STEEPLES: SKETCHES OF NORTH ADAMS

Steeples is a unique snapshot of North Adams as it begins the transition from a declining mill town to a center for contemporary art. Through a blend of oral histories, photographs, and poetry, the author chronicles this beautiful little city in the Berkshires as its people regret the passing of the good old days and await, with cautious optimism, the opening of the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (MASS MoCA) in 27 factory buildings left vacant in 1986 by the Sprague Electric Company.

The story of the city and its immigrant people is told through the oral histories, which will remain a valuable document as memories fade with time. The photographs show the city as it was, as it is now, and as it may never be again. The poetry evokes the stillness and nostalgia of a quiet Main Street and the beauty of the geographical setting in the Berkshire Mountains.

Steeples includes over 100 photographs, extensive interviews with over 40 persons, and 24 poems by the author.

Steeples has a beautiful full-color cover and over 250 pages.

“Steeples is a splendid book. Wise, engaging, and informative, it provides a wonderful bridge between North Adams as it was and the place we see today. Manning has caught both the spirit and the richly complex character of its past better than anything that has ever been written about the subject.”
-Robert F. Dalzell, Ephraim Williams Professor of History at Williams College, and author of numerous books and articles on early American history

“Joe Manning goes right to the heart and soul of a town. On the surface, Steeples is a book about North Adams; but it is much more. It is a book that honors history, the people that live it, and the ways in which they are inextricably intertwined.”
-Elizabeth Winthrop, author of fifty works of fiction for adults and children. Her books include Island Justice and In My Mother’s House; and for children, The Castle In The Attic and Shoes.

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