Books

Robert D. Lifset offers an original case history of a major event in environmental history—when a small group of local residents initiated a landmark case of ecology versus energy production and challenged the construction of the Storm King pumped-storage hydroelectric power plant on the Hudson River in the 1960s.

New in Paper

Allegheny City, known today as Pittsburgh’s North Side, was the third-largest city in Pennsylvania when it was controversially annexed by the City of Pittsburgh in 1907. Dan Rooney, a longtime North Side resident, joins local historian Carol Peterson in creating this highly engaging history of the cultural, industrial, and architectural achievements of Allegheny City from its humble beginnings until the present day. The authors cover the history of the city from its origins as a colonial outpost to its emergence alongside Pittsburgh as one of the most important industrial cities in the world. Supplemented by historic and contemporary photos, the authors take the reader on a fascinating and often surprising street-level tour of this colorful, vibrant, and proud place.

The first comprehensive study of Scheibler, it includes 125 historic and contemporary photographs and drawings, all of Scheibler’s known projects—including many not recorded in any other published source—and a selected bibliography.

Formerly titled An Uncommon Passage: Traveling through History on the Great Allegheny Passage Trail, this is a revised and updated version. This book reveals the historic importance of the Great Allegheny Passage Trail, now a scenic biking tand hiking trail that stretches from Pittsburgh, PA to Washington, D.C. Through beautiful contemporary photos, historic illustrations and a compelling narrative, the rich history of the trail comes to life for visitors (and everyone) to enjoy.

Pennsylvania Farming presents the first history of Pennsylvania agriculture in more than sixty years. Sally McMurry goes beyond a strictly economic approach and considers the diverse forces that helped shape the farming landscape, from physical factors to cultural repertoires to labor systems. Above all, the people who created and worked on Pennsylvania’s farms are placed at the center of attention. More than 150 photographs inform the interpretation, which offers a sweeping look at the evolution of Pennsylvania’s agricultural landscapes right up to the present day.

Philadelphia was one of America’s first major cities and an international seaport. Nature’s Entrepot views the planning, expansion, and sustainability of the urban environment of Philadelphia from its inception to the present.

A Fascinating Study of One of the Earliest and Most Influential Groups to Settle Western Pennsylvania

An Interdisciplinary Overview of New York City’s Relationship with Its Waterways and Coastlines Since 1889

The Classic Portrait of Urban Industrial Life in the Late Nineteenth and Early Twentieth Century, with a New Foreword by Tom Waseleski

A comprehensive twenty-seven county guide to historic landmarks in western Pennsylvania, with background information on each, and how to reach them.

Crossroads is a collection of thirty-seven colorful and perceptive writings left by early travelers and settlers who ventured west of the Allegheny Mountains. Traders, surveyors, soldiers, preachers, and immigrants, some of them well known and some obscure, tell of the loneliness, terror, and beauty of the frontier.

A fascinating look at life during pioneer times in western Pennsylvania. Describes the hardship, danger and drudgery of day-to-day life on the frontier. Topics include cabin raising, crop harvests, tanning, weaving, disease, religion, and superstition. Also follows the progression from pioneer life to industrial society.

A succinct account of the Whiskey Rebellion of 1794 in Western Pennsylvania, recalling the economic and sociological factors that led to this historic uprising.

Council Fires on the Upper Ohio is a unique account of the Indian-white relations during the second half of the eighteenth century. Told from the point of view of the Indians, it details how the Indians maintained a precarious hold of Western Pennsylvania by playing one white faction off against another.