Edgartown Books, a classic independent bookstore

Midnight Rising by Tony Horwitz
(Henry Holt & Co.)
"Horwitz, an exceptionally skilled and accomplished journalist, here turns his hand to pure history with admirable results. Midnight Rising is smoothly written, thoroughly researched, places Brown within the context of his time and place, and treats him sensitively but scarcely adoringly."—The Washington Post
Bestselling author Tony Horwitz tells the electrifying tale of the daring insurrection that put America on the path to bloody war. Plotted in secret, launched in the dark, John Brown's raid on Harpers Ferry was a pivotal moment in U.S. history. But few Americans know the true story of the men and women who launched a desperate strike at the slaveholding South. Now, Midnight Rising portrays Brown's uprising in vivid color, revealing a country on the brink of explosive conflict. Tony Horwitz's riveting book travels antebellum America to deliver both a taut historical drama and a telling portrait of a nation divided—a time that still resonates in ours.

Jaws: Memories from the Vineyard by Matt Taylor
(Moonrise Media)
An unprecedented all-access pass to the creation of some of the most memorable and terrifying scenes in motion picture history. Movie buffs, special effects enthusiasts, and fans of the watershed film will thrill in this definitive volume's special features:
• Foreword by JAWS director Steven Spielberg
• Hundreds of never-before-seen photographs of the production's inner workings, taken by local participants and bystanders, as well as a detailed account of how the filmmakers chose Martha's Vineyard as their shooting location
• Recollections of local crew and cast members
• Newly illustrated schematics by JAWS Production Designer Joe Alves explaining the intricacies of the revolutionary sea sled fin mechanism, as well as his original 1974 storyboards

Victoria Trumbull's Martha's Vineyard by Cynthia Riggs
(West Tisbury)
Victoria Trumbull’s Martha’s Vineyard is a different kind of tour book, an insider’s guide to the Island. Author Cynthia Riggs takes visitors, old hands, and fans of the Martha’s Vineyard Mystery Series to some of the places where much of the action is set in her novels, and where some of the (fictional) bodies are found. Drive or bike to special places visitors seldom see, glimpse some of the Island’s delightful eccentricities – beetlebungs, pinkletinks, and lace stonewalls. Illustrated lavishly with photos by Lynn Christoffers, and clear, witty maps by cartoonist Stephen (Step) Wesley, the book also includes poems by the late Dionis Coffin Riggs, on whom Victoria Trumbull is based. Take the book with you and follow the step-by-step tours, or enjoy the book from the comfort of your armchair. Best of all, purchase several copies to give as gifts.

Caleb's Crossing by Geraldine Brooks
(Viking)
"Brooks writes about early America the same way she wrote about Sarajevo and the Middle East, which is to say very well...[Bethia is] a fabulously engaging narrator...the Indian and English characters are so original and compelling..." —The Washington Post
Once again, Geraldine Brooks takes a remarkable shard of history and brings it to vivid life. In 1665, a young man from Martha's Vineyard became the first Native American to graduate from Harvard College. Upon this slender factual scaffold, Brooks has created a luminous tale of love and faith, magic and adventure.
"Splendid...Brooks brings the 1660s to life to life with evocative period detail, intriguing characters, and a compelling story." - Publisher's Weekly

Rules of Civility by Amor Towles
(Viking)
A sophisticated and entertaining debut novel about an irresistible young woman with an uncommon sense of purpose. Set in New York City in 1938, Rules of Civility tells the story of a watershed year in the life of an uncompromising twenty-five-year- old named Katey Kontent. Armed with little more than a formidable intellect, a bracing wit, and her own brand of cool nerve, Katey embarks on a journey from a Wall Street secretarial pool through the upper echelons of New York society in search of a brighter future.
"This very good first novel about striving and surviving in Depression- era Manhattan deserves attention...The great strength of Rules of Civility is in the sharp, sure-handed...evocation of Manhattan in the late '30s." -Wall Street Journal

