New & Coming Soon

Michigan is home to an amazing array of food and drink brands, each with a fascinating story behind it.

Ready-to-eat breakfast cereals like Kellogg’s and Post changed how the world eats, and Gerber first made baby food commercially available. But the Wolverine State is bursting with many other notable edibles, such as Faygo, American Spoon, Jiffy, Sanders and Vernors. Better Made uses Michigan potatoes for its chips. Fudge, pasties and anything made with cherries are also local standards. Others are gone but not forgotten, like Awrey’s and Twin Pines.

Authors Gail Offen and Jon Milan explore the history and stories behind all of these and many, many more.

Most know Detroit as the hometown of Motown legends like Diana Ross, Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder. And they’re all here! But beyond the well-known list of famous Detroiters awaits a veritable who’s who of pop culture, sports, TV, movies and more.

Christie Brinkley, Robin Williams, Sonny Bono, Lucille Ball, Charles Lindbergh, Robert Wagner, Lizzo, Tom Selleck, Ty Cobb, the creator of Gumby, the guy who portrayed Jaws in the James Bond films, and many more.

Compiling over 100 names and places, author Steve Platto leads a celebrity tour of the Motor City that readers can take with them on their own travels or explore from the comfort of home.

The very best writing from one of America’s most groundbreaking literary magazines.

When Creative Nonfiction debuted in 1994, the literary genre it championed was largely the target of skepticism or downright ridicule. But at a time when few editors were interested in the personal essay, the magazine doggedly explored new ideas and fresh modes of expression, and over the next three decades, its contributors pioneered what would come to be known as the “fourth genre.”

The thirty-two essays collected here bring together some of the finest work Creative Nonfiction published over its seventy-eight issues. Read Pulitzer Prize-winner Charles Simic’s boyhood remembrances of the bombing of Belgrade, Carolyn Forche’s haunting, lyric catalog of her daily life as she faced down a cancer diagnosis, and John Edgar Wideman’s meditation on the photo of a murdered boy his same age—Emmett Till—and how the image haunted him forever. Here, you'll find work by such luminaries as Adrienne Rich and John McPhee, but also essays from more contemporary voices like Brian Broome, Elizabeth Fortescue, and Anne McGrath.

With an introduction by Lee Gutkind, Creative Nonfiction’s founder and editor, this collection captures the evolution of a genre and the amazing work of the little magazine that helped make it all happen. 

Dr. Bobbie Chew Bigby (Cherokee) and Randy Palmer (Kiowa/Choctaw) have collected colorful photographs showcasing one of the earliest, longest-running, and most cherished American Indian cultural attractions in the country, Indian City USA.

Located in Anadarko, Oklahoma, Indian City USA was open from the mid-1950s through the end of the 2000s. Drawing on vibrant postcard images, family photographs, and maps, together with the oral histories of those who worked and lived there, this book provides a unique view into Indian City USA and what made it so special for so many people.

Travel to the past and enjoy a string quartet and an eight-course dinner in an elegant wilderness.

Beginning in the 1880s, the beauty of Lake Tahoe enticed entrepreneurs to build the most opulent resort hotels in America catering to the wealthiest from California and Nevada. Baldwin’s Tallac House, the Tahoe Tavern and Brockway Hot Springs Hotel fought to outdo one another as they took luxury to new heights with musical entertainment, movies, horseback excursions and five-star dining. Tahoe Tavern even featured its own private railway, while Brockway spawned America’s first gambling casino resort, the Cal-Neva Lodge, where celebrities mingled with mobsters. By the 1960s, the golden era had begun to fade as the tourist demographic shifted, but a splendid legacy endures.

Author Paul Nelson brings to life the intrigue and opulence of Lake Tahoe’s earliest resorts.

A Portal to Rock ‘N’ Roll History

During the 1970s, Chicagoland venues hosted an eclectic mix of legendary rock ‘n’ roll acts that thrilled audiences. Fans flocked to historic venues like the Auditorium Theater, International Amphitheatre, Arie Crown Theatre, Kinetic Playground and B’Ginnings to forge relationships and hear music that shaped their youth and endured a lifetime. Acts like Led Zeppelin, the Who, Rolling Stones, Black Sabbath, Wings, Genesis and so many others took the stage here during rock’s most prolific and memorable era.  Jim Summaria and Mark Plotnick bring those mind-blowing performances back to life with exclusive concert photos, histories, trivia and more.  

