hundred puzzle book also works as a travel guide to help travelers explore the public lands all across America. Stop at Sawtooth National Forest, Canaveral National Seashore, Grand Canyon National Park, and numerous other interesting and inspiring places along the way.

Whether you’re all cooped up or in your coupe, this unusual mix of puzzle book and travel guide will help you hit the real or virtual road and learn about places along the way. Throw it in the back seat and let your antsy passengers have fun and learn. Or make a pit stop, grab a cup of coffee, and puzzle through where you’ll go next. From your car or your couch, the road trips in this book help you discover places that reveal diverse aspects of America's public lands—national parks, forests, rivers, mountains, wildlife refuges, monuments, heritage and natural history sites, and other inpsiring stops. Enjoy the journey!

Grab a pencil and take a trip around the Southeast, whether by car or couch. You are sure to discover unique, weird, and inspiring places to enhance your journey. These fun and challenging puzzles will engage travelers both young and old!Inside you will find puzzles themed around Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee.

Vintages Images from America's Spooky Past

Americans have been obsessed with Halloween for over a century. What began as Scottish and Irish traditions brought to North America in the eighteenth century has now become one of the most anticipated holidays on the nation’s calendar. Featuring images drawn from a diverse array of historical sources, including prints, paintings, illustrations, and photographs, this curated collection tells the visual history of Halloween in America. Discover classic theater posters, haunted historic postcards, nostalgic costume photographs and more in this fun collection charting America’s love of a spooky time.

After reaching Philadelphia, Tubman began thinking of her family. "I was a stranger in a strange land," she said later. "My father, my mother, my brothers, and sisters, and friends were in Maryland. But I was free, and they should be free."

Harriet Tubman was a fugitive slave whose work as a conductor on the Underground Railroad made her a legend. Born in Dorchester County, Maryland, Tubman escaped from slavery in 1849 and supported herself by working in Philadelphia hotels before relocating to Canada and, later, New York. Tubman first returned to Maryland in 1850, when she helped a niece escape from Baltimore, and over the next ten years, she frequently risked her life to liberate family members and other slaves in the area. During the Civil War, Tubman worked as a nurse and a spy for the Union army in South Carolina, where she was known as General Tubman. After the war, Tubman returned to Auburn, New York, where she spoke at women's suffrage meetings with other prominent figures such as Susan B. Anthony. This book is a testament of Harriet Tubman’s bravery and triumph in the face of overwhelming danger!

Harrowing Accounts of the Civil War from the Beloved Author of Little Women

When the Civil War broke out in 1861 Louisa May Alcott was disappointed that she was not able to join the men of her town in battle, and she began to volunteer to provide supplies for the war effort. On her 30th birthday, the age required at the time to become an Army nurse, Alcott became a nurse and was assigned to Union Hotel Hospital in Georgetown, Washington, D.C. While serving, she wrote several letters to her family back in Concord describing the difficult conditions and life healing the wounded. Alcott altered the letters slightly, fictionalized them, and published them to wide acclaim. The sketches lifted Alcott into the national discourse and her fame solidified a few years later with the publication of her timeless novel Little Women. Discover harrowing first hand experiences of war within the early writings of an icon of American literature.

Originally published in 1913, this is a lovely reproduction of the first American Girl Scout Handbook.

Author W.J. Hoxie—a naturalist—included tips and tricks for provisioning a camp, tying knots, tending the injured, and telling time by the stars. In 1916, How Girls Can Help Their Country was adapted by Juliette Low into a newer version of the Girl Scout Handbook.  The ranks of the American Girl Scouts have grown from the original eighteen members to the millions of members still active today. Through the decades, each Girl Scout has used some edition of the handbook to learn about everything from camping and first-aid, to housewifery and patriotism. Although the roles of women have changed over the years, the importance of the handbook has not.   Complete with photographs and diagrams, this centennial edition serves as a reference for life in the times of the great-, great-great-, or even great-great-great-grandmothers of today's Scouts.

Originally published in 1916, this innovative peanut recipe book by prominent Black scientist George Washington Carver is just as delicious today.

