Fascinating true stories of aristocrats, politicians, spies, swindlers and heroes transport readers into the past. Borrow a history book from the Lititz Public Library.
Astoria: Astor and Jefferson’s Lost Pacific Empire: A Tale of Ambition and Survival on the Early American Frontier by Peter Stark
Encouraged by Thomas Jefferson, in 1810 millionaire John Jacob Astor financed expeditions to the unclaimed western coast of North America to establish Fort Astoria, a trading post on the Columbia River.
The Billion Dollar Spy: A True Story of Cold War Espionage and Betrayal by David E. Hoffman
From 1979 to 1985, an engineer at a Soviet military research center handed over tens of thousands of pages about the latest advances in aviation technology to the CIA.
Capital Dames: The Civil War and the Women of Washington, 1848-1868 by Cokie Roberts
A group of resilient woman remained in the capital city after the declaration of secession and transformed a Southern society town into a center of national power and activism.
The Great Divide: The Conflict Between Washington and Jefferson That Defined a Nation by Thomas Fleming
Though history suggests camaraderie between the Founding Fathers, disagreements between Washington and Jefferson centered on two sharply different visions for the nation’s future.
Empire of Deception: The Incredible Story of a Master Swindler Who Seduced a City and Captivated the Nation by Dean Jobb
During the 1920s, a slick, charismatic lawyer enticed hundreds of people to invest in phantom timberland and nonexistent oil wells in Panama.
The Death of Caesar: The Story of History’s Most Famous Assassination by Barry Strauss
On March 15, 44 BC, Caesar was assassinated by a carefully planned paramilitary operation put together by disaffected officers to rally support among the common people.
Gateway to Freedom: The Hidden History of the Underground Railroad by Eric Foner
To protect fugitive slaves and fight kidnappings in the North, free blacks joined white abolitionists to form vigilance committees who collaborated to create networks that became known as the Underground Railroad.
90 Church: Inside America’s Notorious First Narcotics Squad by Agent Dean Unkefer
In the mid-1960s the Federal Bureau of Narcotics took on the Mafia, drug dealers and anyone who did business on the streets with tactics that were often more vicious than the criminals they chased.
Churchill and the King: The Wartime Alliance of Winston Churchill and George VI by Kenneth Weisbrode
Age and background made Churchill and King George VI unlikely partners but the alliance worked due to a relationship of trust and respect that grew as WWII went on.
Our Man in Charleston: Britain’s Secret Agent in the Civil War South by Christopher Dickey
A British diplomat served as a spy in South Carolina at the beginning of the Civil War, posing as a friend to slave-owning aristocrats when he was actually telling Britain not to support the Confederacy.
Jacksonland: President Andrew Jackson, Cherokee Chief John Ross and a Great American Land Grab by Steve Inskeep
A mixed-race Cherokee politician used the legal system and democratic ideals to oppose Jackson’s plan to conquer native lands.
The Quartet: Orchestrating the Second American Revolution, 1783-1789 by Joseph J. Ellis
The triumph of the American Revolution was neither an ideological nor political guarantee that the colonies would relinquish their newly-won independence and accept the creation of a federal government.
Last to Die: A Defeated Empire, a Forgotten Mission and the Last American Killed in World War II by Stephen Harding
Three days after Japan announced it would cease hostilities and surrender, an air gunner was killed on a mission to verify the Japanese military was complying with the peace treaty.
November 20, 2015