Arcadia Bestsellers

Ghost stories from America's Holy City have never been so creepy, fun, and full of mystery!

Charleston's haunted history and local legends come to life--even when the main players are dead. From the dire warnings of the Gray Man of Pawley's Island, to the long-dead cadets who have never left the original Citadel, this spooky chapter book will keep readers rapt. Dive into suspenseful tales of bumps in the night, paranormal investigations, and the unexplained; just be sure to keep the light on.

One of the nation's most colorful leaders, Confederate general John Hunt Morgan, took his cavalry through enemy-occupied territory in three states in one of the longest offensives of the Civil War.

A military operation unlike any other on American soil, Morgan's Raid was characterized by incredible speed, superhuman endurance and innovative tactics.The effort produced the only battles fought north of the Ohio River and reached farther north than any other regular Confederate force. With twenty-five maps and more than forty illustrations, Morgan's Raid historian David L. Mowery takes a new look at this unprecedented event in American history, one historians rank among the world's greatest land-based raids since Elizabethan times.

A varied, handy collection of Rust Belt culinary favorites, updated for today's vegan diet.

The Rust Belt Vegan Kitchen is a community cookbook created by professional and home chefs who live and work in the Rust Belt. Recipes collected here represent the diversity of the region, and include vegan versions of:

- Polish pierogis

- Detroit coney dogs

- Hungarian paprikash

- Slovak kolaches

- Mexican conchas

- German sauerkraut balls

- Cincinnati chili

- Slovenian fish fry

- Chitterings, and many more.

The cooks and chefs collected here offer stories about their recipes as well as family and culinary traditions. The book also includes resources on how to stock a vegan pantry, guides to useful equipment, and basic how-tos for veganizing staples.

Infusing old world recipes with a new level of creativity for a changing audience, The Rust Belt Vegan Kitchen is unpretentious, accessible, and fun.

Southern California front-engine top fuel dragsters were the kings of the quarter mile. Fathers and sons, friends, and next-door neighbors joined together to build and race these cars. From 1963 to 1971, considered the toughest years to complete, the top fuel dragster became faster and quicker with new innovations in the chassis design and engine building.

Southern California quickly became the place to prove top fuel racing skills as racers from all over the United States ventured to see how they matched up against those killer cars. For any top fuel racer or team to win in that era, it was truly a lifetime achievement. Many tried and failed to make their mark in Southern California.

Photographer Steve Reyes made the five-hour drive from his home in Northern California on many a weekend to capture Southern California’s top fuel teams in action at Riverside, Irwindale, Lions, and Orange County raceways. His images of these nitro warriors capture the action and feel of those bygone days of top fuel dragster racing as well as the memories of great racers and great racing in Southern California.

Many never seem to have the time to make good-quality meals for their families. A slow cooker is a great solution. In this convenient cookbook, favorite New Orleans recipes have been adapted for cooking in this popular appliance.

Take a Bite of Philadelphia's Storied Sandwich History

Philadelphia boasts some of the most delicious original sandwiches and passionate sandwich aficionados. From the classic cheesesteak to the delectable roast pork, the city’s cultural and ethnic diversity has resulted in many of America’s most established meals between bread. Join author and bona fide sandwich obsessive Mike Madaio as he journeys through the history and eateries behind Philadelphia’s most iconic sandwiches and discovers some unsung heroes along the way.

Amid a series of three destructive floods that pounded little Johnstown, Pennsylvania, in less than a century, Cambria County residents somehow maintained their lofty expectations and big-picture foresight to begin what would become the oldest Christmas high school basketball tournament in the nation, as they would boast. Learn the amazing history behind an historic hardwood tournament.

How the Golden State’s favorite fruit conquered the world.

When avocados first arrived from Mexico in the early 1800s, few Americans knew what to make of them. Intrepid settlers in California were among the first to embrace the savory green fruit, sparking a century-long love affair that transformed the state into “Avocado Land.” From battling over the best avocado varieties to coaxing the public into trying the fruit by devising delicious recipes, Golden State growers created a global phenomenon.

