New Releases

DAYTON: The City That Invented the Future is a raw, heartfelt, and sharply written portrait of one of America’s most important and misunderstood cities. From the Wright brothers to Funk music, from NCR to GM, from the Great Flood to the Oregon District, JJ walks through the neighborhoods, memories, machines, and people that made Dayton what it is. But this isn’t just a local history book. It’s personal. And it’s layered. Told through the eyes of someone who grew up here, it's part memoir, part diagnosis, and part love letter to a city that changed the world and got left behind in the process.

You have been lied to about Christopher Columbus. You know the year he sailed the ocean blue. And maybe you heard that he committed crimes against humanity. But The Last Crusader sets the record straight. More than anything, Christopher Columbus sought the means to subsidize a new Crusade to free the Holy Land from the Moslem hordes. Yes Columbus hoped to open trade routes to the Indies, and he certainly aspired to the privileges and titles that come with discovering new lands. But Christian zeal for the Great Commission was the animating principle for a life of danger and risk and discovery.

It's America's 250th birthday! Here are 250 reasons to celebrate this land of the free and the brave.

Barack Obama didn’t break the system. He mastered it. This is not a tribute. And it’s not a takedown. It’s a clear-eyed walk through one of the most disciplined presidencies in American history. From a kid with no defined center to a commander-in-chief who made calm look presidential and control look easy. He didn’t storm in with fire. He played the long game. He passed healthcare reform when everyone said it couldn’t be done. He ordered drone strikes with surgical silence. He addressed racism while trying not to set the country on fire.

It wasn’t just a robbery—it was an engineering marvel disguised as a crime. In August 2005, a crew of thieves in Fortaleza, Brazil, pulled off one of the largest bank heists in history. By digging a tunnel stretching nearly 80 meters beneath the city, they reached the Banco Central’s vault and made off with almost $70 million in unmarked bills. No alarms. No violence. Just silence, dirt, and methodical brilliance.

John Wesley Hardin had already become one of the most feared gunmen on the American frontier before his twenty-fifth birthday. A gambler, outlaw, and lightning-fast draw, Hardin left a trail of bodies across Texas that made even hardened lawmen hesitate to pursue him. When he was finally captured, authorities couldn't even agree on his true body count—estimates ranged from twenty to over forty victims. After his arrest, Hardin seemed destined to die behind bars.

From Indigenous roots to Olympic glory, A Brief History of Atlanta traces the dramatic evolution of one of America’s most resilient cities. Derek Monaghan delivers a cinematic, multi-chapter narrative that blends historical clarity with emotional resonance—capturing Atlanta’s rise from a railroad terminus to a global cultural powerhouse.

Explore the awe, complexity, and enduring mystery of America’s last frontier. In A Fascination with Alaska: Beyond the Alaskan Cruise Naturalist, marine biologist William Stickle shares a lifetime of exploration, research, and teaching in Alaska’s wild and varied landscapes. With over sixty visits since 1967, Stickle offers a compelling portrait of the state’s dramatic geography, rich history, diverse ecosystems, and the effects of a changing climate.

New Hampshire’s industrial revolution didn’t unfold in quiet workshops. It exploded along the rivers in a storm of spinning frames, flooded mills, and enough cotton lint to make the mountains sneeze.

At the age of 23, in 1846, Francis Parkman Jr set off on an audacious journey across the "wild" American West. From the bustling Missouri River outposts to the sweeping Great Plains and the shadow of the Rockies, Parkman and his companion Quincy Shaw immerse themselves in the world of trappers, emigrants, and Native American tribes.

The 24 Hours in Charlottesville author offers a minute-by-minute account of the January 6 riots through never-before-heard stories of those who were there Neus goes beyond mainstream reporting to reveal important truths about the US white nationalist movement This bracing account reconstructs...

From sacred Lenape lands to the shimmering skyline of One World Trade Center, A Brief History of New York City traces the epic evolution of America’s most iconic metropolis. In ten immersive chapters, author Derek Monaghan blends historical depth with cinematic storytelling to explore the city’s origins, upheavals, and reinventions. Walk the cobbled streets of New Amsterdam, stand amid the chaos of the Draft Riots, and witness the birth of punk, hip-hop, and Harlem’s cultural renaissance.

In this vivid and cinematic narrative, author and historian Derek Monaghan traces the evolution of St. Louis from its Indigenous roots and French colonial founding to its rise as a frontier boomtown, industrial powerhouse, and cultural beacon. Through ten immersive chapters, A Brief History of St. Louis explores the city’s defining moments: the Dred Scott decision, Civil War upheaval, the 1904 World’s Fair, the rise and fall of Pruitt-Igoe, and the Ferguson protests that reignited a national conversation on race and justice.

On December 23, 1919, Alice H. Parker received Patent No. 1,325,905 for a revolutionary gas-powered heating system that would transform American homes forever. Yet today, almost no one knows her name. HEAT OF GENIUS chronicles the remarkable life and groundbreaking innovation of Alice Parker, the Black woman inventor whose vision of centralized heating became the blueprint for every modern HVAC system.

Thirty years ago, tribal college educator and poet Thomas Davis began writing poems about the tribal college movement, beginning with the founding of College of Menominee Nation in Northern Wisconsin. He had no intention of developing a book out of the poems, using napkins and scraps of papers to create a mostly free verse poetry that chronicled the events and people trying to build a new kind of educational system that would preserve and evolve Indigenous language, history, and culture. Davis gave these poems away and many were lost. Until now.

From ancient riverbanks to the halls of California’s Capitol, A Brief History of Sacramento traces the remarkable evolution of a city shaped by ambition, resilience, and reinvention. In 10 vivid chapters, author and narrator Derek Monaghan brings to life the people, places, and pivotal moments that transformed a flood-prone frontier into one of America’s most diverse and dynamic capitals.

Uncover the world's most secretive society. Delve into the rich history, ancient rituals, and powerful symbols of the Freemasons. This essential guide unravels the mysteries behind the square and compass, revealing how a brotherhood of builders shaped world history, from the Enlightenment to the founding fathers. Are you seeking light in the darkness? Explore the core tenets of Masonry, brotherly love, relief, truth, and the hidden knowledge passed down through generations.

From gold rush boomtown to global gateway, A Brief History of Denver traces the Mile High City’s dramatic evolution across fifteen vivid chapters. With cinematic prose and meticulous research, Derek Monaghan brings to life the people, places, and pivotal moments that shaped Denver’s identity—from its Indigenous roots and frontier rivalries to civil rights movements, urban reinvention, and 21st-century resilience.

Connecticut loves to market itself as reasonable, refined, and reliably well behaved. The truth is far more fun. Clocks, Constitution, and Contradictions dives into the offbeat, dramatic, and frequently ridiculous history hiding under the Nutmeg State’s polished veneer.

In the early days of the Cold War, the United States faced a crisis in intelligence analysis. A series of intelligence failures in 1949 and 1950, including the failure to warn about the North Korean invasion of South Korea, made it clear that gut instinct and traditional practices were no longer sufficient for intelligence analysis in the nuclear age. The new director of the Central Intelligence Agency, Walter Bedell Smith, had a mandate to reform it.