Reference

Timeless Rules of Civility and Decency from America’s Founding Father 

Copied out by hand as a young man, George Washington’s 110 rules of civility and decency in company and conversation were based on rules composed by French Jesuits in 1595 and later first published in English in 1640. Washington wrote out simplified versions of these rules as a personal guide to live by, and kept them by his side throughout his incredible life. Subjects include self-respect, how to dress in public, how to address one’s superiors, eating, walking, respect for others, and many more details of etiquette. As comity continues to face societal challenges, Washington’s rules remain essential for keeping the American republic decent and civil. 

Discover Benjamin Franklin's Blueprint for Living a Moral Life

This pocket-sized hardcover edition contains all thirteen moral virtues as Benjamin Franklin wrote them in his memoirs, first posthumously published in 1791. In the heart of this larger work, today known as The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin, he writes of the bold and arduous project of arriving at perfection that he set for himself as a young man. In this task of perfection, young Franklin prepared a catalog of thirteen necessary or desirable virtues that he might strive to acquire by means of habit and daily practice. This edition also includes a chart that Franklin used to track his personal progress.

Your Patriotic Guide to Old Glory

This handsome guide to the American flag is a concise collection of the history and etiquette of the U.S. flag in an elegant hardcover edition. The book includes details of the laws relating to the flag as described in the United States Code, information about the Pledge Of Allegiance and Flag Day, a guide to flag presentation and care, and an engaging timeline of flag history. Maintain the power and prestige of your flag through this guide to the heritage of Old Glory. 

Notable Quotations from President Donald J. Trump

This pocket-sized hardcover book contains nearly one hundred quotations on business, government, politics, culture and more from America’s forty-fifth president, Donald J. Trump.

"I'm going to fight for every American in every last part of this nation." - Donald J. Trump, Hardball with Chris Matthews, August 4, 2017 

"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.

Quotes from the Trust Buster, Big Game Hunter, War Hero and Iconic President of the United States

This elegant pocket-sized hardcover gift book, part of Applewood's Quotations of Great Americans series, contains nearly one hundred quotes from President, environmentalist, father of the American Navy, builder of the Panama Canal, Nobel Prize winner, Teddy Roosevelt.

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

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.

Includes some 100 observations about life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness-as well as art and culture-from the author of the Declaration of Independence.

Pry into the secrets of the stunning mountains of Virginia.

A nineteenth century cache of gold is buried in the hills. Nine-foot giants once walked the ridges of the Shenandoah, pre-Columbian explorers built homes on isolated mountaintops and a ghost town lies deep in the Jefferson National Forest. Virginia’s mountains conceal canines that walk upright, black panthers and a resurgent mountain lion population. The hide-and-seek champion of the world, Bigfoot, lurks in the dark hollows, phantom dogs pace the backroads and aggressive monkeys swing through the trees. UFOs crisscross the skies and ghosts haunt the caverns below.

Join Denver Michaels, local author and expert in the unexplained, as he explores these mysteries and many more.

Robert’s Rules of Order: The Original Guide to Parliamentary Procedure

This definitive guide to parliamentary procedure is used daily by private, governmental, business and social organizations large and small. A historic reproduction edition, this paperback is easy to have for quick reference.

Enigmatic mediums, murders, monsters, and more are all part of Michigan's mysterious and sometimes supernatural history.

The will of Detroit's first millionaire, Eber B. Ward, was hotly contested because he took the financial advice of spirits. Marian Spore Bush, Bay City's first female dentist, moved to New York City, where she became a psychic wonder--and a secret philanthropist. Old witchcraft superstitions drove a Mount Morris family insane and caused another man to murder his godmother in Trenton.

Researcher Amberrose Hammond brings to light strange and unusual tales from Michigan's colorful and exciting past.

Notable Quotations from Barack Obama

This pocket-sized hardcover book contains dozens of quotations on life, government, politics, culture and more from America’s forty-fourth president, Barack Obama. 

"Change will not come if we wait for some other person or if we wait for some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek." - Barack Obama, Speech to Supporters, February, 5, 2008.

Notable Quotations from President Ronald Reagan

Includes around 100 quotations about freedom, faith, war, government, politics and more from America's 40th president, whose words have inspired many. This elegant hardback features a classic portrait of the Great Communicator on the front cover with his signature printed below in gold foil.

"Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction." - Ronald Reagan

Explore forgotten corners of local history

Mark Strecker has unearthed a hidden gem of local history for each of Northeast Ohio’s twenty-two counties.

Utahisms: Unique Expressions, Inventions, Place Names and more ranges from the characteristic to the bizarre

The Beehive State’s iconic vistas are singular and distinctive. So too are its colloquialisms, peculiar place names and landmark firsts. Confusion from local dialect ultimately thwarted a would be robber in Salt Lake City. The proper pronunciation of Tooele might surprise visitors, while residents still debate its origins. And, phrases once thought to be solely Utahn often prove otherwise. The world’s first department store was born out of xenophobia and religious persecution in 1869. Martha Hughes Cannon followed through on Brigham Young’s encouraging women to become physicians. She later became the first female state senator in the United States, defeating her own husband.

