New Book Releases

Name: Pleasure Island:
Brand: Robert McLaughlin
SKU: 9781467121200
Price: 24.99 USD
Availability: InStock

We’re always on the hunt for the next great American history book. When we find it, you’ll see about it here, with our new book releases. We release new history books each month in a variety of subjects and series. Browse through all of our newest titles below, and discover your next favorite history book at Arcadia Publishing! [View all New Book Releases]

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Weir Farm National Historic Site

$24.99

Ted Williams and Friends

$24.99

Abandoned Asylums of Connecticut

Bartlett Arboretum & Gardens

$24.99

The Wild Gardens of Acadia

$24.99

Brewing in Maine

$24.99

Hampton and Hampton Beach

$24.99

Abandoned Asylums of Massachusetts

$24.99

Pleasure Island:

9781467121200

$24.99

Pleasure Island opened on June 22, 1959, in Wakefield, Massachusetts. Designed by Marco Engineering of Los Angeles, it was the second of three innovative theme parks built across America to mimic Disneyland. Pleasure Island was conceived by William Hawkes, president of Child Life magazine, and with support from Boston's Cabot, Cabot & Forbes and local and national investors, the vision of the park was brought to life. Just by passing through a turnstile, children and the young at heart could leave the present and enter into a world of the past. Clipper Cove was a replica of an old New England fishing village, and Goldpan Gulch re-created the Old West. With state-of-the-art attractions and national and local live entertainment, Pleasure Island became one of the top-grossing parks in the nation. Known as the "Disneyland of the East," the park was enjoyed for 11 seasons, until its closing in 1969.

Manchester

9781467127110

$24.99

Known as New Hampshire's "Queen City," Manchester could be called "Change City." Throughout its history, it has reinvented itself many times. From a Native American fishing and gathering place called Amoskeag to a Yankee colonial town known as Derryfield, it became a multiethnic industrial center, the "Manchester of America," home of the world-famous Amoskeag Manufacturing Company (1831-1936). When Amoskeag Manufacturing closed during the Depression, "the city that would not die" was reborn through more diversified industries that carried it through the post-World War II era. Several decades of urban renewal saw the demolition of many older buildings and entire neighborhoods. Lamenting the loss of Boston & Maine Railroad's Union Station and St. Mary's Bank's marble building, Manchester residents drew inspiration from the US bicentennial in 1976 to create a renaissance of interest in history and architecture, which brought about the adaptation to modern use of several remaining older structures. Yet more major losses came in 1978 and 1989 with the destruction of the State Theatre and Manchester's beloved Notre Dame Bridge.

Weir Farm National Historic Site

9781467103046

$24.99

Weir Farm National Historic Site is Connecticut's first national park and the only one in America dedicated to painting. No other book chronicles the property's rescue from residential development to its establishment as a park. The story is told through the only artistic photographic collection documenting Weir Farm National Historic Site, most of which has never been published before. Weir Farm was the home of Julian Alden Weir (1852-1919), a leading innovator of American Impressionism. The farm's landscape inspired countless masterpieces created by Weir, his famous painter-friends, two subsequent generations of artist-owners, and contemporary artists who continue to create at the park. In 2020, this iconic site will be featured on the US quarter.

Ted Williams and Friends

9781467122948

$24.99

Ted Williams capped a storybook baseball career with a storybook ending, hitting a home run in his last at bat in the major leagues. That blast, on a dreary September 28, 1960, at Boston's Fenway Park, ushered in a post-playing career during which the Red Sox legend would become a first-ballot Hall of Famer just six years later. During his retirement, he maintained his longtime active assistance of the Jimmy Fund in its fight against cancer, encouraged youngsters at his Ted Williams Baseball Camp, and coached current and future big leaguers in Red Sox spring training. In 1969, he was named American League Manager of the Year; in 1991, he received a Presidential Medal of Freedom from George H.W. Bush; and in 1995, a Boston tunnel was dedicated in his honor. In one of his last appearances, Ted joined fellow nominees for baseball's All-Century Team at the 1999 All-Star Game at Fenway Park--creating an iconic, lasting image of the man known as "The Kid," the "Splendid Splinter," and "Teddy Ballgame."

Rocky Point Park

9781467123365

$24.99

In 1938, a tremendous hurricane devastated southern New England, including Rocky Point Park. The shore dining hall was washed away, and the roller coaster lay in ruins. Owners began to look into other options for this beautiful 80 acres of land along the coastline of Narragansett Bay. The park's future was in jeopardy until 1948, when Providence businessman Vincent Ferla bought it and brought it back to life. He revitalized the midway and brought in new and exciting rides, and on the park's first day back, more than 35,000 people visited. The park thrived for nearly 50 years until its eventual closure in 1995. Today, this scenic spot along the Atlantic Ocean has been returned to the people of Rhode Island as a nature preserve and is flourishing once again.

