New Book Releases

Nestled on the island peninsula of Cape Ann on the North Shore of Massachusetts, Gloucester, known as “America’s Oldest Seaport,” was founded in 1623 by farmers and fishermen from Dorchester, England, as the first permanent European settlement in Massachusetts.

This had been the second European attempt at settling the area, and though it initially struggled, Gloucester maintained its status as a fishing village and became a major New England commercial port in the centuries to come. Its growth granted it national notoriety for its robust maritime culture and economy and led to its eventual distinction as a tourist and fine arts destination as well. Additionally, Gloucester is bordered by the towns of Rockport, Manchester-by-the-Sea, and Essex, all of which have played their own unique roles in the development of the Cape Ann area. 

Ryan A. McRae, a historian and native of the North Shore, has carefully cultivated his own collection of original postcards of the area and has used this, as well as his expertise in the field, to effectively narrate and exhibit Gloucester and Cape Ann’s unique history in this medium.

First run in 1897 as America's second and the world's fourth, the Boston Marathon attracts thousands thanks to its long and unique history.

What began as simple start and finish lines has grown to encompass a lavish colorful artistry. An athlete and cultural exchange program with the Ohme-Hochi 30K in Japan started with four-time winner Bill Rodgers in the 1970s. Artist Bobbi Gibb was the first female finisher of the race in 1966, and she was later asked to create her own statute along the route to commemorate the event.

Author Paul C. Clerici explores the history and iconic traditions of America's most famous road race.

Over 500,000 Massachusetts residents answered the call to military duty in the Second World War, while the rest of the state's citizens fought the war on the home front. Everyone in the family, including pets, found creative and essential ways to contribute.

Thousands worked in factories, volunteered for Civil Defense, watched for enemy aircraft, and took part in salvage collections and bond drives, all while dealing with rationing, blackouts, rumors and a host of other wartime inconveniences. And while thousands of service members left to fight overseas, the Bay State also welcomed thousands more to serve on its military bases that were such an important part of our nation's defense.

Author James Parr reveals the stories of these brave and dedicated citizens--from the famous to the ordinary--as they faced wartime challenges.

The North End - Boston's Little Italy - is an enclave with a rich history and a culture rooted in family, food and faith.

Once home to hardworking immigrant families from Italy, it was also the neighborhood of Sacco and Vanzetti, Charles Ponzi and Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy. Organizations like the North End Industrial Home and the North Benet Street School helped to educate and serve the community. With St. Leonard’s of Port Maurice Church at its heart, la via vecchia (the old way) is woven through its narrow, winding streets, brick buildings, restaurants and pastry shops. Today, neighbors and tourists alike meet for coffee and cannolis, unaware of the neighborhood's complex history.

Local author and resident Patricia Annino reveals the resilient journey from one of America’s poorest slums to a place of opportunity.

Ghost stories from the Berkshires have never been so creepy, fun, and full of mystery!

Welcome to the spooky Berkshires!

Stay Alert! Ghosts lurk around every corner. Even the most unexpected places might be haunted by wandering phantoms.

Did you know that at the Mount, the former home of famous author Edith Wharton, a shadowy phantom haunts the halls? Or that a ghost train still steams through the Hoosac Tunnel? Can you believe there's a top-hatted ghost who wakes guests in the night at the historic Red Lion Inn in Stockbridge?

Pulled right from history, these ghostly tales will change the way you see the Berkshires forever, and have you sleeping with the lights on!

Founded in 1741 as the burial ground for the Second Parish of Dedham, Old Parish Cemetery encapsulates the history of the town of Norwood from its beginnings in 1736.

Today, volunteers, with the support of town officials, are working to preserve this historic site. Dormant since the mid-1900s, and virtually surrounded by commercial structures, Old Parish Cemetery offers a contemplative green space for those seeking solace and peace. Its memorials are rich in lessons about the cultural and social evolution of the community.

Historian and author Patricia Fanning guides the reader through the history of Norwood as she tells the engaging stories of those buried here.

Nestled in the town square of Concord, Massachusetts, the windows of the Colonial Inn have gazed upon more than three centuries of bloodstained history.

Known for its role in the American Revolution, the Inn was originally built as three separate buildings with the oldest section of the property dating back to 1716. A stone's throw from Old North Bridge, the Inn is notoriously haunted by the ghosts from its Revolutionary War past. Guests report phantom footsteps, disembodied voices, and spirited soldiers lurking in the shadows of the labyrinthine hallways and empty rooms of this infamous inn.

Local author Sam Baltrusis has worked the graveyard shift at Concord's Colonial Inn trying to unravel the chilling mysteries and lingering legends associated with one of the country's oldest and most haunted hotels.

Cape Cod, one of the nation's oldest regions, can claim many firsts, but not as many as some want you to believe.

Boastfulness, tall tales and plain stretching the truth about history is widely practiced in this tourist mecca. Even esteemed institutions such as churches and historical societies are nimble in the art of gilding the lily. Discover where The Wizard of Oz film really premiered, whether Mercy Otis Warren had a hand in writing the Bill of Rights and who invented the hole in the doughnut. Along the way, you'll find out where the country's oldest Congregational meetinghouse is located, and whether "Mad Jack" was a thieving scoundrel.

Local author and historian James Ellis separates fact from fiction.

