Browse all books

Books in Landmarks series

  • The Landing of the Pilgrims

    James Daugherty

    Paperback (Random House Books for Young Readers, Feb. 12, 1981)
    Learn how and why the Pilgrims left England to come to America! In England in the early 1600s, everyone was forced to join the Church of England. Young William Bradford and his friends believed they had every right to belong to whichever church they wanted. In the name of religious freedom, they fled to Holland, then sailed to America to start a new life. But the winter was harsh, and before a year passed, half the settlers had died. Yet, through hard work and strong faith, a tough group of Pilgrims did survive. Their belief in freedom of religion became an American ideal that still lives on today. James Daugherty draws on the Pilgrims' own journals to give a fresh and moving account of their life and traditions, their quest for religious freedom, and the founding of one of our nation's most beloved holidays; Thanksgiving.
    Y
  • Wanamaker's: Meet Me at the Eagle

    Michael J. Lisicky

    Paperback (The History Press, Oct. 15, 2010)
    Philadelphia was once the proud home of Wanamaker's, a department store of many firsts founded by the retail giant John Wanamaker in 1861. Its name was synonymous with service, and Philadelphians still fondly remember the massive bronze eagle in the Grand Court, concerts from the world's largest pipe organ and the spectacular Christmas festivities. Philadelphia native Michael J. Lisicky takes a nostalgic journey through the history of the store, from its beginnings as a haberdashery to its growth into New York and Delaware and the final poignant closing of its doors. Lisicky brilliantly combines interviews with store insiders, forgotten recipes and memories from local celebrities such as Trudy Haynes and Sally Starr to bring readers back to the soft glow of the marble atrium and the quiet elegance of the Crystal Tea Room that was Wanamaker's.
  • The Pharaohs of Ancient Egypt

    Elizabeth Payne

    Paperback (Random House Books for Young Readers, Feb. 12, 1981)
    For more than 3,000 years, Egypt was a great civilization that thrived along the banks of the Nile River. But when its cities crumbled to dust, Egypt’s culture and the secrets of its hieroglyphic writings were also lost. The Pharaohs of Ancient Egypt explains how archaeologists have pieced together their discoveries to slowly reveal the history of Egypt’s people, its pharaohs, and its golden days.
    Y
  • The Wright Brothers: Pioneers of American Aviation

    Quentin Reynolds

    Paperback (Random House Books for Young Readers, Feb. 12, 1981)
    Young Orville and Wilbur Wright loved building things. From the fastest sled in town to the highest-flying kite, the Wright brothers’ creations were always a step ahead of everyone else’s. They grew up learning all about mechanics from fixing bicycles and studied math and physics. On December 17, 1903, Orville took off in the world’s first flying machine! The Wright airplane is one of the most amazing–and life-changing–
    X
  • Gettysburg

    MacKinlay Kantor

    Paperback (Random House Books for Young Readers, June 12, 1987)
    When troops entered Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, the South seemed to be winning the Civil War. But Gettysburg was a turning point. After three bloody days of fighting, the Union finally won the battle. Inspired by the valor of the many thousands of soldiers who died there, President Lincoln visited Gettysburg to give a brief but moving tribute. His Gettysburg Address is one of the most famous speeches in American history.
  • Meet Thomas Jefferson

    Marvin Barrett, Pat Fogarty

    Paperback (Random House Books for Young Readers, Sept. 25, 2001)
    When Thomas Jefferson was young, Virginia was still a colony of England. Jefferson thought that many English laws and taxes were unfair, so he studied hard to become a lawyer and help make better laws. Soon he and others came to believe that the colonies should become a new country, and Jefferson was chosen to write the Declaration of Independence. As the third president of the United States, he focused on exploring the country and making it grow. His fairness and love of learning made him one of the most beloved presidents of all time.
    O
  • Liberty!: How the Revolutionary War Began

    Lucille Recht Penner, David Wenzel

    Paperback (Random House Books for Young Readers, July 23, 2002)
    How the Revolutionary War BeganThe American colonists were fed up with British law. They refused to buy English goods. They formed a militia of tradesmen and farmers ready to fight at a moment’s notice. Most importantly, they joined together. All 13 colonies sent representatives to decide whether they should form a new country. That group wrote the Declaration of Independence, the document that summed up a revolution.
    U
  • Meet Christopher Columbus

    James T. de Kay, John Edens

    Paperback (Random House Books for Young Readers, July 24, 2001)
    When Christopher Columbus was young, he worked for his father making cloth. But he did not want to be a cloth-maker all his life. Hewanted to see new lands and have adventures. He wanted to be a sailor! By the time he was 25, Christopher had sailed to France, Africa, and Greece. He had seen strange cities and had many adventures. But his greatest adventure would come when he set out for China and found a whole new world instead.
    O
  • The American Revolution

    Bruce Bliven Jr.

    Paperback (Random House Books for Young Readers, Feb. 12, 1981)
    In the American colonies of the 1770s, people were fed up with British laws. Local farmers and tradesmen secretly formed a militia. In 1775, when the British marched into Lexington and Concord, Massachusetts, the Americans were ready. From that first battle to the final showdown at Yorktown, the Americans fought against tremendous odds. The British army was bigger and better trained. Food and guns were scarce. But George Washington’s ragged army fought for–and won–the freedom and independence we cherish to this day.Illustrated with black-and-white photographs, the tale of our country's fight for independence is brought to life in fast-moving, dramatic detail.
    T
  • Meet George Washington

    Joan Heilbroner

    Paperback (Random House Books for Young Readers, Jan. 2, 2001)
    George Washington grew up in the English colony of Virginia. He was tall and strong, fair in judgment, and respected by his friends as agood leader. As he grew older, George saw how England took advantage of the American colonies—and he didn't like it. When the colonies declared their independence, George was chosen to lead their army as its general. And when the colonies won their freedom, George was elected to lead the new nation as its first president.
    O
  • Eastern State Penitentiary: A History

    Paul Kahan, Dr. Richard Fulmer

    Paperback (The History Press, Sept. 1, 2008)
    Eastern State Penitentiary: A History documents the stories of the men and the method that shaped one of Philadelphia’s most recognizable landmarks. In this superbly balanced and thoroughly researched volume,Paul Kahan presents the history of this revolutionary penitentiary, from its inception as a model of the revolutionary Pennsylvania System of incarceration in 1829 to the demands for its closure in the wake of ever-increasing violence in 1971. Through tales of spectacular escapes, official corruption, reformation and retribution, Kahan chronicles the tensions that plagued Eastern State since the arrival of its first prisoners.
  • Wanamaker's: Meet Me at the Eagle

    Michael J. Lisicky

    Hardcover (The History Press, April 16, 2013)
    Philadelphia was once the proud home of Wanamaker's, a department store of many firsts founded by the retail giant John Wanamaker in 1861. Its name was synonymous with service, and Philadelphians still fondly remember the massive bronze eagle in the Grand Court, concerts from the world's largest pipe organ and the spectacular Christmas festivities. Author Michael J. Lisicky takes a nostalgic journey through the history of the store from its beginnings as a haberdashery to its growth into New York and Delaware and the final poignant closing of its doors. Lisicky brilliantly combines interviews with store insiders, forgotten recipes and memories from local celebrities such as Trudy Haynes and Sally Starr to bring readers back to the soft glow of the marble atrium and the quiet elegance of the Crystal Tea Room that was Wanamaker's.