by Eleanor O'Donnell

Apkarian-Russell, Pamela. AROUND SWANZEY: SWANZEY, ASHUE-LOT, WINCHESTER, RICHMOND, FITZWILLIAM, AND HINSDALE. Arcadia Publishing. 1996. $16.99 ISBN 0-7524-0427-X
Another volume in the Images of America series presents a photographic history of six communities in the southwestern part of the state. Swanzey was the home of the playwright, Denman Thompson, whose play, The Old Homestead, was performed annually by local residents.

Batinski, Michael C. JONATHAN BELCHER, COLONIAL GOVERNOR. University Press of Kentucky. 1996. $39.95 ISBN 0-8131-1946-4
When Jonathan Belcher was governor of Massachusetts, he deftly maneuvered longstanding rivals toward a political settlement. However, when he became governor of New Hampshire, he was embroiled in factional disputes that destroyed his administration. This political biography depicts a man unusually riddled with contradictions.

Blanchard, Joan M., and Martin J. Bender. PATRIOTS, PIRATES, POLITICIANS AND PROFIT SEEKERS: NEW HAMPSHIRE CASES AND THE UNITED STATES SUPREME COURT. New Hampshire Bar Association Law-Related Education Program, 112 Pleasant Street, Concord, N.H. 03301. 1996. Price unknown.
This book presents New Hampshire cases argued in the United States Supreme Court, many of which have made constitutional history. Cases include rights of privateers in the American Revolution, boundary disputes, sales of alcoholic beverage in the 1840s, commuter taxes, and pink margarine. Written by former librarian, Joan Blanchard, and attorney Martin J. Bender, this work was designed to be used in New Hampshire high schools.

Conley, Susan C., editor. THE BEST OF BARNES: THE SELECTED ARTICLES AND PHOTOGRAPHS OF JACK BARNES. Nightshade Press, P.O. Box 76, Troy, ME 04987. 1996. $14.95 <>ISBN 1-879205-57-2
"A biographical survey of Northern New England poets, writers, and storytellers." Articles include profiles of writers such as Wesley McNair, Donald Hall, Jane Kenyon, Maxine Kumin, Elizabeth Yates, May Sarton, Ernest Hebert, and Tom Williams.

Cummings, O.R. CAPITAL CITY STREETCAR DAYS: THE CONCORD & MANCHESTER ELECTRIC BRANCH, THE CONCORD ELECTRIC RAILWAYS AND PREDECESSORS, 1878-1933. 1996. Order single copies from O.R. Cummings, 105 Theresa Court, Manchester, N.H. 03103-6693. $12.00. Send bulk orders to the publisher, Harold E. Cox, 80 Virginia Terrace, Forty Fort, PA 18704. $7.20 each.
A history of the street railway lines, both horse and electric, which served Concord for more than half a century. The text is supplemented by financial tables, equipment rosters, and many photographs.

Dorris, Michael. CLOUD CHAMBER. Scribner. 1997. $24.00 ISBN 0-684-81567-2
Dorris's last novel, moving from late nineteenth century Ireland to contemporary America, follows the lives of Rose Manion from Connemara and her descendants. One of the characters, Rayona, part black, part Native American, was at the center of the late New Hampshire author's earlier novel, A Yellow Raft in Blue Water.

Grosholz, Emily, editor. TELLING THE BARN SWALLOW: POETS ON THE POETRY OF MAXINE KUMIN. University Press of New England. 1997. $29.95 ISBN 0-87451-784-2
A collection of essays on the writings of New Hampshire poet, Maxine Kumin. The first five examine the form and structure of her poems; the last seven take up thematic issues. The last section contains poems written to or about Maxine Kumin by the essayists.

Historical Society of Cheshire County. SHIRE TOWN BY FOOT: KEENE, NEW HAMPSHIRE, A WALKING TOUR. Order from the Society, P.O. Box 803, Keene, N.H. 03431. 1996 . $2.00, plus $1.50 postage.
This booklet is an excellent companion to take along on a walking tour of the historic buildings of Keene. A description of each structure, including architectural style and history, is provided.

Lyman, Henry, editor. AFTER FROST: AN ANTHOLOGY OF POETRY FROM NEW ENGLAND. University of Massachusetts Press, in association with the New England Foundation for the Humanities. 1995. $14.95 ISBN 1-55849-041-8
The anthology is divided into four sections, each beginning with a poem by Robert Frost, followed by thirty poems, each by a different poet, addressing a common theme. Written by New England poets, such as Donald Hall, Jane Kenyon, Richard Eberhart, Maxine Kumin, and Charles Simic, these poems convey the vitality and variety of the region's poetic creation during much of the twentieth century.

