Regional Titles

The incredible true story of the mysterious sea creature who captured hearts and imaginations during the turbulent 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s. In the summer of 1978, residents along the Virginia side of the Potomac River were startled by sightings of a strange creature lurking in the water. Eventually dubbed Chessie, this elusive sea serpent tantalized reporters and the public alike, always slipping away just out of reach. In this, the first comprehensive history of the...

An inside account of politics, crisis, and architecture on Capitol Hill The domed US Capitol Building is recognized around the world as America's most iconic symbol, the forum for representative democracy, and the physical stage for the transfer of executive power. As the United States grew in size and complexity, the Capitol was built, rebuilt, enlarged, and extended many times under the direction of the few...

The remarkable architectural and social history of DC's multifaceted alleyways Alleyways in Washington, DC, have always been a fundamental part of the city's life and economy. Deliberately hidden from public view by the capital's early planners, DC's alleys were created to provide access to stables, carriage houses, and other utility buildings. But as the city grew and property values rose, the nature of some alleys and their buildings changed, resulting in a parallel world of...

New work from one of the most compelling and transformative writers of the contemporary prose poem What is it to feel nostalgia, to be skeptical of it yet cleave intently to the complex truths of feeling and thought? In a series of 64 gorgeous, ramifying, unsettling prose poems addressing late-twentieth- and twenty-first century experience and its discontents, The Ruins of Nostalgia offers a strikingly original exploration of the misunderstood phenomenon of nostalgia as both feeling-state and historical...

The definitive account of Synanon. On a fall day in 1978, Los Angeles attorney Paul Morantz reached into his mailbox to collect his mail and was nearly killed. He was bitten by the four-foot-long rattlesnake that had been put there by members of a cultlike group called Synanon. Chuck Dederich—a former Alcoholics Anonymous member who coined the phrase "Today is the first day of the rest of your life"—established Synanon as an innovative drug rehabilitation center near...

The definitive account of the Battle of Antietam, the bloodiest day of the Civil War. The memory of the Battle of Antietam was so haunting that when, nine months later, Major Rufus Dawes learned another Antietam battle might be on the horizon, he wrote, "I hope not, I dread the thought of the place." In this definitive account, historian D. Scott Hartwig chronicles the single bloodiest day in American history, which resulted in...

Chronicles Johns Hopkins Medicine's triumphs and challenges during the last ten years, including the institution's global leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic. In Leading the Change: Johns Hopkins Medicine from 2012 to 2022, Karen Nitkin describes a remarkable decade in the history of the institution—an era of growth, innovation, and adaptation. Guided by Paul B. Rothman, the former dean of the medical faculty and the CEO of Johns Hopkins Medicine, this prestigious...

The true story of how federal law enforcement flipped the playbook and convicted a corrupt unit of Baltimore police. In 2015 and 2016, Baltimore was reeling after the death of Freddie Gray and the protests that followed. In the midst of this unrest, a violent, highly trained, and heavily armed criminal gang roamed the city. They robbed people, sold drugs and guns, and divided the loot and profit among themselves. They had been doing it...

The first and fullest account of the suppressed history and continuing presence of Native Americans in Washington, DC Washington, DC, is Indian land, but Indigenous peoples are often left out of the national narrative of the United States and erased in the capital city. To redress this myth of invisibility, Indigenous DC shines a light upon the oft-overlooked contributions of tribal leaders and politicians, artists and activists to the rich history of the District of Columbia,...

The work of this institution has only begun. . . . I want to see this faculty continue to develop in not only teaching ability, but heart power—the ability to lead and inspire. . . . I want to see the fullest opportunities furnished to students. . . . I want to see young men and women who will become effective leaders. . . . I want to see all of these things and more.—John W. Carr, first...

"The model of what a concise, attractive guidebook should be."—Mid-Atlantic Country This lively and informative guide offers tourists, residents, and architecture aficionados insights into nearly 450 of Washington, DC's, most noteworthy buildings and monuments. Organized into 19 discrete walking tours, plus one general tour of peripheral sites, this thoroughly revised sixth edition features projects ranging from early federal landmarks to twenty-first-century commercial,...

What keeps a family together? In Imagining Futures, authors Carola Lentz and Isidore Lobnibe offer a unique look at one extended African family, currently comprising over five hundred members in Northern Ghana and Burkina Faso. Members of this extended family, like many others in the region, find themselves living increasingly farther apart and working in diverse occupations ranging from religious clergy and civil service to farming. What keeps them...

A richly illustrated architectural "biography" of one of DC's most important boulevards Sixteenth Street NW in Washington, DC, has been called the Avenue of the Presidents, Executive Avenue, and the Avenue of Churches. From the front door of the White House, this north-south artery runs through the middle of the District and extends just past its border with Maryland. The street is as central to the cityscape as it is to DC's history and culture. In...

An insightful exploration of the impact of urban change on Black culture, identity, and language Across the United States, cities are changing. Gentrification is transforming urban landscapes, often pushing local Black populations to the margins. As a result, communities with rich histories and strong identities grapple with essential questions. What does it mean to be from a place in flux? What does it mean to be a specific kind of person from that...

The emergence of a master artist alongside his first major collection, created during a golden age of art in the nation's capital Renowned for his innovative work with silkscreen printing, Lou Stovall's works are part of numerous collections, including the National Gallery of Art, Smithsonian American Art Museum, and Phillips Collection. Washington Post art critic Paul Richard once wrote, "As a printer of his own art, and of the art of many others, as a...

Georgetown's little-known Black heritage shaped a Washington, DC, community long associated with white power and privilege. Black Georgetown Remembered reveals a rich but little-known history of the Georgetown Black community from the colonial period to the present. Drawing on primary sources, including oral interviews with...

The definitive account of the lynching of twenty-three-year-old Matthew Williams in Maryland, the subsequent investigation, and the legacy of "modern-day" lynchings. On December 4, 1931, a mob of white men in Salisbury, Maryland, lynched and set ablaze a twenty-three-year-old Black man named Matthew Williams. His gruesome murder was part of a wave of silent white terrorism in the wake of the stock market crash of 1929, which exposed...

From its roots as an independent community hospital started 116 years ago by local female leaders, IU Health Bloomington Hospital has grown and thrived while caring for citizens of south-central Indiana. This book highlights the perseverance, farsightedness, and dedication of health care providers and administrators, as well as community and business leaders, in shaping and expanding health care. The stories of individual...

What do the traditional plain-living Amish have to teach twenty-first-century Americans in our hyper-everything world? As it turns out, quite a lot! It sounds audacious, but it's true: the Amish have much to teach us. It may seem surreal to turn to one of America's most traditional groups for lessons about living in a hyper-tech world—especially a horse-driving people who resist "progress" by snubbing cars, public grid power, and high school education. Still, their wisdom...

Observations on the new American republic by an early president of Georgetown University Father Giovanni Antonio Grassi was the ninth president of Georgetown University and pioneered its transition into a modern institution, earning him the moniker Georgetown's Second Founder. Originally published in Italian in 1818 and...