Shire Library USA – serie

In the early 1970s, video arcade games sprung to life in the form of Pong, Space Invaders, Asteroids, and Pac-Man, and if you were lucky enough to have an Atari system you could play Frogger or Galaga at home. By the 1980s, arcade and video games were entrenched as a pop culture phenomenon and were ubiquitous. But as quickly as the form took flight it began to change with the advent of hand-held games and more sophisticated home-gaming. Brian Eddy here traces the evolution of arcade video games, giving readers an inside look at the stratospheric rise—and transformation—of the industry.

Native American pottery of the U.S. southwest has long been considered collectible and today can fetch many thousands of dollars per piece. Authors, collectors, and dealers Carol and Allen Hayes provide readers with a concise overview of the pottery of the southwest, from its origins in the Bastketmaker period (around 400 AD) to the Spanish entrada (1540 AD-1879 AD) to today's new masters. Readers will find dozens of color images depicting pottery from the Zuni, Hopi, Anasazi, and many other peoples. Maps help readers identify where these master potters and their peoples lived (i.e. the Pueblo a tribal group or area). Pottery of the Southwest will serve as a useful introduction as well as a lovely guide for enthusiasts.

Though beer is one of the oldest beverages around, beer can collecting—particularly in the United States—really picked up steam in the 1930s. Since then, beer can collecting and breweriana has become vastly popular, with a variety of clubs and associations springing up across the country and around the world. Brewery collectibles became especially popular in the 1970s, and today breweriana remains a popular pastime, especially with the onset of the microbrew revolution. Author Kevin Kious explores the history of beer and collecting in Breweriana, looking at the evolution of beer cans, paper advertising, packaging, and signage, as well as how Prohibition affected the industry in the 1920s and early 1930s and how consolidation changed things in the 1970s. Breweriana will be of interest not only to beer lovers but also to readers with an interest in advertising, packaging, and signage.

The rapid westward expansion of the United States in the early twentieth century set the stage for a new industry: mail-order homes. Sold by such companies as Sears, Roebuck & Co., Aladdin, and Montgomery Ward, these kit homes were shipped by train to their purchasers in boxcars containing everything required for their construction, whether a vacation cottage, modest bungalow, or two-and-a-half story home. Rebecca Hunter brings to life the history of these charming homes, tens of thousands of which were sold throughout the United States in the early 1900s, and many of which still exist. Fully illustrated and including numerous images from period catalogs, this book describes the customers who bought and built mail-order houses, the various styles and designs, and the boom and bust of the industry.

On February 4, 1861, the Confederate States of America was formed, and almost immediately the first Confederate notes were printed – the famous “Montgomery” notes. These would be followed by many designs over the next four years. The seventy different designs or “type” notes are eagerly sought today by collectors, historians and family historians, and a collection of Confederate currency offers fascinating insights into the tumultuous Civil-War period. Pierre Fricke examines these series of Confederate notes, highlighting the history and circumstances in which they were created. This easy-to-read, fun and educational book offers an introduction to the often beautiful notes that financed the Confederacy.

Tombstone, Bodie, St. Elmo, Silver City: these are some of the most famous of the Old West ghost towns and mining camps that dot America's landscape and provide hints to the country's history. But literally thousands more are scattered throughout the West, with some states boasting hundreds of abandoned boomtowns. Attracting thousands of visitors every year, many of these are protected by public and private parties alike, and visits are carefully regulated in order to preserve these valuable historical relics. Clint Thomsen describes various types of ghost town, explains their histories, and outlines ongoing research and archaeological study into decaying towns and mining camps.

Muscle Cars is the story of America's pursuit of sheer horsepower in the 1960s and '70s. The first of the type, the famous Pontiac GTO or “Goat,” would launch a race between America's automotive manufacturers to produce ever-more-powerful V8 engines wrapped in legendary “Coke-bottle” sheet metal styling. Following Ford's extremely successful introduction of the galloping Mustang in 1964, others would follow, such as General Motors's Camaro and Firebird as well as Plymouth's Barracuda, competing against one another on race tracks to “Win on Sunday, Sell on Monday.” This book details these golden years, as well as the economic and environmental developments of the 1970s that brought an end to the muscle car era.

