front cover of Real Philly History, Real Fast
Real Philly History, Real Fast
Fascinating Facts and Interesting Oddities about the City's Heroes and Historic Sites
Jim Murphy
Temple University Press, 2021

Philadelphia is known as the home of vibrant colonial history: the Liberty Bell, the Betsy Ross House, and Independence Hall. But the City of Brotherly Love is also home to—and less well known for—its quirky history. The country’s first quarantine station was located here. One of Philly’s clocks has a face larger than Big Ben’s in London. And a unique skill of Black abolitionist James Forten saved him from a life of West Indian servitude (and “Forten” was not even his real name).  

In Real Philly History, Real Fast, Jim Murphy provides an original tour of the city. He highlights artistic gems including the Dream Garden Tiffany mosaic and Isaiah Zagar’s glittering Magic Gardens. He profiles intriguing historical figures from military leader Commodore Barry to civil rights heroes like Lucretia Mott. Murphy also explores neighborhoods from Chinatown to the Italian Market and the unique architectural details of Carpenters’ Hall and the PSFS building.  

Each chapter provides a pithy story about a historical person or site, along with bullet points featuring interesting oddities, and nearby attractions along with fun facts such as: Why there are so many churches? What is the Philadelphia Eagles’ connection to the U.S. Custom House? Which famous artist may have been Philadelphia’s first nude model? And where was the Liberty Bell secretly damaged? (We didn’t do it!)   

This is Philly history in bites that are as digestible as a soft pretzel with mustard.

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Revolutionary Berlin
A Walking Guide
Nathaniel Flakin
Pluto Press, 2022
'Inspirational - with a deliciously bone-dry Berlinische humour' - Owen Hatherley

Few European cities can boast a history as storied and tumultuous as that of Berlin. For more than 150 years it has been at the center of revolutionary politics; of era-defining struggles between the Left and the Right. It has been bombed, rebuilt and carved in two.

In Revolutionary Berlin, veteran tour guide Nathaniel Flakin invites you to stand in the places where this history was written, and to follow in the footsteps of those who helped write it. Through nine self-guided tours illustrated with maps and photographs, readers enter the heady world of 19th century anti-colonial struggles, the 1918 November Revolution and the 1987 May Day riots - encountering the city's workers, queer community and radical women along the way.

The first English-language guidebook to tell the story of Berlin's radical history, this is a must-have for Berliners and visitors alike.
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front cover of River Runners' Guide To Utah and Adjacent Areas
River Runners' Guide To Utah and Adjacent Areas
Gary C Nichols
University of Utah Press, 1986

A fully revised and updated edition of Gary Nichols’ widely used guide to river running in Utah. Major changes have occurred on Big and Little Cottonwood Creeks, which have many new drops with dangerous hydraulics. This edition accounts for these and other alterations in the state’s waterways over the past fifteen years. Also, several of the original river access points are now on private land. Alternative access points are presented and users are alerted to the necessity of requesting permission. All this and much more will once again make A River Runners’ Guide to Utah and Adjacent Areas the one source for vital and reliable information on more than ninety river trips for beginner and expert alike. It includes:

-Over 90 river trips with descriptions and maps
-Location of access and take-out points
-Instructions for all skill levels
-Ratings of all waterways by levels of difficulty
-Identification of danger areas and obstacles

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front cover of Road Sides
Road Sides
An Illustrated Companion to Dining and Driving in the American South
By Emily Wallace
University of Texas Press, 2019

An illustrated glovebox essential, Road Sides explores the fundamentals of a well-fed road trip through the American South, from A to Z. There are detours and destinations, accompanied by detailed histories and more than one hundred original illustrations that document how we get where we’re going and what to eat and do along the way.

Learn the backstory of food-shaped buildings, including the folks behind Hills of Snow, a giant snow cone stand in Smithfield, North Carolina, that resembles the icy treats it sells. Find out how kudzu was used to support a burgeoning highway system, and get to know Edith Edwards—the self-proclaimed Kudzu Queen—who turns the obnoxious vine into delicious teas and jellies. Discover the roots of kitschy roadside attractions, and have lunch with the state-employed mermaids of Weeki Wachee Springs in Florida.

Road Sides is for everyone—the driver in search of supper or superlatives (the biggest, best, and even worst), the person who cannot resist a local plaque or snack and pulls over for every historical marker and road stand, and the kid who just wants to gawk at a peach-shaped water tower.

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Road Trip
A Pocket History of Indiana
Andrea Neal
Indiana Historical Society Press, 2016
The bicentennial of Indiana's statehood in 2016 is the perfect time for Hoosiers of all stripes to hit the road and visit sites that speak to the nineteenth state's character. In her book, Andrea Neal has selected the top 100 events/historical figures in Indiana history, some well known like George Rogers Clark, and others obscured by time or memory such as the visit of Marquis de Lafayette to southern Indiana. These highly readable essays and the photographs that accompany them feature a tourist site or landmark that in some way brings the subject to life. This will enable interested Hoosiers to travel the entire state to experience history firsthand. Related activities and sites include nature hikes, museums, markers, monuments, and memorials. The sites appear in chronological order, beginning with the impact of the Ice Age on Indiana and ending with the legacy of the bicentennial itself.
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front cover of Roadside Guide Geology Great Smoky
Roadside Guide Geology Great Smoky
Mountains National Park
Harry L. Moore
University of Tennessee Press, 1988
A Roadside Guide to the Geology of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Harry L. Moore

"In this informative, readable, altogether useful guide, Harry Moore adds another dimension to our understanding and appreciation of the Great Smoky Mountains.  He acquaints us skillfully with the geologist's terminology and shows us how to read for ourselves the ancient language of the rocks."
—Wilma Dykeman

"Everybody loves the plants, trees, birds, mammals, and even the reptiles, amphibians, and insects of the Great Smokies.  But rocks are not less fascinating, alive in their own way, the foundation of all the rest of life.  So I think it's great to have this guide as a companion on the trail."
—Michael Frome

Guiding the reader on five popular driving tours and five key hiking trails, this nontechnical guidebook indicates not-to-be-missed points of interest and describes the geological evolution associated with them.  Tour maps are complemented by annotated road log commentaries and copious drawings and photographs to aid in identifying geological phenomena even when these are obscured by the mountains' lush vegetation.
A helpful introduction, focusing on the geologic history of the Smokies, illuminates basic terms and concepts, while a glossary, list of suggested readings, and detailed index further enhance the book's utility.  Unique in providing a crisp, comprehensive summary of the Smoky Mountains' geology, A Roadside Guide will serve as a basic planning guide for scenic road trips and hiking trips in the Smokies.

Harry L. Moore holds a master's degree in geology from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.  Since 1972 he has been a geologist at the Tennessee Department of Transportation.


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front cover of Romancing Nevada'S Past
Romancing Nevada'S Past
Ghost Towns And Historic Sites Of Eureka, Lander, And White Pine Counties
Shawn Hall
University of Nevada Press, 1993
Drawing on county records, newspaper microfilm, personal interviews, and on-site investigation, Hall provides the reader with a history of 175 significant sites, rendering a treasury of interesting facts on every page. This book blends history and old photographs with an update on the present condition of each ghost town or landmark. The sites and towns are arranged alphabetically, county by county, for quick reference.
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