"Oakland's Chinatown," a pictorial history by writer and journalist William Wong, places the author's old neighborhood firmly outside the shadow of San Francisco's fabled Chinese quarter and underlines its independent role in the development of the Bay Area and the West.

Local author Bruce Mowday releases his fifth book, "Downingtown," a part of Arcadia Publishing's "Image of America" and includes vintage photos from Downingtown. A portion of the proceeds of the book will go to the Downingtown Area Historical Society and will be used to maintain the Ashbridge House, the historic house in East Caln that the society is renovating for its new headquarters.

The book, part of the "Making of America" series, is available through online booksellers and at area bookstores. It includes a general history of the city, anecdotes and stories about the town and its residents, information on its role in three wars and photos before its restoration.

Two books, one featuring Oak Park and the other east Sacramento, were published this month. Other areas featured by books that are in the works, according to John Poultney, editor of Arcadia Publishing, include Land Park and North Sacramento.

Dale Totty adds to Arcadia’s “Images of America” series with a book that explores the rise and fall of its prominence as a port town through the 1800s.

Whether you read the new "Images of America" book on Crockett from cover to cover or leaf through it casually, you will be fascinated by the historic photos and nuggets of information gathered by its author, John V. Robinson of Crockett.

"Images of America: Jersey City Medical Center" by Leonard F. Vernon (Arcadia, $19.99)is a comprehensive collection of black and white photographs and drawings dating from the late 1800s. The book tell the story of how public health care facilities for the poor grew into the towering Jersey City Medical Center where ex-Gov. James McGreevey and Frank Sinatra Jr. and thousands of other New Jerseyans were born.

“I had the idea to do the book because my family has photos dating back to 1904,” said Zompolis. “Now they can finally get published a hundred years later.”

A new book "Golden Hurricane Basketball at The University of Tulsa" chronicles the history of TU basketball, focusing on the past 25 years. The book is now available at newsstands in the Tulsa area for only $19.99.

The book features more than 200 vintage images chronicling Smithfield's ham industry and includes information on ham preparation, recipes and what makes a ham a Smithfield ham. The author also examines publicity stunts like the World's Oldest Ham and the World's Largest Ham Biscuit.

Anyone with ties to Charles Town, W.Va., will enjoy thumbing through the pages of “Charles Town,” a new book by Dolly Nasby that takes a glimpse at the historic community through an impressive collection of photographs and informative captions.

Arcadia Publishing’s northeast regional office recently joined forces to support WERZ 107.1 FM’s “Stuff a Bus” event which is part of the U.S. Marine Corps’ Toys for Tots program.

Pittsburg Historical Society member Marti Aiello has published a book, "Images of America: Pittsburg," which covers Pittsburg's history from prehistoric times to the present in text and photos. The book, by Arcadia Publishing, is available in area book stores.