New Book Releases

Fleischmann is a brand name that everyone recognizes, even if they have never baked bread from scratch, drunk a Fleischmann's gin and tonic, or used their vinegar and margarine. Charles Fleischmann, in fact, pretty much invented the brand name and this continued recognition is testimonial to his genius. At one time, teenagers around the country ate fresh yeast cakes by the millions to improve their skin, and corporate success was measured in pound of live yeast consumed per capita. And the great Fleischmann distilleries kept America jolly from 1870 to Prohibition and afterward. Charles Fleischmann and his brothers, sons, daughter, and grandsons amassed a fortune that would be easily equivalent to the billionaires of today--and it all started through the scientific husbandry of a tiny one-celled fungus known as yeast. Add sugar and water, and you get alcohol and more yeast--simply alter it slightly and you get vinegar. Multiply it times a million and you have the beginnings of the modern industrial food industry in America. This book is a snapshot of a unique family from Central Europe that changed the way America cooked. A family business from the Civil War until the start of the Depression, Fleischmann's created the giant food conglomerate Standard Brands, which was in-turn gobbled up by Nabisco in the 1980s. In its long history, it literally invented the coupon premium, the give-away recipe book, and state fair bake-offs. This is a story of a talented, generous, outrageously successful family, and of a brand name that still conjures up delicious memories of freshly baked bread and a most happy well being. The Fleischmann story is America at its finest.

Shopping has always been big business. Learn all about the golden age of Cleveland's department stores by retail historian Christopher Faircloth.

Originating as simple storefront operations, Cleveland's department stores grew as population and industry in the region boomed throughout the late 19th century and the first half of the 20th. They moved into ever larger and elaborate structures in an attempt to woo the shopping dollars of blue-collar and genteel Clevelanders alike. Stores such as Halle's, Higbee's, May Company, Bailey Company, Sterling-Lindner-Davis, and others both competed with and complemented one another, all the while leaving an indelible mark on the culture of northeast Ohio and beyond. From the humble origins of Halle's horse-drawn delivery wagons to Christmas favorites like Mr. Jingeling and the massive Christmas tree at Sterling-Lindner-Davis - it is all here in crisp, black-and-white images, many of which have not been seen in print for decades.