September 10, 2006
Compilation of the Ordinances of the Common Council of the Town of Dayton
by Common Council Copyright 1826
All the laws needed for a small town to function, from the keeping of gunpowder to the regulating of hogs running loose in the streets.
Reference copy available at Dayton Metro Library
Transcribed by Dayton History Books volunteer Erin Hunt

September 4, 2006
Geology of Dayton and Vicinity
by Aug. S. Foerste Copyright 1915
Edward A. Deeds sponsored this wonderful book describing the chief points of geologic interest in and around the Dayton area.
Original copy available at Dayton Metro Library
Transcribed by Dayton History Books volunteer Lisa Kell

August 21, 2006
The Dayton Idea
by Elbert Hubbard Copyright 1914
Highlights of an article that originally appeared in the FRA July 1914 issue. The article deals with the formation and ideals of The Greater Dayton Association.
Text taken from original source which is available at Dayton Metro Library
Transcribed by Dayton History Books volunteer Jackie Frederick

August 12, 2006
Paul Laurence Dunbar
by Charlotte Becker Copyright 1906
This poem of how Paul Laurence Dunbar "gave his people's thought a soul of song" appeared in Town and Country, May 5, 1906

August 9, 2006
My Vision
by I. H. Ries Copyright 1913
A mournful poem about the flood that hit Dayton in 1913
Booklet courtesy of Larry Sizer
Transcribed by Dayton History Books volunteer Jackie Frederick

August 4, 2006
Mastery of the Air
by William J. Claxton Copyright 1918
A history of aviation from its very beginnings to World War I. Includes several chapters on the Wright Brothers
Copied from private collection. 

July 29, 2006
Carrier's Address, to the Patrons of the Journal and Advertiser, January 1, 1841
by Journal and Advertiser Copyright 1841
A poetic broadside that recaps what was printed in the Journal and Advertiser in 1840
Text taken from broadside owned by American Antiquarian Society, with their permission

July 24, 2006
Life of Tecumseh
by Benjamin Drake Copyright 1841
The celebrated Native American leader who lived and fought in the Miami Valley, including a skirmish in Dayton in 1786 when he was fourteen years old
Reference copy available at Dayton Metro Library

July 23, 2006
In Memoriam Paul Laurence Dunbar
by H. Cordelia Ray Copyright 1910
This poem written after Dunbar's death is excerpted from the book Poems by H. Cordelia Ray

Me 'N' Dunbar
by James D. Corrothers Copyright 1901
This poem about Paul Laurence Dunbar working in a cornfield with James appeared in The Colored American Magazine, Volume III July, 1901 No. 3 issue

Paul Laurence Dunbar
by James D. Corrothers Copyright 1922
Excerpt from The Book of American Negro Poetry edited by James Weldon Johnson
A revised 1931 edition of the book is available at Dayton Metro Library

July 18, 2006
Hewitt Soap Co.
by Adam Housh Copyright 2006
A short history of the Hewitt Soap Company from its beginning in 1897 to its closing in 2005.
Reproduced here with the author's permission

July 13, 2006
Shall We Gather at the River
by Curt Dalton Copyright 2001
A history of the floods that swept through Dayton from 1805 to 1913.  Article appeared in The Vincent Brothers Review Issue #20: Vol. VIII, No. 1.
Text taken from original maunscript and reproduced here with the author's permission
Transcribed by Dayton History Books volunteer Jackie Frederick

July 2, 2006
Early Printing in Dayton, Ohio
by Douglas C. McMurtrie Copyright 1935
A history of Dayton's early newspapers as well as booklets published in the city before 1835.
Reference copy available at Dayton Metro Library

June 19, 2006
Memoirs of the Miami Valley - Volume Two
Edited by John C. Hover, and others Copyright 1919
Second book in a three-volume set that tells the history of the Miami Valley. This volume's focus is on the history of Montgomery, Warren, Butler and Hamilton Counties.
Copy available at Dayton Metro Library

June 10, 2006
Memoirs of the Miami Valley - Volume One
Edited by John C. Hover, and others Copyright 1919
First book in a three-volume set that tells the history of the Miami Valley. This volume's focus is on the settlement of the area, as well as the history of Logan, Shelby and Miami Counties.
Copy available at Dayton Metro Library

May 25, 2006
The Complete Poems of Paul Laurence Dunbar
by Paul Laurence Dunbar Copyright 1922
This collection of Dunbar's poems was originally published in 1913, seven years after his death. Dayton History Books Online has the 1922 edition of this book online.
Newer copies available at Dayton Metro Library

May 24, 2006
History of Dayton, Ohio
by Harvey W. Crew Copyright 1889
One of the best books written about Dayton that touches on many aspects of the city's history
Reference copy available at Dayton Metro Library

April 24, 2006
Delicious Recipes and Food For Thought
by Curt Dalton Copyright 2000  All Rights Reserved
Recipes and quotations taken from NCR News publications spanning over 100 years. Includes the famous coconut macaroon recipe.
Text taken from original manuscript and reprodcued here with the author's permission

April 7, 2006
A History of Aeronautics
by E. Charles Vivian Copyright 1921
Vivian attempts to chronicle how flight had developed from its beginnings to 1920.  The Wright Brothers are mentioned throughout the book, as well as having their own chapter.
Reference copy available at Wright State University

March 30, 2006
Presbyterian Cook Book
by the Ladies of the First Presbyterian Church Copyright 1873
A large assortment of recipes from members of the First Presbyterian Church of Dayton. Many of the recipes include the name of the women who donated them to the cause
From the Feeding America web site, a project of the Michigan State University Libraries, who were responsible in digitizing this historic cookbook

March 27, 2006
Survey of Dayton Public Markets
by Bureau of Municipal Research Copyright 1914
Where markets were located, how they were governed and how well they were doing after the 1913 flood the year before.
Transcribed by Dayton History Books Online volunteer Jackie Frederick

March 10, 2006
The Otterbein Hymnal
Prepared by Edmund S. Lorenz Copyright 1892
Collection of 548 hymns for United Brethren in Christ Church, many written by Edmund S. Lorenz, founder of Lorenz & Company, a music publishing firm still in business today
Reference copy available at Dayton Metro Library

March 9, 2006
The Sport of the Gods
by Paul Laurence Dunbar Copyright 1902
Fictional account of a displaced Southern family's struggle to survive and prosper in early Harlem.
Reference copy available at Wright State University

February 15, 2006
Spilt Bood: When Murder Walked the Streets of Dayton
by Curt Dalton Copyright 2004 All Rights Reserved
Ten murders that took place in Dayton during the 19th century
Text taken from original maunscript and reproduced here with the author's permission