Nonfiction Book Review: Delaware from Freeways to E-ways / First State, Solid-State by Dave Tabler

I love exploring historical sites and digging through historical photos and artifacts. This week, I had the opportunity to review Delaware from Freeways to E-ways / First State, Solid-State by Dave Tabler. This book is the third book in the series and I enjoyed the second book, Delaware from Railways to Freeways: First State, Second Phase. What did I think of the third book? Learn about the book and author, read my thoughts on the book and be sure to enter for a chance to win a prize in the book tour giveaway at the end of this post.

Book Title: Delaware from Freeways to E-ways / First State, Solid-State by Dave Tabler
Category: Adult Non-Fiction, 133 pages
Genre: History
Publisher: Dave Tabler
Publication Date: Nov 2024

Content Rating: G. Suitable for all audiences.

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About the Book

Delaware from Freeways to E-Ways by Dave Tabler examines the transformative history of Delaware during the 20th century, exploring the transition from physical infrastructure, epitomized by T. Coleman du Pont's pioneering highway, to the digital innovations that culminated in the internet age. Through a blend of meticulous research and engaging narratives, Tabler highlights Delaware's contributions to key industries, social movements, and cultural milestones. From the rise of the du Pont family to the legacy of the Nanticoke people, the book offers a vivid tapestry of events and figures that shaped both the state and the nation.

My Review

Delaware from Freeways to E-Ways Offers an Educational Look at Delaware's History. The author offers engaging photos, brief summaries and short notes that take readers on an educational journey through the history of the state of Delaware. I have learned a great deal about Delaware history from this author's books and enjoy the collections of photographs and facts.

Readers Can Learn More About Interesting Finds on the Pages. Photographs with short captions make up most of the book. The author includes additional text for most of the photos in the back of the book and references the page numbers for that information with each photograph. This makes the individual pages of photographs very visually appealing, with little text, but, it requires readers to jump back and forth to the back of the book to learn more about the interesting topics and facts.

Would I recommend Delaware from Freeways to E-Ways? I have still not visited Delaware nor experienced much of the state's history. Despite that, I loved reading this book. The pages give a museum-collection vibe that I love. If you enjoy history and photographs or images of historical places and faces, this is an engaging book. I did find it a little more difficult to find some of the additional information in the back of the book with this edition. I think it's a me-problem with focus and some recent eye-sight issues, but it was a little more time-consuming to read this book than the others in the series! I did really enjoy the content and the varied topics presented. Delaware from Freeways to E-Ways is a great book for history lovers!

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Meet the Author

Ten year old Dave Tabler decided he was going to read the ‘R’ volume from the family’s World Book Encyclopedia set over summer vacation. He never made it from beginning to end. He did, however, become interested in Norman Rockwell, rare-earth elements, and Run for the Roses.

Tabler’s father encouraged him to try his hand at taking pictures with the family camera. With visions of Rockwell dancing in his head, Tabler press-ganged his younger brother into wearing a straw hat and sitting next to a stream barefoot with a homemade fishing pole in his hand. The resulting image was terrible.

Dave Tabler went on to earn degrees in art history and photojournalism despite being told he needed a ‘Plan B.'

Fresh out of college, Tabler contributed the photography for The Illustrated History of American Civil War Relics, which taught him how to work with museum curators, collectors, and white cotton gloves. He met a man in the Shenandoah Valley who played the musical saw, a Knoxville fellow who specialized in collecting barbed wire, and Tom Dickey, brother of the man who wrote ‘Deliverance.’

In 2006 Tabler circled back to these earlier encounters with Appalachian culture as an idea for a blog. AppalachianHistory.net today reaches 375,000 readers a year.

Dave Tabler moved to Delaware in 2010 and became smitten with its rich past. He no longer copies Norman Rockwell, but his experience working with curators and collectors came in handy when he got the urge to photograph a love letter to Delaware’s early heritage. This may be the start of something.

connect with the author: website ~X ~ facebook ~ pinterest ~ instagram ~ goodreads

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