New Hampshire Books

The Terrible Hours: The Greatest Submarine Rescue in History

Peter Maas, Peter Mass

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Subjects -> History -> Military -> Naval
Subjects -> History -> Military -> United States -> General

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 130 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

May 23, 1939. Television was being advertised for the first time to American consumers. Europe was on the brink of war as Hitler and Mussolini signed an alliance in Berlin. These were the days before sonar and before the discovery of nuclear power revolutionized submarine design. Dependent on battery power, submarines were actually surface ships that "occasionally dipped beneath the waves." If a sub went down, "every man on board was doomed. It was accepted that there would be no deliverance."

Swede Momsen was, according to master storyteller Peter Maas, the "greatest submariner the Navy ever had," and he was determined to beat those odds. Momsen spent his career trying to save the lives of trapped submariners, despite an indifferent Navy bureaucracy that thwarted and belittled his efforts at every turn. Every way of saving a sailor entombed in a sub--"smoke bombs, telephone marker buoys, new deep-sea diving techniques, escape hatches, artificial lungs, a great pear-shaped rescue chamber--was either a direct result of Momsen's inventive derring-do, or of value only because of it." Yet on the day the Squalus sank, none of Momsen's inventions had been used in an actual submarine disaster.

In The Terrible Hours, Maas reconstructs the harrowing 39 hours between the disappearance of the submarine Squalus during a test dive off the New England coast and the eventual rescue of 33 crew members trapped in the vessel 250 feet beneath the sea. It's also the story of Momsen's triumph. Under the worst possible circumstances, Momsen led a successful mission and helped change the future of undersea lifesaving. Not only has Maas written a carefully researched and suspenseful tribute to a true hero, in the process he has salvaged a long-forgotten, riveting piece of American history. --Svenja Soldovieri

A Time Before New Hampshire: The Story of a Land and Native Peoples

Michael J. Caduto

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Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

In this masterful and elegant book, Michael J. Caduto tells the complete story of the land of New Hampshire--starting with the formation of earth 4.6 billion years ago and continuing with changes to its peoples and the environment through the seventeenth century. Part I offers a comprehensive look at every aspect of the ancient natural world--including geology, glaciology, botany, climatology, ecology, zoology, and paleobotany. It describes the formation of the land hundreds of millions of years ago as a result of major movements in the tectonic plates; chronicles the rise and fall of reptiles, mammals, birds, and plants and other life forms stemming from climatic changes; and explores the arrival of human beings during and after the relatively recent ice age.

The rest of the volume immerses the reader in the history of the human populations in New Hampshire, beginning with the Paleoindian period of hunter gatherers over twelve thousand years ago and continuing through the arrival of horticulture among the Alnobak (Abenaki) and beyond. Caduto explores the Alnobak's day-to-day existence, culture, and traditional tales as preserved by archeologists, anthropologists, historians, and living cultures. Emphasizing the beliefs, cultures, and practices of these native people, Caduto details the Alnobak's relationship to the natural world as he tells the story of coevolution between the land and people through time.

Caduto takes the reader on an exploration through New Hampshire's rich and diverse history--using first-hand experiences, re-creations of natural and human environments, journeys through historical landscapes and visits with the families of ancient people--to present a thorough profile of the early beginnings of the Granite State.

The volume features an epilogue by Charlie True, Member of the Tribal Council, Abenaki Nation of New Hampshire, and nearly one hundred photographs, illustrations, and detailed maps depicting past peoples, historical trails, and indigenous cultures and environments of New Hampshire.

New Hampshire Curiosities: Quirky Characters, Roadside Oddities & Other Offbeat Stuff (Curiosities Series)

Eric Jones

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The Devil of Great Island: Witchcraft and Conflict in Early New England

Emerson W. Baker

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 3 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Devil Of Great Island 5 out of 5 stars.
4 of 4 people found this review helpful.

Fabulous book by Tad Baker!!
Very indepth journey of what New England life was like
during this time period. Mr Baker takes us back into the lives and minds of these fascinating places...Real...Live...Vivid!! surely a must have for New England history and genealogy buffs. Very well
written and sourced. A "real" snapshot of our early Massachusetts and Maine pioneers.

Editorial Review:

In 1682, ten years before the infamous Salem witch trials, the town of Great Island, New Hampshire, was plagued by mysterious events: strange, demonic noises; unexplainable movement of objects; and hundreds of stones that rained upon a local tavern and appeared at random inside its walls. Town residents blamed what they called "Lithobolia" or "the stone-throwing devil." In this lively account, Emerson Baker shows how witchcraft hysteria overtook one town and spawned copycat incidents elsewhere in New England, prefiguring the horrors of Salem. In the process, he illuminates a cross-section of colonial society and overturns many popular assumptions about witchcraft in the seventeenth century.

New Hampshire Rail Trails (New England Rail Heritage)

Charles F. Martin

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Subjects -> History -> World -> Transportation -> Railroads
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Editorial Review:

New Hampshire Rail Trails is the most comprehensive guide yet written on multi-use rail trails in New Hampshire. Charles F. Martin has logged hundreds of hours and even more bicycle miles exploring every available trail on the rights of way of this state's former railroads. With inviting prose, 95 meticulous maps, and 180 photographs of railroad artifacts, scenery, and trail conditions, he shares his experience and expertise in this well-researched guide, which includes capsule histories of the railroads that operated here followed by detailed descriptions of the trails that have taken their place. Each trail description includes ratings of the trail surface condition and the scenery that can be seen from the trail; a list of permitted uses (from walking and biking to horseback riding and snowmobiling); clear instructions for parking and for accessing the trail; and comprehensive notes on natural and historical sights, as well as railroad artifacts, that trail users will see along the way.

Men of Granite: New Hampshire's Soldiers in the Civil War

Duane E. Shaffer

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Editorial Review:

This book presents a chronicle of Civil War service by Granite State soldiers in Pennsylvania, Virginia, and South Carolina. During the Civil War, some thirty-five thousand New Hampshire soldiers - representing approximately 11 percent of the state's population - were dispatched to serve the Union in seventeen infantry regiments, two cavalry regiments, three artillery batteries, and three companies of sharpshooters and as members of miscellaneous naval and marine units. Duane E. Shaffer tells the story of these forces in "Men of Granite", a thorough history of New Hampshire combat troops in the years before and during the Civil War. Focusing on the day-to-day experiences of the common soldier and his reasons for taking up the fight against the Confederacy, Shaffer has mined myriad primary sources to draw together the experiences of all of the state's regiments and units into this single, cohesive narrative.Told in chronological order, Shaffer's narrative follows the experiences of New Hampshire troops, primarily in Virginia and South Carolina. Granite State soldiers were stationed at Hilton Head for much of the war, and they offered vivid accounts of bivouac duty and of inland raids in lowcountry South Carolina. The soldiers also fought in major battles such as Manassas, Antietam, Gettysburg, and Cold Harbor. A chapter each is devoted to the Battle of Fredericksburg in December 1862, a fight that included the largest concentration of New Hampshire soldiers in the war, and the Battle of Chancellorsville in May 1863, in which the Twelfth New Hampshire suffered more casualties than any regiment on either side. Shaffer also details the disaster of the Battle of Fort Wagner in July 1863, in which New Hampshire lost more soldiers than in any other operation. He also follows his subjects' return after the war to recount their homecoming and to cement understanding of their sacrifice.Further enhanced by twenty illustrations and twelve maps, Shaffer's detailed survey reinserts the story of New Hampshire forces into the annals of Civil War history and, through frequent quotation of soldiers' own accounts, gives voice to the motivations and daily experiences of determined Union forces from the Granite State.

Waterfalls of the White Mountains: 30 Hikes to 100 Waterfalls

Bruce R. Bolnick, Doreen Bolnick, Daniel Bolnick, Bolnick, Daniel, Robert Kozlow, Bruce Bolnick

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

excellent guide for waterfall lovers 5 out of 5 stars.
9 of 9 people found this review helpful.

To my thinking there is not much more thrilling than turning a corner to find a spectacular and beautiful rush of water cascading over cliffs or through a rocky terrain. Who doesn't like waterfalls?!

This terrific guide to the waterfalls of New Hampshire's White Mountains details 30 hikes to 100 waterfalls, so many of the walks take you to several falls. A regional map pinpoints the thirty treks and a lengthy introduction relates waterfall nomenclature and origins, tells you how to use the book and offers tips to make your trip enjoyable. Detailed within four subregions (the Connecticut , Pemigewasset/Merrimack, Saco and Androscoggin watersheds), entries are 6-10 pages long and include location, distance, altitude gain, difficulty, access information, a map, trail and hike details, and a photograph of the falls.

An indispensable guide for waterfall lovers, particularly those travelling with kids.

The book concludes with appendices on regional geology and camping facilities, a bibliography and an index.

Editorial Review:

This guide to over 100 waterfalls in the White Mountains of New Hampshire tells the best tmes of year and vantage points from which to view them, and also gives suggestions for further hikes, swimming holes, and uncrowded picnic spots. Excursions range in length from a short strill from the car to a hike of nearly 20 miles across the Presidential Range. Each chapter includes complete hiking information: distance, dificulty, altitude gain, and trail directions; as well as a map, essays on local history and lore.

Strawbery Banke: A Seaport Museum 400 Years in the Making

J. Dennis Robinson

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Editorial Review:

Strawbery Banke Museum is a rich core sample of an ever-changing America. The ten-acre museum campus, New Hampshire's earliest neighborhood, began as a British plantation on a tidal inlet. Abandoned by its founders in 1635, the settlement "accidentally" named Strawberry Bank survived to become New Hampshire's only seaport. A century later the bustling Portsmouth waterfront was home to royal governors, tall ships, skilled artisans, and wealthy merchants. When the maritime economy crashed and the city burned in the nineteenth century, the "Puddle Dock" neighborhood drew waves of immigrant families to its ancient low-rent buildings. Then in the twentieth century, fearful of urban "blight," a federal redevelopment project went off here like a neutron bomb. The population and the junkyards disappeared, but a grassroots preservation movement saved many historic buildings from the bulldozers of progress.

Rich with pictures and painstakingly researched, this work is actually two books in one.
The first tracks 400 years of history along the Piscataqua River with dramatic tales that will surprise even New Hampshire natives--and reads like a thrilling adventure novel. The story then goes behind the scenes to the controversial founding of Strawbery Banke Museum in 1958. Tapping into private letters, unpublished records and personal interviews, the author explores the politics of preservation in a small blue-collar city. Always lively, this highly readable history tracks modern Portsmouth from a gritty working seaport to a cultural heritage destination, assessing what is gained and what is lost along the way.

New Hampshire Patterns

Ernest Hebert

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Subjects -> Arts & Photography -> Photography -> Travel -> United States -> New England

Editorial Review:

For most people familiar with New Hampshire, the Granite State has two distinct identities. New Hampshire is often depicted as a place of picturesque farms, mountains, forests, and postcard-perfect villages with pretty town commons and colonial era houses. Yet for most of the twentieth century, such New Hampshire cities and towns as Manchester, Berlin and Keene developed small-scale urban industrialized societies dominated by textile, woolen, and paper mills.

In the twenty-first century, New Hampshire's duality has given way to a far more varied identity. Radical demographic and economic changes have transformed entire regions. Some towns in Southern New Hampshire have doubled and tripled in size, serving as bedroom communities for greater Boston. Increased property development in the two lakes regions and the Upper Valley continue to transform small town rural life in unexpected ways.

This book offers two personal looks at a state whose venerable history stands in lively contrast to its changing times. Over a hundred full-color photographs by Jon Gilbert Fox capture the charm of small town parades and agricultural fairs, as well as the uniqueness of such traditional New Hampshire places as Franconia Notch, Strawbery Banke, and Canterbury Shaker Village. Fox also brings to vivid life more recent cultural phenomena, including the NASCAR races at Loudon and Laconia's annual motorcycle week.

Complementing Fox's visual appreciation of New Hampshire are ten essays by Ernest Hebert, one of the state's most beloved native sons. Hebert, a lifelong citizen of New Hampshire, weaves personal experience and family traditions into essays that include meditations on the (former) Old Man of the Mountain, New Hampshire politics, baseball, motorcycles, fly fishing, moose, yard sales, chopping wood, and more. Taken together, Fox's photographs and Hebert's text provide an elegant and richly textured salute to the Granite State.

Amoskeag: Life and Work in an American Factory-City (Library of New England)

Tamara K. Hareven, Randolph Langenbach

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Total reviews: 3 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

"Been through the mill, and the mill's been through me" 5 out of 5 stars.
8 of 8 people found this review helpful.

Nineteenth century American travellers waxed enthusiastic or properly melancholic amidst the ruins of Europe. Writers such as Henry James often contrasted the youth and vigor (and innocence) of America with old, tired Europe. None of them could have imagined that less than a century later, the busy New England mills that turned out huge quantities of shoes, textiles, and useful products of all kinds would be silent, weed-strewn ruins. When I look around at cities like Salem, Lynn, Lowell, Lawrence, and Brockton, Mass., at Manchester and Nashua, New Hampshire, at a dozen small towns in Maine, I realize that I grew up during the fall of a whole civilization. I saw the tail end of it. Today so many of those thriving factories and mills have been razed to the ground, turned into condos or specialty shops, or even, into museums of industrial history.

AMOSKEAG is the story of one textile mill, once the largest in the world, along the banks of the Merrimack River in New Hampshire. The story is told through 37 interviews after an introduction of thirty-odd pages. The effect is most immediate: you feel as if you had lived the whole experience, grown up around these people. The reader is taken through the lives of management to the world of work---the varieties of tasks and social interactions to be found within the giant factory. Then we get an idea of family life, how the factory permeated every aspect of existence, and finally of the strikes, shutdowns and rising costs that eventually drove the mill out of existence (or rather, the whole textile industry to other states and countries). The text is punctuated by numerous black and white photographs which add to the atmosphere of "bygone days" that emanates from the whole book. If you are looking for a book on industrial history or early 20th century New England, you must read this one, it's unforgettable.