PA BOOKS on PCN

Louis Kahn (1901–1974), one of the most important architects of the postwar period, is widely admired for his great monumental works, including the Kimbell Art Museum, the Salk Institute, and the National Assembly Complex in Bangladesh. However, the importance of his houses has been largely overlooked. This beautiful book is the first to look at Kahn’s nine major private houses. Beginning with his earliest encounters with Modernism in the late 1920s and continuing through his iconic work of the 1960s and 1970s, the authors trace the evolution of the architect’s thinking, which began and matured through his design of houses and their interiors, a process inspired by his interactions with clients and his admiration for vernacular building traditions.

Richly illustrated with new and period photographs and original drawings, as well as previously unpublished materials from personal interviews, archives, and Kahn’s own writings, The Houses of Louis Kahn shows how his ideas about domestic spaces challenged conventions, much like his major public commissions, and were developed into one of the most remarkable expressions of the American house.

George H. Marcus is adjunct assistant professor of the history of art at the University of Pennsylvania. William Whitaker is curator of the Architectural Archives of the University of Pennsylvania, which houses the Louis I. Kahn Collection.

Louis Kahn (1901–1974), one of the most important architects of the postwar period, is widely admired for his great monumental works, including the Kimbell Art Museum, the Salk Institute, and the National Assembly Complex in Bangladesh. However, the importance of his houses has been largely overlooked. This beautiful book is the first to look at Kahn’s nine major private houses. Beginning with his earliest encounters with Modernism in the late 1920s and continuing through his iconic work of the 1960s and 1970s, the authors trace the evolution of the architect’s thinking, which began and matured through his design of houses and their interiors, a process inspired by his interactions with clients and his admiration for vernacular building traditions.

Richly illustrated with new and period photographs and original drawings, as well as previously unpublished materials from personal interviews, archives, and Kahn’s own writings, The Houses of Louis Kahn shows how his ideas about domestic spaces challenged conventions, much like his major public commissions, and were developed into one of the most remarkable expressions of the American house.

George H. Marcus is adjunct assistant professor of the history of art at the University of Pennsylvania. William Whitaker is curator of the Architectural Archives of the University of Pennsylvania, which houses the Louis I. Kahn Collection.

We did much of what we wanted to do, and those things we were prevented from doing, weren’t really that important to us. We were limited only by the boundaries of imagination and yet there were no boundaries. We shared everything; lived it all together in the best times of our lives; and we did it where we knew the people, the traditions, the places; this little part of creation for us was home. It will always be home. “Home Free” isn't just a catch phrase that was a trigger for trouble, or even a traditional battle cry, so much as it is the mantra that captures our spirits and describes our character like nothing else can.

Tony Strubel and Mike Rothan have been friends for over thirty-one years. Their lives had humble beginnings and yet within those years of life, they formed a story. Tony is now a father of two and a husband of 15 years. He is currently struggling with an illness that plagues his days with pain. Mike is a Catholic priest and pastor of a parish, having been a teacher earlier in life. Both of them have changed throughout their lives, and yet are the men they are, because of the story they lived. Any great gift becomes greater when it is shared with others. Through sharing this story with others, it is their hope that minds and hearts may be carried away to a simpler time, and be transformed with words, the way we were: "Home Free".

The rolling fields and quiet towns of Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, belie its dynamic history. From slaves who escaped to freedom through Underground Railroad stations in Shippensburg and Boiling Springs to a telephone-like invention created by Lower Allen’s Daniel Drawbaugh a full decade before the patent of Alexander Graham Bell, the pages of Cumberland County’s history conceal long-forgotten but true tales. There are numerous but often-overlooked contributions from county residents—from 1920 to 1923, Newville hosted the first state police academy in the nation, and during World War II, a humble bandage invented in Carlisle saved countless lives. With an engaging collection of vignettes, author Joseph David Cress explores these and other hidden tales from the history of Cumberland County.

Award-winning journalist Joseph David Cress has worked as a full-time newspaper reporter since October 1990. Since November 1998, he has been a staff writer with the Sentinel in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. Hidden History of Cumberland County is his fifth book with The History Press. Prior works include Remembering Carlisle: Tales from the Cumberland Valley, Murder & Mayhem in Cumberland County, Murder & Mayhem in York County and Wicked Carlisle: The Dark Side of the Cumberland Valley.