Anxiety may be the defining feeling of our current era, and though it affects many people on a deeply personal level, the last few years have also witnessed the rise of more communal feelings of dread and unknowing, problems that sometimes seem too big to face. Will the United States remain a democracy? Can we still have meaningful lives amid the rubble of late capitalism and the inevitable creep of climate change? How do we even start to grapple with a problem so large it seems to pervade almost every corner of our lives?

In Reading Arendt in the Waiting Room, Jonathan Foiles, a licensed psychotherapist and lecturer at the University of Chicago’s Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice, explains how philosophy can help us respond to these deep questions and communal worries about modern life. Read how Søren Kierkegaard can speak to feelings of helplessness in the face of police violence, how Hannah Arendt can help us rethink the seemingly unavoidable problem of a warming planet, and how social advocates like Jane Addams and Dorothy Day can offer hope and resolve in a world that sometimes seems like it’s already ended.

Thoughtful, discerning, personal, and accessible, Reading Arendt in the Waiting Room will serve as a concise companion for anyone looking to address our cultural unease and find new ways to face it together. 

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.

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.

O. Henry’s classic 1905 Christmas story in an elegant gift hardback with illustrations. A treasure for readers of any age.

This sentimental holiday classic follows a young married couple and the sacrifices made to purchase cherished gifts for each other only to discover the true gift of Christmas is not found in objects but in their own devoted love. 

The Applewood Holiday Classics series presents some of the most beloved holiday short stories in a warm, elegant hardback edition with attractive illustrations. Perfect as a cherished seasonal book or a holiday gift for any occasion.

This abbreviated board book edition is the perfect introduction to this classic tale!

Take the classic story of jolly old St. Nicholas, place it in a Louisiana bayou setting, dress Santa Claus in muskrat “from his head to his foot,” pile his skiff high with toys, and hitch it to eight friendly alligators. The result is this modern classic. Fifty years after its first appearance, Cajun Night Before Christmas® has sold more than one million copies and has served as the model for Pelican’s ongoing, best-selling Night Before Christmas Series.

The Cajun Night Before Christmas® has been a part of Louisiana’s holiday traditions since it was first published in 1973. A delight to both young and old with its rustic full-color illustrations and lively story, it has become a timeless addition to holiday celebrations far beyond south Louisiana, reaching all corners of the country with its charming presentation of Christmas on the bayou and the break-out star of Gaston® the Green-Nosed Alligator.

Conceived by J. B. Kling, Jr., Cajun Night Before Christmas® originally appeared as a Christmas message from Bergeron Plymouth Company of New Orleans. Under the pseudonymous byline “Trosclair,” the story won a Clio Award in 1967 from the Academy of Television and Radio Advertising.

Brought to life by the talented James Rice, the humorous illustrations of a colorful bayou Christmas have been nationally recognized as a classic in its genre.

Anxiety may be the defining feeling of our current era, and though it affects many people on a deeply personal level, the last few years have also witnessed the rise of more communal feelings of dread and unknowing, problems that sometimes seem too big to face. Will the United States remain a democracy? Can we still have meaningful lives amid the rubble of late capitalism and the inevitable creep of climate change? How do we even start to grapple with a problem so large it seems to pervade almost every corner of our lives?

In Reading Arendt in the Waiting Room, Jonathan Foiles, a licensed psychotherapist and lecturer at the University of Chicago’s Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice, explains how philosophy can help us respond to these deep questions and communal worries about modern life. Read how Søren Kierkegaard can speak to feelings of helplessness in the face of police violence, how Hannah Arendt can help us rethink the seemingly unavoidable problem of a warming planet, and how social advocates like Jane Addams and Dorothy Day can offer hope and resolve in a world that sometimes seems like it’s already ended.

Thoughtful, discerning, personal, and accessible, Reading Arendt in the Waiting Room will serve as a concise companion for anyone looking to address our cultural unease and find new ways to face it together.

