Experts told me not to write this book and it would fail.* (see story at bottom of page :-)
Greg speaking at the Andover Book Store, the 2nd oldest book store in the US.
The owner mentioned I broke a record for a local author over that two-day holiday book signing.
I wrote a total of 9 versions as shown below.
Each version has the original 116 ''History of Boston'' pages plus customized covers and between 20 - 30 additional golden pages of fun facts, trivia, and how many things, schools, etc. got their names and the interesting history of the people behind the things named after them.
Andover, MA Edition
DESCRIPTION:
Why no ''Add to Cart'' button?
Each book is $26 and includes tax, shipping, special gift wrap, and free gifts such as postcards using images from the book, etc.
I sign each book with personal inspiration messages and can customize with the name of the person if you are giving as a gift.
Each book is printed in the Boston area and hand bound by me with love :-)
North Andover, MA Edition
This was the third city/town version I created and one of the most popular.
Makes the perfect gift!
Why no ''Add to Cart'' button?
Please see the message nest to the Andover book and use the Contact Greg on the main page.
Haverhill, MA Edition
This was the fourth city/town version I created and one of the most popular.
Why no ''Add to Cart'' button?
Please see the message nest to the Andover book and use the Contact Greg on the main page.
Methuen, MA Edition
This was the fifth city/town version I created and one of the most popular.
Satisfaction guaranteed.
All the original Boston 116 pages PLUS 20 bonus golden pages just on fun trivia and fun facts and how things such as schools and roads got their names and the people named after them in Methuen!
Why no ''Add to Cart'' button?
Please use the Contact Greg on the main page for any questions, comments and order info.
I look forward to hearing from you!)
Lawrence, MA Edition
This was the sixth city/town version I created and one of the most popular.
Satisfaction guaranteed.
Why no ''Add to Cart'' button?
Please use the Contact Greg on the main page for any questions, comments and order info.
I look forward to hearing from you!)
Newburyport, MA Edition
This was the seventh city/town version I created and one of the most popular.
Satisfaction guaranteed.
Why no ''Add to Cart'' button?
Please use the Contact Greg on the main page for any questions, comments and order info.
I look forward to hearing from you!)
Cambridge, MA Edition
This was the eight city/town version I created and one of the most popular.
Satisfaction guaranteed.
Why no ''Add to Cart'' button?
Please use the Contact Greg on the main page for any questions, comments and order info.
I look forward to hearing from you!)
Somerville, MA Edition
This was the first city/town version I created and was inspired by a request from the director of the Somerville Commission for Women as a fund raiser. We raiser over $1,000 with this edition!
Satisfaction guaranteed.
Why no ''Add to Cart'' button?
Please use the Contact Greg on the main page for any questions, comments and order info.
I look forward to hearing from you!)
Littleton, MA Edition
This was the eight city/town version I created and one of the most popular.
Satisfaction guaranteed.
Why no ''Add to Cart'' button?
Please use the Contact Greg on the main page for any questions, comments and order info.
I look forward to hearing from you!)
---> Below are several sample pages. You can click on any page for a closer view. <---
---> Winthrop came to the New World to find a hiding place because of his religious dissension.
---> He went on to be the official ''founder'' of Boston!
---> John Copley was admonished by his school teachers for drawing on the edges of his text books.
---> He went on the become one of America's greatest portrait painters!
AMAZING STORY ABOUT LOGAN!
Find out Edward Logan's amazing story and why Boston's international airport is named after him!
---> Fanny became permanently disabled in high school and could not continue.
---> She was determined to succeed in life and with no other options she taught herself cooking.
---> She wrote a cook book but could not find a publisher.
---> Finally at age 39 she published it herself and her book remains one of America's best selling cook books with millions sold!
---> FAST FACT: Local Boston TV and radio station WGBH hosts a week long 3-hour daily show the last week of May each year all about Julia and featuring chefs explaining how important to cooking she was!
DID YOU KNOW --> WGBH stands for ''Great Blue Hill''!
It signals are broadcast from this hill in Milton, the highest point in the area and birthplace of former president George H.W. Bush!
---> In 1994 Andy Wilson thought of the idea to use old World War 2 landing craft as tour boats.
---> City officials mocked his ''crazy idea'' and fought against him.
---> Today ''duck boat'' tours in Boston provide a treasure trove of knowledge and are fun and exciting for everyone!
---> FAST FACT: Thomas Edison and Alexander Graham Bell both made major inventions in the same building in Boston!
FAST FACT: Benjamin Franklin discovered electricity in Boston!
Discover some amazing details in the page above or in the book!
---> AMAZING FACT - Read how an explosion in Canada...heard all the way in Boston...led to a Christmas tree being gifted eternally to Boston!