Mistress of Nothing by Kate Pullinger
(Touchstone)
The American debut of an award-winning novel about a lady's maid's awakening as she journeys from the confines of Victorian England to the uncharted far reaches of Egypt's Nile Valley When Lady Duff Gordon, paragon of London society, departs for the hot, dry climate of Egypt to seek relief from her debilitating tuberculosis, her lady's maid, Sally, doesn't hesitate to leave the only world she has known in order to remain at her mistress's side. As Sally gets farther and farther from home, she experiences freedoms she has never known—forgoing corsets and wearing native dress, learning Arabic, and having her first taste of romance. Based on the real lives of Lady Duff Gordon and her maid, The Mistress of Nothing is a lush, erotic, and compelling story about the power of race, class, and love.

F in Exams by Richard Benson
(Chronicle Books)
"F" stands for "funny" in this perfect gift for students or anyone who has ever had to struggle through a test and needs a good laugh.
Celebrating the creative side of failure in a way we can all relate to, F in Exams gathers the most hilarious and inventive test answers provided by students who, faced with a question they have no hope of getting right, decide to have a little fun instead.
Whether in science (Q: What is the highest frequency noise that a human can register? A: Mariah Carey), the humanities (Q: What did Mahatma Gandhi and Genghis Khan have in common? A: Unusual names), math, or other subjects, these 250 entries prove that while everyone enjoys the spectacle of failure, it's even sweeter to see a FAIL turn into a WIN.

Emily Post's Etiquette by Peggy Post
(William Morrow)
For nearly a century, one name has been trusted above all others when it comes to proper decorum: Emily Post. In this completely updated 18th Edition of the classic Emily Post’s Etiquette, the mantle is picked up by the great-great-grandchildren of the First Lady of Etiquette, who tackle the latest issues and demands of the twenty-first century—from texting and tweeting to iPhones, Facebook, and all forms of social media. The perfect guide for Millennials living on their own for the first time who wish to establish themselves properly in the workplace—as well as for Baby Boomers in the midst of planning their children’s weddings, entering retirement, and helping to care for elderly parents—Emily Post’s Etiquette, 18th Edition, remains the essential handbook to proper social behavior.

The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides
(Farrar, Straus and Giroux)
A New York Times Notable Book of 2011
It’s the early 1980s—the country is in a deep recession, and life after college is harder than ever. In the cafés on College Hill, the wised-up kids are inhaling Derrida and listening to Talking Heads. But Madeleine Hanna, dutiful English major, is writing her senior thesis on Jane Austen and George Eliot, purveyors of the marriage plot that lies at the heart of the greatest English novels.
With devastating wit and an abiding understanding of and affection for his characters, Jeffrey Eugenides revives the motivating energies of the Novel, while creating a story so contemporary and fresh that it reads like the intimate journal of our own lives.

Eldridge Tide & Pilot 2012
(Robert E. White Instruments)
The chances are that if your great-grandparents went boating somewhere on the Atlantic coast, a copy of the Eldridge Tide & Pilot book was on board. Since 1875, when George W. Eldridge published the first edition, Eldridge has been the most relied-upon source for helpful information about tides and currents, and a whole lot more. In the new edition, you'll find the latest tide and current tables for the Atlantic coast, pages on GPS navigation, radiotelephone use, lights and fog signals, courses and distances, safety and weather for the mariner. Printed every year, Eldridge appears in November in many marine stores and bookshops. Not only is it loaded with valuable information, it's the least expensive guide of its kind available. That's why it's been a bestseller since 1875.

One Good Dog by Susan Wilson
(St. Martin's Griffin)
Acclaimed author Susan Wilson brings us a touching yet unblinkingly authentic tale of loss and rediscovery, of true friendship and learning what's truly important in life.
One note. Three words. And Adam March's well-ordered life and well-laid plans are shattered.
The very definition of a hard-nosed businessman, Adam March has no room in his life for anything but the cold drive to succeed.
Thrown together, Adam and Chance, a dog, fill the holes in each other's lives. Adam gives Chance his first real home, a haven he never could have imagined, while Chance gives Adam a new start. And a new heart. That's One Good Dog!

