Connecticut Books

The Old Leather Man: Historical Accounts of a Connecticut and New York Legend (Garnet Books)

Dan W. DeLuca

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Subjects -> History -> Americas -> United States -> State & Local -> Connecticut

Editorial Review:

In 1883, wearing a sixty-pound suit sewn from leather boot-tops, a wanderer known only as the Leather Man began to walk a 365 mile loop between the Connecticut and Hudson Rivers that he would complete every 34 days, for almost six years. His circuit took him through at least 41 towns in southwestern Connecticut and southeastern New York, sleeping in caves, accepting food from townspeople, and speaking only in grunts and gestures along the way. What remains of the mysterious Leather Man today are the news clippings and photographs taken by the first-hand witnesses of this captivating individual. The Old Leather Man gathers the best of the early newspaper accounts of the Leather Man, and includes maps of his route, historic photographs of his shelters, the houses he was known to stop at along his way, and of the Leather Man himself. This history tracks the footsteps of the Leather Man and unravels the myths surrounding the man who made Connecticut's caves his home.

Secrets of the Tomb: Skull and Bones, the Ivy League, and the Hidden Paths of Power

Alexandra Robbins

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 80 Average rating: 3.0 of 5

An Agonizing Read -- Fake reviews abound 1 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

The book has an intriguing cover and title. The introduction was captivating. Sadly, it's all downhill from there -- it reads like the minutes of a long and unproductive meeting.

Apparently, the author has succeeded in recruiting her friends to leave contrived reviews. Of the 28 which rated this book at 5-stars, 15 were anonymous and 9 had this book as their only reviewed work. That leaves 4 people who unquestionably enjoyed it -- the editor, her parents, and boyfriend. The others are suspect.

Editorial Review:

The Ivy League is full of societies and clubs, some public and some very private, but none is as secret as Yale's Skull and Bones, a tiny, mysterious society that has spawned three presidents, including George W. Bush and his father. Skull and Bones' cloak-and-dagger secrecy has prompted people worldwide to attribute to it some of the most staggering conspiracies in modern history - as well as events including the drop of the atom bomb, the rise of Hitler and the Bay of Pigs invasion. From their nearly windowless crypt in the middle of the campus the Bonesmen, it is said, plot world domination! Journalist Alexandra Robbins slips through the veil of secrecy to investigate, through society documents and interviews with dozens of members, the truth about Skull and Bones' influence and operations. She also explains why the old-boy, 19th century throwback, a product of another time, still thrives in 21st century America.

A World of Letters: Yale University Press, 1908-2008

Nicholas A. Basbanes

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Total reviews: 1 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

For Yale University Press, which celebrates its hundredth birthday in 2008, the century has been an eventful one, punctuated with no few surprises. The Press has published more than 8,000 volumes through the years, scores of bestsellers and award-winners among them, and these books have come to fruition through the efforts of a host of colorful authors, editors, directors, board members, and others of intellectual and literary renown.

With an ear always cocked for an interesting tale, one of today’s best storytellers presents an anecdote-rich chronicle of the Press’s first 100 years. Nicholas Basbanes, whom David McCullough has called “the leading authority of books about books,” quickly convinces us that the Press’s history, while bookish, is also lively and fascinating. Basbanes explores the saga behind the acquisition of Eugene O’Neill’s blockbuster play, the all-time Yale bestseller Long Day’s Journey into Night; the controversy sparked in 1965 by publication of The Vinland Map; the origins of the groundbreaking Annals of Communism series, initiated in the wake of the Soviet Union’s demise; and many more highlights from Press annals. Basbanes looks at the reasons behind the publisher’s remarkable financial success, and he completes A World of Letters with a glimpse at the new initiatives that will propel the Press into a second exciting century.

Without Reservation: How a Controversial Indian Tribe Rose to Power and Built the World's Largest Casino

Jeff Benedict

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 16 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

With compelling detail, Without Reservation tells the stunning story of the rise of the richest Indian tribe in history.

In 1973, an old American Indian woman dies with nothing left of her tribe but a 214-acre tract of abandoned forest. It seems to be the end of the Mashantucket Pequot tribe. But it is just the beginning. Over the next three decades, the reservation grows to nearly 2,000 acres, home to more than 600 people claiming to be tribal members.  It has also become home to Foxwoods, the largest casino in the world, grossing more than $1 billion a year.

Without Reservation reveals the mysterious roots of today's Pequot tribe, the racial tension that divides its members, and the Machiavellian internal power struggle over who will control the tribe's funds. Author Jeff Benedict brings to us the deal makers, the courtroom machinations, the trusts and betrayals.

Now, with remarkable new information, the paperback brings us up-to-date on these revelations, which lead to state and federal investigations and calls for congressional hearings.

