Middle River Press Books
The Adventures of Charlie Pierce: The Last Egret, by Harvey E. Oyer III, now available!
During the late 19th Century, the fashion rage throughout America and Europe was colorful bird feathers to adorn people’s hats and clothing. Hunters killed millions of birds in the Florida Everglades to supply the booming trade in feathers. As teenagers, Charlie Pierce and his friends traveled deep into the unexplored Florida Everglades to hunt plume birds for their feathers. They never imagined the challenges they would encounter, what they would learn about themselves, and how they would contribute to American history.
Author Harvey E. Oyer III tells a compelling tale of pioneer Florida in this, his second of a series of books based on the stories of his great great uncle, Charlie Pierce. For ordering information, go to: theadventuresofcharliepierce.com
The Dolphin Lady: The Story of a Unique Relationship, by Virginia C. Smith, is now available on Amazon as a Kindle book!
This new book, The Dolphin Lady™ vividly describes the highlights of her many encounters with the author's friends – a pod of wild spinner dolphins – from witnessing the birth of a dolphin to being protected from a shark attack. If you’ve ever wanted to “swim with the dolphins” this is probably the next best thing. You won’t want to miss this amazing opportunity to share in the highlights from her 18-year journey with a Hawaiian dolphin family. Visit her web-site at http://www.thedolphinlady.net/
Available through Amazon.com Kindle store at: http://www.amazon.com/Dolphin-Lady-Unique-Relationship-ebook/dp/B003FSTM9O/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&s=digital-text&qid=1272365989&sr=1-1
If you don't have a Kindle you can still down load this book via your iPhone, Blackberry, iPad or PC. Just download the Kindle App at Amazon.com for your iPhone, Blackberry or iPad.
Casa Mia: A Florida Treasure
By Joyce J. Raymond
Built in 1926, this Mediterranean Revival home is an architectural gem with a rich and colorful past.
History comes alive through full color photographs and personal stories of owners, neighbors and famous residents. Written by the current owner, Joyce Raymond, this historically detailed and beautifully illustrated hard-cover coffee table book is now available.
You can preview some of the photography in Casa Mia: A Florida Treasure with this slide show:
The Styx
By Jonathon King
It is legend, the burning of the Styx. For over a hundred years, the destruction of a black community on the blossoming new island of Palm Beach has been folklore. Historic photos prove the Styx existed, but century old memories muddle the truth of its demise. What happened to a rag tag collection homes and rooming houses that once sheltered the great Henry Flagler’s hotel workers at the turn of the 19th century? The legend is steeped in rumor, but the racism of the age, the uncommon wealth and privilege that came to the wilderness of Florida, and the greedy scramble to grab a piece of a new Eden are undeniable truths. Jonathon King’s novel, The Styx, is a fictional story of what happened in the later years of the 1890s when the great migration to Florida changed the state forever. With deft descriptions of New York’s lower east side, the wild-west towns and villages of a newly discovered Florida, and the majesty of Palm Beach’s new Royal Poinciana hotel, King tells a story of murder and cover-ups, power turned greedy, society women behaving badly, and good people doing what good people must always do to build a real civilization.
Here’s what Richard Marek, former President and Publisher of E.P. Dutton, has to say about The Styx:
“I enjoyed The Styx enormously! You’ve woven a twisty, intriguing plot, added great dollops of social consciousness, given us vivid characters in Michael, Faustus and Marjory... (A) wonderful book.”
—Richard Marek
And here’s what Jonathon King has to say about working with Middle River Press:
Middle River Press answered both a dream and all of my questions in publishing The Styx. After six novels with the traditional New York publishing world, I tired of waiting for some editor to be struck by my manuscript. I wanted this story out to the readers and although I knew nothing about small presses, Middle River was anchored by former journalists that I trusted.
From beginning discussions to book delivery, they furthered that trust by explaining all aspects of the process and by letting me be the decision-maker throughout. Result? Take a look. A beautiful book and gobs of compliments from mystery fans.
—Jonathon King
Wow! Let Middle River Press help YOU get your stories to your readers. We’re ready! To purchase your copy of The Styx, go to http://jonathonking.com/ Hurry! The second printing is shipping now.
Heartbreak Waltz 2007
By E. Fred Carlisle
Heartbreak Waltz 2007 tells a moving story about love and loss, illness and struggle, care giving and death, sorrow and survival. It focuses, first, on the last six months in the life of Barbara Carlisle (the author’s late wife) and on the determined and courageous, sometimes fearful, way she faced her death.
