"A hundred years ain't such a very long time on the Eastern Shore," local farmers and watermen used to say, and that is a telling refrain. Past and present mix easily on the Shore, and, in this respect, as well as in certain local customs and habits of language, the region is very much still an old-fashioned English society. Until fairly recently, the peninsula was one of the most geographically isolated regions on the Atlantic coast. In this isolated society, the most important factors have been agriculture, seafaring, and race--a blend of soil, sea, and soul. In his attempt to convey the special character of the region--before accelerating change affects its transformation--John Wennersten has used these themes as a framework for an absorbing narrative. His insights into how these elements affected the development of the area and its current character take the story of the Eastern Shore beyond mere facts and into the realm of socio-cultural history. This is a fascinating overview of an unusual--and perhaps vanishing--lifestyle.

From Rock Hall to Smith Island, the bay-side of Maryland's Eastern Shore is dotted with towns and villages that look to the Bay for their livelihood. In twenty-two watercolors and scores of sketches, Iams has given us unforgettably beautiful impressions of these places. Similarly, Thompson's text is a series of impressions, including nature and history, blended with anecdotes gathered from around the pot-bellied stove.

From a former Maryland attorney comes the true crime story of accused murderer Orphan Jones—a case mired in the racism and politics of 1930s America. Euel Lee, alias Orphan Jones, was an African American accused of murdering his white employer and family over a single dollar. The tumultuous events and cast of characters surrounding the racially charged crime garnered national media attention and changed the course of Maryland history. With exacting research, former Maryland State’s Attorney Joseph E. Moore reconstructs the murders, the ensuing roller coast of a trial, and the eventual conviction and execution of Orphan Jones. Moore details all of this in the context of Jim Crow politics and American society during the Great Depression in this gripping true crime account. “The Euel Lee case as explored by Joe Moore is more than good, readable, local history. It is about the stresses and strains in American society in the Depression, from the radicalism of a young Communist lawyer to the conscious efforts of a rural community to contain violence, confront or at least deal with their prejudices and see that justice was served for a senseless murder in their midst. Moore sets a high standard of factual accountability and entertaining narrative based upon oral history and archival research. General readers and scholars alike will not be disappointed.” —Edward C. Papenfuse, PhD, Maryland State Archivist and Commissioner of Land Patents

The Literary House Press at Washington College publishes a range of general interest books and scholarly monographs. Its publications present literary, scientific, historic, journalistic, environmental, and public policy writings of the Chesapeake Bay region. As publisher for Washington College, the press also publishes scholarly monographs written by faculty or taken from lecture series at the college. In addition, Literary House Press publishes works of literary merit without regard to subject or setting. To the uninitiated the eastern shore of the Chesapeake Bay connotes images of a water-riddled, flat landscape. This guide-book expands on these primary features with anecdotal entries on dozens of places to go and things to see along the way. Former Eastern Shore correspondent for the Baltimore Sun, Corddry combines a reporter's eye for observation with a passionate interest in the people and history of the region. She writes as much for the wanderer as for the destination-bound traveler, covering cities and towns from Ocean City and Salisbury to the northern areas of Kent and Cecil counties.