Tag: Titles

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New Projects at Star Route Books!

We’ve got some exciting book projects planned at Star Route. Here are summaries of what’s coming:

The cover of Paths and Passages

Paths and Passages, Navigating the Blue Ridge: Available now. Photographs of the Blue Ridge Mountains in northwestern North Carolina. Scenes of the New River and the Blue Ridge Parkway in Ashe and Alleghany Counties by photographer, Jeff Halsey. The latest from Star Route Books and first in a series of photographic portfolios that attempt to describe and define the mountain region.

Tea Time Recipes: Available now. The much sought-after Dirty Fingers Garden Club cookbook, originally published in 2004 and out of print for many years, is available once again! Now you can learn how to make such delicacies as Cherry-and-Cream Scones, Strawberry Pound Cake, and Lavender Blueberry Soup. 20 photos are included, in black and white and in color.

Stratford Oaks Tales, The Tale of Clyde: Available September 2012. In the follow-up to The Tale of Gretchen, Dr. Suzanne Mellow-Irwin shares the story of a young calf and how he persevered to join the herd. Zach Hamm’s delicate pencil art complements Suzanne’s inspiring message.

Sparta Presbyterian Church’s Centennial Cookbook: Available September 2013. This popular cookbook was originally printed in 2006, in celebration of the Church’s Centennial. The book is now available once again; it quickly sold out during the first printing.

Emma Jean’s Blue Ridge Almanac: Available Late 2013. Emma Jean’s Blue Ridge Almanac is written, printed, and published in Sparta, North Carolina. Featuring a calendar, community events, important phone numbers and email addresses for town and county departments, home remedies and more, it is a general resource for folks in Ashe County, NC, Alleghany County, NC and Grayson County, VA.

The Westover Manuscripts: Coming 2014. Written in the 1720s and 1730s, The Westover Manuscripts focuses on the efforts to map the border between NC and VA, as well as other surveying trips during early years of our colonization. The book was actually three books all written by Virginian William Byrd. The “Land of Eden” refers to North Carolina.

Four Brothers in Gray: Coming 2013. A collaborative project with Wilkes Community College, Four Brothers in Gray is the story of the four Proffit sons who went to fight in the Civil War, and the one who returned. The book recounts the Wilkes County family’s wartime experiences in their own words with excerpts from 126 letters.

Get more information on those projects at the Star Route Books site.

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Tea Time Recipes Available Again!

The much sought-after Dirty Fingers Garden Club cookbook, Tea Time Recipes, originally published in 2004 and out of print for many years, is available once again! Now you can learn how to make such delicacies as Cherry-and-Cream Scones, Strawberry Pound Cake, and Lavender Blueberry Soup.

The DFGC meets at (and owns) the “Meeting House” in Piney Creek. The Meeting House was originally built in 1875 for the Piney Creek Primitive Baptist Church which was established in 1825.

“Being the oldest church in the area the early church grew rapidly and exerted great influence on the lives in the community. The names of most of the early settlers and their families are recorded on its books. During the months October to January 1857-1858, the church received 86 new members.”

– History of Alleghany County, 1859-1976

Tea Time Recipes from the Dirty Fingers Garden Club in Piney Creek, North Carolina.

The club hosts their celebrated English Teas at the newly-renovated structure throughout the year. The recipes in the book are the best of the best dishes from these well-loved events. For tickets, contact Sara McMillan, Glenna Gambill or anyone in the Dirty Fingers Garden Club! Groups are welcome.

Proceeds from the book go to the Dirty Fingers Garden Club, a member of the Garden Club of North Carolina, for their many community projects and events.

The recipe book is available from The Sparta Store, both online and in the shop at 3 North Main in Sparta.

Got a great cookbook idea for your organization? Contact Imaging Specialists, today!

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Show Me, Rosie! hits Shelves this Spring

WWII poster to recruit women stenographers from the U.S. National Archives
WWII poster to recruit women stenographers from the U.S. National Archives

The newest title from Star Route Books, Show Me, Rosie! – Missouri’s working women in the Second World War will make its debut in March at the State Conference of the Missouri State Society, Daughters of the American Revolution (MSSDAR).

Many people put a lot of hard work into the project. Individuals from across the state of Missouri interviewed mothers, grandmothers, aunts, and friends about their lives and service during World War II. MSSDAR gathered and edited their stories and photographs and sent it all to Imaging Specialists.

Of course, each individual’s experience was different- the stories are varied. Some women actually were riveters. Some were secretaries. A few married servicemen, others were in the service, themselves. There were wives, widows, divorcees and a few made conscious decisions not to marry until after the end of the war. Working wartime mothers motivated by patriotism or necessity found that they had to secure child care. Day cares and afterschool groups developed and children were left with sitters or grandparents.

Women's Bureau Department of Labor Poster from United States National Archives
Womens Bureau, Department of Labor Poster from U.S. National Archives

Our task was to show the diversity in a cohesive, uniform layout so we designed pages in a scrapbook format, using elements from a 1940s scrapbook as a base. This allowed each woman to share what was most important to her story and memories, as she would have done in her own scrapbook. We present modern and wartime images beside ration coupons, identification badges, insignia pins and other memorabilia.