Catherine the Great by Robert Massie
(Random House)
The Pulitzer Prize–winning author of Peter the Great, Nicholas and Alexandra, and The Romanovs returns with another masterpiece of narrative biography, the extraordinary story of an obscure young German princess who traveled to Russia at fourteen and rose to become one of the most remarkable, powerful, and captivating women in history. Born into a minor noble family, Catherine transformed herself into Empress of Russia by sheer determination. Possessing a brilliant mind and an insatiable curiosity as a young woman, she devoured the works of Enlightenment philosophers and, when she reached the throne, attempted to use their principles to guide her rule of the vast and backward Russian empire.
“What Catherine the Great offers is a great story in the hands of a master storyteller.”—The Wall Street Journal

Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson
(Simon & Schuster)
From the author of the bestselling biographies of Benjamin Franklin and Albert Einstein, this is the exclusive biography of Steve Jobs.
Based on more than forty interviews with Jobs conducted over two years—as well as interviews with more than a hundred family members, friends, adversaries, competitors, and colleagues—Walter Isaacson has written a riveting story of the roller-coaster life and searingly intense personality of a creative entrepreneur whose passion for perfection and ferocious drive revolutionized six industries: personal computers, animated movies, music, phones, tablet computing, and digital publishing.

The Tiger's Wife by Téa Obreht
(Random House)
In a Balkan country mending from war, Natalia, a young doctor, is compelled to unravel the mysterious circumstances surrounding her beloved grandfather’s recent death. Searching for clues, she turns to his worn copy of The Jungle Book and the stories he told her of his encounters over the years with “the deathless man.” But most extraordinary of all is the story her grandfather never told her—the legend of the tiger’s wife.
“[Obreht] has a talent for subtle plotting that eludes most writers twice her age, and her descriptive powers suggest a kind of channeled genius. . . . No novel [this year] has been more satisfying.”—The Wall Street Journal

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
(Scholastic)
Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives alone with her mother and younger sister, regards it as a death sentence when she is forced to represent her impoverished district in the Games. But Katniss has been close to dead before – and survival, for her, is second nature. Without really meaning to, she becomes a contender. But if she is to win, she will have to start making choices that weigh survival against humanity and life against love.
"Collins's characters are completely realistic and sympathetic as they form alliances and friendships in the face of overwhelming odds; the plot is tense, dramatic, and engrossing. This book will definitely resonate with the generation raised on reality shows like Survivor and American Gladiator."— School Library Journal, starred review

The Paris Wife by Paula McLain
(Ballantine)
A deeply evocative story of ambition and betrayal, The Paris Wife captures a remarkable period of time and a love affair between two unforgettable people: Ernest Hemingway and his wife Hadley. Chicago, 1920: Hadley Richardson is a quiet twenty-eight-year-old who has all but given up on love and happiness—until she meets Ernest Hemingway and her life changes forever. Following a whirlwind courtship and wedding, the pair set sail for Paris, where they become the golden couple in a lively and volatile group—the fabled “Lost Generation”—that includes Gertrude Stein, Ezra Pound, and F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald. The Paris Wife is all the more poignant because we know that, in the end, Hemingway wrote that he would rather have died than fallen in love with anyone but Hadley.

Rin Tin Tin by Susan Orlean
(Simon & Schuster)
He believed the dog was immortal. So begins Susan Orlean’s sweeping, powerfully moving account of Rin Tin Tin’s journey from orphaned puppy to movie star and international icon.
Orlean, a staff writer at The New Yorker who has been hailed as “a national treasure” by The Washington Post, spent nearly ten years researching and reporting her most captivating book to date: the story of a dog who was born in 1918 and never died. It begins on a battlefield in France during World War I, when a young American soldier, Lee Duncan, discovered a newborn German shepherd in the ruins of a bombed-out dog kennel. To Duncan, who came of age in an orphanage, the dog’s survival was a miracle.
Filled with humor and heart and moments that will move you to tears, Susan Orlean’s first original book since The Orchid Thief is an irresistible blend of history, human interest, and masterful storytelling—a dazzling celebration of a great American dog by one of our most gifted writers.