On the page and on the screen, works like Gone With the Wind have captured the imaginations of millions with their depictions of genteel plantation life in the antebellum South. Now author Robin Spencer Lattimore takes readers into the real stories of culture, race, politics, and family behind these remnants of a past that has had such impact on the South and on America as a whole—and into the story of their preservation. A rich visual journey through several of the region's most historic homes and the lush, fertile lands that once surrounded them, this book also measures a splendid architectural legacy against the cruel realities that made it possible. Southern Plantations features numerous examples that have survived the ravages of time, tragedy, neglect, and decay and can still be explored today, opening a window to the past and showing us that it is not too late to understand the heritage that these estates represent.

The Chicago River divides America's Second City into the North and South Sides, and the bridges that span it are famous for their number and beauty. With the first constructed in 1832, it was only twelve years later that a moveable bridge appeared, and today Chicago is home to some sixty bridges in all, making it one of the most bridge-rich cities in the world. These bridges even today offer fascinating glimpses into Chicago's development from rough-and-tumble trading outpost to world-class city known for its architecture and culture, and this book traces the evolution of them all, from the original rising bascules to the splendidly designed twentieth-century structures that lend Chicago much of the grandeur for which it is known world-wide.

Begun in 1926 to connect Chicago to Los Angeles, Route 66 was the country's first major east-west thoroughfare. By 1930 it was an important route for both truckers and travellers alike, and in 1939 it became known as 'The Mother Road' thanks to John Steinbeck's classic The Grapes of Wrath. Over the years, hundreds of thousands of Americans travelled this great road from those heading west during the Great Depression to postwar families taking road trips across the country – but by the 1970s four-lane highways, expressways, and tollways had largely supplanted it, and Route 66 fell into disrepair. In this book, authority David Knudson traces the fascinating story of The Mother Road from origins to decline, including the roadside attractions and cottage industries it spawned and the efforts to save and restore it.

Bowling is a favourite pastime for millions of families, and since its 1960s and '70s heyday has come to seem quintessentially American. Yet in Egypt as early as 3200 B.C. and Europe as far back as 300 A.D. games were played in which a ball was rolled in an attempt to knock down objects. Arriving in America in colonial times as an outdoor lawn game, and becoming an indoor pastime for the working classes with the influx of immigrants in the late 1800s, by the twentieth century bowling had evolved into the sport as we know it, which today is played at least once a year by 100 million people globally. Sportswriter and bowling historian Mark Miller takes readers on a fully illustrated journey into this beloved sport, revealing bowling's ancient origins, celebrating its heyday in the late twentieth century and charting its current revival, and capturing the spirit of the game and those who play it.

Paddlewheel riverboat, showboat, sternwheeler: in all its myriad forms, the steamboat revolutionized American travel in the 1800s, taking millions of people inland and helping to settle and develop the vast territories beyond the original colonies. It was an era in which young boys dreamed of becoming steamboat pilots and Mark Twain immortalized the “floating palaces” that traveled up and down the Mississippi River. In this fascinating history, Sara Wright explains the factors that made the era perfect for the development of the steam engine and paddle boat, taking the reader far beyond the romantic image and revealing the steamboat as a vital and essential force in the development of the nation.

The 1950s was the first decade when American fashion became truly American. The United States had always relied on Europe for its style leads, but during World War II, when necessity became the mother of invention, the country had to find its own way. American designers looked to what American women needed and found new inspirations for American fashion design. Sportswear became a strength, but not at the expense of elegance. Easy-wear materials were adapted for producing more formal clothes, and versatile separates and adaptable dress and jacket suits became hallmarks of American style. This book follows the American fashion industry from New York's 7th Avenue to the beaches of California in search of the clothes that defined 1950s American fashion.

From Jones's Woods, America's first amusement resort, to Coney Island during the golden age of the mid-1900s, and well beyond into the twenty-first century, the thrills of the amusement park have been a treasured part of childhood for Americans from coast to coast. Though many of the country's grand amusement treasures have now vanished, and many other parks are struggling for survival, their memory and legacy are very much alive: there will be a fascination with these American classics as long as the clatter of the old coaster cars and the thumping of the carousel band organ remains. Through thoroughly researched text and historic images, Amusement Parks author and park enthusiast Jim Hillman captures the sights, smells, and continuing vitality of a grand American tradition.

Modern living began with the homes of the 1950s. Casting aside the privations of the Second World War, American architects embraced the must-have mod-cons: they wrapped fitted kitchens around fridges, washing machines, dishwashers and electric ovens, gave televisions pride of place in the living room, and built integrated garages for enormous space-age cars. So why was this change so radical? In what ways did life change for people moving into these swanky new homes, and why has the legacy of the 1950s home endured for so long? Diane Boucher answers these questions and more in this colorful introduction to the homes that embody the golden age of modern design.