Examining everything from phonetics to history, BYU Linguistics Professor David Eddington reveals the roots of what is truly, uniquely Utah.

Hauntings and eerie tales abound in northern Ohio. Chillings legends, mysteries and hauntings.

Does Esther Hale, believed to have been executed for witchcraft, really haunt Columbiana County’s Bowman Cemetery? Is Lonesome Lock on the Ohio and Erie Canal as haunted as rumors say? Do restless spirits stalk the rooms at the Wolf Creek Tavern in Norton and the Rider’s Inn of Painesville? Do the ruins of Gore Orphanage echo with the ghastly wails of children said to have died in a fire long ago? Author William G. Krejci guides this supernatural journey through the most chilling legends of northern Ohio. Some stories are debunked. Some long-standing mysteries are solved. Some new mysteries come to light.

Kansas has tales as extraordinary as its plains, although the stories behind the legends are sometimes lost to time.

Discover the history of the state’s world-class violinist, homemade airplane and alleged volcano. Iola’s Mad Bomber blew up the town’s saloons after a hangover. The bulletproof and most “extinctest” creature lurked in sinkholes outside Inman. Hunters in Stafford County learned to leave out enormous quantities of food for local hermit Pelican Pete. Join author Roger Ringer as he delves into these and other facts behind the myths of the Sunflower State.

Notable Quotations from Frederick Douglass

This pocket-sized hardcover book contains dozens of quotations from abolitionist, orator, social reformer and statesman Frederick Douglass.

"No man can put a chain about the ankle of his fellow man without at last finding the other enfastened about his own neck." —Frederick Douglass, Speech at Civil Rights Mass Meeting, Washington, DC, October 22, 1883

Monmouth County’s past encompasses more than just sandy beaches and rural farm life.

George Washington fought at the Battle of Monmouth as the region played a pivotal role in the birth of the republic. Henry Hudson anchored off Monmouth’s shores in 1609 and was the first European to meet with the Lenape Native Americans there. A gun barrel of the USS New Jersey, the most decorated battleship in American history, was painstakingly transported to Battery Lewis, a fortification built along the county’s highlands to protect New York Harbor during World War II. Bruce Springsteen elevated Asbury Park and the Stone Pony into a national music destination, and he remains the unofficial poet laureate of the Jersey Shore. Authors Rick Geffken and Muriel J. Smith highlight compelling stories of the seaside county’s four-hundred-year history.

Published around 1866, the handbook was a key guide to social customs in the post-Civil War era, Martine's Handbook of Etiquette is a 19th-century guide to social conduct that provides clear directions on manners, dress, and conversation for a variety of social situations.

The book includes 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. 

The handbook offers comprehensive guidance on a wide range of social situations, from formal events to everyday interactions: Manners, dress, and conversation; Dinner parties, including table manners and the art of carving; Etiquette at balls, evening parties, and in public spaces; Visiting and receiving guests; General rules for society.

Mysterious creatures, strange happenings and ghost stories. Alabama has them all and more - despite its glorious depictions.

Alabama claims an abundance of fascinating mysteries and legends despite being known for its antebellum mansions and sunny beaches, . The White Thang is a Sasquatch-like creature that has terrorized Alabamians for generations. For a brief period in the 1980s, Needham gained national attention because of its "crying pecan tree." In 1854, a farmer named Orion Williamson simply vanished in a field in Selma. From the aquatic beast known as the Coosa River Monster to the story of the Leprechaun of Mobile, these stories have evolved over generations. Author and ghost-story guru Alan Brown presents some of the strangest stories from this collective tradition.

Flagstaff's history is a real smorgasbord of quirky characters and events.

Flagstaff, Arizona, was originally settled in the 1870s as a railroad and lumber town on the southwestern edge of the Colorado Plateau, amid the ponderosa pines. Now most noted for its proximity to the Grand Canyon, the city offers a tantalizing combination of history and progress. Theodore Roosevelt, the Apollo astronauts, Walt Disney filmmakers, Navajo code talkers and Pluto-discoverer Clyde Tombaugh all feature in the area’s fascinating past. Join authors Kevin Schindler and Michael Kitt as they relate the trials and triumphs that have given this town its charm, from the tumultuous days of the Wild West to the fast-paced twentieth century.

Recovering the past of Furniture City

More than two centuries of overlooked history flow through Grand Rapids like the river for which it is named. The first city surveyor dabbled in seances while platting out neighborhoods and streets. When a river dredging project left a mountain of stone tormenting residents, the ordeal pitted them against city leaders. Humane society agents uncovered horrendous conditions at the city pound and successfully brought about reform and much better conditions for the animals.

Grand Rapids native and city archivist Matthew A. Ellis delves into the layout of streets, the manufacture of materials used to build the city, local food trends, and more.