The rolling fields and quiet towns of Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, belie its dynamic history. From slaves who escaped to freedom through Underground Railroad stations in Shippensburg and Boiling Springs to a telephone-like invention created by Lower Allen’s Daniel Drawbaugh a full decade before the patent of Alexander Graham Bell, the pages of Cumberland County’s history conceal long-forgotten but true tales. There are numerous but often-overlooked contributions from county residents—from 1920 to 1923, Newville hosted the first state police academy in the nation, and during World War II, a humble bandage invented in Carlisle saved countless lives. With an engaging collection of vignettes, author Joseph David Cress explores these and other hidden tales from the history of Cumberland County.

Award-winning journalist Joseph David Cress has worked as a full-time newspaper reporter since October 1990. Since November 1998, he has been a staff writer with the Sentinel in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. Hidden History of Cumberland County is his fifth book with The History Press. Prior works include Remembering Carlisle: Tales from the Cumberland Valley, Murder & Mayhem in Cumberland County, Murder & Mayhem in York County and Wicked Carlisle: The Dark Side of the Cumberland Valley.

The global economy threatens the uniqueness of places, people, and experiences. In Here and There, Bill Conlogue tests the assumption that literature and local places matter less and less in a world that economists describe as “flat,” politicians believe has “globalized,” and social scientists imagine as a “global village.” Each chapter begins at home, journeys elsewhere, and returns to the author’s native and chosen region, northeastern Pennsylvania. Through the prisms of literature and history, the book explores tensions and conflicts within the region created by national and global demand for its resources: fertile farmland, forest products, anthracite coal, and college-educated young people. Making connections between local and global environmental issues, Here and There uses the Pennsylvania watersheds of urban Lackawanna and rural Lackawaxen to highlight the importance of understanding and protecting the places we call home.

Bill Conlogue is Professor of English at Marywood University.

The Heart of the Taufschein offers the first in-depth interpretive history of the Taufschein (birth and baptism certificate), the most numerous and, to many because of its genealogical value, the most important type of fraktur. Berks County arguably became the center of Taufschein production in North America. Thanks to an understudied Lutheran minister named Daniel Schumacher, Berks County families were among the first to have these certificates made for their children. This volume underscores Berks County's unique role in the development, distribution, and popularity of these stunningly decorated certificates. By the last decades of the eighteenth and through the nineteenth centuries, Berks County hosted a unique blend of fraktur artists, scriveners, and printers who responded to the cultural appetite of the local Pennsylvania German community, comprised primarily of church people. In this volume the Earnests, the leading authorities on fraktur, trace the development of the Taufschein beyond Berks County into southeastern Pennsylvania and colonial America as the surge in demand for these works of art on paper followed the successful outcome of the American Revolution. The authors follow the history and expansions of the market from the eighteenth to the twentieth century. Two hundred magnificent, full-color illustrations demonstrate how major fraktur artists and scriveners, some previously unknown, worked and distributed the Taufschein within the beyond Berks County, Pennsylvania. Maps, notes, selected references, and indexes enhance the volume's usefulness. Appendices feature fraktur artists, scriveners, and printers who routinely helped Taufscheine for Berks County families; and English translations appear for all German documents. 

Corinne Earnest received her undergraduate degree from Oregon College of Education and her Masters from the Sonoma State University in California. Having a keen interest in family history and Pennsylvania-German fraktur, Corinne has lectured at numerous genealogy and historical conferences throughout the U.S.

In addition, Corinne has published hundreds of articles and numerous books about fraktur as well as other subjects. She currently writes regular columns regarding the genealogy data from fraktur for Der Kurier, the quarterly publication of the Mid-Atlantic Germanic Society, and for Penn Pal, the quarterly newsletter of the Pennsylvania Chapter of Palatines to America.

Russell Earnest served in the U.S. Navy after which he received his undergraduate and graduate degrees from Oregon State University. His professional career was with the U.S. Department of the Interior. He authored and co-authored numerous scientific and technical papers, presented testimony before Congress, and helped develop environmental policy for Republican and Democratic administrations.

In addition to co-authoring books about fraktur, the Earnests served as guest curators for a fraktur exhibit at the Heritage Center of Lancaster County in Lancaster, Pennsylvania (1997). In 1999, the Earnests were awarded for their work on fraktur by the Pennsylvania German Society.

The Earnests have developed the largest fraktur reference library in existence, plus the most comprehensive surname indexes to genealogical data found on fraktur. In the course of their research, the Earnests have recorded over 30,000 fraktur and Pennsylvania-German Bible records in public and private collection.

