Early American Cities

It was 1905, in New Orleans, three years after Earl’s family escaped the KKK in Mississippi. People thought Betty Jones, a brothel madam, was a witch because of her bright blue eyes when she was young. Betty assumes the role of elder to Earl’s daughter Linda. Linda is like a sponge! Betty and Linda want to create a business no black person had ever tried, requiring a complex dangerous scheme just to get started. Failure would place both of them in harm’s way. Linda’s brother, Charlie, abandons his family to find respect but only creates enemies when he dares to cross the color ...

NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK “Breathtaking . . . a remarkable blend of murder mystery, love story, political intrigue, and tragedy of manners.”—USA Today The year is 1901. Buffalo, New York, is poised for glory. With its booming industry and newly electrified streets, Buffalo is a model...

This full-cast production of Orson Scott Card's newest title is finally available on audio From the end of the 18th century, Americans travelled west to find new homes and new lands. They brought with them the magics of plain people. It is from these roots of the American dream that...

Beneath the cobblestone streets and candlelit alleys of America’s oldest cities lie stories that never made it into the history books. Urban Legends of America’s Oldest Cities explores the whispered tales born alongside the nation itself—accounts of vanished settlers, sealed-off tunnels, cursed buildings, and crimes buried deeper than any archive. These are the stories passed quietly from generation to generation, shaped by fear, guilt, and the lingering presence of unfinished business. Each chapter focuses on a different historic city, uncovering legends rooted in colonial life, ...

"Little Italy Murder" is a gritty crime novel set in the heart of New York City during the dark days of the early 20th century. Witness the birth of organized crime and the infamous "Black-Hand" society as they sew terror into NYC's Italian-American community.The plot unravels amidst urban grime, when on April 14, 1903, a mutilated body tucked into a barrel is discovered on East Eleventh Street, sparking the beginning of citywide panic. What follows is an in-depth exploration into the depths of the Black-Hand gang's heinous activities, led by brutal mafia leaders, Giuseppe Severin and ...

Hightower frames his story within the larger history of Old Oklahoma, beginning in Indian Territory, where displaced tribes and freedmen, wealthy cattlemen, and prospective homesteaders became embroiled in disputes over public land and federal government policies. Hightower captures the drama of the Boomer incursions and the Run of ’89, as well as the nascent urbanization of the townsite that would become Oklahoma City. All of these events played out in a political vacuum until Congress officially created Oklahoma Territory in the Organic Act of May 1890.

During the years of the Early Republic, prominent Native leaders regularly traveled to American cities primarily on diplomatic or trade business, but also from curiosity. They were frequently referred to as "the Chiefs now in this city" during their visits. Colin Calloway has gathered together the accounts of these visits and created a new narrative of the country's formative years, redefining what has been understood as the "frontier." Calloway captures what Native peoples observed as they walked the streets, sat in pews, attended plays, drank in taverns, and slept in hotels.

Hildy Campbell's life is about to change. As a beautiful, single, and rich woman, she's been warned about fortune hunters and confidence men. But she never expected two men to vie for her hand. Carson Forester is a devastatingly handsome Wall Street financier who comes to Brightfield with two proposals for Hildy - invest in his real estate development and unite her wealth with his in marriage. Carson is the perfect match for her. Isn't he? Andrew Mason has secretly loved Hildy for five years. He's far from rich, and many say he's too young for her, but no one doubts he's a good man. With ...

An extraordinary American comes to life in this vivid, incisive portrait of the early days of the republic—and the birth of modern politics hen the roar of the Revolution had finally died down, a new generation of American politicians was summoned to the Potomac to assemble the nation's newly...