Explores haunted places, local legends, crazy characters, and unusual roadside attractions found in New Jersey.

Discover the darker side of the Garden State with this anthology of gritty mystery stories. Akashic Books continues its award-winning series of original noir anthologies, launched in 2004 with Brooklyn Noir. Each volume is compromised of all-new stories, each one set in a distinct location within the geographical area of the book. In New Jersey Noir, a star-studded cast of authors sifts through the hidden dirt of the Garden State. Featuring brand-new stories (and a few poems) by Joyce Carol Oates, Jonathan Safran Foer, Robert Pinsky, Edmund White & Michael Carroll, Richard Burgin, Pulitzer Prize–winner Paul Muldoon, Sheila Kohler, C.K. Williams, Gerald Stern, Lou Manfredo, S.A. Solomon, Bradford Morrow, Jonathan Santlofer, Jeffrey Ford, S.J. Rozan, Barry N. Malzberg & Bill Pronzini, Hirsh Sawhney, and Robert Arellano. Praise for New Jersey Noir “Oates’s introduction to Akashic’s noir volume dedicated to the Garden State, with its evocative definition of the genre, is alone worth the price of the book . . . Highlights include Lou Manfredo’s “Soul Anatomy,” in which a politically connected rookie cop is involved in a fatal shooting in Camden; S.J. Rozan’s “New Day Newark,” in which an elderly woman takes a stand against two drug-dealing gangs; and Jonathan Santlofer’s “Lola,” in which a struggling Hoboken artist finds his muse . . . . Poems by C.K. Williams, Paul Muldoon, and others—plus photos by Gerald Slota—enhance this distinguished entry.” —Publishers Weekly “It was inevitable that this fine noir series would reach New Jersey. It took longer than some readers might have wanted, but, oh boy, was it worth the wait . . . More than most of the entries in the series, this volume is about mood and atmosphere more than it is about plot and character . . . It should go without saying that regular readers of the noir series will seek this one out, but beyond that, the book also serves as a very good introduction to what is a popular but often misunderstood term and style of writing.” —Booklist, Starred Review “A lovingly collected assortment of tales and poems that range from the disturbing to the darkly humorous.” —Shelf Awareness

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.

This lively romp through history, from the primitive past to the present day, provides a lens by which to view American history through lively prose and more than 25 illustrations.

Phantom pirates, water monsters, and mythical snakes figure prominently in this collection of eerie tales from the Garden State. From this state’s bucolic, rolling farmland to its heavily populated shore come a variety of stories and legends, including a murderer whose body parts were used for medical (and other) experiments, the “White Pilgrim” who died of the disease he believed he could never get, and an Indian chief who used a swastika to protect a group of defenseless schoolgirls.