Here at Detroit Bookfest we are starting a new series called the Bookfest Explorer Series.
This will be a collection of travel experiences whereby we will periodically document our literary travels, both domestic and abroad, to help highlight the global community of books.
First up, Boston.
Founded in 1630, Boston is the 7th oldest city in the United States. Featuring sunken red brick sidewalks and beautiful old buildings aplenty, the city is loaded with history and rows of opulent townhouses for blocks.
Heading from Logan Airport to the Park Plaza Hotel (photo by: Ryan M. Place)
Open since 1807, non-members can tour the first floor of this exceptional private library for $10.00. All 12 floors are open to members.
The focus of the collection is arts and humanities. World-class paintings grace the walls and there are marble busts of philosophers on stands.
Through the rear window, you can see the grave of Paul Revere in the Granary Burying Ground! This old cemetery opened in 1660 and there are several historical grave sites here.
Also, as a bonus, check out the Paul Revere House (19 North Square). Built in 1680, it’s Boston’s oldest building. Paul Revere’s famous 1775 Midnight Ride started here.
Boston Athenæum (photo by: Ryan M. Place)
Boston Athenæum (photo by: Ryan M. Place)
Boston Athenæum (photo by: Ryan M. Place)
Image courtesy of James Cole
Boston Athenæum (photo by: Ryan M. Place)
Paul Revere’s Grave @ Granary Burying Ground (photo by: Ryan M. Place)
Paul Revere’s Grave @ Granary Burying Ground (photo by: Ryan M. Place)
old grave @ Granary Burying Ground (photo by: Ryan M. Place)
Open since 1848 and smartly situated in beautiful Copley Square, the BPL was the first large free municipal library in the United States.
Be sure to check out the gorgeous 2nd floor Bates Hall reading room.
Also located on the 2nd floor, the Abbey Room, looks medieval European ornate, walls adorned with giant murals of the Holy Grail tale and 150 life-size figures from Arthurian legend ring the room, staring down at you. Who says paintings can’t talk?
Boston Public Library (photo by: Ryan M. Place)
Bates Hall reading room @ BPL (photo by: Ryan M. Place)
This beautiful 14-floor hotel opened in 1855. Charles Dickens lived here on the 3rd floor from 1867-68. He read ‘A Christmas Carol’ in the Last Hurrah Bar inside the hotel for the first time in America. They have his original door (view it in the basement) and gigantic mirror (view it on the mezzanine level) here.
Also, of note, Ho Chi Minh was a pastry chef here 1911-13, Malcolm X was a busboy, the Boston Cream Pie was invented here, and President JFK was a frequent guest!
Located next to the worldwide home of the Christian Science Church (which also houses the world’s 9th largest pipe organ), the Mary Bakery Eddy Library features a one-of-a-kind experience inside The Mapparium.
For only $6.00, you can tour The Mapparium for a delightfully psychedelic experience. The Mapparium is a 30-foot stained glass globe built in 1935 and features 608 glass panels. A walkway bisects the center of it.
At one point, they turn the lights off and there’s a light show around the world. Crazy how sound travels in here, sounds like every whisper is microphone-amplified, incredible.
Please note that photography is not allowed inside The Mapparium.
Mapparium (photo by: Ryan M. Place)
Mapparium (image courtesy of Mary Baker Eddy Library)
The raffle will run from Monday, September 23 to Sunday, September 29.
Detroit: Engine of America
‘Detroit: Engine of America‘ is written by award-winning journalist, editor, and author R.J. King. Published by Momentum Books, this 168-page hardcover book is the ultimate book about Detroit’s history.
King, editor of DBusiness magazine, DBusiness Daily News, DBusiness Tech and Mobility News, and Detroit 500, details chronologically, for the first time, how the city grew, step by step, from a French fort on the Detroit River in 1701 to become the world’s first industrial powerhouse and the birthplace of the automotive industry in 1900.
In the first chapter, “Detroit: Engine of America” details how from 1600 to 1800 the superpowers of Europe — France, England, Spain, and the Netherlands — opened trade routes to the New World. The English and the Dutch settled along the East Coast, the Spanish went south to Florida, Cuba, and the West Indies, while the French sailed the St. Lawrence River and established Quebec and Montreal before turning south to found Detroit.
From there, the book covers the city’s growth by decade, from 1800 to 1900, including the Great Fire of 1805, the platting of modern streets by Augustus B. Woodward, the War of 1812 and the surrender of the city to the British, the resulting American victory, the rapid development of a manufacturing economy, the opening of the Erie Canal in 1825, and the resulting mass migration of people from the East Coast and beyond to what is the oldest city in the Midwest.