The birth of the skyscraper in Chicago in the mid-1880s introduced a new direction for city architecture: upwards. But how—and why— was it that Chicago set the standard for high-rise buildings, not only across the USA but all over the world? Rolf Achilles here introduces the style of the First Chicago School from 1880 to 1910, explaining the innovative use of iron frames for strength, height and openness, and the ubiquity of gridded window arrangements. With reference to such famous architects as William Le Baron Jenny and Frank Lloyd Wright, and colorful pictures of, among many others, the Reliance, Brooks and Marquette buildings, this book is a fascinating exploration of the structures that helped to give Chicago its identity, and the world a new way of building.

Of the one hundred Pilgrims who settled at Plymouth in 1620, nearly half had died within months of hardship, starvation or disease. One of the colony’s most urgent challenges was to find ways to grow and prepare food in the harsh, unfamiliar climate of the New World. From the meager subsistence of the earliest days and the crucial help provided by Native Americans, to the first Thanksgiving celebrations and the increasingly sophisticated fare served in inns and taverns, this book provides a window onto daily life in Colonial America. It shows how European methods and cuisine were adapted to include native produce such as maize, potatoes, beans, peanuts and tomatoes, and features a section of authentic menus and recipes, including apple tansey and crab soup, which can be used to prepare your own colonial meals.

A beautifully illustrated pocket history of American candy in its heyday.Whether classics like Hershey’s, Mars and M&Ms or trend-setters like PEZ and Atomic Fireballs, candy has a special place in the hearts and memories of most Americans, who to this day consume more than 600 billion pounds of it each year.In this colorful illustrated guide, Darlene Lacey looks at candy in America from a variety of angles, examining everything from chocolate to fruity sweets and from the simply packaged basics to gaudy product tie-ins. She examines the classic brands of the late twentieth century and what they mean, guiding us on a mouth-watering, sugar-fueled trip down a memory lane filled with signposts like Bazooka, Clark, Necco and Tootsie Roll.

The heart of every working farm and ranch, the barn is an icon of rural America. This book chronicles – and celebrates – all the main types, and looks at how these treasures of early American architecture developed. It explains how a wealth of immigrant construction methods and range of environments and climates resulted in a fascinating variety of barn styles in the United States, from the earliest rare Dutch examples to simpler English types and others in more surprising shapes (round or even polygonal) crafted by the Shakers in the 1800s.It highlights the most notable, famous and historic barns that the reader can visit, and features the efforts of conservation groups to preserve America's barns and find innovative ways to repurpose these glorious old structures as homes and studios – and as living monuments of rural heritage.

The Airstream is an eye-catching vintage classic. First appearing on American highways in the early 1930s, these sleek aluminum icons were compact, cozy spaces that could be hitched to the family car and taken out on the open road – and nearly a century later their timeless design has lost none of its appeal, with the Airstream enjoying renewed popularity among celebrities, event planners and young travelers who appreciate its air of nostalgia and distinctively American blend of functionalism and beauty. Born in the California backyard of inventor Wally Byam and partly inspired by the work of Hawley Bowlus, the famed chief builder of The Spirit of St. Louis, the Airstream’s modernist aesthetic has remained relatively unchanged in eight decades, and its industrial durability has earned a reputation without equal, with more than 65% of all Airstreams still on the road today. The book features the complete history of the Airstream, tips, cool facts, quotes and fabulous photographs—a fitting tribute to a true American legend.

The White House is the most famous house in the world – yet its 18 acres of perfectly manicured grounds and magnificent gardens, much beloved by the Presidents and their families, are rarely seen by the public. This book is a horticultural celebration of all the Presidents’ gardens, beginning with George Washington's beloved Mount Vernon and looking at the development of White House gardens over two centuries. Rare photographs perfectly illustrate highlights from the best of the presidential gardens, including Jackie Kennedy’s Rose Garden, the Roosevelt wartime White House greenhouses and Michelle Obama's sustainability-inspired vegetable garden, which now produces food that is served to the First Family. The text is peppered with lively comments and useful tips from gardeners who contributed to White House beautification projects under many different Administrations.