How many ways can you possibly prepare the peanut? At least 105, according to George Washington Carver. In this book, Carver compiles recipes from agricultural bulletins, cookbooks, magazines, newspapers and more. Featured peanut recipes include bisque, doughnuts, sausages, candy and dozens of others.

In addition to recipes, Carver shows readers how to grow the peanut, where to plant peanuts, when to harvest them and everything in between. Carver's clean instructions are accessible even to farming hobbyists. Whether you're looking to grow peanuts or simply eat them every which way, this groundbreaking book by George Washington Carver is sure to satisfy.

Now Including Donald J. Trump's 2025 Inaugural Address

This is an updated edition of The Inaugural Addresses of the Presidents of the United States, Volume Two, beginning with the first inaugural address of Theodore Roosevelt in 1905, and concluding with the January 20, 2025 address of Donald J. Trump. Outlining the life of a nation through its most famous speeches, United States presidential vision and policy is seen here through the addresses of the Presidents. Included are the inaugural addresses of Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, Woodrow Wilson, Warren G. Harding, Calvin Coolidge, Herbert Hoover, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry S Truman, Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, Lyndon Baines Johnson, Richard Milhous Nixon, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George Bush, William Jefferson Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack H. Obama, Joseph R. Biden Jr., and Donald J. Trump.

Discover a Lost Language

Originally published in 1666, written by John Eliot, a Puritan minister who went to America to escape religious persecution and found himself learning the native Massachusett language. Eliot eventually created a written language, articulating grammatical rules, and translated the bible into that native language. This is the grammar he created and is a landmark early American linguistic and historical publication.

The 1917 book purportedly dictated from beyond the grave by Mark Twain.

Was Jap Herron the work of Mark Twain or a scam that capitalized on the heightened belief in the paranormal during the early 20th century? We invite everyone to read and decide for themselves... or let the Ouija board decide.

Several years after Mark Twain’s death in 1910, Emily Grant Hutchings claimed that Twain dictated this novel from the beyond, letter by letter, over a Ouija board. She went on to publish it with Mitchell Kennerley in 1917. When the Twain estate discovered the book, they took Hutchings to court, demanding that she either declare herself a fraud or surrender all profits and rights to the estate. The lawsuit was dropped when Hutchings agreed to cease publication and destroy the remaining unsold books—but she never retracted her claims. 

Set in the antebellum South, Jap Herron’s title character (Jasper James Herron) rises out of poverty to become a central figure in his small Missouri town. In a lengthy introduction, Hutchings recounts unidentified spirits meddling with the story, apparitions sent by Twain to haunt the medium’s dreams, and insights into Twain’s postmortem personality.

Proudly printed in America, this definitive 1812 edition of Thomas Jefferson's landmark work continues to inform the rules and procedures of the United States House and Senate today.

As vice president of the United States, Thomas Jefferson presided over the Senate. To improve its procedures, he wrote A Manual of Parliamentary Practice. First published in 1801, Jefferson’s Manual has been the basis for the rules of Congress ever since. In 1812, a second edition of the Manual was published with Jefferson’s input, marking his final word on the book.  Now, for the first time, Jefferson’s Manual of 1812 is printed with all of Jefferson's additions, along with an introduction detailing the history of the text and tracing the discovery of Jefferson’s revisions. This new edition includes Jefferson’s additions that serve as the basis for changes to the “House Rules and Manual,” published by the U.S. House of Representatives in 2025.  Author Brian Alexander presents groundbreaking research using Jefferson’s own writings in this historic Manual of Parliamentary Practice, now in its definitive edition.

The Inner Life of the Gilded Age’s Court Jester

Harry Symes Lehr was born in 1869 into a family that was neither wealthy nor socially prominent. His natural gift for entertaining and his penchant for hobnobbing with the very rich earned him entry to the powerful circle of New York and Newport social elite during the Gilded Age. Lehr hosted lavish and themed parties that captivated the social scene who dubbed him “King Lehr.” One of his admirers and patrons, Mrs. Stuyvesant Fish, introduced him to the young widow Elizabeth Wharton Drexel. Drexel was smitten with young Harry, his elegant dress, and outrageous behavior. Soon they married. 

