Adored by many, appalling to some, baffling still to others, few authors defy any single critical narrative to the confounding extent that James Baldwin manages. Was he a black or queer writer? Was he a religious or secular writer? Was he a spokesman for the civil rights movement or a champion of the individual? His critics, as disparate as his readership, endlessly wrestle with paradoxes, not just in his work but also in the life of a man who described himself as "all those strangers called Jimmy Baldwin" and who declared that "all theories are suspect." Viewing Baldwin through a cultural-historical lens alongside a more traditional literary critical approach, All Those Strangers examines how his fiction and nonfiction shaped and responded to key political and cultural developments in the United States from the 1940s to the 1980s. Showing how external forces molded Baldwinas personal, political, and psychological development, Douglas Field breaks through the established critical difficulties caused by Baldwinas geographical, ideological, and artistic multiplicity by analyzing his life and work against the radically transformative politics of his time. The book explores under-researched areas in Baldwin's life and work, including his relationship to the Left, his FBI files, and the significance of Africa in his writing, while also contributing to wider discussions about postwar US culture. Field deftly navigates key twentieth-century themesathe Cold War, African American literary history, conflicts between spirituality and organized religion, and transnationalismato bring a number of isolated subjects into dialogue with each other. By exploring the paradoxes in Baldwin's development as a writer, rather than trying to fix his life and work into a single framework, All Those Strangers contradicts the accepted critical paradigm that Baldwin's life and work are too ambiguous to make sense of. By studying him as an individual and an artist in flux, Field reveals the manifold ways in which Baldwin's work develops and coheres.

SoHo, short for "South of Houston," is one of New York's trendiest neighborhoods. Innovative restaurants and fashion-forward shops line Broome and Spring Streets, and artists reside above in modern lofts. But it is also part of the SoHo Cast-Iron Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places. Its beautiful old buildings hold stories of the neighborhood's fascinating history, urban decline and regeneration. It was once the center of New York's show business world and its most infamous red-light district. The richest and poorest Manhattanites walked these streets: John Jacob Astor, Harry Houdini, Aaron Burr and P.T. Barnum. Local authors Alfred Pommer and Eleanor Winters reveal these and other stories of an ever-changing SoHo.

From cooking ?coon and ?possum to recalling the heyday of Melrose Plantation, these are the heartwarming stories of Hilton Head, Bluffton and Daufuskie before, as the Gullahs might say, ?it all change up.? In this second volume of personal memories collected by Hilton Head journalist Fran Heyward Marscher, area old-timers tell of the adventures, the industry and the heart of the Lowcountry itself. Before the golf courses and resorts, the residents of Beaufort and Jasper Counties often scraped to make a living, but they left behind stories of enduring devotion and perseverance. Keeping lighthouses on the coast, developing a method for catching crabs with only sticks and hunting quail in Hilton Head are only a few of the tales preserved by local old-timers from the early days of the twentieth century to the times of economic transition after World War II. In ice cream and butter beans, picking oysters and exploring the beach, these memories of the Lowcountry will last for generations.

The "Great North Woods" counties of Wisconsin, home to various native tribes, have transformed through several fascinating stages of development. The US government built a military road from Fort Howard (Green Bay) to Michigan's Upper Peninsula soon after the Civil War, causing increased development in what would later become Langlade County and the heavily forested lands that stretched northeastward. The Wolf River proved essential in creating the local logging trade, which in turn drove the expansion of railroad lines. By 1900, logging was slowing down, but the public's growing awareness of Langlade's abundant hunting and fishing resources gave rise to northern Wisconsin's tourism industry. Even Indian tribes gradually participated in the tourist trade. A.J. Kingsbury photographed these transitions. This book reaches beyond Langlade County to portray early-20th-century Ojibwe and Menominee tribes along with loggers, railroads, and tourist attractions.

Two distinct communities which share equally vibrant histories, the twin cities of St. Joseph and Benton Harbor possess a rich heritage rooted in agriculture, manufacturing, transportation, and tourism. Through more than 200 photographs, this book documents the cities' development from the time when pioneers first struggled to create a community in the wilderness. It pays tribute to the men and women who labored to establish farms and industries, and celebrates the delightful beaches and amusement parks-such as the House of David and Silver Beach-that have brought joy to generations of residents and visitors alike.

Author Prudy Taylor Board has compiled a collection of historical articles about the intriguing, but little known, people and events in the history of Fort Myers. Board traces the development of the city's prestigious neighborhoods and parks, while introducing readers to some of the most captivating and eccentric characters.

