Steam & Cinders: The Advent of Railroads in Wisconsin

By Axel Lorenzsonn

From the railroad lines that traverse open prairie to the wrought iron rails embedded in their wooden ties, railroads have been written into the landscape - and shared history - of Wisconsin. Yet few of us have thought about how they developed in the towns and cities we call home. In Steam & Cinders, author Axel Lorenzsonn brings the history of Wisconsin's earliest railroads to life, painting a vivid picture of the competition and risk that accompanied the building of Wisconsin's earliest statewide infrastructure during the years leading up to the Civil War.

From Janesville to Watertown, Milwaukee to Prairie du...

Out of the Northwoods: The Many Lives of Paul Bunyan

by Michael Edmonds

A Midwest Favorite from the Midwest Booksellers Association

Every American has heard of the lumberjack hero Paul Bunyan and his big blue ox. For 100 years his exploits filled cartoons, magazines, short stories, and children's books, and his name advertised everything from pancake breakfasts to construction supplies....

Encore! The Renaissance of Wisconsin Opera Houses

by Brian Leahy Doyle with Photographs by Mark Fay

A remarkable number of Wisconsin towns and cities were home to an opera house in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Some were freestanding structures built by local benefactors, industrialists, and capitalists. Others were located within a city hall building and financed by local tax dollars with the support of...