From the days of the Quinnipiack Indians and the arrival of the first Puritan settlers in 1638, a fascinating cycle of prosperity, decline, and renewal has played out in the streets of New Haven and the quads of Yale University.

Milwaukee writer Martin Hintz, who has been the editor of The Irish American Post for many years, has dozens and dozens of books to his credit. The latest, "Italian Milwaukee," is published by Arcadia Publishing as part of its "Images of America" series of photo books focusing on specific cities and ethnic groups around the country.

“Newfane and Olcott,” by Avis A. Townsend (Arcadia Publishing, 128 pages, softcover, $19.99) is the latest in the popular “Images of America” series.

Marsha Wight Wise responded to an author search by Arcadia Publishing Co., a South Carolina firm that specializes in books about communities.

The book is part of Arcadia Publishing's Images of America series, one that chronicles local histories through photographs and the stories those photographs tell.

When Rus Hammer opened the first Portsmouth restaurant to bear his name - Rusty Hammer - in 1978, he served his first of thousands of "Wimpy Burgers." He also found a treasure in the basement of the old 31 Pleasant St. location, something someone else might have put out with the trash.

"We knew from the picture that the trolley went down the road, and at Route 129 there was an old house that use to be a tavern, so we were historically interested," said Steele, who has lived in town for a year and a half.

New Hampshire has a long history of brewing dating from Colonial times. This past week I picked up a very cool book called "Brewing in New Hampshire," from the Images of America series by Arcadia Publishing in Portsmouth.

"If not for this series, most of these photographs would never be seen," says Kevin Grace, head of the archives and rare book library at the University of Cincinnati. "The photos come out of attics, basements, all kinds of places."

"We're swimming in it, surrounded by our local history," she says recently at lunch in the Ferry Building. "Look at what they did to this building. Ever since I wrote about Napa, I'm haunted by the ghosts we see behind the structures."

"It's good for the town. My wife and I bought the book about the town," he said, referring to a book released by Arcadia Publishing about Billerica's past.

Gilbert and Bob Johnson, a fellow librarian at the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Library in downtown San Jose, pulled together more than 200 black-and-white photographs for ``San Jose's Historic Downtown'' (Arcadia Publishing, 128 pp., $19.99).

Primarily a photo book with pages of text interspersed, “Camp San Luis Obispo” offers a quick review of the California National Guard Training camp, which most notably served the U.S. military as a training camp in World War II.

CHARLES TOWN, W.VA. - In one picture dating to 1957, Jimmy Durante is seen leaning over the fence at what is now Charles Town Races & Slots

Three northeast Georgia publications - including one from Gainesville - are among the works included in a Black History Month promotion by a publishing house that specializes in African-American history.

There are Bears fans who rip their shirts off in the cold, wear body paint and take on alter egos on game day. Roy Taylor isn't one of them.

You don't have to be a resident of the Queen City to appreciate Cincinnati: The World War II Years.