Author Rob Crisell explores how California’s favorite fruit became one of the most famous and iconic foods of the twenty-first century.

Historian Jeff Sellers, director of education at the Tennessee State Museum and the state capitol, has compiled images from archives and private collections to showcase the history of the Tennessee State Capitol. He also introduces us to the individuals who have breathed life into what has become known as the people's house.

On July 4, 1845, an immense crowd gathered atop the highest hill in downtown Nashville, Tennessee. The locals had known it as Campbell's Hill after its owner, Judge George Washington Campbell. Now it had a new name: Capitol Hill. It was on this day that the cornerstone of the new Tennessee State Capitol would be ceremoniously laid. Beneath it, a time capsule was placed with a scroll that read, Dum Tempus fugit, hoc Templum stabit, which translates to Though Time Passes, This Temple will Stand. For over 170 years, that phrase has held true. The building begun on that day and completed 14 years later is still Tennesseans' seat of government. It has seen wars, depressions, celebrations, funerals, demonstrations, debates, and compromise and remains a temple of democracy.

While Mohawk Mountain is known as a small, family-friendly ski area, many are unaware of the large impact this mountain had on the sport. Its founder, Walt Schoenknecht, changed the face of modern skiing when he helped create the first snowmaking machine in 1950. That “artificial snow” machine, first tested at Mohawk, received the first U.S. patent for such a device. Today, Mohawk is one of the few surviving family-owned ski areas in the United States, and Schoenknecht's daughter, Carol Lugar, remains its president. Mohawk has had to survive a devastating tornado, challenging weather and economic headwinds to compete with larger corporate-owned ski resorts. Today, the small mountain in Cornwall, Connecticut remains a favorite, with new lifts, expanded snowmaking, more ski school lessons, snowtubing and night skiing. Local author James Shay reveals the unique contributions of Mohawk and Walt Schoenknecht to the sport of skiing.

Las Vegas is truly a city unlike any other. Beginning as a railroad stop in the desert and growing to become one of the top tourist destinations in the nation, the city continues to grow and redefine itself.

Maggie Bukowski Gaspar has lived in Las Vegas for 20 years and is the curator of Manuscripts, Photographs, and Library at the Nevada State Museum, Las Vegas. All historic images in this book come from the museum’s collection. 

Local historian Robert C. Dinsdale, MD, searched more than 30,000 photographs to bring forth a time-travel tale of the founding, building, and full expression of what makes Mass Street one of the most beloved main thoroughfares in the country. 

Massachusetts Street (known as “Mass Street” in local lingo) has been the heart of Lawrence, Kansas, since 1854, when the political aspirations and commercial motivations of the abolitionist founders intersected on this ground between the right-angle bend of the Kansas River and the meandering Oregon Trail. It is where optimistic entrepreneurs built a dam and a bridge and railroads to power and grow our town for commerce and where residents of Kansas Territory met to form antislavery political parties. Mass Street, laid out to point to the North Star, was the scene of terror when mass murder and arson were visited on the town in 1863; within days, it was the hub of resolute reconstruction. This is the place to be, the place where people live, shop, parade, protest, and be themselves as only Lawrencians can. The story of Mass Street includes the inventor of basketball, James Naismith; the post-Prohibition rebirth of Kansas beer brewing; and the arena for the greatest Native American athlete ever.

Local author Rena Glover Goss unfolds the intricacies of the murder that rocked Jefferson County.

In 1899, the Cramblett and Gosnell families lived on Perrin Run. Quincy Cramblett, romantically involved first with Elva Gosnell and later with her sister Cora, frequently proposed marriage. Both girls declined because of their father’s objections to the young man. Growing desperate, Quincy proposed that he and Cora commit suicide. She refused. Weeks later, their father, James Gosnell, was fatally shot. Immediately suspected, Quincy was indicted for murder after a brief hearing. Over the course of two trials in 1900, local critics differed vehemently about his guilt or innocence, and crowds packed the courtroom to witness the drama. Qunicy was acquitted, but none one else was ever questioned or indicted for James Gosnell’s murder.

Discover the spirits that still walk the banks of the Rappahannock River.