Then, in letters to her, the author tells the story of the first six months of his life without her. The book closes with a postscript to his daughters that attempts some understanding of what has happened and points toward an uncertain but hopeful future.
Here are some comments about Heartbreak Waltz 2007:
“This is grueling, wrenching reading, though beautiful and deeply moving. I can’t take my eyes off of Barbara—the determined, intentional way she entered and moved through her death, finally and heartbreakingly, leaving the author behind…I’m amazed he was able to record this, and with such honesty. Most of us would have been unable to make any of these steps towards the truth.”
— Thomas Gardner, Clifford Cutchins Professor of English, Virginia Tech
“One learns a lot in a careful reading of Heartbreak Waltz 2007 about courage, anger, frustration, fear, despair, guilt, shame, agony, loneliness. The author also allowed us to have a glimpse into the meaning of loyalty and into the simplicity of love shared between two who know that they must forever live in the absence of each other.”
—Edward S. Diggs, Endowed Chair Professor In the Social Sciences, Virginia Tech
“It’s absolutely gripping, absorbing, moving to the nth degree; tears inescapable. The mix of sad and other, of self and other, of immersion and reflection, of being taken over and staggering to your feet, perfect.
It’s the most amazing little book I’ve read, and I think everybody who reads it will be wiser about life because of it.”
—Bob Siegle, Author and Literary Critic
Heartbreak Waltz 2007 is beautifully written, and brutally honest. The price is $19.95, including shipping and handling. We accept paypal, (send the payment to info@middleriverpress.com) or you can send a check made out to Middle River Press, 1498 NE 30th Court, Oakland Park, Fl. 33334. Please make sure you include the name and address address where you would like the book shipped and we will get it out to you right away.
The Dinosaur Lawyer
By H. Robert Koltnow
Life in South Florida has always been interesting, and for 55 years, H. Robert Koltnow has represented some of the region’s most colorful characters. In his book, The Dinosaur Lawyer, Koltnow shares some of his most bizarre cases. Koltnow hung out his shingle in 1953 as a non-specialized attorney and welcomed whoever walked in his door. Before the days of specialization, Koltnow had to become an expert in each type of case and learn by trial and error — before the trial.
Selected from over 5,000 of Koltnow’s cases, this book gives the reader a variety of criminal cases, civil trials and appellate matters. These vignettes are entertaining and offer another perspective on many aspects of Florida history, from real estate scams to jealous sisters, horse litigation to murderous spouses, bad drivers to good divorces.
South Florida has always had more than its share of characters. With The Dinosaur Lawyer, take a look at some of them through the legal lens of H. Robert Koltnow.
The Dinosaur Lawyer is a fun look at South Florida through the courtroom experiences of one of the area’s most experienced lawyers. For ordering information, contact Middle River Press at info@middleriverpress.com
The Adventures of Charlie Pierce: The American Jungle
By Harvey E. Oyer III
Illustrations by James Balkovek
The story:
In 1872, eight year old Charlie Pierce arrived with his parents in the frontier jungles of South Florida. Charlie’s adventures began right away, living in a wild place populated by Seminole Indians, alligators, shipwrecks and a few hardy pioneer families.
About the book:
This book tells the story of South Florida’s early pioneer history through some of the real-life experiences of Charlie Pierce. Pierce’s adventures as a young boy were recorded in diaries that he maintained throughout his life which were later consolidated into a manuscript. To write this book, Harvey Oyer III, who is the great-grandnephew of Charlie Pierce, utilized that manuscript as well as stories passed down through five generations of his family.
Children are enthralled with Charlie’s adventures and learn about Florida history at the same time. This book is available through the Historical Society of Palm Beach County. You can purchase it at the Palm Beach County History museum, located on the second floor of the courthouse at 300 N. Dixie Highway, West Palm Beach, FL 33401, or you can order it online.
See more about The Adventures of Charlie Pierce and purchase the book at The American Jungle web site:
http://theadventuresofcharliepierce.com/
A Baneful Sunset
By Toby Massey
The story:
It began with a violent, apparently senseless murder of a suburban American family. It quickly involved the FBI, CIA and Mossad in a cat-and-mouse game filled with spies, counterspies and a dizzying chase across the United States, Central America, South America and the Caribbean.
About the book:
The author worked as a photojournalist for fifty-two years. His career took him around the world and thedescriptions of the locations of this suspense novel are rich in detail and accuracy.
