Archive for Items Categorized 'History', only excerpts shown, click title for full entry.

Charlie Schwab, President of Carnegie Steel, U.S. Steel and Bethlehem Steel  

by William R. Huber

Somebody who should know (Thomas Edison) called him the “master hustler.” He became one of the very rich men of his time—and died in debt. Still, 2000 people lined the streets. So what sort of fellow was this?

The 102nd Ambulance Company in World War I

by Andrew W. German

The US entered the war late but right away stood up medical services and set up hospitals that would be located many miles behind the front and accessible by ambulance trains. As if trench warfare and gas gangrene wasn’t bad enough, there’s also the influenza epidemic of 1918. Fortify yourselves.

Railway Travel in World War Two

The really interesting books raise questions you didn’t even know you should be having. Like this one: civilian use of railroads during wartime when resources are limited. Discuss.

Street Fight: The Chicago Taxi Wars of the 1920s

by Anne Morrissy

You’ll never look at a taxi cab the same. Next time you hail one, just be glad that no one is likely to shoot at you because of it. A hundred years ago . . . different story, at least in Chicago.

Sailing the Sweetwater Seas

Wooden Boats and Ships on the Great Lakes, 1817–1940

by George D. Jepson

No railroad lines to speak of, no roads worth the name, the automobile is a long way off. How do we get around? More importantly, how does a young nation, just coming out of the War of 1812, move goods around?

The Diesel Odyssey of Clessie Cummins

by C. Lyle Cummins Jr.

Cummins is not only the name behind the ubiquitous Cummins Diesel truck engine but also a world speed and endurance record holder. Readers with historical awareness will recognize in the publisher’s name a clever homage to Sadi Carnot, the brilliant young French scientist who is considered the father of thermodynamics.

NSU, The Complete Story

by Mick Walker

From knitting machines in 1873—by way of bicycles, motorcycles, and cheap but well-built small cars—to the futuristic, luxurious, world-class Wankel-engined Ro 80 passenger car in 1967 (that year’s European “Car of the Year” and also unofficial Car of the Decade) NSU was one of Germany’s pioneering manufacturers.

Cord Complete

by Josh B. Malks

Cord Complete is simply the most appropriate title possible for this book for a myriad of reasons. Comprehensiveness is just one of those reasons. It is an amplification of Malks’ earlier volume on the same topic.

Thousand Mile Trial 1900

by Elizabeth Bennett

Imagine a time when the car was new, few people had seen let alone experienced one, and even the talking heads did not seriously expect it “to take.” What the world needed was proof of the motorcar’s effectiveness and resilience: 1000 miles through England and Scotland outta do it.

Bomber

by Len Deighton

This is a novel but the level of research and attention to detail Deighton brought to bear could have easily yielded a nonfiction analysis of one fateful day and night in 1943 pinning German air defenses and RAF Bomber Command against each other.

A History of Auto Racing in New England

Dick Berggren, editor

Unless you live there you probably had no idea how long ago racing started in that region. This excellent book connects many dots that extend far beyond those six states.

Postcards of the Army Service Corps 1902–1918: Coming of Age

by Michael Young

From eggs to ammo, the Army Service Corps kept front-line troops fighting. This book presents hundreds of postcards showing what the daily grind was like, and from locales to fashion, it gives anyone with an interest in things historical something to relate to.

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