New York

Crane your neck at New York’s towering history for too long and you will look like a tourist.  Divide the Big Apple into boroughs and conquer Empire State history book by book. That offers room for proper admiration of Grand Central’s cavernous glory, the neighborly kindness that dug Buffalo out of a blizzard or just a ripping ride at Seabeeze Park. Plot General Herkimer’s winning strategy at the Battle of Oriskany and Vanderbilt’s methodical acquisition of New York rail. From Ellis Island to the Erie Canal, engage with an accessible introduction to New York history with our New York history books. [View all New York books]
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Adirondack Reflections:
Adirondack Reflections:
$21.99 $15.39 Save 30%
Barreling Over Niagara Falls
Barreling Over Niagara Falls
$17.99 $12.59 Save 30%
The Carmelite Sisters for the Aged and Infirm
The Carmelite Sisters for the Aged and Infirm
$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%
Harlem in the Twentieth Century
Harlem in the Twentieth Century
$21.99 $15.39 Save 30%
Wise Animal Handbook New York, The
Wise Animal Handbook New York, The
$16.99 $11.89 Save 30%
Lost Industries of Saratoga County
Lost Industries of Saratoga County
$21.99 $15.39 Save 30%
Lewisboro Ghosts:
Lewisboro Ghosts:
$21.99 $15.39 Save 30%
Dance in Saratoga Springs
Dance in Saratoga Springs
$21.99 $15.39 Save 30%
Curiosities of Central New York
Curiosities of Central New York
$21.99 $15.39 Save 30%
Cradle of the American Circus:
Cradle of the American Circus:
$19.99 $13.99 Save 30%
Disaster on Lake Erie:
Disaster on Lake Erie:
$21.99 $15.39 Save 30%
Discovering Staten Island:
Discovering Staten Island:
$23.99 $16.79 Save 30%
Oswego County and the Civil War:
Oswego County and the Civil War:
$21.99 $15.39 Save 30%
The Bronx River
The Bronx River
$21.99 $15.39 Save 30%
Brooklyn's Plymouth Church in the Civil War Era:
Brooklyn's Plymouth Church in the Civil War Era:
$21.99 $15.39 Save 30%
North Country Reflections:
North Country Reflections:
$21.99 $15.39 Save 30%
Camp Hollis:
Camp Hollis:
$21.99 $15.39 Save 30%
Brooklyn's Sportsmen's Row:
Brooklyn's Sportsmen's Row:
$21.99 $15.39 Save 30%
Down Maple Lane:
Down Maple Lane:
$21.99 $15.39 Save 30%
Food, Drink and Celebrations of the Hudson Valley Dutch
Food, Drink and Celebrations of the Hudson Valley Dutch
$21.99 $15.39 Save 30%
Murder, Inc.:
Murder, Inc.:
$19.99 $13.99 Save 30%
Murder and Mayhem in Ulster County
Murder and Mayhem in Ulster County
$21.99 $15.39 Save 30%
Murder and Mayhem in Mendon and Honeoye Falls:
Murder and Mayhem in Mendon and Honeoye Falls:
$21.99 $15.39 Save 30%

Adirondack Reflections:

9781626191167

$21.99 $15.39 Save 30%
The Adirondacks have been written about since they were first spied by Europeans more than five hundred years ago. Yet for most of the intervening centuries, few of those writers lived in the region of which they wrote--they were not part of the landscape. That has changed in recent years as writers have moved to the Adirondacks and formed a literary community. Perhaps inspired by these writers, longtime residents have discovered that they, too, could be part of such a community. From scratching out a living in the harsh landscape to the wonders of a moonlit cross-country ski, these writers celebrate life in the Adirondacks. In this remarkable collection of essays, the experiences of Adirondack natives are interwoven with the land in a part of America that is both demanding and rewarding.
Adirondack Reflections:

The Carmelite Sisters for the Aged and Infirm

9781467103732

$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%
The Carmelite Sisters for the Aged and Infirm were founded in New York just days before the stock market crash of 1929. Sister Angeline de Ste Agathe (later renamed Mother M. Angeline Teresa) and six other Sisters (Alexis, Alodie, Teresa, Louise, Leonie, and Colette) had all professed vows with the Little Sisters of the Poor and were ministering in the Bronx, New York. Wanting to devote themselves to the care of elderly Americans and encouraged by Cardinal Patrick Hayes of the Archdiocese of New York, all seven requested a dispensation from their vows as Little Sisters. Thanks to the efforts of Cardinal Hayes, they moved into the former St. Elizabeth's rectory, and by Christmas 1929, they had taken in their first seven residents. When they were officially given permission to adopt the name of the Carmelite Sisters for the Aged and Infirm in 1931, they became the first US congregation founded exclusively to care for elderly Americans and became pioneers in the field of geriatrics. Today, the Sisters serve the elderly in 22 nursing homes, assisted-living homes, or independent-living entities in eight different states as well as one in Ireland.
The Carmelite Sisters for the Aged and Infirm

Harlem in the Twentieth Century

9781596296510

$21.99 $15.39 Save 30%
Harlem is one of the best-known neighborhoods in the U.S., and it's also one of the nation's most vibrant cultural hubs. Though its reputation has been tarnished at times by economic depressions and crime, its loyal community has created a unique history and culture. Much of this history took place during the twentieth century, which included an influx African American residents, an unparalleled artistic, literary and musical movement known as the Harlem Renaissance, deteriorating economic conditions, and finally a thrilling resurgence. This new book presents the grand story of Harlem's twentieth century history as never before.
Harlem in the Twentieth Century

Wise Animal Handbook New York, The

9780738528342

$16.99 $11.89 Save 30%
Read-aloud time is about to get a lot more fun!

The New York Wise Animal Handbook offers laugh-out-loud animal kingdom advice for kids of every age! Engaging animal photos entertain while charming read-aloud rhymes help jump-start conversations about practical life solutions.
The Read Together/Do Together? experience continues with pull out coloring pages in the back of the book featuring fun facts about special Empire State animals including the beaver and snapping turtle.
Enjoy the opportunity to share your own practical wisdom with your favorite little one as you read-aloud... and laugh-aloud....again and again.
Wise Animal Handbook New York, The

Lost Industries of Saratoga County

9781609490799

$21.99 $15.39 Save 30%
The tourism trade has sustained itself in Saratoga County since the early 1800s, but this region also saw a vibrant industrial era that is often overlooked. At one time, this New York county hosted the nation's largest book paper mill, newsprint paper mill, tannery and paper bag manufacturer. In addition, it was home to such world-famous products as Button fire engines, Isaiah Blood hard edge tools, Eddy valves and various brands of mineral spring water. Timothy Starr provides the most complete history of the area's industrial age yet published. Discover the fascinating history of such little-known subjects as the Peebles Island bleachery, the mines of Greenfield, Edinburgh's woodenware factories and lumber drives on the Hudson River.
Lost Industries of Saratoga County

Lewisboro Ghosts:

9781596292550

$21.99 $15.39 Save 30%
On the easternmost edge of Westchester County, among the quiet communities nestled against the Connecticut state line, memories of eerie incidents and haunted happenings flow through the generations like the currents of the nearby Hudson River. The old-timers of South Salem and Waccabuc still recall the legendary "Leather Man," an itinerant vagabond who rambled mysteriously through the region in the late 1800s. Over in Goldens Bridge they whisper of "the Christmas Soldier," an apparition of a Revolutionary-era Patriot who stalks the Highway 22 corridor. And beneath Long Pond Mountain the locals listen attentively for the "Wail of the Wind," the sorrowful moan attributed to two ghostly parents lamenting their son's drowning. Read Maureen Koehl's Lewisboro Ghosts to discover the spooky stories and supernatural sightings that linger in this tucked-away corner of the lower Hudson Valley.
Lewisboro Ghosts:

