We traversed with delight new reaches of the shore . . . one mile there was as good as two elsewhere.
--Henry David Thoreau describing Truro in Cape Cod
Like Thoreau, all who venture to Truro experience sheer delight at their first glimpse of this fabled coast. The Outer Cape's hauntingly beautiful beaches have been attracting tourists since their discovery. Yet, as longtime resident Richard Whalen expertly chronicles in Truro: The Story of a Cape Cod Town, there is far more to Truro than its coastal fringe. The Pilgrims thought first of settling in Truro; the town almost had its own Boston Tea Party; and its tiny militia took 460 British prisoners after the wreck of their warship. Now, Truro enjoys status as a favorite summer destination--even as conservationists work to preserve the fragile shoreline. Read Truro to discover the compelling story of a town whose fortunes remain forever linked with the sea.

Not just home to Old Salem and tobacco tycoons, Winston-Salem has more stories to tell. Author Michael Bricker chronicles the history of Winston-Salem, North Carolina, in this interesting and accessible account that spans from the development of Moravian Salem and industrial Winston to the modern day. Conventional versions of Winston-Salem's past tend to focus on the city's famed public figures and wealthy businessmen, but this book also uncovers stories of the workers who built the tobacco and textile industries that have made this city what it is today. With an informative and entertaining approach, Bricker also discusses the effects of the Civil War, the Industrial Revolution, Prohibition, the Great Depression and the cold war upon the Twin City. This history is a must-read for all those fortunate enough to call Winston-Salem "home."

Settled in the 1600s, Brooklyn Heights is one of New York's most historic neighborhoods.

Its strategic location overlooking the harbor proved instrumental during the Revolutionary War's Battle of Brooklyn. In the 1830s, steam ferries transformed it into America's first suburb, where abolitionism flourished and one of the largest Civil War Sanitary Fairs was held. Throughout the nineteenth century, wealthy philanthropists and entrepreneurs built high-styled Gothic Revival and Italianate homes and founded many landmark Brooklyn institutions. Though the neighborhood declined with the new century, it became a target of Robert Moses's urban renewal projects in the 1930s. Its designation as the city's first historic district saved Brooklyn Heights, and it has since blossomed into one of the city's most desirable neighborhoods.

Wild Edento Cotton Aristocracyis an impeccably researched and superbly written must-read for all whose hearts call Edisto home.

Beautiful Edisto Island has not always been a vacationers' haven in the South Carolina Lowcountry. Before European settlement, it was home to the Edisto Indians, who had seasonal fishing camps in the area, and a wide variety of wildlife. By the beginning of the Civil War, the wealthy planters had largely abandoned the area. What happened between those two periods is a must-read for fans of coastal South Carolina.

Author Charles Spencer chronicles Edisto's history, from the early days when English and Scottish planters and their African slaves settled the lush island paradise and established plantations that flourished until the Civil War.

The history of the city of Johnstown, Pennsylvania, is a testament to the strength of the people that call it home.

In the second volume of history for this stalwart Pennsylvania city, Randy Whittle shows how Johnstown pulled together, even after the devastation of a flood in 1936 that wrought massive damage throughout the community. Following World War II, the community struggled to rise above adversity in the economy and to establish civil rights for all. Johnstown is a true American city, as strong as the steel that is forged in its famous mills. From Johnstown's enormous contribution in steel and coal to the war effort to its recovery after the monumental flood of 1977, Whittle's book shows how the people of Johnstown made it the modern city it is today.