Toledo author Jim Mollenkopf likes to write about things close to home. In his books he’s crawled along the shore of Lake Erie, wandered the quiet hinterlands of northwest Ohio and most recently, looked to his former hometown of Cleveland for inspiration. A brief overview of his books:
A vast marsh called the Great Black Swamp once lay across much of northwest Ohio and four of Jim Mollenkopf’s books explore its history and nature. Settlers,soldiers, Native Americans and immigrants passed through the region leaving their stories behind, tales told again in his trio of The Great Black Swamp history books. In addition to its human drama, its quiet places of natural beauty are visited in Great Black Swamp Woods and Wanders where over two dozens parks and nature reserves both on and off the beaten path come to life.
The great conflict known as the Civil War was fought many hundreds of miles from northwest Ohio. But Civil War Stories of Northwest Ohio Heroes brings home chronicles of those who went and fought as well as of those who battled from the home front, whether it was by fighting the institution of slavery or ridiculing the Confederacy through satire.
July 13, 1954 was a steamy summer day in Cleveland and One Summer Day in America tells of a record-setting baseball All Star played the city’s Municipal Stadium that day and of life and events happening beyond the field of play both in Cleveland and around the country.
