<a href="https://webharvest.gov/congress115th/20190110195531/https://govbooktalk.gpo.gov/">Government Book Talk

GPO Summer Travel Series: California, Here GPO Comes

GPO Summer Travel Series: Discover the Grand Canyon

GPO Summer Travel Series: What to Do and See in Washington DC

Don’t forget to check out our latest catalog America The Beautiful.

The GPO Online Bookstore – Easy Access to Federal Publications

HOW DO I OBTAIN THIS RESOURCE?

Shop Online Anytime: You can buy eBooks or print publications —with FREE Standard Shipping worldwide— from the U.S. Government Online Bookstore at https://bookstore.gpo.gov.

Find more than a million official Federal Government publications from all three branches at www.govinfo.gov.

About the author: Blogger contributor Cat Goergen is the PR Specialist in GPO’s Public Relations office.

Leave a Comment » | Department of the Interior, National Park Service, National Park Service | Tagged: Carl Sandburg, Carl Sandburg Home, Connemara, Flat Rock | Permalink
Posted by Trudy Hawkins

GPO Summer Travel Series: Historic Virginia

August 10, 2018

Hey there our tenacious tourists! How are you holding up? If this humidity hasn’t worn you out yet, come along! There are still a couple more places we want to take you in our Summer Travel Series. Don’t worry, they’re going to be super cool. Oh sorry, we mean super awesome. The heat isn’t letting up yet. We’re headed to the home of American Civil War action. It’s where Federal artillery dueled Confederate cannons, brigades formed, men hunkered down behind embankments, dismounted Confederate cavalrymen held their ground against thousands of Federals, and soldiers rescued wounded comrades. Virginia, we’re ready to experience all your history has to offer!

Our first stop is Appomattox Court House National Historical Park, located in south central Virginia between Richmond and Lynchburg. Appomattox Court House from the GPO Bookstore tells the story of Robert E. Lee’s surrender at Appomattox Court House, which led to the conclusion of the Civil War. It also details the battles fought in the days before it. The book contains essays by three eminent historians on events leading up to the Civil War and the implications of Appomattox for the post-Civil War generation. You’ll learn interesting details of the Civil War you never knew before! For example, Maj. Gen. Philip Sheridan’s most effective unit was a small group of clandestine horsemen who dressed up in Confederate uniforms and infiltrated Confederate lines to gain valuable information. Another fun fact? On the ride back to his headquarters from the McLean house, Ulysses S. Grant actually forgot to notify the War Department of the day’s events in the rush to finalize details of Lee’s surrender. The handbook also offers a tourist’s guide to the park and invites you to “imagine the activity of those April days when Lee’s veterans laid down their flags, stacked their weapons, and began the journey back to their homes.” All the restored and reconstructed buildings in Appomattox Court House National Historical Park are within easy walking distance and there is no established order you have to follow. So just walk around and take it all in.

Next we’re making our way to The Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park. Fredericksburg Battlefields from the GPO Bookstore describes the Civil War battles fought in Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, the Wilderness, and Spotsylvania Court House and the condition of those battlefields today. Here, within 17 miles, more than 100,000 American soldiers fell in the midst of chaotic, bloody battles involving strategy and tactics beyond their understanding. Want a little taste of the chaos that ensued? Stonewall Jackson was badly wounded by the mistaken fire of his own troops. And Maj. Gen. Edward “Allegheny” Johnson used his cane as a weapon during the Battle at the Bloody Angle where hand-to-hand fighting raged for 20 hours along a curving portion of the line that came to be known as the “Bloody Angle.”

Now that was a history lesson if we’ve ever had one. Virginia might be one of our favorite stops yet. What’s been your favorite adventure so far this summer? Have you dangled your feet off a dock? Napped in a hammock? Gone for a bike ride? If not, keep living up the summer! Its suns are setting, its boardwalks are clearing and its days are fleeting. Until next time!

