Category Archives: history

This week at the library: Little Ice Age, and Bernard Cornwell

Posted on January 23, 2013 by smellincoffee

Last night I finished Battleflag, third in the Nathaniel Starbuck series. Seeing as I just finished and commented on Copperhead, posting extensive thoughts on Battleflag seemed redundant. Nate is still the son of a Boston abolitionist preacher fighting for the south … Continue reading →

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The Great Railroad Revolution

Posted on December 31, 2012 by smellincoffee

The Great Railroad Revolution: A History of Trains in America© 2012 Christian Wolmar448 pages The United States’ history is one written with novelty: born in the dawn of the industrial age,  America was a blank slate for technologies with the … Continue reading →

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Flushed

Posted on October 27, 2012 by smellincoffee

Flushed: How the Plumber Saved Civilization© 2006 W. Hodding Carter241 pages So, plumbing.  You use it.  Chances are you wouldn’t be alive without it, because civilizations without plumbing tend to be miserable places rife with disease. Despite its importance, not much fuss … Continue reading →

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Bitterly Divided

Posted on October 26, 2012 by smellincoffee

Bitterly Divided: the South’s Inner Civil War© 2008 David Williams310 pages Why did the South lose the Civil War? Was it the strengths of the Union — a better rail network, a superior manufacturing base, more soldiers? David Williams doesn’t … Continue reading →

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Germany

Posted on October 3, 2012 by smellincoffee

Germany: Unraveling an Enigma© 2000 Paul Nees236 pages If you follow European news, chances are good that you’ve heard the name Angela Merkel in recent months. Chancellor of Germany, her nation is the economic heart of Europe and essential to … Continue reading →

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Moon Shot

Posted on September 17, 2012 by smellincoffee

Moon Shot: the Inside Story of America’s Race to the Moon© 1995 Alan Shepard, Deke Slayton. Introduction by Neil Armstrong383 pages The Apollo program has been in the news as of late given the death of Neil Armstrong, who with … Continue reading →

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This Week at the Library (12 September)

Posted on September 13, 2012 by smellincoffee

About a week ago, ten inches of rain were dumped on my hometown in 24 hours, leading to widespread flooding. Various services around town were disrupted, meaning the people who — inexplicably — journeyed to the library in the midst … Continue reading →

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The Most Glorious Fourth

Posted on September 4, 2012 by smellincoffee

The Most Glorious Fourth: Vicksburg and Gettysburg, July 4th, 1863© 2002 Duane Schultz447 pages When the American Civil War began in 1861, no one imagined that it would devastate the countryside for four long years. All the attempts to bring … Continue reading →

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A Man on the Moon

Posted on August 27, 2012 by smellincoffee

A Man on the Moon:  the Voyages of the Apollo Astronauts © 1994 Andrew Chaikin670 pages Yet a higher goal was calling, and we vowed to reach it soon So we gave ourselves a decade to put fire on the moon … Continue reading →

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Lost Moon

Posted on August 3, 2012 by smellincoffee

Lost Moon: the Perilous Voyage of Apollo 13© 1994 Jim Lovell, Jeffrey Kluger368 pages No one wants to hear ominous noises coming from their car in the middle of a road trip, especially if they’re in the middle of nowhere. … Continue reading →

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