Marblehead: Myths, Legends and Lore, From Storied Past to Modern Mystery by Pam Matthias Peterson
Pam Peterson, Director of the Marblehead Museum & Historical Society, has penned this detailed and fascinating collection of Puritan folktales of witches, wizards, shipwrecks and pirates handed down through the centuries, from Marblehead’s original settlers to us!
Paperback, $19.99
In the Time of the Worms: An Ancient Tale of Marblehead by Kenelm Winslow Harris
Marblehead resident Harris has penned the first in a series of time-traveling adventure novels for readers of all ages, revolving around the recently-resurfaced manuscripts of the long-since-vanished psychologist Max Blessing. Stay tuned for a sequel!
Hardcover, $24.95
Ted Hood Through Hand and Eye: An Autobiography
by Ted Hood and Michael Levitt
An autobiography from an inventive sailmaker, innovative designer and successful America’s Cup skipper. Ted Hood has had a legendary career in the yachting world, and in this book he tells his story in detail, from childhood sailing and boatbuilding to the secrets of Hood sailcloth, from the tactics and sail trim of America’s Cup racers to the theory of the wide, shallow “delta form” of Hood yacht designs, and from his influential series of sailboats named Robin to the latest jet-drive motorboats. The book contains 200 illustrations.
Hardcover, $50.00
Glass Plates & Wooden Boats: The Yachting Photography of Willard B. Jackson at Marblehead, 1898–1937
by Matthew P. Murphy
Willard Jackson spend four decades trolling the waters off Marblehead, photographing the many different types of yachts, schooners and working boats that came in and out of Marblehead Harbor. The result of his efforts is a stunning documentation of the development of the early American yacht. This gorgeous new gift book by Matthew Murphy, editor of Wooden Boat magazine, contains 75 of Jackson’s most impressive photographs, with insightful text accompanying each one. The publication of this book in June 2006 coincides with a lengthy exhibit of Jackson’s glass plate photographs at the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem.
Hardcover, $50.00
Marblehead by Ulrike Welsch
Marblehead is a gorgeous gift book featuring over 100 full-color photographs of Marblehead taken over the course of three decades; the ideal book to grace any coffee table. Welsch is a former Boston Globe photographer and a Marblehead resident.
Hardcover, $29.95
North Shore Boston: Houses of Essex County, 1865–1930 by Pamela W. Fox
Fox, an architectural preservationist (and Swampscott resident) has detailed the stories behind more than 50 of the North Shore's most distinguished houses, including the Morss House of Marblehead. With over 400 historic photographs and blueprints, this impressive book makes a lovely gift or the perfect addition to your own coffee table.
$77, hardcover
Disasters &c: The Maritime World of Marblehead, 1815–1865 by John R. H. Kimball
Local author John Kimball describes “what Marblehead seafarers were really like, and how the pervasive maritime life of the town created a class of fishermen and shipmasters with unique character, ability and success.” For more information, visit the author’s website.
Hardcover, $25
The Death and Life of Charlie St. Cloud by Ben Sherwood
Charlie is a haunting and mesmerizing novel which tells several stories in one. That of two brothers, one killed in a car accident, who cannot be separated by the boundaries of life and death, as well as that of older brother, Charlie, and his increasingly intense relationship with the spirited and complex Tess.
Although Ben Sherwood is not from Marblehead, his latest novel is set entirely in town, mentioning such local sights as Maddie’s, Doyle’s Sail Loft, and Waterside Cemetery. And, aside from having moved the cemetery across town, we think this book is pretty accurate.
Paperback, $10
Boston Rediscovered by Ulrike Welsch
Published in the fall of 2002, this lovely coffee table book contains over 150 color and black and white photographs of Boston, from the spring flowers of Haymarket to the peaceful banks of the Gardens to the St. Paddy’s Day parade in the South End.
Hardcover, $24.95 each
Boston’s North Shore by Ulrike Welsch
Published in the fall of 2003, Ulrike Welsch’s latest gift book features 120 full-color photographs spanning the entire North Shore, with gorgeous new shots of Marblehead, Salem, Beverly and Swampscott. The perfect gift for anyone who lives, or has ever lived, in this part of New England.
Hardcover, $27.95 each.
Discovering Marblehead: A Guide to Open Spaces and Historic Places
Dozens of local volunteers spent over five years putting together this thorough and well-researched guide book to the natural history and wildlife of Marblehead. Discovering Marblehead was hailed by the Boston Globe as being “a book worth owning …well-written and interesting… the color photographs are splendid.”
Paperback, $27.50
History and Traditions of Marblehead by Samuel Roads
This is a must-have for anyone interested in the history and genealogy of Marblehead. Dating back to 1880, each copy of this 595-page book is custom-printed by the Higginson Book Company in Salem, MA
Hardcover, $65.00
Marblehead Volume I (part of the Images of America series) by John Hardy Wright
This lovely companion book contains over 120 pages of black and white photographs of Marblehead, dating back as far as 1890. The photographs and accompanying text capture some of the area’s more notable buildings and houses, as well as the daily lives of the people who lived here.
Paperback, $18.99
Marblehead Then and Now by Sue Ellen Woodcock
Woodcock places black and white photographs of olden-day Marblehead alongside recent pictures to contrast both how drastically and how little the town has changed over the past 100 years. This book makes a nice companion to anyone planning a stroll around Marblehead.
Paperback, $19.99
The North Shore by Joseph E. Garland
Thomas Handasyd Perkins first discovered the wonder of Boston’s North Shore in the nineteenth century. From then on, he and other prominent Bostonians were lured to the area, which quickly became a hot spot for Boston socialites and city slickers looking for a break from the big city. Full of history, including sports, hobbies and nightlife, Joseph Garland had created one of the premiere sources on the social history of the North Shore. Includes black and white photographs.
Paperback, $21.95
Marblehead Coloring Book by Patricia O’Hare Williams
From Abbot Hall to Glover’s Regiment, Marblehead artist Patricia O’Hare Williams has created 16 pages of coloring fun!
Paperback, $7.95.