Detroit: Engine of America (image courtesy of Momentum Books)
Readers will learn about Detroit’s role in other major milestones such as the establishment of Michigan as a state in 1837, and the expansion of industry fueled by the production of iron, steel, copper, and brass machinery, and the breakneck progression of farms, hearths, stoves, mills, foundries, steamships, railroads, and finally, the horseless carriage.
The book is designed as a journal, complete with a red page-mark ribbon, to evoke an explorer’s guide to Detroit. Booklovers can follow in the footsteps of well-known pioneers, inventors, and merchants of the era, including Antoine Laumet de la Mothe Cadillac, Lewis Cass, Father Gabriel Richard, Gov. Stevens T. Mason, Henry Rowe Schoolcraft, Elijah Brush, Bernhard Stroh, Frederick Sanders, R.L. Polk, Ellen Scripps, Mayor Hazen S. Pingree, Henry Ford, and many more.
“Detroit has turned the corner on its renaissance, but few people know how the city was, and still is, at the cutting edge of manufacturing, innovation, and culture,” says King, author of “Mystical,” “Passport to the Corner Office,” and “8 Track: The First Mobile App.” “My new book is a tribute to the men and women who built a city out of the wilderness starting in 1701, and sustained its incredible growth to become the world’s Industrial Versailles in 1900. And the best part is, Detroit is still leading the way. It remains the ultimate Maker City.”
Momentum Books was founded in 1987 and was acquired by Hour Media in 2001. As a small press focusing on regional nonfiction, Momentum has cultivated a reputation for its exceptional catalog of award-winning, mostly Michigan-centric, books.
Momentum Books
“It’s an outstanding book.”
— Bob Bury, President and CEO, Fair Lane Home of Clara and Henry Ford, former President and CEO, Detroit Historical Museum
“It’s a beautiful book and it’s done so well.”
— Mitch Albom, Author, Columnist, Host on WJR-AM
“R.J. King’s book provides great insight on leadership and how people working together can accomplish amazing things.”
— Vanessa Denha-Garmo, Host, “It’s Your Community,” WJR-AM
R.J. King (photo courtesy of R.J. King)
Biography of R.J. King
R.J. King is editor of DBusiness magazine, DBusiness Daily News, Tech and Mobility News, and Detroit 500, all of which cover companies in metro Detroit and Michigan that are expanding locally, nationally, and internationally. He also is author of four books, “Detroit: Engine of America,” “Passport to the Corner Office: The Starter’s Guide to Corporate Life,” “8 Track: The First Mobile App,” and “Mystical.”
Since 2011, DBusiness magazine has been honored with more than 35 Gold, Silver, and Bronze medals in the Editorial Excellence Awards from the Alliance of Area Business Publishers, including being named the top regional business magazine in the country. Prior to launching DBusiness in 2006, Mr. King was a business writer for The Detroit News for 16 years, where he wrote more than 4,000 articles covering economic development, automotive, aerospace, health care, technology, transportation, and other business sectors.
Mr. King is a board member of the Brother Rice Business Alliance, Beyond Basics, Detroit Aircraft Corp., Detroit Spacecraft Corp., ASX, and the Asian Pacific American Chamber of Commerce. In addition, he serves on the Board of Trustees for The Parade Co. He is a member of the Detroit Athletic Club, and on the board of the DAC Executives Club and the DAC Car Club. He also is a member of the Boston-Edison Historic District and the University of Michigan Alumni Association. In 2014, Mr. King was inducted into the International Heritage Foundation’s Heritage Hall of Fame.
Listed as one the top murals festivals in the world by Smithsonian Magazine, Detroit’s Annual Murals in the Market Festival is an incredible collection of street art and a must-experience event for both residents and visitors.
Thanks to Murals in the Market, Detroit’s Eastern Market neighborhood is one of the top hotspots for street art graffiti and murals in the USA, featuring over 150+ murals and other works of art.
1xRUN (one-time run) is a Detroit-based fine arts publisher and they created Murals in the Market. They are helping to bring 50+ local and international artists to Murals in the Market.
This year’s festival is expected to attract tens of thousands of attendees.
Emily takes outstanding photos and we were very grateful and honored to have her capture Bookfest this year.
Emily is a Louisville native who now lives in Detroit. She has worked for the Augusta Chronicle and Grand Rapids Press and she also contributes to The New York Times, Wall Street Journal and Washington Post.
*Special Thank You to Lauren Rautiola, our Detroit Bookfest Project Manager, for designing our flyers!*
The 4th Annual Detroit Festival of Books (aka: Detroit Bookfest) is a glorious day of BOOKS, vinyl records, comics, creative arts, food, beer, funk music and more!
Please join us at Eastern Market Shed 3 in Detroit on Sunday, July 19th, 2020.
The event is FREE for attendees! There will be an estimated 10,000+ attendees.
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