Haunted Connecticut: Ghosts And Strange Phenomena of the Constitution State (Haunted)

Cheri Revai

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 1 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

REVAI IS BACK WITH MORE CHILLING TALES 5 out of 5 stars.
5 of 5 people found this review helpful.

Haunted Connecticut is another in Stackpole's wonderfully entertaining series of regional books on hauntings, this time featuring the Constitution State, Connecticut. Connecticut was our nation's fifth state and with its early colonial history it boasts a very rich tradition of ghost tales. The book is written by Cheri Revai who also penned "Haunted Massachusetts" and "Haunted New York". Revai takes readers on a tour throughout Connecticut for over fifty tales that span from the era of the early settlers right through modern day.

There is the "Curse of Dudley Town" where the Dudley family seemed horribly cursed by death an all manner of misfortunes including Indian attacks, suicides, epidemics, and madness and has long been the source of unexplained noises and apparitions. Union Cemetery in Eastern CT has headstones which date to the 1600's and is known most for the White Lady who appears to motorists along Route 59, even leaving a dent in the pick-up truck of a fireman who struck the specter.

While we are all familiar with the Headless Horseman of Sleepy Hollow in New York , the town of Canton boasts its own headless ghost. It is thought to be that of a French soldier who was carrying a month's pay to French soldiers in Saratoga when he disappeared after stopping for the evening at the Hosford Tavern in 1777. When the tavern burned down a hundred years ago a headless skeleton was found leading to speculation that perhaps the tavern owner killed the soldier and stole the gold and silver.

Another well known spot for ghost enthusiasts is the historic Pettibone Tavern, first built in 1780. When owner John Pettibone caught his wife in the arms of a secret lover he killed them both, cutting off his wife's head. Today, the ghost of his wife Abigail is said to haunt the Tavern which is still in use. A cold chill is felt by women in the ladies room which is where Abigail was killed and lights turn on by themselves after the tavern has been closed for the night.

Revai's book also takes a look at Connecticut 's lesser known, but still haunting witch trials and takes readers on tour of other haunted, historical sites such as the Nathan Hale homestead and Old State Hall.

Because of their historical significance and age, ghost stories of the New England states are always the most quaint and intriguing. Revai completes her book with an exhaustive list of book, magazine, and internet sources. Not only excellent in terms of entertainment, but Haunted Connecticut also provides valuable historical information.

Reviewed by Tim Janson

Editorial Review:

This work presents stories of supernatural phenomena in Connecticut, including the curse on Dudleytown, the spirit of Hanna Cranna who causes car crashes in Monroe, the phantom black dog of Meriden, the buried-alive Midnight Mary, the lost village of Bara-Hack, and many more.

The Circus Fire: A True Story of an American Tragedy

Stewart O'Nan

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 68 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

As some 9,000 people watched the Wallendas begin their high-wire act on July 6, 1944, a fire started on the sidewall of the big top at the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus. The tent had been waterproofed with a mixture of 6,000 gallons of white gasoline and 18,000 pounds of paraffin; common practice for circuses at the time. In minutes, the entire tent was engulfed in flames. In the rush for the exits, people were trampled and burned--some beyond recognition. In the end, 167 were dead and 487 injured, of whom 140 required hospitalization. The city of Hartford, Connecticut, would never be the same. Stewart O'Nan brings his storytelling ability to the tragedy of The Circus Fire.

Several survivors said the one thing they will never forget about the circus fire as long as they live is the sound of the animals as they burned alive. But there were no animals.

O'Nan interviewed dozens of witnesses and examined police reports, newspaper accounts, and court documents while researching the fire. The result is an engrossing--though agonizingly painful--account of the great fire and its aftermath. He probes the tragedy's enduring mysteries--How did the fire start? Who are the unidentified victims? Who is Little Miss 1565?--and offers up conclusions of his own. He also provides remarkable vignettes of panic, heroism, and grief: Merle Evans and the band playing "The Stars and Stripes Forever," the circus disaster march, over and over; Bill Curlee, standing atop the wild animal chute throwing trapped children to safety; the Cote sisters, who made it home safely then broke down when asked why they were back so early. O'Nan tells their stories with compassion--albeit with a slight tendency toward the macabre.

Moving, saddening, gruesome--yet car-crash compelling--The Circus Fire is a gripping read. Highly recommended. --Sunny Delaney

Marlin Firearms: A History of the Guns and the Company That Made Them

William S. Brophy

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 5 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

HAPPY PURCHASER 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

Good Service, Good Price, Very Good Book. Book is full of very complete detail, illustrations are excellent, chronological approach to subject is appreciated. Very Happy with purchase!

