This book is a very good ECONOMIC history of Colonial America, focusing on the Chesapeake Bay region. The "down-side" is that it reduces all the colorful, interesting, tragic events of that period (pirates, revolution, famine, slavery) down to their impact upon the economy (imports, exports, balance of trade, etc.) and could be very "dry" reading. The book tends to focus on maritime issues, simply because that was the major transportation mode at that time. If you are interested in Colonial America, particularly the Chesapeake Bay region, I recommend reading this book simply to give you an understanding of the economic forces that had so great a role in shaping this region.

This is one of the best books on the eastern seaboard from the earliest of times. Easy to read and terrific research. If you are writing anything about this time and place, this book is a necessity.

Pierce's 1968 memoir describes his work with the Echo and Telstar satellites, with side lights on Arthur C. Clarke's vision of geo-synchronous satellites, as well as contemporary efforts at NASA, ARPA, and to a minor extent Hughes. Good photos, good history of the hunt for funding, and a fine selection of strong opinions. It's short and incomplete but if you like to see how a field starts up, this is a book for you. Includes reprints of Clarke's 1945 article and Pierce's 1955 article.

This book, which incorporates autobiographical writings, provides a good overview of the life of Walter M. Pierce, a governor of Oregon and Congressman from that same state. Because of the use of the autobiographical writings, there is extremely detailed information about some aspects of Pierce's life that otherwise likely wouldn't have been covered, such as some of the close votes of his early political life. Unfortunately, the author is unable to explain why Pierce moved to Oregon in the first place or why a progressive like Pierce was also such a racist. Still, this is a good overview of the life of an important political figure in Oregon history and provides insight into life in Oregon in the early 20th century. There is also detailed information about the rise of the KKK in the state.