Minnesota Books

Minnesota Vikings: The Complete Illustrated History

Patrick Reusse

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Subjects -> Sports -> Football (American) -> Professional
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Total reviews: 1 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

They started play as an expansion team in 1961, and within a decade, the Minnesota Vikings were among the NFL’s elite---and most popular---franchises. From the formative years under Norm Van Brocklin to the Super Bowl squads of Bud Grant, to the ups and downs under Jerry Burns and Dennis Green, Minnesota’s football team has had its share of dramatic triumphs and heart-wrenching defeats. Through it all, the fans have come out in droves to cheer on the Vikes, whether in the cold winter air at Metropolitan Stadium or the hyper-loud surroundings of the Metrodome.

Lavishly illustrated and featuring all the key moments, stats, and people behind the stories, Minnesota Vikings: The Complete Illustrated History is the ultimate celebration of an iconic football franchise. It honors the great squads and all the legends and colorful characters who have donned the purple and gold, including Fran Tarkenton, the “Purple People Eaters,” Chuck Foreman, Ahmad Rashad, Randall McDaniel, John Randle, Cris Carter, Anthony Carter, Robert Smith, Randy Moss, and more. Written by one the state’s most revered sports columnists, this is a book that no Vikings fan should be without.

Tales of the Road: Highway 61

Cathy Wurzer

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Editorial Review:

Highway 61 traces approximately 440 miles through Minnesota, from Pigeon Falls at the Canadian border south to La Crescent. Along the way, the road hugs the North Shore, zips through St. Paul, and navigates bluffs along the Mississippi River. While places such as Split Rock Lighthouse or Sugar Loaf Mountain offer well-documented stopping-off points, observant travelers may wonder about historic buildings , abandoned sites, and decaying structures they see along the way.

In this companion book to a new Twin Cities Public Television documentary also called Tales of the Road (airing in November 2008), Cathy Wurzer unearths stories about these places and more as she travels down the road and into the past, spotlighting famous and fascinating locations, many of them little remembered today. Learn about bootleggers crossing the St. Croix by ferry or importing hooch from Canada onboard vessels designed in White Bear Lake. Visualize--or maybe even visit--the quaint tourist cabins, supper clubs, and lodges that served tourists who began motoring up the road in the 1920s. Take stock of historic and current industries: Russ Kendall's Smokehouse in Knife River, a rutabaga plant in Willow River, the pottery factory in Red Wing. Each tale is illustrated with historic and current views to show how much-or how little-Highway 61 has changed. Here's one road trip you won't want to miss!

Cathy Wurzer is host of Morning Edition on Minnesota Public Radio and cohost of Almanac on Twin Cities Public Television. She has been honored with four Emmys for her work on Almanac.

The Great Minnesota Fish Book

Tom Dickson

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Subjects -> Outdoors & Nature -> Reference
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Editorial Review:

Fishing is one of Minnesota’s consummate pastimes. The North Star state boasts the highest number of anglers per capita in the nation and the most fishing lakes. Minnesota is abundant in knowledge about how to catch game fish, but there is little information on the lore and natural history of such prized species as the walleye and largemouth bass, not to mention lesser-known varieties such as the brook stickleback and pirate perch. From trophies to bait, The Great Minnesota Fish Book tells stories of these aquatic species in rich, colorful detail. The Great Minnesota Fish Book pairs engaging and revealing stories about the history, habitat, and culture of more than one hundred species with strikingly lifelike depictions by world-renowned fish illustrator Joseph R. Tomelleri. Providing defining features for easy identification, descriptions of habitat, growth patterns, and behavior, as well as historical anecdotes, Dickson makes a convincing case for the appreciation of all fish and their important place within Minnesota’s aquatic ecosystems. Where else can you learn about the American eel, a fish that lives throughout southern Minnesota yet spawns in the Caribbean Sea? Or the Johnny darter, which reproduces upside down? Or the monstrous lake sturgeon that can reach more than 300 pounds and swims in waters from Lake of the Woods to the Mississippi River? Nowhere, until now. Tom Dickson takes us on a lively tour of Minnesota fish—the good, the bad, and the ugly. An elegant full-color work for everyone from the passionate angler to the up-north cabin dweller, The Great Minnesota Fish Book conveys the love and fascination—and in the case of eelpout, the disdain—that people have for the fishes of our home state.

Bristol's Bastards: In Iraq with the 2nd Battalion, 136th Infantry of Minnesota's National Guard

Nick Maurstad, Darwin Holmstrom

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Total reviews: 7 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Minnesota’s toughest farm boys take on Iraqi insurgents
in one of the most irreverent and outrageous memoirs to come out of the war

Bravo Company, 2nd Battalion, 136th Infantry Regiment of the Minnesota National Guard, composed in large part of farm kids from the Midwest who could replace a tank track on the side of the road using nothing but a crescent wrench, Zippo lighter, and a two-by-four, fought alongside the Marine Corps in Anbar province through the deadliest period of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Bravo Company earned the nickname “Bristol’s Bastards” after USMC Colonel George Bristol, commanding officer of the I MEF Headquarters Group, adopted this band of fierce warriors as one of his own. Specialist Nick Maurstad, a member of Bristol’s Bastards, brings to life the experience of fighting in Iraq, kicking down doors, dodging IEDs, battling insurgents in the small towns surrounding Fallujah, and trying to help one another survive in the deadliest place on earth.

Maurstad lost three friends in Iraq, and a friendly demeanor belies his own frustrations. He has intense memories, such as disarming an insurgent who was raising a handgun to shoot while in bed with his wife and children. . . . His mental hurdle for now is visiting the graves of the friends he lost.

—St. Paul Pioneer Press,

October 28, 2007

Herb Brooks: The Inside Story of a Hockey Mastermind

John Gilbert

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Editorial Review:

The U. S. hockey team’s victory at the 1980 Olympics was a “Miracle on Ice”--a miracle largely brought about by the late Herb Brooks, the legendary coach who forged that invincible team. Famously antagonistic toward the press at Lake Placid, Brooks nonetheless turned to sportswriter John Gilbert after each game, giving his longtime friend and confidant what became the most comprehensive coverage of the ’80 team. This book is Gilbert’s memoir of Brooks. Neither strictly biography or tell-all exposé, Herb Brooks: Born to Coach is the story of an extraordinary man as it emerged in the course of a remarkable friendship.

Gilbert, writing for the Minneapolis Tribune, first met Brooks during his coaching days at the University of Minnesota, whose hockey program he resurrected in the 1970’s. The two became fast friends, and here, for the first time, Gilbert relates anecdotes--his own and former players’--that illuminate Brooks’ oftentimes hard-nosed coaching methods, his dramatic successes, and his incomparable character. From Brooks’ beginnings in East St. Paul and his stint with the 1960 gold medal-winning Olympic team (from which he was famously the last player cut), Gilbert goes on to dissect the coach’s tenure with the Gophers (including three national titles) and the Lake Placid story, from the selection process and yearlong barnstorming tour to the Games themselves. Throughout this and later chapters of Brooks’ career--including coaching turns with St. Cloud State University, four NHL teams, and the 2002 U.S. Olympic squad--readers are treated to impossibly colorful quotes, rare photographs from Brooks’ playing and coaching careers, and pertinent sidebar pieces that originally appeared in the Minneapolis Tribune.

The Duluth, South Shore & Atlantic Railway: A History of the Lake Superior District's Pioneer Iron Ore Hauler (Railroads Past & Present)

John Gaertner

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Editorial Review:

The rise and fall of the Duluth, South Shore & Atlantic Railway from 1887 to its merger with the Soo Line in 1961 is the subject of this thoroughly researched book. The DSS&A was organized in the hope that it would become a transcontinental link between the Canadian Pacific at the Sault and the Northern Pacific at Duluth, with the major route taking passengers from the Twin Ports of Duluth-Superior through Northern Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan to St. Ignace. The line was forced to merge because of competition from more efficient lake vessels on Lake Superior, which could carry goods of lower value at much better rates than the DSS&A. John Gaertner's account draws on a wide array of sources, such as the Soo Line records at the Minnesota Historical Society in St. Paul, the Michigan State Archives at Lansing, the Burton Historical Collection in Detroit, and local newspaper accounts. It is a compelling read for history buffs and railroad enthusiasts alike.

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly Minnesota Twins: Heart-Pounding, Jaw-Dropping, and Gut-Wrenching Moments from Minnesota Twins History (The Good, the Bad, ... the Ugly) (The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly)

Steve Aschburner

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Excellent Book! Quick Read - Very Informative and fun 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

My history with the MN Twins is different from Mr. Aschburners, but I have many fond memories as well. My mother and father played the organ at all the games from the inception till 1974, and I got to see the early greats play the game OUTDOORS!

