New Book Releases

Spartan tradition is more than the coaches and players on the field, however, and Michigan State Football: They Are Spartans offers many rare images and long-forgotten anecdotes about how the program became a player on the national stage. The early days as a farm college team, the development into a football power as an independent, the successful struggle to join the Big Ten conference, and of course, the historic rivalry with a certain team from Ann Arbor are all recounted in the pages of this book.

Never before seen photographs of Detroit's annual Thanksgiving parade are collected included in this collection.

Since 1924, Detroit's annual Thanksgiving parade has delighted people of all ages. The parade's spectacular balloons, floats, bands, special guests, and holiday spirit have made it the most celebrated civic event in Detroit. This book commemorates the parade tradition with a look back at over 75 years of magic and enchantment. A unique assortment of historic photographs leads readers on a nostalgic journey down Woodward Avenue and through the memories and hearts of generations.

In the 20th century, the rapid ascent of the automobile industry after World War One and the tremendous increase in Detroit's population triggered a parallel growth in the Archdiocese of Detroit. Witness the lean years of the 1930s when the Depression gave rise to Detroit's most famous cleric, Father Charles Coughlin, the "radio priest" of Royal Oak. March to the battlefront in the 1940s as Monsignor Joseph Ciarrocchi used the printed word as his weapon in America's fight against fascism. Relive the prosperous 1950s as the post-war baby boomers made their presence felt in every parish school. Finally, reflect on Catholic Detroiters during the turbulent 1960s.

In 1903, the Israelite House of David was founded, alongside the House of David baseball team; they quickly became a nationally known team, playing against some of the best of the time.

The Israelite House of David was founded in 1903, as a religious colony in Benton Harbor, Michigan. As news of their prowess spread, the team received more and more press throughout the country. An entrepreneurial group of worshippers, the colony contributed much to the community, including a traveling baseball team that toured the United States, Canada, and Mexico. The almost 200 images collected here by authors Joel Hawkins and Terry Bertolino document the history of this bearded, barnstorming group of baseball players throughout their careers. The colony accomplished much within the community, credited with inventing the automatic pinsetter used in bowling and the first cold storage facility in the county. However, it was the House of David baseball players that caught the nation's attention, with their long hair and beards, which was forbidden to be cut or shaved as a code of their faith. Much like the Negro Leagues of the same period, the House of David baseball players would criss-cross the country, playing with such greats as the Kansas City Monarchs, Pittsburgh Crawfords, and Satchel Paige and his All Stars.

At the height of America's Arts and Crafts movement, Detroit neighbors Horace J. Caulkins and Mary Chase Perry pooled their talents together to found Pewabic Pottery.

With modest beginnings in 1903, Pewabic transformed from a rented stable in Brush Park to an English Tudor building on East Jefferson Avenue, where it has operated since 1907. Today, the iconic enterprise continues Perry's dedication to handcrafted ceramics and remains known for its iridescent glaze on everything from vessels and architectural tiles to ecclesiastical installations in churches across the country, including the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. Author Cara Catallo illuminates the story behind one of the oldest American handcrafted pottery traditions.

People of Italian descent have been present in Detroit since Alfonso Tonti, second-in-command to Antoine Cadillac, participated in the founding of the city in 1701.

By the close of the 19th century, the trickle of Italian immigrants had become a torrent, as thousands rushed to the growing industrial center. Settling on the lower east side, the community grew rapidly, especially north and east into Macomb County. Italians in Detroit did not remain in a ""little Italy,"" but mingled with the diverse population of the city. Through a combination of hard work and strong family and community ties, the Italians of Detroit have achieved their dreams of a better life. They have met the challenges of living in a new land while nurturing the culture of the old country. The challenge that remains is to nurture a love of heritage among young Italian Americans as the immigrant generation fades.

A Vehicle City Success Story

The history of Flint's food culture has always been largely overshadowed by the stories of its industries. But the origins and rapid expansion of the number of Macedonian Coney shops in Flint paralleled the explosive growth of the city's automotive industry throughout the twentieth century. Born of an immigrant escaping the war-torn Balkans in the early 1900s who combined his idea for one dish with the skills of butchering and meatpacking experts from Wisconsin and Germany, the simple Flint Coney became an institution among the city's autoworkers, tradespeople, and families. Mainstays such as Flint Original Coney Island, Angelo's, and Atlas were frequented by regular patrons for decades, with others such as Capitol and Starlite carrying on those traditions today.

Genesee County native Dave Liske explores these global origins and the cultural history of the Flint Coney.

The 1930 Holland Evening Sentinel banner headline read: "Tulip Reigns as Queen of City." Throughout the decade, motion picture and radio personalities visited to promote the festival. The Holland Furnace Company, then the city's largest corporation, sponsored special radio programs that were broadcast nationwide.

After World War II, Holland saw the festival grow into the nation's third largest annual event. Visitors have enjoyed parades that included street scrubbing, "klompen" dancing, floats, and more than 50 bands. When Tulip Time began, 85 percent of the names in the Holland telephone directory were Dutch. Over time, the community's cultural diversity has evolved and is now reflected in the festival.

Take a fascinating journey through the history of Huron County, Michigan with more than 200 vintage photographs and anecdotes from the locals who experienced it.

Huron County, Michigan, was organized by the Michigan legislature in 1859 and quickly became known for its abundant natural resources-in particular, lumber. In the summer of 1881, disaster struck, as 1,500 square miles of forest burned. Huron County rose again, replacing lumbering with agriculture as its major industry. This agricultural tradition, along with commercial fishing, continues to this day.

In Huron County, Michiganthe Huron County Historical Societyshowcases the histories of the communities of Bad Axe, Bay Port and Ora Labora, Caseville, Elkton, Harbor Beach and Port Hope, Pigeon, Port Austin, Sebewaing, Ubly, and White Rock, using over 200 vintage photographs. Stop by the Caseville Mercantileor visit the old Caseville High School. Go back in time to the 1933 Sebewaing Farmers and Merchantsparade that wound its way through the downtown area. A 1920s Prohibitionscene comes to life in Bad Axe as Deputy Duncan McKenzie dumps illegal whiskey into the sewer at the site of today's old City Hall.

For more than 130 years, there has been no sweeter word in Detroit than Sanders.

Sanders was more than just an ice-cream and candy shop--a Detroit icon, it served a fountain of memories for generations. The venerable confectioner was once as much a part of Detroit's streetscape as the Big Three, Hudson's, and Coney Islands, where customers stood two and three deep behind lunch counters for tuna or egg salad sandwiches, devil's food buttercream "bumpy'? cake, hot fudge sundaes, and Sanders' signature dessert--hot fudge cream puffs. As Detroit boomed, so did Sanders, and at its peak, the company boasted more than 50 stores, with its products available in as many as 200 supermarkets. The Motor City nearly lost Sanders in the mid-1980s, but its dessert shops have begun to resurface, thanks to another Detroit institution, Morley Brands LLC, which bought the Sanders brand in 2002. Even after more than a century has passed when Fred Sanders opened his first shop in Chicago, Sanders Confectionery has opportunity to become a national player in desserts and candy.