his page lists the books that I feel are the best introductory texts in their respective areas.  As my sagging bookshelves will attest, there are many more books than these in each area, but I think you will find that these will get you off on the right foot, get you informed and interested, and hopefully prompt you to dig deeper.

 

 

 

Chesapeake Bay

1. Turning the Tide by Tom Horton, Island Press, 2003.  An updated version of a classic book that deserves to be read by every Bay Watershed citizen young and old, this book carefully examines what ails and what heals the Bay.  A well written and well researched book that takes an unflinching look at the current state of the Bay and maps out strategies for helping the Bay recover.

Bay Eco-History

1.  Bay, Plain and Piedmont  - The Chesapeake Bay Heritage Context Project, 2000 (download in PDF format from www.chesapeakebay.net)

2. Discovering the Chesapeake:  The History of an Ecosystem ed. By Philip Curtin, Grace Brush, and George Fisher, Johns Hopkins Univeristy Press, 2001  A very readable and authoritative book that brings together contributions from specialists in many areas to produce a wide-reaching book that covers many aspects of life in and around the Bay to produce a true Eco-historical text that examines the changes in the Bay, the land and the people who live by and depend on the Bay, over time.

 

3.John Smith's Chesapeake Voyages by Helen Rountree, Wayne Clark & Kent Mountford, University of Virginia Press, 2007.  This is a truly wonderful book that focuses on John Smith's voyages in 1608 and 1609 and through them looks at how native populations used the Bay and its resources, how colonists used (and abused) these same resources, and discusses the interplay between the people (native and foreign), the land and the living communties this land supported.

 

Watermen, The Bay, Boats, Bay History and Stories:

 

The Bay has been and remains at the center of many lives that are inextricably tied to harvesting the life that lives within the Bay's waters.  Boat captains, fisherman, crabbers, oystermen, shuckers, buyers and sellers, packing houses, dredge builders, boat builders, and independent lumbermen who provide the long pine trunks used for pound nets are all watermen with their own special stories to tell, perspectives, and tools of their trade.  Persons who spend most of their lives on and around the water can see, taste, smell, hear, feel, and sense subtle aspects of the marine and estuarine environment that we land lubbers can not.  Theirs is a watery world that has depth and dimension that we rarely appreciate.  The following books afford glimpses into their worlds and add the human dimension to the on-going discussions about the future of the Bay and its resources that often gets lost in the headlines.

1.  Watermen by Randall Peffer, Johns Hopkins University Press, 1979

2.  Chesapeake Legacy  - Tools and Traditions by Larry Chowning, Tidewater Publishers, 1995

3.  Working the Water - The Commercial Fisheries of Maryland’s Patuxent River, University of Virginia Press, 1988

4.  This Was Chesapeake Bay by Robert Burgess, Tidewater Publishers, 1963

5.  Chesapeake Circle by Robert Burgess, Cornell Maritime Press, 1965

6.  Chesapeake Bay:  A Pictorial Maritime History by M. V. Brewington, Bonanza Books, 1956

7.  Chesapeake Steamboats - Vanished Fleet by David C. Holly, Tidewater Publishers, 1994

8.   Tidewater by Steamboat by David C. Holly, Johns Hopkins University Press, 1991

9.  Tidewater Time Capsule - History Beneath the Patuxent by Donald G. Shomette, Tidewater Publishers, 1995

10.  Shipwrecks On the Chesapeake (Maritime Disasters on the Bay and Its Tributaries 1608-1978) by Donald G. Shomette, Tidewater Publishers, 1982

11.  Pirates on the Chesapeake by Donald G. Shomette, Tidewater Publishers, 1985

12.  Lost Towns of Tidewater Maryland by Donald G. Shomette, Tidewater Publishers, 2000

 

Natural History

 

You do not need to know the name of every plant and animal you see on your travels, for that matter, you do not need to know any at all.  To my mind, the most important thing is to simply take notice of the different plants and animals you encounter and the subtle differences in the places they live as you move though the Bay Watershed.  Noticing the brilliant, noisy red bird is more important than knowing it is a Cardinal.  Admiring the reflection of the lovely white flower on the surface of the pond is more important than knowing you are looking at Nymphea odorata.  Leaning back against a tree trunk and taking a moment to listen to all the noises in the environment and enjoying them for the music they are is more important than knowing what is making each sound.

 

That said, the following books can greatly add to your understanding and appreciation of what you encounter on your travels by pointing out features to look for, suggesting places to look, and helping you to identify what you may see and thereby giving you new eyes with which to see.

 

1.Watching Nature: A Mid-Atlantic Natural History by Mark S. Garland, Smithsonian Institution Press, 1997

 

2.Life in the Chesapeake Bay by Alice and Robert Lippson, Johns Hopkins Press, 1997

Geology/Fossils

To my mind there is little better than getting something wonderful for free (or what seems like free) and finding amazing rocks and fossils of creatures long since disappeared from the Earth is high on my list of freebies.  The following books will help demystify, explain and interpret the great treasure of geological and fossil wealth that lies outside our doors.  When I was in high school, Geology got an unfair rap as rocks for jocks -  i.e., science so simple that even a well concussed athlete could grasp it after a bruising game on Saturday and more to the point, a topic that only a well concussed athlete would care about and then only for a passing grade.  The following books helped me to see past this ridiculous oversimplification and to embrace geology for what it is: a fascinating and informative branch of science that deals with the oldest and arguably the grandest story of them all:   the creation of the Earth itself.  The landscape that we see on our travels is an open book if we have the eyes and the grammar with which to read it.  These books will give you both.