Though the streets of Fredericksburg are peaceful today, the ghosts of the past still lurk in the shadows. From the colonial era to the Civil War, the region witnessed some of the most dramatic and bloody events in American history. A woman in white is seen walking the grounds of Chatham Manor every seven years. At the Rising Sun Tavern, a rowdy tavern keeper continues to make his presence known two hundred years after his death. The spirit of Mary Washington, the mother of the first president, has been seen tending her beloved garden.

Join historian Michelle L. Hamilton on a spirited tour of haunted Fredericksburg.   

Lighthouses of the Pacific Coast explores many of the lighthouses and breakwater, pier, and reef lights in Alaska, Washington, Oregon, California, and Hawaii. Whether it is Eldred Rock Lighthouse in Alaska or Diamond Head Lighthouse in Hawaii, then as now, people have loved to visit the lights while on holiday and to send postcards back home.

Many of these important navigational aids are still in existence and can be visited, thanks to the historical societies and associations that still maintain them. Linda Osborne Cynowa has had a love of lighthouses for many years and has enjoyed visiting and photographing them. She has a background in photography and genealogy, along with postcard collecting and a lifelong love of history. She volunteered at the archives at her local library, researching the historical homes and families in the Romeo and Washington, Michigan, area where she lives. She is the author of Washington Township (2019), Macomb Township (2020), Farming in Northern Macomb County (2021), Lighthouses and Lifesaving on the Great Lakes (2022), and Lighthouse of the North Atlantic Coast (2023), all published by Arcadia Publishing.

Ghost stories from Amherst, New Hampshire have never been so creepy, fun, and full of mystery!

Welcome to the spooky roads of Amherst, New Hampshire! 

Stay alert! Ghosts lurk around every corner. Even the most unexpected places might be haunted by wandering phantoms. 

Did you know Town Hall once had skeletons in the basement? Or that a haunted cottage sits near the shores of Baboosic Lake? Can you believe ghostly wolves roam the forests at night, their eerie howls echoing until dawn? 

Pulled right from history, these ghostly tales will change the way you see Amherst, New Hampshire forever, and have you sleeping with the lights on! 

Author Joshua Ginsberg guides intrepid readers on a journey into Orlando’s haunted history. More than 70 million people visit Orlando annually. Some travel for pleasure, others come for business, but once the glow of the nightly fireworks over the Magic Kingdom fades, the City Beautiful plays host to a different set of guests…from beyond the grave. Do those who played roles in bringing the city to life continue to inhabit it well after their deaths? Encounter July Perry and the ghosts of Wall Street Square, the apparition known as the Lady of Lucerne, the unquiet victims of Sunland Hospital, restless residents of Greenwood Cemetery, and a great many others. 

The arrival of Franciscan friars of the Jalisco Province in Mexico escaping religious persecution in 1926 to Hebbronville, a rural community in South Texas, is an enduring story that still resonates in the hearts of many. Since then, Franciscans have been dedicated to the cultural, educational, and spiritual needs of Hebbronville and surroundings communities that have supported them over the years.

One of the many remarkable contributions of the Franciscan legacy in Hebbronville is the Scotus College, a majestic four-story seminary building considered a Texas historic treasure and a preeminent local architectural landmark. This book is the pictorial account of these events that led a group of Franciscans to offer their lives, full of unwavering faith and boundless hope, to a community that embraced them. It is an inspiring story that becomes a lesson about love, devotion, and sacrifice in appreciation to the people of Hebbronville that helped persecuted Franciscan friars survive. 

Fr. Juan Jose Ibarra, OFM, founder of the Franciscan Museum of Hebbronville whose archives have contributed to this book, has worked closely with the Archivo Histórico Franciscano de Zapopan in Mexico and the Jim Hogg County Historical Commission. He currently serves as pastor of Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish and guardian of the Franciscan Friary in Hebbronville, Texas.

The 1917 book purportedly dictated from beyond the grave by Mark Twain.

Was Jap Herron the work of Mark Twain or a scam that capitalized on the heightened belief in the paranormal during the early 20th century? We invite everyone to read and decide for themselves... or let the Ouija board decide.