But King Lehr had a secret. On their wedding night he cruelly dictated to his new wife that they would not live in a happy marriage nor would it be consummated. For twenty-three years Elizabeth lived in a loveless and abusive marriage. After Harry’s death, Elizabeth remarried a baron and as Lady Decies, wrote down her secret story in 1938. Incorporating Harry’s most intimate diaries, Lady Decies reveals a scandalous tale of power, desire, and deception. 

Dallas's First Cook Book

At the beginning of the twentieth century, Dallas, Texas was not the sprawling metropolis it is today. The city was small, but growing fast, as immigrants were arriving in record numbers. In 1850, Dallas had a population of 430; by 1900, its population exceed 42,000 people. A year later, in 1901, the Lone Star Cook Book was compiled and published by the Ladies of the Dallas Free Kindergarten and Training School, becoming Dallas’s first cookbook. 

Culinary explorers will find these historic recipes and cooking techniques offer a glimpse into early Texas cuisine, featuring influences from immigrant traditions and western innovations.

Discover the Vanished Historic Cottages of Newport

Featuring more than one hundred vintage views of cottages built from the early nineteenth century to the early twentieth century, Lost Newport highlights fifty-two summer houses, no longer existing, in an evocative guide that gives depth to any Newport experience.

Published in 1866, this handbook was a key guide to social customs in the post-Civil War era. Martine's Handbook of Etiquette is a 19th-century manual to social conduct that provides clear directions on manners, dress, and conversation for a variety of social situations. Including advice on topics such as dinner parties, ballroom etiquette, and general deportment, as well as specific skills like the art of carving. Its purpose was to teach true politeness and help readers avoid vulgar habits to navigate society with grace and refinement. Discover a lost classic of a dying art and polish up on your etiquette with this American classic.

The McGuffey Readers are among the best known schoolbooks in the history of American education, having sold more than 120 million copies since the time of their first publication in 1836.

The tried and true McGuffey's First Eclectic Reader develops basic reading comprehension skills for children as young as three all the way to adults learning to read. Using stories, word lists, phonics charts, and 19th-century illustrations, it is a timeless teaching tool. This is the revised 1879 edition. 

The Historic Eyewitness Account of the Salem Witch Trials

This balanced account of the Salem Village witchcraft trials, including the events leading up to them, was first printed in 1702. The book was written by Reverend John Hale, the pastor of the church in Beverly, Massachusetts. He concludes with the theory that it was Satan, not the witches, who used the manipulation of objects to afflict others. Rev. Hale had been the preacher in Salem since 1664, and was a participant in the trials, attending them and praying with the accused. This eyewitness account is one of the rarest, having been reprinted once in 1771 and again in 1973.

America's FIRST National Cookbook

This landmark cookbook was published for America’s Centennial Exposition held in Philadelphia in 1876. The Women's Centennial Executive Committee, chaired by Benjamin Franklin's great granddaughter, sent an invitation to women throughout the United States to contribute recipes as they compiled almost a thousand dishes from across the country. From regional historic foods such as New Orleans gumbo and buckwheat cakes to nineteenth century staples such as venison and corn, readers will discover a trove of fun past recipes. Including Native American and immigrant cookery, this volume reveals the historic diversity of foodways that define the American cuisine. Featuring an introduction from noted culinary historian Andrew F. Smith, the National Cookery Book is a must have for any kitchen.

“There is nothing in England that exercises a more delightful spell over my imagination than the lingerings of the holiday customs and rural games of former times.”

Originally part of The Sketch Books of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent., which also included the famous stories, Rip Van Winkle and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, Old Christmas is a tale from iconic early American author Washington Irving. The narrative depicts Irving’s Christmas Eve trip by stagecoach to Yorkshire in England, and the delightful holiday games and rituals he shared with his hosts at their home, Bracebridge Hall. Illustrated by famed artist Randolph Caldecott, this edition will be sure to inspire holiday cheer in anyone.