If you are researching the Handy family genealogy, then this is the essential primer. Written in the mid-1850s, it contains priceless information about the Handy family that originated in the Eastern Shore area of Maryland. This is the book that every Handy researcher should have in their research library.

If you want also the political side go for John Selby masterpiece, but exclusively from the military operations those boks (series) are a must, concise, precise, to the point and very readable.
Recommended.

If you have missed the annual arrival of a new Dick Francis mystery each year as much as I have, then maybe you will as pleased as I am with the debut novel, At Risk, by Kit Erhman. The style is very similiar. The story is fast paced. The characters and setting are so vivid that I can picture them in my mind. The author definitely knows horses and the horse business. I enjoyed Steve Cline, the protanganist, and am looking forward to reading the next book. I am hoping his relationship with Rachel proceeds. There are a few individuals in the cast of characters that I would like to see more of and a few that i would like to see get what they deserve! Read it and see for yourself.

Too often, other history books focus on famous men, social elites, and patriotic events. The Baltimore Book is NOT that kind of book. It is both a history of "the other Baltimore" and a tour guide to places in the city that are important to labor, African Americans, and women's history. This lively book tells the history of the city through the eyes and emotions of its working classes.

The Book has many engaging interviews, colorful sidebars full of information, and maps of sites for a unique kind of bus tour of the city. It's a very readable book. I highly recommend it.

In the event you have been searching for ancestors in the Baltimore County region, look no more. I had always understood that my family came from Baltimore County, Maryland and through many years of searching I became very discouraged. After purchasing this book I finally realized that my family was originally from the northern part of Baltimore County which is now Harford County, Maryland. Through the information in this book by the wonderful Robert W. Barnes I found sources where to search next and have finally located further family information, history and burial sites. My sincere appreciation to Mr. Barnes for this work.

Amos Bandertscher's new book, Baltimore Portraits, is a visual documentary of a city's forgotten faces. The photographer uses images as a visual diary of his impressions of the streets, bars, and back alleys of 'Charm City', where the beautiful, the marginalized, outsiders, freaks and clowns converge into a colorful and yet often melancholy documentation of lives lived on the edge and lives lost. The book is an impressive body of work which ranks among the likes of Nan Goldin and Diane Arbus.

This book is a fabulous collection of then and now pictures of Baltimore. Through the photos, you can see the evolution of the city over time. It really paints an interesting picture of how a city changes just like a human being. It's interests change, parts of it get old and fall apart, some things never change, and some only get better with age.

You will learn what used to stand in certain places, and you will learn about the great fire. You will see how the city not only began, but how it has developed, and how it is still developing.

I was given this book when I was first moving to Baltimore, and it helped me to develop a historical appreciation for the city I was about to live in. Now I can take visitors and show them what a building is as well as what it used to be. I also feel like I know Baltimore. Not just its streets, but it's life.

I would recommend this to anyone with a connection to Baltimore. Whether you live here yourself or know someone who does, or maybe you lived here at one time, this is a very great book to give you a different view of Charm City.

This book is an invaluable resource for anyone day-hiking in the Baltimore area. The trail descriptions are thorough, up-to-date, and all hikes include maps. In addition to descriptions of the hikes, the book contains great information of the natural history of this unique corner of the country.

In Baltimore's Cast-Iron Buildings & Architectural Ironwork, James Dilts and Catherine Black effectively collaborate to present a collection of knowledgeable essays on Baltimore's unique architectural heritage. These commentaries include J. Scott Howell's The Founder's Art; David G. Wright's The Sun Iron Building; Phoebe B. Stanton's The Peabody Library; and Robert L. Alexander's Architectural Ironwork. Highly recommended for personal, professional, and academic architectural studies collections, Baltimore's Cast-Iron Buildings & Architectural Ironwork is further enhanced for architectural students with a directory of buildings, ironwork catalogs, bibliography, and an index.

Normally I read mostly history, not fiction. This book however caught my eye for a few of reasons. Firstly, as I have already mentioned, I like history. I also have a great interest in the Naval Academy and have always been interested in Key West.

While I don't usually read fiction, I have to say this one was exceptional. It has helped open my eyes to the fact that you can learn by reading fictional accounts.