CAPSULE COMMENTS

April 17, 2008

New Books

Now is the time to start planning those summer trips. The following books feature a variety of locations to visit within the United States and are available at the Main Library.

THE FLORIDAS photography by Ian Adams and text by Clay Henderson

The pages of this volume offer a tour of Florida's cultural and natural beauty spots. Over two hundred color photographs feature the forests, wetlands, seashores and gardens of this popular vacation destination. Man made structures such as shell mounds and mansions are also included. The essays on the state's climate, wildlife, history and population growth make for interesting reading when planning a trip or just traveling through a book from the comfort of your favorite reading chair.

THE MIGHTY FALLEN: OUR NATION'S GREATEST WAR MEMORIALS by Larry Bond and F-Stop Fitzgerald.

Across our country are numerous war memorials that honor those who have served throughout more than 300 years of military service. It was the goal of the authors to use the text and many photographs to help all of these monuments tell their stories. The war memorials included in this book are arranged chronologically beginning with the eighteenth century.

AMERICA'S BEST IDEA: A PHOTOGRAPHIC JOURNEY THROUGH OUR NATIONAL PARKS photographs by Stan Jorstad.

The National Park Service was created in 1916 and they currently manage 391 sites throughout the United States and its territories. Of all of these sites, only fifty-eight are officially designated as national parks. All of the parks included in this volume are arranged in chronological order based on when the park received protection as public land. Each entry includes a color photo, a chronology of designations, and a short summary of what is included in the park.

ARCHITECTURE IN CINCINNATI: AN ILLUSTRATED HISTORY OF DESIGNING AND BUILDING AN AMERICAN CITY by Sue Ann Painter and photographs by Alice Weston.

A short road trip is all it would take to see in person the many areas featured in this volume. The city’s development is traced from the first plans of the 1780’s to how it looks today. The interesting sidebars on historical figures, architects and buildings combine together with many photographs to create an absorbing story of how this city has evolved throughout its history.