From the establishment of the Iroquois Confederacy to the American Revolution, followed by the Erie Canal and the rise of the Industrial Revolution, Cohoes has played a significant role in the American story. With these great epochs in history have come numerous legendary individuals who have left distinctive marks, from Hiawatha, leader of the Iroquois, to Gen. Horatio Gates, who defeated the British at Saratoga, to leaders of industry like David Wilkinson and Robert Johnston. Cohoes has also been witness to great educators including Chester Arthur, who went on to become president, and notorious political figures like Big Mike Smith. Grace Reavey was the first women appointed to municipal office in New York State, and Virginia McDonald was the first woman elected mayor in the state. The many small businesses that continue to be the lifeblood of the community cannot be forgotten, including the nationally renowned Mohawk Paper and Uncle John's, the quintessential small town diner. These are just a few of the many threads that make up the fabric of the history showcased in Legendary Locals of Cohoes.

New Britain began in 1754 as an ecclesiastical society and farming village, and with few natural resources, was transformed into a modern industrial city by the time of its incorporation in 1871. Attracting waves of immigrant workers and entrepreneurs, this became a diverse but unified community in which people of all ethnicities worked together, served together in times of war, and even played together on the baseball fields. Legendary Locals of New Britain includes remarkable residents among the early inhabitants and settlers; the people and institutions that brought New Britain to cityhood; artists and entertainers; famous or leading immigrants; sports legends; and men and women who have otherwise made their mark on New Britain, the nation, or the world.

Cohoes Revisited continues the pictorial history begun in Cohoes, the Spindle City Historic Society's first book. It offers a second view of the city and its residents from the 19th century forward, honoring the rich heritage of this place near the confluence of the Hudson and Mohawk Rivers, which was transformed from a farming village to a center of commerce by the construction of the Erie Canal. The Cohoes Falls, the largest cataract east of Niagara, made Cohoes an industrial hub. Massive mill buildings, including one of the largest cotton mills in the world, were erected by the riverfront and along a network of power canals. To the mills came thousands of workers, a diverse group of immigrants who have given Cohoes its distinctive character.

The Troy Haymakers were a pioneer baseball team legendary for exploits on and off the field. Formed in 1860 in Troy, New York--a rapidly growing industrial city--the team was embraced by the tough-minded Trojans as emblematic of their vigorous boomtown, rivaling larger, better established cities. The Haymakers were a strong amateur club before becoming a charter member of baseball's first major league, the National Association, and subsequently gaining a franchise in the National League. The team rosters were filled with characters and scalawags along with talented players, including four future Hall of Famers. After losing its National League franchise in 1882, Troy fielded minor league teams for 34 years--with a wistful eye to Haymaker history.

The Encyclopedia of New York State is one of the most complete works on the Empire State to be published in a half-century. In nearly 2,000 pages and 4,000 signed entries, this single volume captures the impressive complexity of New York State as a historic crossroads of people and ideas, as a cradle of abolitionism and feminism, and as an apex of modern urban, suburban, and rural life. The Encyclopedia is packed with fascinating details from fields ranging from sociology and geography to history. Did you know that Manhattan's Lower East Side was once the most populated neighborhood in the world, but Hamilton County in the Adirondacks is the least densely populated county east of the Mississippi; New York is the only state to border both the Great Lakes and the Atlantic Ocean; the Erie Canal opened New York City to rich farmland upstate . . . and to the west. Entries by experts chronicle New York's varied areas, politics, and persuasions with a cornucopia of subjects from environmentalism to higher education to railroads, weaving the state's diverse regions and peoples into one idea of New York State. Lavishly illustrated with 500 photographs and figures, 120 maps, and 140 tables, the Encyclopedia is key to understanding the state's past, present, and future. It is a crucial reference for students, teachers, historians, and business people, for New Yorkers of all persuasions, and for anyone interested in finding out more about New York State.