Marlin Model 1893 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

Mr. Brophy did his homework in writing this beautifully bound and informative book, but somehow, probaably due to Marlin Firearms being lax in their record keeping, especially serial numbers and the appropriate dates of manufacture, I was unable to pinpoint the data needed to establish the exact history of this gun. I have been forwarded to another source for possibly gaining a more accurate record of this guns manufacture. A fine book other than this.

must have for Marlin buffs 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

huge collection of data, photo's and info on Marlin. can't imagine the effort that must have been expended in collecting what is printed in this book. A bargin concidering what is offered between the pages for the reader.

Marlin Firearms: A History of the Guns and the Company that Made Them 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

A very comprehensive book for anyone with an interest in firearms. Well-written and illustrated. It contains a great deal of detail for the Marlin user and collector. Since it seems to go in and out of print on a regular basis, anyone interested in the book should get one while it's available. The cost of a used volume seems to increase each time it becomes unavailable. If you like gun books you won't regret buying a copy of this one.

Editorial Review:

Marlin Firearms is a Stackpole Books publication.

The Harvard Five in New Canaan: Midcentury Modern Houses by Marcel Breuer, Landis Gores, John Johansen, Philip Johnson, Eliot Noyes, and Others

William D. Earls

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Subjects -> Home & Garden -> Home Design -> Design & Construction

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 3 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

A virtual tour of thirty-five landmark houses, 1947-1966, built in a quiet New England community.

Since the fifties, "the Harvard Five" has been the catchphrase for the five architects featured in this book, who all built houses for themselves and for clients in New Canaan, Connecticut. Other architects, well known (Frank Lloyd Wright, for example) and not so well known, also contributed significant modern houses that elicited strong reactions from nearly everyone who saw them and are still astonishing today. An introductory essay by Jean Ely, "New Canaan Modern" (reprinted by permission of the New Canaan Historical Society), recounts the history of the area and how New Canaan came to be the locus of the modern movement's experimentation in materials, construction methods, space, and form. The book is done as a "house tour" in chronological order, with photographs and floor plans.

Divided Minds: Twin Sisters and Their Journey Through Schizophrenia

Pamela Spiro Wagner, Carolyn Spiro

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 39 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Journey into Madness.... 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

This is a very well written book that details the life of twin sisters as they suffer the life long disorder of schizophrenia. While only one is clinically affected by this disorder, the other twin suffers its affects as she tries to cope with a 'crazy' twin. As an undergraduate psychology major, I found this book to be a worthwhile read, as it not only shows the course of schizophrenia and the disorder's affects on family members, but it also proved to be an excellent perspective on the history of mental illness and treatment options in the United States.

Schizophrenia is a truly devestating disorder, so don't expect this to be a feel good kind of novel. However, it is an interesting read that provides a solid account of schizophrenia in an easy to understand style.

Editorial Review:

Growing up in the fifties, Carolyn Spiro was always in the shadow of her more intellectually dominant and social outgoing twin, Pamela. But as the twins approached adolescence, Pamela began to succumb to schizophrenia, hearing disembodied voices and eventually suffering many breakdowns and hospitalizations.
Divided Minds is a dual memoir of identical twins, one of whom faces a life sentence of schizophrenia, and the other who becomes a psychiatrist, after entering the spotlight that had for so long been focused on her sister. Told in the alternating voices of the sisters, Divided Minds is a heartbreaking account of the far reaches of madness, as well as the depths of ambivalence and love between twins. It is a true and unusually frank story of identical twins with very different identities and wildly different experiences of the world around them.

Connecticut Curiosities, 2nd: Quirky Characters, Roadside Oddities & Other Offbeat Stuff (Curiosities Series)

Susan Campbell, Bill Heald

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 3 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Get Out There! 5 out of 5 stars.
17 of 17 people found this review helpful.

If you want to explore interesting things in Connecticut, this is the book to start with. My son and I often do interesting things on Saturday mornings. Part of it is just "bonding time", but part of it is that mom works every other Saturday, so those days we have special freedom to do interesting things. And we do. During warm months, an emphasis is on hiking and outdoor activities. During cold months, if we are not sledding, we try more indoor activities.

Many of the things that we have done are in this book. I was pleasantly surprised. I bought this as a present for mom so that maybe she can join in more often (she does better if she has a picture in her mind and this book is full of pictures).

Explore Connecticut by visiting "everyday" places you might not have noticed. These are the kinds of places that out-of-staters might ask "have you been there" but the residents do not even know they exist -- right next door. Definitely worth taking a look at.

Editorial Review:

From mysterious noises and surreal supermarkets to car artists, flocks of plastic flamingoes, and places where Washington never slept, discover the wry observations about Connecticut's oddest and most obscure phenomena.