More from our Summer Travel Series:

GPO Summer Travel Series: Visiting Massachusetts

GPO Summer Travel Series: Seeing Stars

GPO Summer Travel Series: Cave Dwellers, Fossil Finders and Dinosaurs Galore

GPO Summer Travel Series: California, Here GPO Comes

GPO Summer Travel Series: Discover the Grand Canyon

GPO Summer Travel Series: What to Do and See in Washington DC

Don’t forget to check out our latest catalog America The Beautiful.

The GPO Online Bookstore – Easy Access to Federal Publications

HOW DO I OBTAIN THESE RESOURCES?

Shop Online Anytime: You can buy eBooks or print publications —with FREE Standard Shipping worldwide— from the U.S. Government Online Bookstore at https://bookstore.gpo.gov.

Find more than a million official Federal Government publications from all three branches at www.govinfo.gov.

About the author: Blogger contributor Cat Goergen is the PR Specialist in GPO’s Public Relations office.

Leave a Comment » | Civil War, National Park Service, National Park Service, Travel and Tourism | Tagged: Appomattox Court House, Civil War, Fredericksburg, Robert E. Lee, Stonewall Jackson, Ulysses S. Grant | Permalink
Posted by Trudy Hawkins

GPO Summer Travel Series: Visiting Massachusetts

August 2, 2018

Today we have a very special stop in our summer travels around America. Home to several Founding Fathers and other valiant colonists, this is where revolution began. If you listen closely enough, you can still hear Paul Revere yelling “The British are coming!” And with a little imagination, you can see the Sons of Liberty dumping tea into the harbor. Travel back to a time with cobblestone streets, restored tea ships, colonial meeting houses and gaslight streetlamps. Come on travelers, button your waistcoats and pull on your breeches. We’re heading to New England to get a little history lesson in the charming and historic state of Massachusetts!

Not many U.S. cities can trace their origins as far back as Boston, the capital of Massachusetts. While other cities built over their historic structures, Bostonians preserved buildings from which the very essence of the American Revolution emanates, even to this day. Boston and the American Revolution from the GPO Bookstore describes Boston at the time of the American Revolution. It includes sections on Boston artists and artisans, The Boston Massacre, The Boston Tea Party, and historic sites in Boston. Like to be efficient in your travels? Lace up your walking shoes for a 2.5-mile stroll on the Freedom Trail®, which guides its followers to 16 different nationally significant historical sites via a red brick path. You’ll be led to Boston Common, Old Corner Book Store, Bunker Hill Monument and many other authentic sites along the way. Included on the trail is the USS Constitution, the oldest commissioned warship still afloat, also known as “Old Ironsides”, at the historic Charlestown Navy Yard. Want to know more about this shipyard? Charlestown Navy Yard from the GPO Bookstore tells the story of the 175-year history of Charlestown Navy Yard in Boston, the evolution of shipbuilding technology, the vessels it built and repaired, and the workers who made them seaworthy.

If you’re interested in seaports (or the finer things in life), head northeast a bit to Salem, Massachusetts, which was the leader in the Far Eastern luxuries trade in its prime. Salem: Maritime Salem in the Age of Sail provides a history of the port’s seafaring era in the late 18^th and early 19^th centuries and a guide to the sites of Salem. The handbook describes the goods that fueled the trade, including tea, West Indies molasses and sugar, Arabian coffee, European cheese and cloth, and fine silks from China. The historic buildings, wharves, and reconstructed tall ship at Salem Maritime tell the stories of the sailors, Revolutionary War privateers, and merchants who brought the riches of the Far East to America.

While there is no single birthplace of industry, Lowell, Massachusetts, a textile mill city, was one of the very first American cities with innovative textile technology and an urban working class, including young women, marking the beginning of a new American life. Lowell: The Story of an Industrial City tells the story of America’s first large-scale planned industrial community. In the handbook you’ll find paintings, maps, drawings and black and white photographs of the city that transformed America with its mechanized manufacturing. When visiting, check out one of Lowell’s most moving monuments, a group of 20 bronze bricks laid in the sidewalk that leads to Boott Mills, which was a part of the group of cotton mills built in 1835 alongside a power canal system.