Several years after Mark Twain’s death in 1910, Emily Grant Hutchings claimed that Twain dictated this novel from the beyond, letter by letter, over a Ouija board. She went on to publish it with Mitchell Kennerley in 1917. When the Twain estate discovered the book, they took Hutchings to court, demanding that she either declare herself a fraud or surrender all profits and rights to the estate. The lawsuit was dropped when Hutchings agreed to cease publication and destroy the remaining unsold books—but she never retracted her claims. 

Set in the antebellum South, Jap Herron’s title character (Jasper James Herron) rises out of poverty to become a central figure in his small Missouri town. In a lengthy introduction, Hutchings recounts unidentified spirits meddling with the story, apparitions sent by Twain to haunt the medium’s dreams, and insights into Twain’s postmortem personality.

The entrance of the United States into World War II in 1941 completely transformed the nation. During this time, the small Nebraska towns of Mead and Wahoo in Saunders County were chosen to be the site of the Nebraska Ordnance Plant, one of three such plants in the state. The plant operated for 20 years—from 1942 to 1962. It served as an ordnance plant during World War II and the Korean War, then as an Atlas missile site from 1960 to 1962. Since then, the land has been sold to various interests, including the University of Nebraska and the Nebraska National Guard. The Nebraska Ordnance Plant uses over 150 photographs and their accompanying captions to tell the story of the profound effect the plant had on the social, economic, and environmental life of the county. 

Jennifer Garza is the assistant at the Saunders County Historical Society and a lecturer in the history department at the University of Nebraska. Erin Hauser is the curator at the Saunders County Historical Society.

Lincoln Steffens's Tweed Days in St. Louis, published in McClure's magazine in October 1902, is considered the first work of muckraking journalism, exposing corruption between businessmen, politicians, police officers and other municipal actor, as well as how apathetic citizens allow machine politics to proceed unfettered.

The article also highlights residents who do fight back, including civil rights lawyer Joseph W. Folk and the workers involved in the St. Louis Streetcar Strike of 1900. Tweed Days was so successful that Steffens traveled on to Minneapolis to report The Shame of Minneapolis, which appeared in the same 1903 issue of McClure's as another muckraking classic, Ida Tarbell's The History of the Standard Oil Company.

Steffens would go on to expose machine politics in Pittsburgh, Chicago, Philadelphia, and New York City. In 1904, McClure's published the series as a book, The Shame of the Cities, which remains stubbornly timely and prescient more than a century later.

Part of Belt's Neighborhood Guidebook Series, The Detroit Neighborhood Guidebook is an exploration of the Motor City's hidden corners told by the people who live and work there.

It seems like everybody in Detroit thinks they know the city's neighborhoods, but because there are so many, their characteristics often become muddled and the stories that define them are often lost. Edited by Aaron Foley, the author of How to Live in Detroit Without Being a Jackass, The Detroit Neighborhood Guidebook is a genuinely felt, wide-ranging collection that gives unique perspective on a city that many people think they have figured out. A homegrown portrait about the lesser-known parts of the city, it showcases the voices and people who make up:

- Cass Corridor

- West Village

- Minock Park

- Warrendale

- Hamtramck

- and almost every other spot in the city.

With short essays and poems by Zoe Villegas, Drew Philip, Hakeem Weatherspoon, Marsha Music, Ian Thibodeau, and dozens of others.

In this guidebook, Detroiters will recognize their hometown and the stories it tells, while readers from outside Detroit will get an insiders' look at an oft-misunderstood American city.

Marie Lathers wades into the history and legends of the Okefenokee Swamp. The Okefenokee, nearly 440,000 acres of bog and swamp lying in south Georgia and north Florida, is the largest blackwater wetland in North America. Almost all of these acres are protected by a National Wildlife Refuge, one of three access points to a land characterized by cypress, Spanish moss, and alligators. This book, with its broad overview of the Swamp and more detailed focus on certain aspects, has something for everyone, the nature-minded, history buffs, and regional culture enthusiasts. Read about the animals named for the Swamp—the Okefenokee fishing spider and zale moth—the history of lumbermen in the Swamp, the religious and musical practices of Swampers, and the novels and movies set in the Land of the Trembling Earth, including, of course, the infamous opossum, Pogo.

