Russell Roberts (2) (1953–)

In Rediscover the Hidden New Jersey, Russell Roberts offers a popular history of the Garden State, focusing on famous firsts, the natural world of the state, sports, famous residents, film history, infrastructure, and more. Roberts writes, “Those who put down New Jersey should remember that without this state, there would be no baseball, college football, movies, electric lights, boardwalks, public libraries, condensed soup, or a multitude of other things both important and enjoyable. All these got their start in New Jersey – the ‘first state’ of innovation and ingenuity” (pg. 1). Of the famous people in New Jersey, Roberts writes, “Although Benjamin Franklin was being coy when he described New Jersey as ‘a barrel tapped at both ends’ because of its proximity to New York City and Philadelphia, it is precisely this nearness to these major urban centers that has drawn the rich, famous, and just downright interesting here. The result is a historical pedigree that New Jersey can match against any other state in the union” (pg. 31). In discussing famous New Jerseyans, Roberts writes of Alice Paul and Elias Boudinot, who was president of Congress at the time the Treaty of Paris ended the American Revolution, thus becoming the first American president on a technicality (pg. 92). Turning to myths and legends, Roberts writes of the Jersey Devil, “In recent years, civilization has nibbled at the corners of the Pinelands, and it’s the opinion of some that the Jersey Devil is dead, killed by the encroachment of concrete and asphalt. This, however, seems like a premature obituary” (pg. 129). As one of the oldest colleges in the United States – and one of the nine chartered prior to the American Revolution – Rutgers and its University Press is a good home for this history of New Jersey. The school itself played a key role in history, including the organization of American football (pg. 62). Roberts’s book will prove most interesting to New Jerseyans looking to know more about their state’s history or elementary school children doing their reports on the 50 states who need an academic source. I wish I’d known about this book when I was in fifth grade doing my report on New Jersey. It was published in 1995, two years before I needed it, and would’ve been an interesting source.… (lisätietoja)