We hope you learned a lot and had some fun while at it in the great state of Massachusetts. The best is yet to come! Stay tuned for more adventure in GPO’s Summer Travel Series.

More from our Summer Travel Series:

GPO Summer Travel Series: Seeing Stars

GPO Summer Travel Series: Cave Dwellers, Fossil Finders and Dinosaurs Galore

GPO Summer Travel Series: California, Here GPO Comes

GPO Summer Travel Series: Discover the Grand Canyon

GPO Summer Travel Series: What to Do and See in Washington DC

Don’t forget to check out our latest catalog America The Beautiful.

The GPO Online Bookstore – Easy Access to Federal Publications

HOW DO I OBTAIN THESE RESOURCES?

Shop Online Anytime: You can buy eBooks or print publications —with FREE Standard Shipping worldwide— from the U.S. Government Online Bookstore at https://bookstore.gpo.gov.

Find more than a million official Federal Government publications from all three branches at www.govinfo.gov.

About the author: Blogger contributor Cat Goergen is the PR Specialist in GPO’s Public Relations office.

Leave a Comment » | Department of the Interior, National Park Service, National Park Service, Travel and Tourism, U.S. History | Tagged: : Freedom Trail, Charlestown Navy Yard, Lowell, Salem, USS Constitution | Permalink
Posted by Trudy Hawkins

GPO Summer Travel Series: Seeing Stars

July 24, 2018

A kid in foggy goggles yells BELLY FLOPPP!, the sound of the lifeguard whistle blows, the smell of Chlorine fills the hot air, and suddenly, nostalgia has made her way to us. What are some of your best summer memories? Maybe it’s chasing after the ice cream truck, cannonballing into the lake, catching fireflies in jars, or selling lemonade to the cars that pass by. All make for a pretty epic summer break. But what about stargazing at a National Park? If you have children in your life, it’s essential you add stargazing to their list of favorite summer pastimes! And hey – you’re never too old to create a new memory yourself.

Midwest National Parks of the United States offer a sanctuary of natural darkness, making them perfect stargazing sites. Head over to one before the summer is over – many parks actually have night sky programs. Pick the park of your choice and ask the folks at the visitor center about the program. Thank your lucky stars (and your national park ranger) for the opportunity because that giddy summer’s here feeling you had as a kid is about to return.

Before setting off for your stargazing adventure, order Junior Ranger Night Explorer, an activity booklet from the National Park Service and the Department of the Interior. To start off, the booklet will guide you through smart stargazing, including what items to bring with you so you can see all the planets and star clusters up close and personal. With Junior Ranger Night Explorer, your little rising stars will learn how to find the North Star, track phases of the moon, learn about galaxies, and use all their senses to explore the night environment at a national park.

What’s perhaps even cooler is that right inside the booklet are some stargazing tools! Cut out the planisphere (also known as a star wheel) and holder provided in the booklet. Then turn the wheel until the date appears above the time that you are out at night. The constellations visible at that time will appear in the window. Next, hold the planisphere above your head and look up at it to see where each constellation is located in the sky.

If you notice that some stars appear to be different colors than others, it’s because they are! The colors of stars indicate what temperature they are. For example, blue stars are hot, while red stars aren’t so hot. The sun is yellow, which means it’s a medium temperature. By studying the color of a star, astronomers can learn about its birth, life and death. That’s right! Just like us, stars are born, alive for some time (about ten billion years that is), and eventually die.

Creative Junior Night Explorers can even make up their own constellation story. The Big Dipper was known to Native Americans and Greeks as a big bear, but farmers in England knew it as a plow. Their differing ways of life actually influenced what they believed the shape to be – pretty incredible, right? Now grab your handy dandy Junior Ranger Night Explorer activity booklet and draw your own constellation!

You can now add stargazing to your list of favorite summer activities. Stay tuned to Government Book Talk to see what’s written in the stars for next time, our devoted travelers!