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.

Founded by the Atlantic & Pacific Railroad in 1880, Winslow evolved from a company boomtown into a small city whose historic character is defined primarily by its location along US Route 66 since the highway’s designation in 1926. Now Historic Route 66, it runs the length of Winslow on Second and Third Streets, which are lined with renovated early- to mid-20th-century buildings.

As director of the Winslow Historical Society’s Old Trails Museum, author Ann-Mary J. Lutzick researches and writes about how Winslow’s rich history is reflected in its buildings and sites along Route 66 and beyond, many of which are listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

Discover the Shipbuilding Dynasties that Built Philadelphia's Maritime Industry

The waterfront of Kensington and Fishtown in Philadelphia attracted a host of innovative and hardworking shipwrights from America’s earliest days. As fleets transitioned from wooden-hulled ships of sail to iron steamships, the tradesmen of Kensington’s shipwright dynasties were at the forefront of the global shipbuilding industry throughout the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Kensington’s shipyards saw the birth of screw propulsion, revolutionizing the speed and reliability of ships forever afterward. The Industrial Revolution in Philadelphia, which earned the city its motto “Workshop of the World,” fostered innovation and invention in the local maritime industry. For this reason, Kensington shipwrights commanded worldwide respect.

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.

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.

Crime writer Cathy Pickens brings a novelist’s eye to the stories that define the sinister—and quirky—side of the Triad.

The Triad region ranks high in national murder statistics, but crime stories are always more interesting than numbers. Crimes in North Carolina’s Piedmont happen in small towns, rural farmhouses and elegant mansions, carried out by criminals who were just visiting, some who were born in the Triad but moved elsewhere, and plenty who stayed close to home. Delve into the tale of Nannie Doss, the giggling grandma who lived in Lexington long enough to poison one of her husbands. The now-famous Alford plea was first used in Winston-Salem. Learn the real story of the Reynolds tobacco heir whose Lindbergh-inspired flight ambitions ended with a single gunshot.

Home to the United States Naval Academy since 1845, Annapolis and its busy harbor attract visitors from around the world.

Since its founding in the 1600s, Annapolis has played an important role in American history. The area became Maryland’s capital in 1694, and its capitol building is the longest in continuous use in the United States. John L. Conley is an Annapolis area writer. The historic images in this book are from his personal collection.

With its sweeping vistas and rugged beauty, the Pacific Northwest is a natural setting for the extraordinary.



Strange tales of paranormal phenomena and other wild stories thrive among the trees and waterways, including sightings of Bigfoot, werewolves, and other mysterious cryptids. Is there a curse tied to the worst streetcar disaster in Tacoma—and America—that resulted in 44 deaths? Rumor has it that a model carved from the wooden remains of the crash claimed at least three more lives. A tree stump in Crater Lake is said to have power over the weather, and Terrible Tilly, a lighthouse on Tillamook Head, claimed several victims both before and after it was built.

Author and historian Ira Wesley Kitmacher explores the mysterious side of the Pacific Northwest. 

Ducks across the Big Sky

To hunt ducks in Montana—where the land breathes history—is to experience extremes in geography, weather and wildlife. The breadth of mountains and prairie is unlike anywhere else in the Lower 48. Both the Central and Pacific flyways span the state’s iconic wetlands, rivers and lakes. Hunting opportunities abound thanks to the state’s wildlife conservation legacy on public and private lands. Hunters walk in the footsteps of plains Indians, Lewis and Clark and mountain men while looking for a spot to pitch decoys. Embark on an epic and distinct Big Sky journey with author and hunter Matt Wemple, where a moose or grizzly bear could stroll through the decoys at any time. 

This leather bound limited edition contains the complete text of the United States Constitution, including all of its amendments, and features short biographies and commissioned line portraits of each of the signers.

The landmark legal documents of the United States, the U.S. Constitution comprises the primary law of the Federal Government. Signed by the members of the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia on September 17, 1787, the Constitution outlines the powers and responsibilities of the three chief branches of the Federal Government, as well as the basic rights of the citizens of the United States.