Originally a World War II infantry training center, followed by a brief stint as a US Air Force base, Camp Wolters was redesignated a US Army installation in July 1956, and its primary mission was to train helicopter pilots.

Mineral Wells offered an ideal climate and terrain for flight training with predominately clear skies, rolling open ranch land, high bluffs, and the Brazos River valley. An integral part of Mineral Wells’ economy, the flight school expanded in the 1960s due to escalation of the Vietnam War. During the war, with the exception of the US Navy, all helicopter pilots receiving primary flight training passed through Fort Wolters. During its 17 years of operation, over 40,000 pilots were trained, which included international students from 33 countries. The last Fort Wolters pilots graduated in 1973, and it was formally closed in 1975 and was converted into an industrial center.

Wes J. Sheffield is an aviation/aerospace professional and historian. He has taught history at Dallas Baptist University and is an active member of the West Texas Historical Association, serving as the organization’s social media editor. His interest in Fort Wolters began while employed with Bell Helicopter, where he met and later interviewed former Vietnam War helicopter pilots while writing a narrative history of Fort Wolters, US Army Helicopter School. 

Winner of the Pulitzer Prize in 1923, One of Ours is the story of Claude Wheeler, the son of a Nebraska farmer. As a young man, Claude is dissatisfied with Nebraska farm like as well as his marriage to a childhood friend, desperate for a more cosmopolitan life. When America joins the Great War, Claude decides to enlist, where he finds excitement and fulfillment--as well as tragedy--on the battlefield.

One of Ours was considered a failure by some male critics of the day: H. L. Mencken said it drops to the level of a serial in the Ladies' Home Journal, fought out not in France, but on a Hollywood movie-lot, and Ernest Hemingway panned Cather for not having experienced the front-line herself.

However, the Pulitzer committee considered it the greatest novel of the year, and this accessible, dramatic novel sold many more copies than Cather's more famous ones, O, Pioneers! and My Antonia.

A collection of poetry and prose by six incarcerated men. Featuring an introduction by Amber Epps and an afterword by novelist John Edgar Wideman.

The six authors of Life Sentences―Fly, Faruq, Khalifa, Malakki, Oscar, and Shawn―met at the State Correctional Institution in Pittsburgh and came together in 2013 to form the Elsinore Bennu Think Tank for Restorative Justice. The men met weekly for years, along with other writers, activists, and political leaders who bonded over the creation of this book, a hybrid of prison memoir, philosophy, history, policy document, and manifesto.

Centered around the principles of restorative justice, which aims to heal communities broken by criminal and state violence through collective action, Life Sentences is more than a literary collection. It is a how to guide for those who are trapped inside any community. It's also a letter of invitation, asking readers to join with the incarcerated and their families so we can all continue to fly over walls, form loving connections with each other, and teach one another to be free.

An urgent collection that sheds light on the criminal justice system, written by those most directly involved in it.

When asked about the greatest accomplishment of his 34-year congressional career, Mike Mansfield, one of America’s revered political figures, offered a simple reply— “Saving Flathead Lake.”

The largest freshwater lake west of the Mississippi River has centuries of oral and written history. Much like the towns dotting the shore, even the islands of Flathead Lake, such as Wild Horse Island and Melita Island, harbor rich histories. Expectedly, contentious battles over projects arose, including the construction of the Kerr Dam and “The Flathead Lake Fight of 1943.” From the sinking of the Big Fork to the still visible remains of the Helena, the lake has been site to numerous nautical disasters. And unexplained plane crashes, creatures and occurrences have confounded locals throughout the years. Author Butch Larcombe presents factual, well-researched stories that paint a picture of the lake’s colorful people, historic events and lingering mysteries. 

Much was made of the 2016 electoral flip when traditionally Democratic states like Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and Ohio tipped the presidency to Donald Trump. Countless think pieces explored this newfound exotic constituency of blue voters who suddenly swung red. But what about those in the Midwest who remain true blue?