The cover features the iconic “We Can Do It” poster, painted by Pittsburgh artist  J. Howard Miller for Westinghouse Company’s War Production Coordinating Committee in 1942. The title, Show Me, Rosie! not only refers to the Missouri state motto, but to the way these home front heroes share their wartime stories.

We chose a typewriter font for story text, printed on white “sheets” that looked like they were mounted on typical, gray construction paper backgrounds or onto graph paper backgrounds to give an industrial feel. Captions were printed in a script font used throughout- as if one hand had written it all, but in each submitter’s words.

WWII Rationing Poster from U.S. Library of Congress
WWII Rationing Poster from U.S. Library of Congress

We added photographs and wartime posters from the Library of Congress, the National Archives, private libraries and many other resources (around 30) when appropriate to help illustrate the 78 narratives. We also researched newspaper clippings and images submitted by (or on behalf of) the honorees, securing permission for reprint when possible. Some entrees took 3 or 4 pages, but most were 2 page spreads in this 184 page, 8.5″ x 11″, soft cover book.

The print-on-demand books serve as a fundraiser for the MSSDAR. Sales will help support the Missouri State Society in their many patriotic endeavors.

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Civil War Histories now available at Imaging Specialists

New from Star Route Books, are the histories of North Carolina’s 26th and 61st Infantry Regiments in the Civil War. Through spellbinding narratives and fascinating photography we follow the story of the 26th Regiment and Company A, The Jeff Davis Mountaineers, that consisted almost entirely of men from Ashe County and the 61st, including Company I, The Alleghany Rangers, which was made up of Alleghany County volunteers.

The cover art from the History of the 26th NC Infantry depicting Picketts Charge at Gettysburg from a painting by Edwin Forbes. US Library of Congress.

Originally published in 1901, these eyewitness accounts were compiled by the State of North Carolina and were part of The Histories of the Several Regiments and Battalions from North Carolina, in the Great War, 1861-65.

Pontoon Bridge at Deep Bottom Virginia, Photographed by Timothy OSullivan for Gardners Photographic Sketchbook of the Civil War. US Library of Congress.
Pontoon Bridge at Deep Bottom Virginia, Photographed by Timothy OSullivan for Gardners Photographic Sketchbook of the Civil War. US Library of Congress.

The 26th was noted for its participation in Pickett’s Charge at Gettysburg, there losing more men than any other regiment from either side in the entire war. They were part of the Army of Northern Virginia, fighting at Richmond, Petersburg and they were with Robert E. Lee at his eventual surrender at Appomattox.

The 61st fought, primarily, along the coast of North and South Carolina, defending Charleston Harbor, Savannah and Wilmington. They were at Morris Island and just barely missed the attack of the 54th Massachusetts Infantry, depicted in the movie Glory. They were led by General Thomas Clingman and were with General Joseph Johnston when he surrendered at Bennett Place in Durham at the war’s end.

General Thomas Clingman, leader of Clingmans Brigade and the 61st NC Infantry. Clingmans Brigade fought at Goldsboro, Battery Wagner, Drewry's Bluff, Cold Harbor, Petersburg, Globe Tavern, Fort Fisher and Bentonville.
General Thomas Clingman, leader of Clingmans Brigade and the 61st NC Infantry. Clingmans Brigade fought at Goldsboro, Battery Wagner, Drewrys Bluff, Cold Harbor, Petersburg, Globe Tavern, Fort Fisher and Bentonville.

Along with the original text, we have added company rosters, photographs, battle descriptions and period maps obtained from the National Archives, the Library of Congress, Virginia Military Institute and many other resources.

The Regimental History of the 26th North Carolina Infantry won a Willie Parker Peace History Book Award from the North Carolina Society of Historians in 2011.

The cover art from the History of the 61st NC Infantry depicting New Berne, NC in 1864 from a lithograph by Del Comb. US Library of Congress.

Both books are available now, print-on-demand, through The Sparta Store.

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Christmas Bookfest – December 8

Join us Thursday evening, December 8, for our Christmas Bookfest – book signings at The Sparta Store.

Authors Kate Clay Bodeen (NCSH Award Winner Pat Crisp, Like a Moth to the Flame) and Dr. Suzanne Mellow Irwin (The Stratford Oaks Tales), as well as illustrator Zach Hamm (The Stratford Oaks Tales) will be here from 3:00 till 6:00 that afternoon. A representative from High Country Hospice will also have copies of their award-winning cookbook, Meals and Memories, available.

In addition to having your book signed, you’ll have a chance to learn about their upcoming projects.

Also, you’ll be able to check out the latest release from Star Route Books, Regimental History of the 61st NC Infantry. This is the second in our popular history book series and others are planned for release next year.

We’ll also have some edible treats. The Alleghany Historical Museum is hosting a Chamber of Commerce Business After Hours event and is planning to have goodies for everyone. Alleghany County Library is co-hosting the event.

Our neighboring shops on Main Street will also have extended hours December 8. Be sure to stop by Backwoods Bean, Murphy’s Mercantile, and Studio Redwood that evening and support our local merchants and businesses.

Download a PDF of the event flyer!