1.  The Roadside Geology of Virginia by Keith Frye, Mountain Press Publishing, 1991

2.  Dinosaurs of the District of Columbia by Peter M. Krantz, locally published by the Dinosaur Fund (www.dinosaurfund.org)

3.  Fossil Collecting in the Mid-Atlantic States by Jasper Burns, Johns Hopkins Press, 1991

4.  Geology Along the Skyline Drive—A self-guided Tour for Motorists by Robert L. Badger, Falcon Publishing, 1999

5.  Fossils of Calvert Cliffs by Wallace Ashby, Calvert Marine Museum, 1995

Stories

 

Every region has its stories and its local lore, and the Chesapeake Bay region is no exception.  Beginning with the story of the land itself and embracing the stories of the first humans who arrived about 15,000 years ago, the Chesapeake Bay region abounds with stories.  Stories of tall mountain ranges and colliding continents.  Stories of native peoples who had an intimate knowldege of their environment and the plants and animals that it supported and used this knowledge to carve out a stable, healthy existence near the 'Great Shellfish Bay.'  Stories of persons who dared to strike out on their own and blaze new trails.  Stories of misery, hardship, and servitude as an economy based on the cultivation of tobacco, cotton, sugar and rice demanded a constant supply of slave labor.  Stories of bravery, heroism, and moral fortitude in the face of difficult odds.

 

The following books provide a few of the many stories based in the Chesapeake region that have helped shape it into what it is today.  I think you will find all of them of interest and leading you on to other readings.  However, of these stories, I feel none is more compelling than that of the attempted escape of 76 slaves aboard the schooner Pearl in 1848.  First brought to public attention by a series of articles in the Washington Post written by Mary Kay Ricks, the story of the Pearl escape is both uplifting and heart-breaking as it details the hypocrisy and misery embodied in the sale of slaves at the foot of the Capitol steps and the ways in which the institution of slavery affected the lives of those who were enslaved.

 

Also of note, are the stories that make up the life of Joshua Barney, whom I like to call 'the greatest man you've never heard of.'  If you can read about Barney's life and not come away shaking your head and saying something akin to 'Gosh!  What an extrordinary man.  I never knew,' I will be very surprised.  All of these are a good read.  Enjoy!

1.  The Pearl - A Failed Slave Escape on the Potomac by Josephine Pacheco, University of North Carolina Press, 2005

2.  Escape on the Pearl - The Heroic Bid for Freedom on the Underground Railroad by Mary Kay Ricks, Harper Collins, 2007.

3.  From Blue Ridge to Barrier Islands ed. by Minichiello and White, Johns Hopkins, 1997.

4.  Joshua Barney:  Hero of the Revolution and 1812 by Louis Arthur Norton, Naval Institute Press, 2000.

5.  The Height of Our Mountains ed. by Branch and Philippon, Johns Hopkins University Press, 1998.

Colonial History

Every so often I come across books that are just so good at what they do, I have to let everyone in on the secret.  Edward Tunis has done us all great service by writing and illustrating a number of books that bring the past alive in a way that is interesting, accurate, and visually appealing.  These two books do an excellent job of letting us see first hand how colonial settlers lived and what they made to help their lives be easier, safer, profitable and more comfortable.  The text is geared more to adults but the drawings are so good that even younger students will be able to learn a huge amount just scanning the pictures.

1.  Colonial Living - Edward Tunis, Johns Hopkins Univeristy Press, 1999

2.  Colonial Craftsmen - Edward Tunis, Johns Hopkins Univeristy Press, 1999.

Potomac History

The 'Nation's River' has a fascinating history and an abundance of its own unique stories.  The following books are all classics in their own right and will help you to appreciate what life was like along the river since it was first settled 15,000 years ago.  Of these my personal favorite is Dr. Ogilvie's book:  easily carried, full of carefully selected pictures, and chock full of newsy, informative bits of information in the captions and introductory notes that make you alternately chuckle and stroke your chin in amazement, it is a great little read and a loving tribute to a great river by one of its greatest interpreters.

1.   Along The Potomac - Philip W. Ogilvie, Arcadia Publishing, 2000.

2. The Potomac by Frederick Gutheim, first published in 1949; many editions.

3.   Life On The Potomac River by Edwin W. Beitzell, Heritage Books, 1973.

4.  This Was Potomac River by Frederick Tilp, privately published, 1979.

 

 

Native Americans

 

With all the quadracentennial hoopla over Captain John Smith and the Jamestown settlement, the focus of modern day Washington, the reputed 'Power Capitol of the World' and the marble monuments to soldiers, war heroes, statesmen, and noble causes that postdate 1608, it is easy to overlook the native people who were on shore watching the ships at anchor and their modern day descendants who are still a vibrant presence in the Bay watershed.  These two books are excellent introductions to the societies, practices, and cultures of the indigenous peoples who had already been here for 13,000 years when John Smith set foot on Virginia soil.  Dr. Potter's book is more factual and academic in its tone but offers small details that make the drier reading very rewarding.  The second book is less academic and not quite as scholarly in the level of its data, but does an excellent job of providing interesting, well-researched information about early Indian tribes in the Jamestown area and the active tribal groups in Virginia today. 

1.  Commoners, Tribute, and Chiefs by Stephen R. Potter, University Press of Virginia, 1994

2.  First People:  The Early Indians of Virginia by Keith Egloff and Deborah Woodward, University of Virginia Press, 2006