Customer Reviews

Maryland Lost and Found...Again

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
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I have lived in Maryland my entire life (with the exception of a few years between 1985 and 1994), and through the years I've done a lot of travel writing. This is an absolutely fabulous book: a must-read for anyone interested in the fascinating quirks and hidden stories in Maryland's geography and history. I think I'm familiar with just about every history/travel book that's been written on "The Free State," and this is certainly one of the best, and perhaps the best ever. Utterly fascinating and delightful reading.

Maryland is a geographical diverse state that offers mountains, magnificent waters, and communities that range from small, intimate villages to large, thriving cities. In Maryland Lost And Found...Again, Eugene Meyer provides the armchair traveler with a guided tour of the state and explores the people and places that made Maryland special both in the past and the present. His essays touch upon Maryland's relationships and features including megalopolis, Appalachia, the Chesapeake Bay, the Deep South, the industrial North, rich farmland, a major port, the nation's capital, as well as the primary car and rail routes carrying East Coast interstate traffic. Highly recommended for anyone with an interest in Maryland's "The Free State" history, geography and demographics, Meyer's engaging, informative, and "reader friendly" text is enhanced with black-and-white photographs.

We moved to Maryland from California about 4 years ago. Eugene Meyer's book was helpful for us to understand how our new state evolved and how its people and its culture changed through the years. Its amazing how true the statement is about Maryland - its America in a small package. You have the big city (Baltimore), the mountains, the Southern ways, the nation's capital, the suburbs (affluent and rural), you have the Chesapeake Bay, you have the historic Annapolis, the port town of Baltimore (old and historic, new and changing), you have Tobacco and gambling, you have the snooty Eastern Shore (both the gentrified few and the struggling fishermen)...its pretty amazing all the stories and the ways of life in such a little state...and here we thought California had all the stories...Maryland is such a beautiful little state and the whole family loves it...

Eugene Meyer captured the warm folksy feeling only a resident can feel. It would have been nice if he had added more tales from around Montgomery County (Rockville, Germantown, Gaithersburg), but I guess Poolesville is close enough. Great work and very recommended reading.

Eugene Meyer's book on Maryland is a fascinating look at various parts of the state, with an emphasis on the human interest stories that bring it to life. I moved to Maryland a year ago and reading this book brings me much closer to feeling like I've been here for awhile. One criticism: where's the map? Maryland is a geographically complicated state and a map would have provided a great service to understanding where Mr. Meyer's was writing from and off to next.

I very much enjoyed this book. I'm a lifelong Marylander, but wanted to learn more about the history of the state. I picked this book up and it was fascinating. Maryland is one of those places that most people outside the state don't really know a lot about, and it's a pity. There is a lot to like here and this book does an excellent job in showcasing the quirky parts of our state and its rich history. The writer writes with respect for the diversity of the culture, and presents factual history in an engaging way. Whether it's discussing the Confederate presence in upper Montgomery County, or the summer pleasure colony at Chesapeake Beach, the book is a great read. Even the section on the rise of Rt. 1 was interesting; my mom talks of how glamorous it was to stay at the hotels there when she would come down for dances at U of M in the early 50s and the book backs her up. Great old photos give you a sense of how it "used to be", even in familiar places.

I enjoyed this book so much that I bought my in-laws a copy. They're Maryland born and bred as well, and they enjoyed it as well. If you are looking to learn more about this state, this book is a keeper.