From the days of early tribes that hunted and fished to the tourists who later relaxed on the beaches, St. Simons Island has been part of the changing landscape of Georgia's coast. When Gen. James E. Oglethorpe established Fort Frederica to protect Savannah and the Carolinas from the threat of Spain, it was, for a short time, a vibrant hub of British military operations. During the latter part of the 1700s, a plantation society thrived on the island until the outbreak of the War Between the States. Never returning to an agricultural community, by 1870 St. Simons re-established itself with the development of a booming timber industry. And by the 1870s, the pleasant climate and proximity to the sea drew visitors to St. Simons as a year-round resort. Although the causeway had brought large numbers of summer people to the island, St. Simons remained a sleepy little place with only a few hundred permanent residents until 1941.

Butte, Montana, nestled in the Rocky Mountains at 5,545 feet, hosts classic architecture, a vibrant past, and an abundance of colorful characters. The massive copper ore deposits underlying the town earned it the nickname aThe Richest Hill on Earth,a and Butte was the nationas major supplier of copper that helped electrify the world. Also shown here is Butteas early adoption of innovative ideas and technologies, a practice that kept the city thriving despite the vagaries of the mining industry. The enduring spirit of its people, however, lends Butte an exuberant character. Unlike other mining towns, Butte had the audacity to survive, and its rich history and forward thinking will ensure its existence for many generations to come. Today statuesque gallows frames stand testament to Butteas mining past, along with a historic town center that reminds people of that eraas prosperity.

The communities of Crown Heights and Weeksville are historically significant Brooklyn neighborhoods with foundations that trace back to New York's early founding. Revolutionary War skirmishes took place there, and following the emancipation of slaves in 1827, Weeksville became the site of one of New York's earliest independent African American townships. The hills of Brooklyn's Green Mountains hindered early settlement, and as a result a plethora of community institutions instead abounded in this far-flung outpost, including a penitentiary, hospitals, almshouses, old-age homes, convents, and monasteries. Traces of some of these early structures still remain. Using vintage images, Crown Heights and Weeksville chronicles the dynamic evolution of this area from rural township to the desirable center of culture, urban convenience, and architectural beauty.

There were other settlers on the westernmost shores of Puget Sound when David Shelton arrived in 1854. Development was slow, but by 1888, Sheltonas claim prevailed to become the hub of commerce and the seat of Mason County. The town welcomed aall who were willing to work, a promoted journalist Grant C. Angle. Shelton became the headquarters for the Simpson Timber Company and a research center for Rayonier, Inc. Shellfish growers shipped oysters across the country. Strong fellowships were built through churches and organizations such as the Masons, and celebrations like the Fourth of July and the Forest Festival. The surrounding forests and waters provided work and recreation, but the town of Shelton gave its residents a sense of community.

Killing Crazy Horse is the latest installment of the multimillion-selling Killing series is a gripping journey through the American West and the historic clashes between Native Americans and settlers. The bloody Battle of Tippecanoe was only the beginning. It's 1811 and President James Madison has ordered the destruction of Shawnee warrior chief Tecumseh's alliance of tribes in the Great Lakes region. But while General William Henry Harrison would win this fight, the armed conflict between Native Americans and the newly formed United States would rage on for decades. Bestselling authors Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard venture through the fraught history of our country's founding on already occupied lands, from General Andrew Jackson's brutal battles with the Creek Nation to President James Monroe's epic "sea to shining sea" policy, to President Martin Van Buren's cruel enforcement of a "treaty" that forced the Cherokee Nation out of their homelands along what would be called the Trail of Tears. O'Reilly and Dugard take readers behind the legends to reveal never-before-told historical moments in the fascinating creation story of America. This fast-paced, wild ride through the American frontier will shock readers and impart unexpected lessons that reverberate to this day.

A Field Guide to Stone Artifacts of Texas Indians identifies and describes more than 200 dart and arrow projectile points and stone tools used by prehistoric Native Americans in Texas.

The Erie Canal was completed in 1825 and became the backbone of an economic and cultural explosion that defined the image of New York. The canal's development spurred successful industry and a booming economy, sparking massive urban growth in an area that was previously virtually unexplored wilderness. People poured west into this new space, drawn by the ability to ship goods along the canal to the Hudson River, New York City, and the world beyond. Erie Canal is a compilation of 200 vintage images from the Erie Canal Museum's documentary collection of New York's canal system. Vintage postcards depict life and industry along the canal, including not only the Erie itself but also the lateral and feeder canals that completed the state-wide system.