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History and Current Events September 2019
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| The Vagabonds: The Story of Henry Ford and Thomas Edison's Ten-Year Road Trip by Jeff GuinnWhat it's about: Every year between 1914 and 1924, inventor pals and "autocamping" enthusiasts Henry Ford and Thomas Edison embarked on a cross-country summertime jaunt through America.
Why it matters: The pair's highly-publicized adventures contributed to the car industry boom, spurred the improvement of roadways, and inspired the concept of the road trip.
Read it for: a quirky blend of history, biography, and travelogue. |
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| The Book: A Cover-to-Cover Exploration of the Most Powerful Object of Our Time by Keith HoustonWhat it is: a witty deep dive into the evolution of the book that explores how technological advancements, entrepreneurial trial and error, and shifting artistic and cultural conventions resulted in the bound tomes today's readers know and love.
What's inside: chapters surveying the history of elements that make up a book, including paper, ink, type, illustration, and binding.
Chapters include: "Etching a Sketch: Copperplate Printing and the Renaissance;" "Size Matters: The Invention of the Modern Book." |
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| When Books Went to War: The Stories That Helped Us Win World War II by Molly Guptill ManningWhat it's about: how the War Department, publishing industry, and librarians collaborated to distribute 120 million pocket-sized Armed Services Edition paperbacks to American soldiers during WWII.
Featuring: intrepid librarian Althea Warren, the American Library Association's first director of the National Defense Book Campaign.
Why it matters: the morale-boosting Armed Services Editions were many soldiers' introduction to literature, inspiring them to correspond with authors or seek higher education after their service. |
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| Printer's Error: Irreverent Stories from Book History by J. P. Romney and Rebecca RomneyWhat it is: a collection of humorous (and occasionally strange) anecdotes about famous books, authors, and printers throughout history.
Read it for: a lively narrative and lighthearted tone.
Did you know? Since Johannes Gutenberg did not keep records of his life, it took nearly 300 years for scholars to prove that he invented the printing press. |
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| Part of Our Lives: A People's History of the American Public Library by Wayne A. WiegandWhat it is: a compelling history of public libraries that centers on the experiences of patrons rather than staff.
What sets it apart: Though this is a mostly celebratory account, author Wayne A. Wiegand also notes the ways that libraries have denied access to their patrons, whether by censoring materials or prohibiting members of marginalized communities from obtaining library cards.
Reviewers say: "eminently readable...a must-have" (Booklist). |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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Prince George's County Memorial Library System 9601 Capital Lane Largo, Maryland 20774 301-699-3500www.pgcmls.info/ |
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