Bridgie Says: Proverbs and Recipes
Collected and Written by Bridget Senape Marsiat
Collected and Edited by Gerrie Hynes
The story:
Throughout her life, Bridget Senape Marsiat wrote, collected and lived a life structured around a theme that comes across in the proverbs published by her daughter in this book.
About the book:
Gerry Hynes, Bridgie’s daughter started out to publish a collection of her mothers hand written proverbs, a spiral notebook kept locked up in the family safe. By adding some special recipes, old pictures, and calling upon family members to contribute by writing their own special memory this book turned out to be a very special family history.
Florida’s Lighthouses in the Civil War
By Neil E. Hurley
The story:
Yankees, Rebels, Pirates and Patriots: A true accounting of events at Florida Lighthouses during the War of Yankee Aggression. Both sides fought for possession of the towers and their valuable lenses and lamp oil. In the end, 14 Florida lights were damaged and it took more than six years after the war’s end before all the lights were restored.
About the book:
Florida’s premier Lighthouse Historian sets the record straight in this fascinating account of wartime activities at each of the State’s 21 Civil War lighthouse. This book won a bronze medal in the 2007 Independent Publisher’s Book Awards. This book is lavishly illustrated with over 200 color and black & white drawings, photographs and maps.
Here's a review of Florida Lighthouses in the Civil War that appeared in Civil War News in June, 2010:
Florida’s Lighthouses Had Important Roles
Florida’s Lighthouses in the Civil War by Neil E. Hurley. 200+ illustrations and photograph, bibliography, index, 176 pp. 2007, Middle River Press, info@middleriverpress.com. S39.95.
In the mid-1980s, author Neil Hurley served as a Staff officer for the U.S. Coast Guard. One of his many duties was answering questions from the public about Florida’s old lighthouses.
Hurley soon discovered that historical information was scarce and often erroneous. Enhancing and correcting that information became his avocation for the next two decades. By the time of his retirement from the Coast Guard in 2OO5, Hurley’s passion had helped him create Florida’s Lighthouses in The Civil War, a beautiful book that covers a most obscure topic.
Florida was by far the least populous Confederate stale. Once the war began, Hurley notes that there were 20 lighthouses and one lightship situated along Florida’s 1,200 miles of virtually uninhabited coastline.
It was by far the largest shoreline in the Confederacy and one that was immediately deemed indefensible. Unfortunately for the South, seven of those lights, all in the extreme southern end of the state, would remain lit and in Union control for the duration of the war.
Union control allowed the Federal navy to use Fort Taylor in Key West and Fort Jefferson in the Dry Tortugas as bases.
All other lights in the state were extinguished by the end of 1861. Some of those lights went out because they were damaged during military efforts to capture or control a lighthouse.
Other lights were intentionally disabled by Confederate forces to create hazards to Union blockade and troop ships patrolling Florida’s lonesome coastline.
Hurley starts by giving a detailed time line of Florida’s war-related events and then moves into a thorough overview of lighthouse administration in Florida and the Confederacy during the Civil War. For instance, one learns that Cmdr. Raphael Semmes of C.S.S. Alabama fame was the very first head of the Confederacy’s Light House Bureau, though his reign lasted but one week.
The meat of the book follows — a detailed presentation of each lighthouse’s history, its significance to the surrounding region and the events that occurred near it during the war. The author adds context by discussing the importance of a lighthouse in a time of war.
In addition to its detailed research, this production will not disappoint bibliophiles who appreciate sturdy, well-made books. The publisher has given the volume the look, feel and heft of a small coffee table book, as it features an 81/2 x II-inch trim size with heavy glossy paper that is simply chock full of modern color photographs of its subjects, many taken by the author himself. Ample black-and-white period illustrations round out the work.
In all, the book is lavishly illustrated with over 200 color and black-and-white drawings, photographs and maps. While the smooth-flowing text features an index and a slender bibliography, no endnotes or footnotes are to be found, which is admittedly a minor disappointment.
Nevertheless, students of the Civil War in Florida, Floridiana in general, or historical lighthouses will find this handsome book a fine addition to their collections.
Hurley is the historian for the Florida Lighthouse Association, a statewide non-profit, and has written and contributed to a number of books on lighthouses. Following its publication, this book won a bronze medal in the 2008 Independent Publisher Book Awards.