Amesbury

9781467134163

$24.99

In 1968, Amesbury celebrated its 300th anniversary. Residents compiled a cookbook, commemorative coins were sold, dances and plays were held, and townspeople dressed in period costume as part of the many events for the town's tercentenary. Since then, Amesbury has grown considerably, with many new businesses--furniture makers, fine food products, Norman's Restaurant, and clothing shops--emerging. Old mills have been reinvented into spaces for artists, photographers, and other creative outlets. The downtown area has been redeveloped and is a welcoming site as one enters Amesbury. One only needs to sit in Market Square, stroll along the Riverwalk, watch the falls of the Powow River in the Millyard, or listen to a concert in the amphitheater to experience Amesbury's charm. Despite a 1996 vote changing the town into a city, this great community retains the same small-town feel it has held for so many years.

Brockton

9781467133951

$24.99

First gaining notoriety as the shoe city, Brockton grew and flourished toward the end of the 19th century. As the halcyon days of the shoe industry waned, however, Brockton experienced many changes. After World War II, major residential development took place in the form of affordable single-family homes, and four new junior high schools and (eventually) a new high school were built. Housing for senior citizens and low-income residents was constructed, and new commercial buildings replaced those from a bygone era. Today, the city is still transforming as former shoe factories and commercial blocks are preserved and rehabilitated into new usage—whether residential, commercial, or industrial. Once a one-industry town, Brockton today is diverse in its industry and its people as it continues to be the City of Champions.

Fenway Park

9781467128278

$24.99

In June 1967, Red Sox owner Tom Yawkey declared Fenway Park outdated and stated that without help from the city for a new ballpark, he would consider moving his team. That same year, an impossible dream came true as the 100-1 underdog Red Sox won the pennant and a record-setting 1.7 million fans visited Fenway. Since then, approximately 110 million fans have watched the Red Sox play at what is now called "America's Most Beloved Ballpark." While Fenway Park was once known for simply resembling a warehouse, its nearby streets now hold a baseball festival every game. Those festivals have grown to include concerts, hockey, soccer, and high school football. The exterior walls of the park extoll the accomplishments of each Red Sox World Championship team and fly the banners of Red Sox Hall of Famers since the team's birth in 1901. Red Sox bronzed immortals stand watch at the entrance to Gate B.

Bartlett Arboretum & Gardens

9781467125017

$24.99

Bartlett Arboretum & Gardens follows the history of this exquisite Stamford, Connecticut, gem from its genesis as a tree research lab and a training school for arborists to today's 93 acres of irreplaceable open space. It highlights the best of what Connecticut's native landscape has to offer: magnificent award-winning champion trees, charming gardens, wildflower meadows, red maple wetlands and boardwalks, woodland walking trails, varied wildlife, and native habitats. As the original home of Francis A. Bartlett, the founder of the F.A. Bartlett Tree Expert Company, the grounds were developed with his favorite trees, including nut trees, small flowering trees, and conifers, from around the world. This is a fascinating story about the passing of the property from Bartlett to the State of Connecticut to the City of Stamford, the hundreds of volunteers who have advocated and toiled to keep the arboretum beautiful and accessible to the public, and the impressive century-old plants.

The Wild Gardens of Acadia

9781467115278

$24.99

Founded in 1961 at Sieur de Monts Spring in Maine's Acadia National Park, the Wild Gardens of Acadia display, preserve, propagate, and label native plants in areas simulating natural plant communities. The gardens, which originated from a competition in growing native plants sponsored by the Bar Harbor Garden Club, continue to be developed and maintained by volunteers in partnership with Friends of Acadia and Acadia National Park. Each of the gardens" 13 habitats, ranging from mountain to beach to bog to deciduous and coniferous woods, displays plants native to the park. Since the founding, countless park visitors have come to the gardens to identify plants they have seen on walks or hikes or to learn more about cultivating native plants. Many of the images in this book are drawn from the extensive photograph collection of the Wild Gardens of Acadia.

Brewing in Maine

9781467115698

$24.99

Maine was once a national leader in the temperance movement to outlaw alcohol. In the last 30 years, however, the Pine Tree State has been equally influential in the craft beer movement. Since 1986, when David and Karen Geary opened New England's first microbrewery, more than 50 breweries have opened in Maine. The state not only ranks among the top 10 for breweries per capita, it also boasts two of the 50 largest craft breweries in the country. The personalities and visions of the brewers are as diverse as the beers they create. Some have opened their breweries in the hulking mill complexes of Lewiston and Biddeford or the former factories of Portland. Others have brewed at the scenic mountain resorts of Sugarloaf and Sunday River or on the quaint, historic wharves of Belfast and Kennebunk, and even on distant Monhegan Island. Farmstead breweries have sprung up from Skowhegan to Lyman, while the state's industrial parks are no less fertile.

Hampton and Hampton Beach

9781467116633

$24.99

Hampton Beach is a gem tucked away on New Hampshire's 18-mile coastline, but its unique qualities and picturesque views have made it one of New England's most beloved vacation destinations. At the center of beach activity is the Seashell Complex and the Hampton Beach Casino. The Seashell has been on the coast since 1962, and the Casino Ballroom has occupied Ocean Boulevard for over 110 years. The community boasts a seamless combination of old and new, from the recent Hampton Beach Redevelopment Project to the long-standing Ashworth by the Sea Hotel. Its small-town values, annual parades and festivals, and weekly fireworks continue as they have for decades.