This book is a collection of columns on New Jersey history that originally appeared in the New Jersey Weekly section of the New York Times. A lot of local history is written with deep respect and piety for the past. Not so here. The essays in this book look at New Jersey history form the underside.
Marc Mappen has been described by the New York Times as "the eminent New Jersey historian." He is the coeditor of the award-winning Encyclopedia of New Jersey and author of Jerseyana: The Underside of New Jersey History.
His most recent book (his fifth) is There's More to New Jersey Than the Sopranos, which the historian Thomas Fleming has praised as "a delightful read, full of wit and information on every page."
Mappen has written approximately 100 articles and essays in publications that include the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, Rutgers Magazine, and New Jersey Heritage. He has been interviewed on the History Channel, the Sy Fy channel, and National Public Radio, and has received awards from the Advocates for New Jersey History and the Society of the Cincinnati. He has a Ph.D. in American history. Mappen was formerly a dean at Rutgers University and is currently the Executive Director of the New Jersey Historical Commission.