McCaffery, Robert Paul. ISLANDS OF DEUTSCHTUM: GERMAN-AMERICANS IN MANCHESTER, NEW HAMPSHIRE, AND LAWRENCE, MASSACHUSETTS, 1870-1942. Peter Lang. 1996. $47.95 ISBN 0-8204-3338-1
The migration of German textile workers to the textile centers of New England is examined in this scholarly work. The book describes how they fashioned ethnic communities, which survived World War I and lasted into World War II.

Murray, Donald M. CRAFTING A LIFE IN ESSAY, STORY, POEM. Boynton/Cook Publishers. 1996. $20.00 ISBN 0-86709-403-6
This book on the craft of writing examines the basic techniques of writing essays, stories, and poems. Taking the reader into his private writer's workshop, the author discusses the emotional and mental attitudes that determine the effectiveness of his craft. Murray, a Pulitzer prizewinner, is a Professor Emeritus of English at the University of New Hampshire.

Nobles, Edward. THROUGH ONE TEAR: POEMS. Persea Books, Inc., 171 Madison Ave., New York, N.Y. 10016. 1997. $22.00 ISBN 0-89255-227-1
First collection of poems by New Hampshire poet ranges across social and historical subjects, through the consequences of love, to spiritual integrity and quest. Nobles resides in West Lebanon.

Page, Carolyn. BARN FLIGHT. Negative Capability Press. 1995. Price unknown. ISBN 0-942544-55-X
The barn referred to in the title poem was located on the poet's family farm in Strafford County. This collection of poems reveals secrets to be found in the cellars and attics of her past.

Pratt, Charles W., and Joan C. Pratt. GABRIEL LOIRE: LES VITRAUX/STAINED GLASS. Pomme Press, 66 Rowell Road, Brentwood, N.H. 03833. 1997. $60.00
With text in French and English, this book focuses on Gabriel Loire, French stained glass artist, whose work is found in numerous buildings in Europe, the United States, and elsewhere. The authors reside in Brentwood, New Hampshire.

Ramsey, Floyd W. INDIAN HEAD: A DREAM FULFILLED. Order from Indian Head Resort, RR 1, Box 99, Lincoln, N.H. 03251-9726. $4.95
The history of the origins and development of the Indian Head Resort is told in this illustrated booklet.

Shreve, Anita. WEIGHT OF WATER. Little, Brown. 1997. $22.95 ISBN 0-3167-8997-6
Two parallel stories of jealousy and tragic consequences are told in this novel set in the Isles of Shoals. Jean, on assignment to photograph the scene of the murder of two women on Smuttynose Island in 1873, becomes suspicious of her husband's involvement with another woman. She comes across a diary containing an eyewitness account of the Smuttynose murders, purportedly written by the only survivor, Maren Hontvedt. Excerpts from the journal alternate with Jean's narrative of her own tragic story.

Silber, Nina, and Mary Beth Sievens. YANKEE CORRESPONDENCE: CIVIL WAR LETTERS BETWEEN NEW ENGLAND SOLDIERS AND THE HOME FRONT. University Press of Virginia. 1996. $29.95 ISBN 0-8139-1668-2
Charles Jewett of Gilford, New Hampshire, writes from Harrison's Landing, Virginia, July 18, 1862, trying to discourage his brother from enlisting: "Tell him to go out doors and sleep on the ground through two or three rainstorms without anything to put over or under him." This extract from one of the letters in this collection tells what the Yankee soldiers endured. The correspondence is grouped in six major themes: the military experience, the meaning of the war, views of the South, politics on the home front, the personal sacrifices of war, and the correspondence of one family from Woodbury, Vermont.

Teschek, William H. HAMPTON AND HAMPTON BEACH. Arcadia. 1997. $16.99 ISBN 0-7524-0440-7
A visual tour of Hampton and Hampton Beach, this book contains over two hundred old photographs showing images of the town and resort through the past hundred years.

Webster, Ed. ROCK CLIMBS IN THE WHITE MOUNTAINS OF NEW HAMPSHIRE. 3rd edition (East volume) Mountain Imagery. 1996. $29.95 ISBN 0-9653199-0-3
Now in its third edition, this technical rock climbing guidebook, records for the first time many modern sport climbs, and first free ascents pioneered in the eastern portion of the White Mountains in the last nine years. Information on where to buy climbing gear, climbing schools, and other services in the area are included.