Books

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.

Chuck Noll led the Pittsburgh Steelers to an unprecedented four Super Bowl victories and built the team into one of the greatest football dynasties in history. Chuck Noll: His Life’s Work presents the first full biography of the legendary Steelers coach. It paints an intimate portrait that traces his journey from a childhood in Depression-era Cleveland, where he first played football in a fully integrated neighborhood league, through his serious pursuit of the sport in high school, college, and then professionally for the Browns, before Noll discovered his true calling as a coach.

When Chuck Noll arrived in Pittsburgh, the city was in deep crisis, facing the decline of its lifeblood industry. Added to that, the Steelers had been the worst team in professional football for nearly four decades. Noll quickly remolded the team into the most accomplished in the history of the NFL, and through this Pittsburghers came to believe that winning and recovery were possible – for their city as for their team.

Michael MacCambridge reveals the family ties that built Noll’s character, his struggles with epilepsy and Alzheimer’s, the love story that shaped his life, as well as his unique skill as a coach. By understanding the man himself, we can at last clearly see Noll’s profound influence on the city, players, coaches, and game he loved.

A Fascinating Historical Novel, featuring Lena Horne, and a Vividly Imagined Portrait of Pittsburgh’s Vibrant Hill District in the 1930’s

A Renowned Pittsburgh-Based Muralist Reflects on His 50-Year Career

Celebrated Pittsburgh Historians Document the City’s Development Over the Last Two Centuries

Drawing on economic, technological, labor, and environmental history, Kenneth Warren explains the birth, phenomenal growth, decline and death of the Connellsville coke industry—the region that made Pittsburgh steel world famous.

In the deciding game of the 1992 National League Championship Series against the Atlanta Braves, the Pittsburgh Pirates suffered the most dramatic and devastating loss in team history when former Pirate Sid Bream slid home with the winning run. Bream’s infamous slide ended the last game played by Barry Bonds in a Pirates uniform and sent the franchise reeling into a record twenty-season losing streak. The Slide tells the story of the myriad events, beginning with the aftermath of the 1979 World Series, which led to the fated 1992 championship game and beyond.

The Untold Story of Carnegie’s Prized Dinosaur and Its Influence on European Culture

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

Plein Air Paintings that Depict Real, Unvarnished Life and Reveal the Beauty Inherent in these Post-Industrial Towns

A New History of Local Philanthropy that Offers New Insights on Its Interplay with Regional Partners, Aspirations, and Progress

A New Edition of the Classic Account of the Early Dinosaur Craze

An Engaging Must-Read History of Public Libraries in Pennsylvania from 1731 through 1945

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

A Richly Illustrated Exploration of John Kane’s Life, the Value and Dignity of Labor, and Who Decides What Is Art and What Is Not