By The Book [Spring 2020]


Sewn in Coal Country
Edited by Robert P. Wolensky
$39.95, Penn State Press
By the mid-1930s, Pennsylvania’s anthracite coal industry was facing a steady decline. Mining areas, including the Wyoming Valley around the cities of Wilkes-Barre and Pittston, were full of willing workers, including women, who proved attractive to New York City’s “runaway shops”—ladies’ apparel factories seeking lower labor and other costs. The area became a thriving hub of clothing production and union activity. Sewn in Coal Country tells the story of the area’s apparel industry through the voices of the men and women who lived it.

Pennsylvania Patriots
By Joe Farrell, Lawrence Knorr and Joe Farley
$19.95, Sunbury Press
The biographies and grave information for 44 Founding Fathers (and Mothers) responsible for the birth of the United States.

Us Two Together
By Ephameron
$29.95, Penn State Press
Artist Ephameron narrates her father’s slow descent into early-onset dementia, layering sequential images under text to depict her father’s decline and her family’s experience caring for him.

Whisper Music
By J.B. Toner
$16.95, Hellbender Books
Danyaela Morrigan becomes afflicted with the power to enter the spirit world and touch the soul of every human being at will.
History Picks

The Susquehannocks
Edited By Paul A. Raber
$29.95, Penn State Press
The eight essays in this volume provide original views on various aspects of the Susquehannocks’ history, including their origins, geographical spread and contact with nonnative cultures.

Historic Pennsylvania
By Mindy Gulden Crawford
$21.95, Globe Pequot Press
Tour the Keystone State and travel back in time to discover the unique stories of the state’s history.