From Nickelodeons and penny arcades in the 1890s to sophisticated, grand movie palaces in the 1920s and '30s, the evolution of American movie theaters was as dramatic as the films they showed. These were the places that gave many millions of Americans their first glimpses of glamor, romance and adventure, and which took them on previously undreamed-of roller-coaster rides of action, thrills and drama. While film stars became gods and goddesses and films became ever more spectacular, movie palaces rose up across the nation and matched the grandeur of these new cinematic worlds with their architectural spectacle, adopting the exotic styles of everything from Egyptian temples to Chinese pagodas to Italian villages. This book identifies the main styles of decoration, the most brilliant examples, the architects and designers behind them, and conjures up the experience of actually sitting in one as the lights dimmed and the music swelled.

The Great Gatsby is that rare classic that inescapably defines the age from which it sprang: the Roaring ‘20s, an era of economic boom, stylish excess and above all an explosion of new and exciting fashions. This book chronicles the sparkling spectacle of Jazz Age fashion as it moves from the corseted world of the 1910s to flapper dresses, fedoras and bejeweled headbands. Illustrated with period photographs, designer sketches and key excerpts from The Great Gatsby novel, the book fully captures the style and glamour of the age of Jay Gatsby and Daisy Miller. It spans the entire wardrobe of both men and women, including day and evening wear, accessories, casual attire and “fads” like smoking jackets, tiaras and cigarette holders.

For the century after 1865 all the largest railroad companies had flagship luxury trains, spectacularly appointed steamliners offering unrivaled standards of service and thoughtful amenities including ladies’ perfume and carnations for gentlemen. These luxury trains transported well-heeled passengers in grand style across spectacular American landscapes in an atmosphere of privilege and elegance. Including the iconic Super Chief of the Sante Fe Railway and New York Central System’s fabled 20th Century Limited, they became legends in their day and for decades after their last runs. This beautifully illustrated book allows readers to experience the exhilarating journeys, the exquisitely designed train cars and the vintage advertisements and posters that together made up the passenger’s experience during this golden age of train travel – an age still remembered and celebrated today.

The handsome multicolored streetcar is a nostalgic icon of the some of the most romantic and heritage-rich locales in America, including San Francisco, New Orleans and Chicago, immortalised on stage and screen in classics including ‘Meet Me In St Louis’ and ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’. Streetcars of America chronicles these vehicles from the earliest animal-drawn carriages to the height of their popularity in the 1920s, when there were more than 1,200 tram railways, to the turning of the tide in the mid-twentieth century when congestion and attacks from the automobile industry eventually pushed streetcars from most urban landscapes. But it also looks at the recent efforts to revive tram heritage that have led to vintage streetcars becoming a hip and environmentally-friendly daily commuter service, as well as tourist attraction, in more than thirty cities including Memphis and Washington DC.

Harley-Davidson: words that evoke the open American road and the “Made in America” tradition like no others. The sweeping chopper handlebars, the distinctive throaty low-speed rumble of the engine and the unmistakable logo are recognized the world over. This book expertly ties together the mechanical evolution of Harley’s engines – from the earliest motorized pedal bicycles to the iconic heavyweight twin-cylinder V-engines we know and love today – and the social history of the brand’s phenomenal rise in the twentieth century, as innovative survivor of the Great Depression, supplier of the military during both World Wars and enduring symbol of freedom and rebellion. It is fully illustrated with pictures of the bikes and those who have ridden them as well as examples of Harley-Davidson’s distinctive design aesthetic in advertising and collectibles.

Covered Bridges are historic pieces of American and Canadian rural history, gracing the countryside from Oregon to Tennessee and from California to New Brunswick and across Canada. In this lavishly illustrated volume Joseph D. Conwill recounts the rich, romantic history of covered bridges as they developed from early timber bridges, born out of the traditions of Medieval times, into modernized structures designed for the motorized traffic of the early twentieth century. Reflecting on the efforts to keep covered bridges in service as the face of the rural landscape is transformed, and the challenge of preserving their historic character while making them safe for modern traffic, Conwill guides the reader across the diverse range of covered bridges to be found throughout the North America.

Craft beer has in recent years seen an unprecedented surge in popularity across the United States and Canada. Tired of mass-produced beers, drinkers have gravitated toward handcrafted, small-batch and often local beers and many devotees have even begun to brew their own. This comprehensive book, written by an experienced craft brewer, provides background, discusses the ingredients employed, explains what equipment is required and details the step-by-step “how-to” of the brewing process. A perfect introduction to the world of craft beer, Making Craft Beer at Home demystifies the art of home brewing while providing an historical perspective on America’s love affair with the drink, and shows why this often exquisite refreshment has taken its place at the table alongside fine wines and liquors.