Excelsior Editions (Imprint)

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Get Your Ass in the Water and Swim Like Me, Second Edition

The classic work on African American toasts, the predecessor of rap.

Calling Wild Places Home

Poignant and vulnerable essays that weave together seemingly disparate themes of wild places and mountain stewardship, books and reading, and building a new life after loss.

Jazz with a Beat

The neglected small group swing sound of the 1940s–60s takes its place in the pantheon of jazz literature.

Sun, Sea, Soil, Wine

Long Island's longest-tenured winemaker weighs in on what makes the North Fork so unique for fine wine production.

Curses of the Kingdom of Xixia

By Xue Mo
Translated by Fan Pen Li Chen
Subjects: General Interest
Series: Excelsior Editions

Reality merges with illusion in this novel of northwestern China.

Downstate New York Rock Walks

An explorer’s walking guide to downstate New York’s awesome boulders and rock formations.

Growing Up Roosevelt

A granddaughter's intimate portrait of Eleanor Roosevelt at her longtime home of Val-Kill as well as on a diplomatic trip to Europe and the Middle East.

Escape from the Pit

Originally published in Hebrew in 1944, this fascinating and moving account may well be the first memoir of the Holocaust.

Nooks and Corners of Old New York

A detailed, historic guide to the rich physical history of New York City, from its founding by Dutch settlers to the turn of the twentieth century.

Pepper Adams

A compelling biography of virtuoso, baritone saxophonist Pepper Adams and how his life intersected with some of the greatest poets, writers, painters, and musicians of his time.

The Livingstons of Livingston Manor

The complete history of one of New York State's—and the nation's—founding families.

Made in New York

How New Yorkers transformed the world!

Haight-Ashbury, Psychedelics, and the Birth of Acid Rock

Illuminates the beginnings, downfall, and legacy of the acid-inspired, spontaneous, and playful approach to life and music in Haight-Ashbury from 1964–1967.

Ducktails, Drive-ins, and Broken Hearts

An unflinching look at the triumphs and tragedies of '50s rock and roll, from the biggest stars, like Chuck Berry and Carl Perkins, to those who barely grabbed the spotlight.

The Motorcycle Industry in New York State, Second Edition

The compelling chronicle of 120 years of motorcycle making in the Empire State.

Bush League, Big City

The saga of New York’s push to build two minor-league baseball stadiums, colored by dollars, politics, and dreams.

The Eight

The personal and legal struggle of eight enslaved people for freedom in New York in the period just before the Civil War.

Perfect Pitch, Third Revised Edition

The autobiography of one of the 20th century’s most innovative and wittiest composers/performers/authors who witnessed the birth of modern music.

Louise Blanchard Bethune

The trailblazing story of the life and career of Louise Blanchard Bethune, America’s first professional woman architect.

New York

A classic work on the history of New York City written by one of America's greatest politicians.

The Camp Abilities Story

The uplifting story of how one camp gave children with visual impairment new confidence in their own abilities.

The Manors and Historic Homes of the Hudson Valley

A classic guide to the history and architecture of the historic manors and homes of the Hudson River Valley

Blues on Stage

Tells the story of classic blues singers from Ma Rainey to Bessie Smith.

Tommy, Trauma, and Postwar Youth Culture

The cultural history of one of rock's greatest masterpieces told through the eyes of its creator.

Bronx Epitaph

The first book to comprehensively examine Lou Gehrig's famous "Luckiest Man" speech.

Frank Costello

Provides a reimagined but historically accurate account of the life of the notorious gangster Frank Costello through his own words.

The Stork Club Cookbook and Bar Book

Relive the glory days of New York's poshest night spot with recipes and drinks you can prepare at your own home!

From Binghamton to the Battlefield

An annotated collection of over one hundred Civil War letters that trace a Union soldier's transformation from eager recruit to war-weary, battle-tested veteran.

The Best of the Adirondack Tales

The best of W.H.H. Murray’s 19th century Adirondack stories, selected by Murray’s biographer and great, great grandson, Randall S. Beach

Bob Dylan's New York

A walking tour and history of Bob Dylan's life and time in New York, from Greenwich Village to Woodstock.

Harold Taylor and Sarah Lawrence College

Edited by Craig Kridel
Foreword by Leon Botstein
Subjects: General Interest
Series: Excelsior Editions

The engaging memoir of a college president and public intellectual who became one of America's leading mid-twentieth-century social and educational activists.

Hopewell Junction: A Railroader's Town

Reveals the life and lore of a vanished era of railroad history.