Dance in Saratoga Springs

9781609491673

$21.99 $15.39 Save 30%
Known to aspiring dancers and ballet enthusiasts worldwide, Saratoga Springs is much more than the home of the National Museum of Dance. The arts have always been nurtured in the Spa City, and in 1964, the world-famous founder of the New York City Ballet, George Balanchine, decided to make the new Saratoga Performing Arts Center his company's summer home. The company has brought some of the world's most famous dancers and choreographers to Saratoga ever since. Skidmore College offered one of the best dance programs in the nation, and several prestigious academies and summer programs have made Saratoga their home, helping young people from Lake Avenue and around the world achieve that illustrious dream of dancing professionally. Skidmore dance professor Denise Warner Limoli narrates this beautiful history, from turn-of-the-century floral fetes" to today's vibrant dance community."
Dance in Saratoga Springs

Curiosities of Central New York

9781609496661

$21.99 $15.39 Save 30%
The people of Central New York know there's something different--perhaps strange--in the air. Across this vast and often wild region, history and lore are remarkably and markedly unusual. Ancient Iroquois mystical traditions still infuse the landscape with a sense of the otherworldly, and for some, witchcraft was a constant fear throughout the nineteenth century. Monsters and even fairies roam the region, frightening or delighting those who say they have encountered them. Visit the world's smallest church in Oneida and North America's only Tibetan monastery, Namgyal, in Ithaca. Join local folklorist Melanie Zimmer as she explores the curiosities of Central New York.
Curiosities of Central New York

Cradle of the American Circus:

9781609496371

$19.99 $13.99 Save 30%
America's circus--a spectacle of flying trapeze artists, colorful clowns and trained animal acts under the big top--grew out of the traveling menagerie phenomenon in Somers, New York, in the 1800s. To commemorate this proud local heritage, award-winning poet and Somers native Jo Pitkin presents a collection of poems inspired by the people, events and fantastic ephemera of the glory days of the Somers showmen. Complementing her dazzling lines are essays by regional historians that explain Somers's unique role as the Cradle of the American Circus. Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, children of all ages, step up, step up! The show is
about to begin.
Cradle of the American Circus:

Disaster on Lake Erie:

9781609490980

$21.99 $15.39 Save 30%
On August 9, 1841, the steamship Erie, one of the most elegant and fastest sailing between Buffalo and Chicago, departed carrying 340 passengers. Many were Swiss and German immigrants, planning to start new lives in America's heartland most never made it. The Erie erupted in flames during the night, and despite the heroic efforts of the crew of the Dewitt Clinton, 254 lives were lost. As news of this disaster spread, internationally renowned artists and writers, including Charles Dickens, were inspired to reflect on the lives lost. Historian Alvin F. Oickle's minute-by-minute account weaves together the tragic journey of the passengers, the legend that developed in the aftermath and the fury of a fire on an ocean-like lake.
Disaster on Lake Erie:

Discovering Staten Island:

9781609491703

$23.99 $16.79 Save 30%
As one of the five boroughs of New York City, Staten Island has a rich and colorful past, and it is full of places where people have shaped the city, state and nation. To commemorate its 350th anniversary, local community leaders and educators have gathered together this unprecedented collection. Walk in the footsteps of Benjamin Franklin, Susan B. Anthony, Langston Hughes, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and the Dalai Lama; visit Revolutionary War sites; relive the entrepreneurial drive and inventiveness of business and medical pioneers; and imagine the lives of Irish, Norwegian, Italian, Sri Lankan and Liberian immigrants. Its shores are awash in history, from Lenape trails to Dutch and French farms, from the Atlantic Terra Cotta Company to legendary sports figures and quaint historic districts. Their struggles, hardships, triumphs and achievements, in spectacular and everyday Staten Island locations, are brought to life.
Discovering Staten Island:

Oswego County and the Civil War:

9781626192089

$21.99 $15.39 Save 30%
Although far from the fighting, the residents of Oswego County were forever changed by the Civil War. One of the few regions that never forced a draft, thousands of men volunteered, motivated by patriotism, abolitionism or a yearning for adventure. Neither they nor their families were ever the same, and local author Natalie Joy Woodall relates their diverse experiences. William Adriance enlisted twice, despite suffering from rheumatism, marrying and starting a family during the war. Otis Mason Miner and his brother enlisted shortly after Fort Sumter surrendered, and in later years, Otis and his wife became pillars of their community. Many others made the ultimate sacrifice or suffered from wounds--seen and unseen--for the rest of their lives. Discover the fascinating stories of survival and sacrifice from Oswego County and the Civil War.
Oswego County and the Civil War:

The Bronx River

9781609491802

$21.99 $15.39 Save 30%

Discover the fascinating history of the Bronx River and the ways this small waterway influenced and was affected by the people around it.

The Bronx River flows 23 miles from its source in Valhalla to its mouth, the East River in the Bronx. This waterway was used for centuries by Native American tribes for drinking, food and transportation. They called it ""Aquehung"" meaning a fast stream flowing along a high bluff. After the arrival of Europeans, though, the Bronx River suffered as industry prospered. It powered mills and, unfortunately, became a dumping ground for all kinds of waste. Its appearance and ecosystem were forever changed. However, community members are now again attempting to alter the river - only this time for the better - by helping it recover.

The Bronx River

Brooklyn's Plymouth Church in the Civil War Era:

9781609498108

$21.99 $15.39 Save 30%
As the financial capital of the nation, Manhattan had close ties and strong sympathies with the South. But across the East River in Brooklyn stood a bastion of antislavery sentiment--Plymouth Church--led by Henry Ward Beecher. He guided his congregants in a crusade against the institution. They held mock slave auctions, raised money to purchase freedom for slaves and sent guns--nicknamed Beecher's Bibles"--to those struggling for a free Kansas. Harriet Beecher Stowe, Beecher's sister, wrote the influential "Uncle Tom's Cabin," and Lewis Tappan and George Whipple led an enormous effort to educate freed slaves. Plymouth Church was not only publicly important in the fight for abolition but also a busy Underground Railroad station. Once the Civil War broke out, the congregation helped raise troops and supplies for the U.S. Army. Discover this beautiful church's vital role in the nation's greatest struggle."
Brooklyn's Plymouth Church in the Civil War Era:

North Country Reflections:

9781626191150

$21.99 $15.39 Save 30%
New York's North Country can be hard to define: the region has solid boundaries on three sides but not on the south, where it mingles with the Adirondack Mountains. The spare and isolated landscape experiences long and harsh winters tempered with bucolic scenery. Small-town life and farming--both traditional and innovative--have found a haven and even thrive. The region plays host to determined, community-oriented people who have traded the financial lure of big cities for the satisfaction of barn raisings, outdoor hockey, quiet hikes and old-fashioned diners. In this collection, residents of the region probe their own lives and experiences with the land in a corner of America that is both demanding and rewarding. Discover their exciting, uplifting and poignant tales.
North Country Reflections:

Camp Hollis:

9781596295827

$21.99 $15.39 Save 30%
On the shores of Lake Ontario, the fires of Camp Hollis have been burning brightly for sixty-two years, ever since Judge Eugene Sullivan opened the camp for the youth of Oswego County. This collection of nostalgic images from summers past takes readers back to the classic days of hiking, swimming and marshmallow roasting. Each grinning face, each moment of captured camaraderie tells the story of war m green days and starry nights, of cookouts, canoes and campfire songs. These photos are a glowing testimony to the success of Sullivan's vision, the profound impact on the lives of Oswego County youth and the power of role models who want to make a difference.
Camp Hollis:

Brooklyn's Sportsmen's Row:

9781609492731

$21.99 $15.39 Save 30%
In an era when horse racing reigned supreme and Brooklyn was at its very center, a remarkable collection of turf legends came to reside along one small stretch of northern Eighth Avenue in the exclusive neighborhood of Park Slope. Here, along Sportsmen's Row, the lives of the sportsmen and those of their neighbors--men of prominence and distinction in theater, law, industry and politics--came together in surprising and unexpected ways. Though the public saw a block dominated by the celebrities of the age, behind the closed doors of Sportsmen's
Row a more subtle narrative played itself out: of infidelity, gambling, excess and--fame aside--a world strictly ordered and preordained by social class.
Brooklyn's Sportsmen's Row:

Down Maple Lane:

9781609490287

$21.99 $15.39 Save 30%
Visitors to this upstate New York region can attest to its picturesque beauty, and those lucky enough to be residents know that the charm comes not only from the scenery but also from the people who created a thriving community here. Author Elinor Mettler has compiled the selections from "Down Maple Lane," her column in the Roe Jan Independent, that best demonstrate what makes this area unique. Join her as she explores how family, rural values, seasons and small towns, past and present, have made upstate country life so enjoyable for generations.
Down Maple Lane:

Food, Drink and Celebrations of the Hudson Valley Dutch

9781596295957

$21.99 $15.39 Save 30%
In 1609, Henry Hudson, under contract with the Dutch East India Company, set out to discover the lucrative Northwest Passage. The Hudson River Valley is what he discovered instead, and along its banks Dutch culture took hold. While the Dutch influence can still be seen in local architecture and customs, it is food and drink that Peter Rose has made her life's work. From beer to bread and cookies to coleslaw, Food, Drink and Celebrations of the Hudson Valley Dutch is a comprehensive look at this important early American influence, complete with recipes to try.
Food, Drink and Celebrations of the Hudson Valley Dutch

Murder, Inc.:

9781609491352

$19.99 $13.99 Save 30%
Beginning in the 1920s, an all-star team of goons, gunmen and garrotters transformed America's criminal landscape. Its membership was diverse; the mob recruited men from all ethnicities and religious backgrounds. Most were natives of the Big Apple, handpicked from the city's toughest neighborhoods: Brownsville, Ocean Hill, Flushing. So prolific were their exploits that the media soon dubbed this bevy of hired hands Murder, Incorporated. The brainchild of aging mob bosses, including Meyer Lansky and Bugsy Siegel, this ruthless hit squad quickly captured America's attention, making headlines coast to coast for over two decades. As for who these men were and how their partnership came to be, join author Graham Bell as he sheds light on this dark history of the Mafia's most notorious crime syndicate.
Murder, Inc.:

Murder and Mayhem in Ulster County

9781626190733

$21.99 $15.39 Save 30%
In 1870, the New York Herald" proclaimed that Ulster County was New York's "Ulcer County" due to its lawlessness and crime. The columnist supported his claim by citing that in only six months, "it has been the scene of no less than four cold blooded and brutal murders, six suicides and four elopements." Hannah Markle--the bane of the Woman's Christian Temperance Union--ran a Kingston saloon where murder and violence were served alongside the whiskey. John Babbitt confessed on his deathbed to murdering Emma Brooks, and Willie Brown--reputed member of the Eastman Gang--accidentally shot his best friend. The infamous Big Bad Bill, the "Gardiner Desperado," lashed out more than once and killed in a drunken rage. Discover the mayhem and murder that these and others wreaked on one of New York State's original counties."
Murder and Mayhem in Ulster County

Murder and Mayhem in Mendon and Honeoye Falls:

9781626191419

$21.99 $15.39 Save 30%
The Town of Mendon and the Village of Honeoye Falls are today quiet western New York suburbs, but they weren't always so idyllic. In years past, the village was a center of commerce, manufacturing and railroads, and by the mid-nineteenth century, this prosperity brought with it an element of mayhem. Horse stealing was commonplace. Saloons and taverns were abundant. Street scuffles and barroom brawls were regular, especially on Saturday nights, after the laborers were paid. By Sunday morning, numerous drunks--like Manley Locke, who would eventually go on to kill another man in a fight--were confined to the lockup" in the village hall. It was at this time that the Village of Honeoye Falls earned the name "Murderville." As the town and village turn two hundred, join local historians Diane Ham and Lynne Menz as they explore the peaceful region's vicious history."
Murder and Mayhem in Mendon and Honeoye Falls: