Carrying to the plate baseball’s heaviest and loudest bat as well as the burden of being the club’s first African American superstar, Allen found both hits and controversy with ease and regularity as he established himself as the premier individualist in a game that prided itself on conformity. As one of his managers observed, “I […]
PA Books, “Hannah Mary Tabbs and the Disembodied Torso”
Shortly after a dismembered torso was discovered by a pond outside Philadelphia in 1887, investigators homed in on two suspects: Hannah Mary Tabbs, a married, working-class, black woman, and George Wilson, a former neighbor whom Tabbs implicated after her arrest. As details surrounding the shocking case emerged, both the crime and ensuing trial-which spanned several […]
PA Books, “Lou Tullio: A Real Erie Guy”
“Lou Tullio: A Real Erie Guy” showcases the gritty underbelly of city government in a mid-sized Rust Belt manufacturing town. Cory Vaillancourt tells the story of Tullio’s life, his six terms as mayor of Erie, and the key political players from the 1950s through the 1980s who lived and worked alongside the man who left […]
PA Books “Lazaretto: A Novel”
Isolated on an island where two rivers meet, the Lazaretto quarantine hospital is the first stop for immigrants who wish to begin new lives in Philadelphia. The Lazaretto’s black live-in staff forge a strong social community, and when one of them receives permission to get married on the island the mood is one of celebration, […]
“Field Guide to Birds of Pennsylvania”
“Field Guide to Birds of Pennsylvania” includes over 252 species birders are most likely to see in the commonwealth. Illustrated with over 400 crisp color photographs, it includes clearly written descriptions along with tips of where and when to see birds by an expert birder. George Armistead is the events coordinator for the American Birding […]
PA Books: “Christmas in Pennsylvania”
Originally published in 1959 and written by one of the seminal figures in American folklife studies, this classic work examines the folk origins of Christmas in the Keystone State. Composed of interviews and contemporary newspaper reports, it records holiday traditions from the eighteenth century through the early twentieth century, including mummers, Christ-Kindel and Kriss Kringle, […]
PA Books: “The Parker Sisters”
In 1851, Elizabeth Parker, a free black child in Chester County, Pennsylvania, was bound and gagged, snatched from a local farm, and hurried off to a Baltimore slave pen. Two weeks later, her teenage sister, Rachel, was abducted from another Chester County farm. Because slave catchers could take fugitive slaves and free blacks across state […]
PA Books: “Beyond Rust”
Beyond Rust chronicles the rise, fall, and rebirth of metropolitan Pittsburgh, an industrial region that once formed the heart of the world’s steel production and is now touted as a model for reviving other hard-hit cities of the Rust Belt. Writing in clear and engaging prose, historian and area native Allen Dieterich-Ward provides a new […]
PA Books: “Hold Your Horses! The Pennsylvania Farm Show at 100”
This distinctive book records the rich history of the nations’ largest indoor agricultural exposition. It is filled with inspiring stories, interviews and photos that chronicle its unique 100-year history of the Pennsylvania Farm Show. Mary Klaus, author of “Hold Your Horses! The Pennsylvania Farm Show at 100,” is a former 4-H member from Westmoreland County. […]
PA Books: “Golden Arms: Six Hall of Fame Quarterbacks from Western Pennsylvania”
(VIDEO) Of the 23 “modern era” quarterbacks honored in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, six of them hail from Western Pennsylvania, within a 60-mile radius of Pittsburgh. How did that happen? Who are the six and what are they all about? The six are Johnny Unitas, George Blanda, Joe Namath, Joe Montana, Danny Marino, Jim Kelly. Friends and former classmates and teammates offer stories about the Super Bowl Six. That’s how you really get to know the real story of these talented QBs. They have not forgotten where they came from. These are personal stories that provide real insights into these success-driven individuals.