Weber and Fields

The first and best biography of this pioneering comic duo and Broadway Stars--in a new edition!

Ways of the Hand

A visual and narrative memoir of a lifetime's encounters with 112 trendsetters, musicians, politicians, writers, and ordinary people by a noted folklorist-photographer.

Notable Civil War Veterans of Oswego County, New York

Recounts the compelling stories of Civil War soldiers and sailors who lived in Oswego County, New York.

New York's Great Lost Ballparks

Tells the story of New York's playing grounds, teams, and ballparks of yesteryear.

Stories, Streets, and Saints

A time capsule of a classic Italian American neighborhood, told in the voices of its inhabitants.

A Passionate Life

The first full biography of W. H. H. Murray (1849-1904), a Boston preacher often described as the father of the American outdoor movement and the modern vacation.

Dear Uncles

Edited by Rick Barram
Subjects: New York/regional
Series: Excelsior Editions

A New York soldier's eyewitness account of life in the first year of the Civil War, from the campgrounds to the battlefields.

The Letchworth State Park Atlas

A visitor's companion to New York's Letchworth State Park, richly illustrated with ninety maps and thirty-five photographs.

In the Catskills and My Boyhood

Classic works by naturalist John Burroughs on his beloved Catskill region.

History of Delaware County and Border Wars of New York

A classic history of Delaware County and the border wars written by none other than prominent Gilded Age "Robber Baron" Jay Gould.

Out-Doors at Idlewild; or, The Shaping of a Home on the Banks of the Hudson

Chronicles the creation of a picturesque home and landscape on the Hudson River by one of the nineteenth century's leading authors.

Truly Blessed and Highly Favored

An intimate and moving account of how the author rose from poverty to become a major Black political figure in New York State.

Lichen Tufts, from the Alleghanies

An important and prescient early example of US environmental writing with a profound sense of consciousness and appreciation for the natural world.

History of Wyoming County, N.Y.

A county history book that includes town histories, biographical sketches, and lithographs of pioneers and homesteads, as well as their Civil War military service.

Signs of Distinction

Fifty-one unique New York towns with great stories to tell, from L. Frank Baum's and Jello's hometowns to the birthplace of the Women's Rights Movement.

The Toltec Cup

A gripping tale of conspiracy and a love triangle set against the background of 19th century New York City.

Confessions of a Hayseed DA

An idealistic, occasionally naïve and somewhat irreverent young attorney becomes the District Attorney of Rockland County, New York, in the 1960s and faces the challenges of fighting crime in a rapidly changing world.

The Crucible of Public Policy

Relates the dramatic role of New York courts in shaping public policy on key reform legislation in the progressive era.

Sharkey

The incredible, true story of the twentieth century's greatest performing sea lion and the man who trained him.

The Jews of Long Island

The first comprehensive history of the development of early Jewish life on Long Island.

The Spirit of New York, Second Edition

A celebration of New York State's history through 19 key events from the state's founding to today.

The Haunted History of Pelham, New York

A fascinating fusion of New York history and local folklore sure to send shivers up your spine!

Inside the Green Lobby

A veteran environmental lobbyist reveals the behind-the-scenes struggles to address threats to the future of New York's Adirondack Park.

Unruly Catholic Feminists

Third- and fourth-wave feminists write about their experiences with Catholicism and their visions for the future of women in the Church.

Meander

Draws on the author's own experiences as a watershed planner, teacher, and activist to tell the story of the Great Lakes region's experiment in restoring a complicated natural system of flowing water.

The Impeachment of Governor Sulzer

Brings to life the dramatic and colorful career of William Sulzer (1863–1941), former governor of New York State.

An Unfinished Revolution

The story of the suffrage movement and the ongoing struggle for women’s rights through the lens of one family’s history.

Hundred-Mile Home

A creative travelogue of landscape and memory.

In Security

Part airport thriller, part family drama, part love story, In Security explores how those who strive to protect us are often unable to protect themselves.

City on the Edge

Explores why people stay in vulnerable cities by looking at Syracuse, New York, through the contemporary experiences of five citizens.

Niagaras of Ink

Makes literature of Niagara Falls available to readers with a variety of interests in literature, culture, and place.

The Art of the Watchdog

Expert advice on how any citizen can fight government fraud, waste, abuse, and corruption.

Blows to the Head

A provocative tale of an unlikely contender and her midlife transformation through boxing.

A Most Glorious Ride

Edited by Edward P. Kohn
Subjects: History
Series: Excelsior Editions

Encompasses key years and important events in Theodore Roosevelt’s early life and career.