—Paul Taylor
Paul Taylor is the author of five books on the Civil War, Including Discovering the Civil War In Florida (Pineapple Press, 2001)
His Nibs
By Maude Wilson
Illustrations by Richard Sacchetti
The story:
The story of a class room guiney pig and the first grade class that knew him,, loved him and took care of him.
About the book:
This is the kind of book Middle River Press went into business to do. A teacher who had a pet guiney pig in her classroom wrote a poem about it and had her nephew draw some pictures of him. She printed 50 copies of this little paperback and gave it to her children and grandchildren for Christmas.
The Louise Plays: Strong Roles For Women
By Barbara Carlisle
The plays:
Award winning playwright Barbara Carlisle presents
The Louise Plays: I Don’t Want to Die in China, Paris Quartet, Ten Days in Paradise, The Tooth of St. Eliott and Heartbreak Waltz. The book also includes three classical adaptations: Andromache, Phedre and Offending Shadows.
About the book:
No formulas, just ways of thinking about characters, dialogue, avoiding clichés, giving people little quirks, making them real characters in situations everyone can relate to.
Odyssey In The New World: The Frank and Anna Borich Story
By Patrick Borich
The story:
An Croatian immigrant arrives in this country shortly before World War 1 and signs an X to documents because he is unable to read or write. He wanted a better life for his family and he knew that meant education in the new world. Seventy-two years later, his only surviving son, who holds a doctorate degree, writes his legacy. This is an amazing story of love, determination, and family.
About the book:
Inspired by a family reunion, the youngest son of Frank and Anna Borich researched, revisited and wrote the story of life after immigrating to America, in northern Michigan and Gary, Minnesota, and finally a farm on the rocky soil of northern Minnesota at Alborn. One hundred copies of the published book were passed out to relatives at the celebration of the author and his wife’s 50th wedding anniversary.
The Positives: Images from the Greenhouse
By Neil Hollander
The pictures: Put a camera in the hands of high school kids and you will be surprised at what moments get preserved.
About the book:
When the photography class was cancelled because of costs of film and chemicals, a teacher turns it into a club and gets the community involved, donating cameras, film, chemicals, enlargers and the money to publish an amazing little book of their images.
The Sea I See
By Gil Epstein
The pictures: A beautiful collection of images from the world’s reefs and oceans from the Bahamas to Truk Lagoon
About the book:
Armed with a Nikon, an opthalmologist turns a hobby into a beautiful book. As a photographer, he compares the similarities of his underwater photography to ophthalmic plastic surgery and shares his mottos and secrets to capture these images.
Searching for Ervin: A Boy From Columbus. A Man of Delaware
A Portrait and Memoir
By E. Fred Carlisle
The story:
Ervin F. Carlisle—the namesake of Carlisle Elementary School in Delaware, Ohio—grew up on the South Side of Columbus, Ohio and lived his entire adult life in Delaware. He is a member of the Ohio Wesleyan Athletic Hall of Fame. He was the high school coach, then principal, and subsequently superintendent in the Delaware Schools. He was a prominent civic leader and during World Warll organized defense training schools and city-wide childcare programs and assisted with war-time rationing.
About the book:
The author lost his dad at an early age, and in an attempt to get to know Ervin, not only as a father, but as a man, researched and wrote this moving portrait and memoir. His journey took him back to where his father lived and worked and where people remembered him for who he was and what he contributed to thecommunity.
The Story of my Brother: One of the Greatest Generation, Irv Koltnow
By H. Robert (Bob) Koltnow
The story:
This is the story of Irv Koltnow, related by his “kid” brother and includes early recollections and also documents Irv’s military career.
About the book:
The author describes this story as a labor of love. He interviewed many friends and family members and found “a needle in thehaystack” when he was led to a survivor who shared fox holes with his brother during the war. He got to interview Joe Byrd, whose memory of life in the military and his adventures with Irv during the many battles after 63 years, was magnificent.
The Story of My Life: Abe Koltnow
Edited by his son H. Robert (Bob) Koltnow
The story:
An autobiography of Abe Koltnow, written by him in longhand in 1973 just a few years before he became functionally blind and unable to read. It starts with his birth in 1888 in a small town called Raygorodok, Chernigov Guberni (State) and follows his 73 years of working all all kinds of occupations.
About the book:
This book is a straight transcription of Abe’s hand written document, penned on September 19, 1973, his 85th birthday. His son, Bob, filled in some gaps, adding some family pictures and documents making it a more complete life story and a permanent record of the Koltnow family history.