Home to the location where George Washington took command of the troops and to America's oldest Ivy League university, Cambridge is a city that feels like a town.

Hasty Pudding meetings were enlivened with mock trials spoofing happenings in Cambridge and among the faculty; by 1860 the trials had evolved into shows. In a corner of the Cambridge Common, across from Harvard Yard, a Gilded Age statue of a Puritan has been toppled several times. Letters home from Robert Kennedy were found stashed on a high shelf in a college room he occupied, over 30 years after he graduated.

From protests to the "Beer Garden Summit", author Jane Merrill shares the stories behind notable landmarks and some significant but little-known facts in and around town.

When Pres. John F. Kennedy established the Cape Cod National Seashore in 1961, it was acclaimed as the "finest victory ever recorded for the cause of conservation in New England."

When erosion and overdevelopment threatened the Cape, the idea of a national seashore took hold, forever protecting this treasured place. The park preserves 44,000 acres of forest, marsh, bog, and ponds, and a 40-mile stretch from Provincetown to Chatham, which Henry David Thoreau called the "Great Beach." Unlike other national parks at the time, the Cape Cod National Seashore was created from a combination of private, town, state, and federal lands. Cape Cod National Seashore: The First 50 Years captures the political drama of the creation of this extraordinary seashore. Images detail an early Native American presence and the romance of whaling, shipwrecks, lighthouses, windmills, and dune shacks.

This fascinating photographic history tells the story of Hudson, a peaceful New England town with a rich history.

The first resident of Hudson, John Barnes, came to the area in 1698 and built a gristmill by a waterfall on the Assabet River. Later, a sawmill was built, followed by several small industries that huddled around the mill. By 1850, railroads came to the area, now called Feltonville, as did many factories. In 1886, the area became the Town of Hudson, and it continued to grow with modern factories, a more diversified industry, banks, schools, and a wonderful new town hall. The people of Hudson have always had an exemplary pride and courage in times of struggle. During the Civil War, several local homes were stations in the Underground Railroad, and many Hudson men took up arms to defend abolition. In 1894 disaster struck when a fire grew into an inferno and destroyed more than 40 buildings in the heart of the town. The same citizen zeal and courage that originally built the town built a new town to rise in place of the ashes.

Discover the story behind the Nantucket Civil War Monument, King Alcohol and more in Hidden History of Nantucket.

The celebrated history of Nantucket's great whaling days often overshadows the fascinating changes that took place in the years following. Learn about some named on the Civil War Monument, some left off and some who may not belong. Meet the Cold Water Army of seven hundred schoolchildren who paraded against King Alcohol in hopes that the island would become a temperance oasis. Little remains of the bathing pavilion and water slide of the long-lost town of Coatue that once had big plans for expansion. With surprising facts and captivating tales, authors Frank Morral and Barbara Ann White explore these and other lost accounts of the faraway island.

Looking through the eyes of the camera, we can glance back to a long-gone, quieter, and gentler rural past in the towns of Rehoboth, Swansea, and Dighton.

This significant new pictorial history features many previously unpublished photographs that capture the small-town agricultural intimacy of the area before its transition during the middle and latter parts of the twentieth century to a less agricultural, semi-suburban setting. The period between 1850 and 1950 represents a century of significant change for these towns, and the photographs presented here seek to capture some of the area's lost flavor and texture. This volume features wonderfully nostalgic and rare views that have, for the most part, gone unseen by the general public.

The maritime history of Cape Ann, on the northern coast of Massachusetts, is filled with stories of heroism, adventure, and human endeavor.

The lighthouses and lifesaving stations surrounding Cape Ann since the late 18th century have served to protect and safeguard the area's mariners and major industries. Fishing, shipbuilding, and granite quarrying businesses all flourished under their watchful eyes. They provided artists with spectacular subject matter and attracted tourists from around the world to visit them. This book highlights the heroism and dedication of the lighthouse keepers and lifesaving surfmen who served. Cape Ann is famous for being the home of America's oldest seaport in Gloucester and America's most painted building, Motif No. 1, in Rockport.

Author and historian Anthony Sammarco reveals the fascinating history of Boston's beloved Jordan Marsh.

Jordan Marsh opened its first store in 1851 on Milk Street in Boston selling assorted dry goods. Following the Civil War, the store moved to Winthrop Square and later to Washington Street between Summer and Avon Streets. The new five-story building, designed by Winslow & Wetherell, unveiled the novel concept of department shopping under one roof. It attracted shoppers by offering personal service with the adage that the customer is always right, easy credit, art exhibitions and musical performances. By the 1970s, it had become a regional New England icon and the largest department store chain in the nation.

Discover within these pages little-known facts about the USS Albany, the U.S. Navy's oldest commissioned warship, USS Constitution, and the WWII destroyer, USS Cassin Young.

The photographs in this exciting new volume illustrate the history of the Charlestown Navy Yard from the late nineteenth century through the twentieth century. Founded in 1800, the yard was oneof the first military shipyards in the United States.Charlestown Navy Yard celebrates the life of the yardthrough one hundred years of photographs, showing thedramatic changes that took place during the transition from wood to steel ships. Charlestown Navy Yard's history is preserved in these images, which include rare views of buildings past and present and snapshots of shipyard workers in the Ropewalk, on the ships, and in the Forge Shop where die-lock chain was developed.