What a fun book to read - I totally went back to my childhood -

Thanks for writing this, Steve!

Sincerely

Paul Peterson

Great for any baseball fan 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

I'm not a Twins fan, but I enjoyed this look at their history. Great moments, sad moments and lighter moments are all here. Brought back a lot of memories for me. It's an easy and entertaining read with lots of interesting looks from behind the scenes.

Editorial Review:

Are you ready for the real story of the Minnesota Twins? Born in 1961, the Twins have a long history of legends and goats, great comebacks and colossal failures, World Series championships and heartbreaking losses. The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: Minnesota Twins is a must for every fan who wants an unflinching look at the greatest--and worst--players, coaches, and moments in Twins history!

Minnesota 150: The People, Places, and Things that Shape Our State

Kate Roberts

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Editorial Review:

The people have spoken. Minnesota wouldn’t be Minnesota without Bob Dylan. Or the BWCA. Immigrant farmers. The American Indian Movement. Thousands of citizens nominated their favorite topics for inclusion in Minnesota 150. With short essays, eye-catching illustrations, and text from the winning nominations, Kate Roberts reveals the many ways in which our past becomes our collective history.

Minnesota State Fair: An Illustrated History

Kathryn Strand Koutsky, Linda Koutsky

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Editorial Review:

"You won't be able to stop turning the pages."-Lynne Rossetto Kasper, host of Public Radio's The Splendid Table

State fairs are cornerstones of the American tradition, and few are as beloved as the Minnesota State Fair. Since 1854, Minnesota has reveled in promoting the rich bounty of its land and the magnificent talents of its citizens. From the legendary horse Dan Patch, whose record-breaking races kept the country on the edge of its seat, to Teddy Roosevelt's famous grandstand speech suggesting that America should "speak softly and carry a big stick," and from the invention of mini donuts to the discovery of batter-fried cheese curds, the Minnesota State Fair has captured the imagination-and the taste buds-of the entire nation.

As you travel through time imagining stolen kisses along the dark and romantic canals of Ye Old Mill and the thrills and chills of the Midway, as you explore the innovations found atop Machinery Hill and dig into a hearty breakfast at the Epiphany Diner, you will also uncover the history of this wonderful state. Filled with dozens of concessionaire and blue-ribbon recipes, fascinating facts, and over 1,200 photographs from the Great Minnesota Get-Together, this treasury of Minnesota's happiest memories will keep you looking forward to the fair all year long.

Mother-and-daughter team Kathryn Strand Koutsky and Linda Koutsky are the authors of the best-selling, illustrated histories Minnesota Eats Out and Minnesota Vacation Days. Lifelong fairgoers, they worked in collaboration with the Minnesota State Fair to bring us this irresistible, first-of-its-kind compendium.

A Place in the Woods

Helen Hoover

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 10 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Simple pleasure 5 out of 5 stars.
8 of 10 people found this review helpful.

A place in the woods lets you get a sense of spending time in the deep woods of the north. Well written story about getting away from it all to spend life in a simple place with few material things but rich with nature and its pleasures. A story of persistance and self reliance rare in today's world. I enjoyed this years ago and enjoyed it just as much here 30 years or so later. Find a quiet place, read and be taken away form your own problems.

Unique story that holds up well 4 out of 5 stars.
8 of 8 people found this review helpful.

Helen Hoover is one of those rare people (apparently) who is gifted on both sides of the brain. She was a very successful scientist in Chicago in an era when women scientists were few and far between. Tired of city life and realizing she and her husband had a now or never shot at a new life in the north woods, they took the plunge and basically burned all their bridges, spent their nest egg, and bought a cabin in Minnesota. This is the story of the winter, of the wilderness people, of their animal and human friends, and their struggle. Mostly, in fact it is about their struggle to adapt, and is a revelation of their character and commitment as they deal with one obstacle after another, each one by itself difficult enough to precipitate an honorable surrender, as most people expected would happen. Instead of surrendering they thrived, however, and this is the story of their first year in the woods. It is not laugh out loud funny, and is as much a story of home repairs, on the surface, as anything, but all the small details, patched together, tell a story that is worth hearing. I feel like a heel being the first reviewer not to give it 5 stars, but 5 stars means a classic to me. I couldn't put it in the classic category, but I couldn't put it down, either.