Red State Blues speaks to the lived experience of progressives, activists, and ordinary Democrats who are pushing back against simplistic narratives of the Midwest as Trump Country--a narrative that has erased the region's rich history of grassroots, progressive politics. They've been living there all along, and as the essays in this collection demonstrate, they're not leaving anytime soon.

Edited by Martha Bayne (Rust Belt Chicago, The Chicago Neighborhood Guidebook), the collection includes work from:

- Sarah Kendzior, author of The View from Flyover Country

- Kenyon College president Sean Decatur

- Pittsburgh city councilman Dan Gilman

- Phil Christman, and many more.

A nuanced look at the true complexity of a region that has always refused to submit to stereotypes about it.

In one of Curbed: Detroit's Top 11 Books about Detroit, Aaron Foley, editor of The Detroit Neighborhood Guidebook, offers the definitive inside look at one of America's most talked-about and least understood cities.

With a wry sense of humor, Foley, a native Detroiter, walks you through the most difficult questions about the Motor City, offering seven simple rules for making it there. Perfect for coastal transplants, wary suburbanites, unwitting gentrifiers, or start-up disruptors, this recently updated guidebook offers advice on everything from the glories of Vernors ginger ale to how to rehab a house to how to not sound like an uninformed racist. In twenty short chapters, Foley walks you through:

- How Detroiters do business

- The unofficial guide to enjoying Faygo

- How to be gay in Detroit

- How to raise a Detroit kid

- How to party in Detroit.

Both hilarious and insightful, this no-frills look at Motown is written for those who live there but also, as Vanity Fair put it, for anyone participating in contemporary global urbanization who would like to avoid behaving like a subjugating dick.

Radical Suburbs is a revelation. Amanda Kolson Hurley will open your eyes to the wide diversity and rich history of our ongoing suburban experiment.--Richard Florida

America's suburbs are not the homogenous places we sometimes take them for. Today's suburbs are racially, ethnically, and economically diverse, with as many Democratic as Republican voters, a growing population of renters, and rising poverty. The cliche of broad lawns and white picket fences is well past its expiration date.

The history of suburbia is equally surprising. Rather than bland, sprawling cookie-cutter developments, some American suburbs were once fertile ground for utopian planning, communal living, socially conscious design, and integrated housing. In Radical Suburbs, Amanda Kolson Hurley, an editor at Bloomberg Businessweek, takes us on a tour of some of these radical communities, including:

- the co-housing commune of Old Economy, Pennsylvania

- a tiny-house anarchist community in Piscataway, New Jersey

- a government-planned garden city in Greenbelt, Maryland

- a racially integrated subdivision (before the Fair Housing Act) in Trevose, Pennsylvania

- experimental Modernist enclaves in Lexington, Massachusetts

- and the mixed-use, architecturally daring Reston, Virginia.

Here you will find blueprints for affordable, walkable, and integrated communities, filled with a range of environmentally sound residential options. It's a timely reminder, as NPR put it, that any place, even a suburb, can be radical if you approach it the right way.

An insightful study that will make you rethink your assumptions about suburbia and possibly remake its future.

From the critically acclaimed author of Shizuko’s Daughter (a New York Times Notable Book) and Yarn, comes a fascinating new memoir about animals, loss, and finding a home in the world.

Cat and Bird, a “memoir in animals,” is anchored around Kyoko Mori’s relationship with the six house cats who defined the major eras of her life as a writer: Dorian, Oscar, Ernest, Algernon, Miles, and Jackson. As she details the rhythms and routines of their days together, she weaves a narrative tapestry out of her past: the deep family tragedy and resilience that marked her childhood in Japan, her move to the American Midwest as a young adult, her experiences as a bird rehabilitator and cat trainer, her marriage and divorce, and the joys and profound heartbreaks that come with pet ownership. Full of razor-sharp observations and generous prose, Cat and Bird whirls into a moving meditation about grief, writing, the imagination, the solitary life, and the wonders of companionship with creatures both domestic and wild.