---> Find out about the interesting stories behind the names of just a few city and towns on this page!
---> Did You Know: King Arthur Flour started in Boston in 1790 as a European flour importer!
FAST FACT: Martin Luther King Jr. graduated from Boston University
---> Boston was one of the first cities in America to name things after him!
Most all readers and people who receive a book love the illustrations drawn just for this book and never seen before! The one of president Kennedy is one of my favorites :->
> Did you know? <
- ...that Boston gets its name from an old English saint and the word...boat!?
> IT'S TRUE! - In the 7th century, Saint Botolph was given a plot of land in England to build a monastery and the area became known as ''Botolph's town''.
- He got the name because he prayed for the safe return of the sailors' boats. ''Boot'' is old English word meaning boat or ship, thus he was know as Saint ''Botolph''...'the saint of the 'town of boats''.
- The current area in the Massachusetts reminded the first settlers of this area so they started calling it '' Botolph's town''. People eventually shortened it in speech to just: ''Boston''!
- To this day, traditional Bostonians still tend to drop pronunciations in words such as saying ''ca'' instead of ''car'', yad'' instead of ''yard'' and ''pak'' instead of ''park''!
- A funny saying we have here is ''pak the ca in Havid Yad'' (Park the car in Harvard Yard) :-)
> James Otis, Lawyer behind the rebels! <
- Otis was one of the most important ''rebels'' in Boston.
- Because of him we still have laws against illegal ''search and seizure'' and illegal ''quartering of troops''!
- Otis made search warrants necessary to this day!
- Find out his amazing story along with thousands of fun facts and dozens of illustrations!
- Fast fact: Otis went crazy after getting clubbed by red coats and was living on bread and honey in Andover, MA when one beautiful sunny summer afternoon a freak bolt of lightning killed him in front of a barn!
- From Adams --> Copley --> ---Faneuil -->
Logan --> Zachim ---> and dozens more! - FULLY ILLUSTRATED!
- All books hand-bound by Greg.
- Printed in Massachusetts,116 illustrated pages.
- All drawings done by Greg and two local artists!!
> Discovered electricity! - Born in Boston <
- Founding father of the United States, inventor.
- Ben got poor to fair grades in grammar school.
- He never went to college.
- His father suggested his abilities were best to melt wax as a career.
- Failing to learn languages in school, Ben went on to invent a method to teach himself French, German, and Greek and he was successful!
- Find out hundreds of incredible stories!
- Fun facts of how people overcame their struggles, and the things named after them!
- Written in a Farmer's Almanac format!
- Easy to read. Each page tells a story!
- Sprinkled with thousands of trivia and lore!
- A lifetime coffee table book with plastic cover!
- Over 8,000 sold - satisfaction guaranteed :->
Typical Massachusetts deed of land sold to the settlers by native Americans.
Notice the Indian leaders in 1642 did not fully understand the concept of signing their names and used bows and arrows as their signatures.
Illustrations of these Indian leaders are in the book and on the back page of the Haverhill, MA version below!
(ABOVE) CITY / TOWN PAGE SAMPLE
> Helping the Armenian church, 2018 <
I was so happy to raise nearly $800, donating all the sales to the Armenian Church of Bradford, MA - parishioner, Kathy, left helped wrap and sell the books and she bought 10 as gifts!
Here I am signing one of her books.
(ABOVE) CITY / TOWN PAGE SAMPLE
- People are often surprised during book signings I don't emphasize the writing aspect.
- I talk about rather the power of will to accomplish one's goals.
- I give examples of both overcoming obstacles and accepting help, love, and many other themes as keys to my success.
- One day with a line of people to sign their books I told the lady spontaneously what came to my mind:
- '' You know...'' I exclaimed, '' I was told by several experts not to write this book! ''
- '' They said if there was a need for it, it would have already been done by someone else. ''
- '' They said not to waste my time because there already were hundreds of similar books. ''
- '' They said my degree was neither in history nor English and so not to try. ''
- '' They told me it is fool hardy to try to draw professional illustrations as I had no training and it was too late to learn as an adult. ''
- '' One expert on a panel of 6 told me the book looked disorganized and to consider buying glossy color photographs, hiring a magazine graphic designer, and getting old black and white pictures like the other books as no one is interested in these kinds of illustrations! ''
- She replied, ''Well I think this is the best book I have ever seen and these will be my best Christmas presents. I can't wait to give them! Thank you for not listening to the experts, ha, ha!''
All images, text, PDF book, and recordings are the property of Gregory DerBogosian and may not be copied for any purpose without written consent. Copyright protected © 2023 Gregory DerBogosian