The Heart of the Taufschein offers the first in-depth interpretive history of the Taufschein (birth and baptism certificate), the most numerous and, to many because of its genealogical value, the most important type of fraktur. Berks County arguably became the center of Taufschein production in North America. Thanks to an understudied Lutheran minister named Daniel Schumacher, Berks County families were among the first to have these certificates made for their children. This volume underscores Berks County's unique role in the development, distribution, and popularity of these stunningly decorated certificates. By the last decades of the eighteenth and through the nineteenth centuries, Berks County hosted a unique blend of fraktur artists, scriveners, and printers who responded to the cultural appetite of the local Pennsylvania German community, comprised primarily of church people. In this volume the Earnests, the leading authorities on fraktur, trace the development of the Taufschein beyond Berks County into southeastern Pennsylvania and colonial America as the surge in demand for these works of art on paper followed the successful outcome of the American Revolution. The authors follow the history and expansions of the market from the eighteenth to the twentieth century. Two hundred magnificent, full-color illustrations demonstrate how major fraktur artists and scriveners, some previously unknown, worked and distributed the Taufschein within the beyond Berks County, Pennsylvania. Maps, notes, selected references, and indexes enhance the volume's usefulness. Appendices feature fraktur artists, scriveners, and printers who routinely helped Taufscheine for Berks County families; and English translations appear for all German documents. 

Corinne Earnest received her undergraduate degree from Oregon College of Education and her Masters from the Sonoma State University in California. Having a keen interest in family history and Pennsylvania-German fraktur, Corinne has lectured at numerous genealogy and historical conferences throughout the U.S.

In addition, Corinne has published hundreds of articles and numerous books about fraktur as well as other subjects. She currently writes regular columns regarding the genealogy data from fraktur for Der Kurier, the quarterly publication of the Mid-Atlantic Germanic Society, and for Penn Pal, the quarterly newsletter of the Pennsylvania Chapter of Palatines to America.

Russell Earnest served in the U.S. Navy after which he received his undergraduate and graduate degrees from Oregon State University. His professional career was with the U.S. Department of the Interior. He authored and co-authored numerous scientific and technical papers, presented testimony before Congress, and helped develop environmental policy for Republican and Democratic administrations.

In addition to co-authoring books about fraktur, the Earnests served as guest curators for a fraktur exhibit at the Heritage Center of Lancaster County in Lancaster, Pennsylvania (1997). In 1999, the Earnests were awarded for their work on fraktur by the Pennsylvania German Society.

The Earnests have developed the largest fraktur reference library in existence, plus the most comprehensive surname indexes to genealogical data found on fraktur. In the course of their research, the Earnests have recorded over 30,000 fraktur and Pennsylvania-German Bible records in public and private collection.

2013 marks the 20th anniversary of the Ned Smith Center, and as part of the celebration, the Center is publishing Gone for Another Day, a sequel to Ned Smith’s beloved Gone for the Day, now in its eleventh printing. Readers are taken through the seasons among the mountains and river valleys of Pennsylvania, as well as to excursions to some of the wildest parts of North America. Gone for Another Day is drawn from Ned Smith’s 46 years of original, previously unpublished field journals, and is illustrated with scores of his previously unpublished sketches, drawings, and paintings.

Scott Weidensaul has written more than two dozen books on natural history, including the Pulitzer finalist Living on the Wind: Across the Hemisphere with Migratory Birds; The Ghost with Trembling Wings, about the search for species that may or may not be extinct; and Of a Feather: A Brief History of American Birding and The First Frontier.

2013 marks the 20th anniversary of the Ned Smith Center, and as part of the celebration, the Center is publishing Gone for Another Day, a sequel to Ned Smith’s beloved Gone for the Day, now in its eleventh printing. Readers are taken through the seasons among the mountains and river valleys of Pennsylvania, as well as to excursions to some of the wildest parts of North America. Gone for Another Day is drawn from Ned Smith’s 46 years of original, previously unpublished field journals, and is illustrated with scores of his previously unpublished sketches, drawings, and paintings.

Scott Weidensaul has written more than two dozen books on natural history, including the Pulitzer finalist Living on the Wind: Across the Hemisphere with Migratory Birds; The Ghost with Trembling Wings, about the search for species that may or may not be extinct; and Of a Feather: A Brief History of American Birding and The First Frontier.