In a recent conversation at the NYS Writers Institute, Paul Grondahl interviews historian Russell Shorto, the best-selling author of Island at the Center of the World: The Epic Story of Dutch Manhattan & The Forgotten Colony That Shaped America, Amsterdam, and Revolution Song, and a contributing writer at the New York Times Magazine. [Read more…] about Russell Shorto Discusses His Latest Book, Smalltime
Books
Anthropodermic Bibliopegy Skills of A Brooklyn Bookbinder
In early America, Boston was the main centre of the book trade (including bookbinding), followed by Philadelphia and, by a distance, New York. As most early bookbinders worked anonymously, it is difficult to put a timeline to developments. [Read more…] about Anthropodermic Bibliopegy Skills of A Brooklyn Bookbinder
New Novel From Ray Phillips Tells Story of Native Twins
Book purchases made through this link support New York Almanack’s mission to report new publications relevant to New York State.
Ray E. Phillips’s new novel Laughing Rain and Awakens Corn: Look-the-Same Girls in the Land of the Cloud-Splitter (Self-Published, 2021) looks at how life in early America is experienced by twin girls, Laughing Rain and Awakens Corn from a Mohawk clan in an Adirondack village. [Read more…] about New Novel From Ray Phillips Tells Story of Native Twins
Origins of American Manufacturing
Have you ever stopped to think about how the United States became a manufacturing nation? Have you ever wondered how the United States developed not just products, but the technologies, knowledge, and machinery necessary to manufacture or produce various products?
Lindsay Schakenbach Regele has.
New Civil War Novel Based On 124th NY Volunteers
Book purchases made through this link support New York Almanack’s mission to report new publications relevant to New York State.
Charles J. LaRocca’s new novel The Red Badge to Gettysburg: An Episode of the American Civil War (2021) is a sequel to Stephen Crane’s classic novel, The Red Badge of Courage, based on the actions of the 124th NYSV, the famed “Orange Blossoms” from Orange County, New York. [Read more…] about New Civil War Novel Based On 124th NY Volunteers
A Short Book On Prohibition in the Hudson Valley
Eleanor Charwat’s short book Prohibition in the Hudson Valley, Along the Bootleg Trail (self published, 2017) looks back at the prominent role the Hudson Valley played in bootlegging during the Prohibition Era.
Local producers, distributors and sellers of illegal liquor were overshadowed and sometimes terrorized by New York City gangsters like Dutch Schultz, Legs Diamond and Salvatore Maranzano who came to the Hudson Valley to make money and escape federal surveillance. [Read more…] about A Short Book On Prohibition in the Hudson Valley
Long Island Migrant Labor Camps (Podcast)
Long Island has a rich agricultural history. One aspect of that past, often overlooked, is the toll exacted on those doing the actual labor.
Author Mark Torres’ new book shines a light on a chapter of that history. Long Island Migrant Labor Camps: Dust for Blood (History Press, 2021) tells the story of the migrant laborers who traveled to Long Island from the 1940s through the 1970s. The camps in which they lived were often little more than shacks and the plight of the migrants were a debated topic among journalists, officials, and the general public for years. [Read more…] about Long Island Migrant Labor Camps (Podcast)
Valcour Island: Keeping The Cause of Liberty Alive
The summer of 1776 was among the most perilous periods of the Revolutionary War, and almost all the action took place in New York. The young nation tottered on the edge of destruction that summer.
With an army of 20,000 men, George Washington could not hold New York City against an enemy force twice as large. The British drove him out of the city and across New Jersey into Pennsylvania. By December, he had 3,000 men left and was admitting to his brother, “I think the game is pretty near up.” [Read more…] about Valcour Island: Keeping The Cause of Liberty Alive
American Revolution and ‘American History’
Book purchases made through this link support New York Almanack’s mission to report new publications relevant to New York State.
Between the 1760s and 1800s, Americans stopped thinking of the British past as their own history and created a new historical tradition that would form the foundation of what future generations would think of as “American history.” [Read more…] about American Revolution and ‘American History’
Dixie Kiefer: The Indestructible Man
Book purchases made through this link support New York Almanack’s mission to report new publications relevant to New York State.
The new book The Indestructible Man: The Incredible True Story of the Legendary Sailor the Japanese Couldn’t Kill (Stackpole Books, 2021) by Don Keith with David Rocco, looks at the life and naval career of Dixie Kiefer. [Read more…] about Dixie Kiefer: The Indestructible Man