More from our Summer Travel Series:

GPO Summer Travel Series: Cave Dwellers, Fossil Finders and Dinosaurs Galore

GPO Summer Travel Series: California, Here GPO Comes

GPO Summer Travel Series: Discover the Grand Canyon

GPO Summer Travel Series: What to Do and See in Washington DC

Don’t forget to check out our latest catalog America The Beautiful.

The GPO Online Bookstore – Easy Access to Federal Publications

HOW DO I OBTAIN THESE RESOURCES?

Shop Online Anytime: You can buy eBooks or print publications —with FREE Standard Shipping worldwide— from the U.S. Government Online Bookstore at https://bookstore.gpo.gov.

About the author: Blogger contributor Cat Goergen is the PR Specialist in GPO’s Public Relations office.

Leave a Comment » | Children, Department of the Interior, Family, National Park Service, Science & Technology | Tagged: astronomy, night explorer, planisphere, stargazing, Stars, telescope | Permalink
Posted by Trudy Hawkins

GPO Summer Travel Series: Cave Dwellers, Fossil Finders and Dinosaurs Galore

July 20, 2018

Is it just us, or is the thought of dinosaurs roaming … and ruling … the Earth pretty mind-blowing? If you’re as captivated by the early days of Earth as we are, you’re going to love this next destination in our GPO Summer Travel Series. But first, all the prehistoric talk has got us feeling prehistoric ourselves. Let’s stop for some coffee. You’re going to want to be awake for this expedition … we’re on our way to Agate Fossil Beds National Monument in Nebraska!

Before we get there, order your Official National Park Handbook Agate Fossil Beds National Monument, Nebraska. It provides a glimpse of what life was like in North America 20 million years ago, long before the arrival of man, when now-extinct creatures roamed the land that we know as Nebraska. The handbook, brought to you by the National Park Service and Department of the Interior, explains why this land became part of the National Park System, what fossils are found there, and where this monument is located. It includes tips to visitors, a reading list, and information on other sites in the National Park System. The most numerous fossils found at Agate were the remains of the pony-sized rhinoceros Menoceras. The site is also known for fossils of the gazelle-like camel Stenomylus and the early horse Miohippus. The handbook provides sketches of and information on these early animals. In addition to fossils, the park has an extensive collection of Plains Indian art and artifacts, including a shirt from the famous Sioux chief, Red Cloud, who lived on the land in the 1800s.

Have we got you eager to find more fossils? Lucky for you, there are more than 230 other national parks that preserve fossils today! Junior Paleontologist Activity Book includes a map of those parks that preserve fossils across the United States. So take a look! Fossil finding adventures may be closer than you realize. This booklet also helps children ages 5 and up dig for clues as Paleontologists do. They’ll learn about ancient life, complete fun activities, and explore just some of the national parks that offer a look into the past. Play a game to learn about how fossils form and discover different fossil types such as vertebrate and invertebrate fossils. Plus, interested to know when the first fish or flower appeared on Earth? Read fascinating descriptions of the eras of geological time, all the way from the Precambrian to the Cenozoic Era.

Did you know caves are ideal places to preserve fossil remains for thousands or even millions of years? Grab your headlamps and helmets and get ready to be amazed by stalactites, stalagmites and cave-dwelling creatures. With the Junior Cave Scientist Activity Book, you and your family will explore a fascinating and fragile underground world, learn about the values of caves and karst landscapes, and complete fun educational activities. Etiquette isn’t just for the dinner table. Before your big cave expedition, read through this book so you (and your junior cave scientists) know how to practice proper cave etiquette. Yes, it’s a real thing! As the booklet points out, it’s important to never disturb the fossils you find while on a caving adventure. The book also provides useful tips on being cave safe. The National Park Service recommends going into a cave with not one, not two, but three reliable sources of light. It really is as dark as it seems in a cave!

Thanks for coming along the road to fossilization. Rest up and we’ll see you back here again for more summer travels.

More from our Summer Travel Series:

GPO Summer Travel Series: California, Here GPO Comes