Almost forty years after artist Alice Steer Wilson (1926-2001) wrote a message on the back of one of her paintings, this book offers an intimate view of her art. She enjoyed an undisputed role in the renaissance of Cape May, New Jersey. Known as "Mrs. Cape May," Wilson painted en plein air to capture the changing light on Victorian cottages, inns and hotels. She was hailed as a patron of preservationists and a colorist who conveyed the intrinsic character of a seaside resort fallen on hard times. This catalogue presents over 220 images from her career and invites the reader into an intimate view of the painter's life. It is the first publication of this scope, from the inside view of the artist's daughter and collaborator, the writer Janice Wilson Stridick. 128 pages, 229 illustrations, 208 in color

"For the better part of two centuries, at least, the story of the Jersey Devil has been part of the culture of Southern New Jersey. A fire-breathing monster with the head of a horse, bat wings and the body of a kangaroo, the creature is said to be the thirteenth child of Mother Leeds, born in 1735, when the unfortunate woman put a curse on her future offspring. Informed at a tender age by his BeBop (his grandmother) that he is distantly related to the beast, Bill Sprouse goes looking for the story behind the story of his family's connection to the famous monster. The result is part memoir, part travelogue and part a raucous tour of three-hundred years of New Jersey history. The domestic life of the Jersey Devil traces the origins of the Jersey Devil legend to an obscure pamphlet war that sent the Leeds family to Leeds Point at the end of the seventeenth century, with the family patriarch, Daniel Leeds, branded Satan's Harbinger in the process. If follows the story through its connection with the residents of the Pine Barrens (the famous Pineys), who were said to live in fear of the beast, and, finally, it examines the legend in its modern iterations: X-files episodes are made about the monster, a pro hockey team is named after it, and residents of Galloway Township attempt to adopt the creature as the official town mascot. The domestic life of the Jersey Devil is a book about suburban identity, and about one suburbanite's attempt to come to terms with his family history in the most unlikely of places."--

While the Jersey Shore is known as a destination where salt water taffy and frozen custard were born, Miss America was crowned and The Twist was invented, there's even more to the Shore just waiting to be discovered. With 100 Things to Do at the Jersey Shore Before You Die as your guide, you'll find the best places to thrill, eat, fish, party and swim on the 130 miles of the New Jersey shoreline from the Sandy Hook Lighthouse to Cape May Point. Climb inside a giant elephant, stroll the world's most famous Boardwalk and observe a vast migration at North America's number one birding destination. Admire the Painted Ladies mansions and discover the town chosen by seven U.S. Presidents as the Nation's Summer Capital. Learn about fun ideas for your family on rainy days, find free beaches (and parking), and choose the hottest nightclubs. Beyond the summer, this guide helps you enjoy the Shore year-round. Discover fall foliage at historic battlefields; take a brisk walk in the winter with a llama or hear the hottest rock bands at the legendary Stone Pony. Local author and Shore expert R.C. Staab deftly leads you through top tips and itineraries, whether you've spent many summers at the Jersey Shore or are looking for your next beach vacation. His book will help you dive deeper into Shore life and enhance your trip.

Elegant remnants of the Victorian era grace almost every corner of Cape May. Wealthy locals built opulent homes like the Emlen Physick Estate and the George Allen House, while grand hotels like Congress Hall and the Chalfonte welcomed visitors from around the country. Even presidents came for the healthful sea air and distinguished venues. Yet the gaieties of these well-heeled patrons were shadowed by strictly defined social roles. Men and women--upper class, as well as cooks and servants--had vastly different experiences in this resort town. Local historian Robert Heinly explores all aspects of this world. Peer into the upstairs and downstairs of these majestic homes to discover what life was like in Victorian Cape May.

In the course of its extraordinary history, the Jersey Devil has been exorcised, shot, electrocuted, declared officially dead, and scoffed as foolishness--none of which has had any effect on it or the people who persist in seeing it!This mysterious creature is said to prowl the lonely sand trails and mist-shrouded marshes of the Pine Barrens, and emerge perioducally to rampage through the towns and cities of New Jersey and eastern Pennsylvania, leaving many communities in near-hysteria.The authors show that while a few appearances have been out-right fraud and others have likely been the result of mass hysteria, this creature has been seen by enough sane, sober, and responsible citizens to keep the possiblity of its existence alive and tantalizing.Over 50,000 in print