Beyond the Xs and Os

Inside account of the negotiations between the football Bills, New York State, and Erie County to sign a long-term stadium lease and thereby keep the team in Buffalo.

What Remains

Text by Ilan Stavans
Photographs by Jon Crispin
Subjects: New York/regional
Series: Excelsior Editions

Combining photography and essay, presents a speculative portrait of a Jewish immigrant living out the end of his days in New York's midcentury mental health system.

Restless Spirits

A collection of plays by American Indian playwright William S. Yellow Robe Jr.

Fearless

Biography of the early years of A. Bartlett Giamatti, who would become Yale University’s first non-Anglo-Saxon Protestant president and commissioner of Major League Baseball.

Birth Chart

A collection of poems weaving together astrology, motherhood, music, and literary history.

Enterprising Waters

Chronicles the story of the Erie Canal from its inception to today.

Doghiker

A comprehensive guidebook for dog owners that includes seventy-seven great hikes from the Adirondacks through the Catskills.

When I Am Italian

Can a person born outside of Italy be considered Italian?

Ghost Fleet Awakened

Chronicles the history and archaeological study of Lake George, New York’s sunken bateaux of 1758.

Colonizing Southampton

A study of the times and life in Southampton, New York between 1870 and 1900.

Everything Worthy of Observation

Offers a firsthand account into early-nineteenth-century New York State and Lower Canada during a time of enormous growth and change.

Judith S. Kaye in Her Own Words

A memoir and selected writings by the former Chief Judge of New York’s highest court, the Court of Appeals.

I'll Be Home

Editorials, op-eds, and other writings by a memorable newspaperman.

Something's Happening Here

The decade comes alive in this whirlwind ride through the Sixties that begins in Brooklyn and ends at Woodstock.

Forest and Crag

A compelling story of our ever-evolving relationship with mountains and wilderness.

Battling Editor

Recounts the transformation of two daily newspapers in the face of economic downturns and sweeping technological change.

The Full Pomegranate

Translations of selected poems by the Yiddish writer, covering the entire breadth of his career.

Popovers and Candlelight

Recounts the true story of an entrepreneurial woman who succeeded in a male-dominated industry in the twentieth century.

Angry Rain

By Maurice Kenny
Edited by Derek C. Maus
Introduction by Derek C. Maus
Subjects: General Interest
Series: Excelsior Editions

Reveals the development of Maurice Kenny’s growing artistic consciousness, while attesting to both the beauty and brutality of the world in which he lived.

Bootlegger of the Soul

A celebration of the Pulitzer Prize–winning novelist who put Albany on the world’s literary map.

Hell Gate

Depicts a man's exploration of the landscape, history, and toponymy of Hell Gate, a notorious stretch of water in New York City's East River.

Years I Walked at Your Side

The first book-length collection in English of this major Israeli poet.

The Moving of the Water

Stories anchored in the Welsh American immigrant experience.

We Are Going to Be Lucky

Edited by Elizabeth L. Fox
Notes by Elizabeth L. Fox
Subjects: History
Series: Excelsior Editions

Tells the story of a young couple in love during World War II, and the difficulties they faced both at war and on the home front.

Finding True North

An evocative and personal history of a unique historic place in the Adirondacks.

Adriaen van der Donck

The first comprehensive biography of an important yet understudied figure in the Dutch colony of New Netherland.

The Mystery of the Albany Mummies

From the Nile to the Hudson, the story of how two Egyptian mummies joined an American museum collection.

Dancing with Ophelia

Uses real-life episodes of psychosis and recovery to show how poetic paradigms for thinking about psychiatric symptoms can enlarge contemporary understandings of mental illness and improve long-term treatment outcome.

The History of Here

How the Pine Hills neighborhood in Albany, New York, changed and grew, as reflected in the history of one house and the lives of its residents.

Over a Barrel

How a small family company in the Finger Lakes became one of the most important wine producers in the United States, only to be taken down by corporate greed and mismanagement.

Tales of an Ecotourist

Combining humor and memorable anecdotes, five famous ecotourist destinations offer a breathtaking backdrop to better understanding climate change.

A Spirit of Sacrifice

Focuses on the posters of World War I as a medium to interpret the tremendous role played by New York State and its citizens in the war effort.

Rebels on the Niagara

Offers a detailed account of the political and military history of the Irish American Fenian Brotherhood in the nineteenth century.

Reluctant Reformer

Tells the untold story of the life and career of Nathan Sanford, a New York State lawyer-politician who capitalized on opportunities created by the new politics of the early Republic to achieve social mobility.