Your Patriotic Guide to Old Glory

Proudly printed in America, this beautiful gift edition is stamped in celebration of America 250

This handsome guide to the American flag is a concise collection of the history and etiquette of the U.S. flag in an elegant hardcover edition. The book includes details of the laws relating to the flag as described in the United States Code, information about the Pledge Of Allegiance and Flag Day, a guide to flag presentation and care, and an engaging timeline of flag history. Maintain the power and prestige of your flag through this guide to the heritage of Old Glory. 

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.

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

Milwaukee is full of weird borders, streets that do not line up right, creepy cemeteries and other curious things.

Many locals have heard about the crooked bridges downtown, the sewer Socialists and the attempt on Teddy Roosevelt’s life. Not as many know about the time Josette Juneau saved Milwaukee, the city’s link to The Exorcist or its ghost towns like Oakwood, Saint Martin’s and Root Creek. And yes, a lion really lived inside the library. Employees used bowling balls to play fetch with it.

Milwaukee-based historian James Nelsen shares joyous and amazing stories of the Cream City’s strange history.

Arizona has stories as peculiar as its stunning landscapes, full of colorful characters, peculiar places and eccentric events.

The Lost Dutchman's rumored cache of gold sparked a legendary feud. Kidnapping victim Larcena Pennington Page survived two weeks alone in the wilderness, and her first request upon rescue was for a chaw of tobacco. Discover how the town of Why got its name, how the government built a lake that needed mowing and how wild camels ended up in North America. Author Marshall Trimble unearths these and other amusing anomalies, outstanding obscurities and compelling curiosities in the state's history.

Timeless Rules of Civility and Decency from America’s Founding Father

Proudly printed in America, this beautiful gift edition is stamped in celebration of America 250

Copied out by hand as a young man, George Washington’s 110 rules of civility and decency in company and conversation were based on rules composed by French Jesuits in 1595 and later first published in English in 1640. Washington wrote out simplified versions of these rules as a personal guide to live by, and kept them by his side throughout his incredible life. Subjects include self-respect, how to dress in public, how to address one’s superiors, eating, walking, respect for others, and many more details of etiquette. As comity continues to face societal challenges, Washington’s rules remain essential for keeping the American republic decent and civil. 

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.

In addition to its well-known associations with doctors and diagnoses, the city of Rochester offers a string of curiosities to those willing to look closely.

How did a secret bomber mission to Moscow during World War II lead to thousands of fighter planes flying through Rochester and the subsequent construction of a giant IBM manufacturing plant here? What was Rochester's contribution to the 1980 Olympic Hockey "Miracle on Ice"? Who was dubbed the “Greatest Doctor in the World”, and why? Who were the regular folks without whom the great Mayo Clinic might never have become a medical mecca?

Rochester Stories: A Med City History Paul Scanlon answers these and other questions in this enlightening and sometimes humorous study of Rochester’s past.

Quotes from the pen of America's Beloved Author Louisa May Alcott

This elegant pocket-sized hardcover gift book, part of Applewood's Quotations of Great Americans series, contains nearly one hundred quotes from the beloved author of Little Women, Louisa May Alcott.

Texas has a tight cohesiveness perhaps stronger than any other section of America. Rich, poor, Panhandle, Gulf, city, country, Texas is the obsession, the proper study and the passionate possession of all Texans. —John Steinbeck, Travels with Charley: In Search of America

Although occasionally long and roughly paved, roads less traveled reveal cultural gems in every region of the state. From the peaks of the Guadalupe Mountains to the valleys of the Rio Grande, find the best food you’ve ever indulged in, the kindest people you’ve ever met and stories that’ll last a lifetime. Make time for Texas’s wineries and historic churches. Explore true crime and paleontology specific excursions, and relish natural wonders and landmarks of human ingenuity. Author Raegan Scharfetter leads a tour through some of the most rewarding destinations in the Lone Star State.

Quotations from American politicians, writers, entertainers, scientists, philosophers, businesspeople, and other leading thinkers and doers. Each book contains two sections, Quote and Unquote, giving the reader two perspectives on every subject. These books will inspire, through insight, truth and wit.

This little collection of over 100 inspirational and motivational quotations from famous Americans is separated into two parts. The first is the Quote section in which there are the most poignant quotes on vision; the second is the Unquote section, in which the more humorous side of vision is revealed. Beautifully produced in a hardcover, with two color printing, these little gems are destined to find an honored place in every shop and home.

This little collection of over 100 inspirational and motivational quotations from famous Americans is separated into two parts. The first is the Quote section in which there are the most poignant quotes on teamwork; the second is the Unquote section, in which the more humorous side of teamwork is revealed. Beautifully produced in a hardcover, with two color printing, these little gems are destined to find an honored place in every shop and home.

Lessons in gentility and etiquette from our first president.

Written by a mother-daughter duo, this guide provides essential etiquette to live by in a hectic, twenty-first century society. The authors emphasize that George Washington, while subject to great stress, always maintained an air of comfortable ease. From everyday social interactions to table manners, this book explains how to present your best self, despite the pressures of modern day life.