Books by Dr. Bob Alotta
Street Names of Philadelphia, Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 1975. Street Names, unbeknown to the author, was the first published book on the derivation and development of street names.
Stop the Evil: A Civil War History of Desertion and Murder, San Rafael, Ca.: Presidio Press, 1977. Stop the Evil is the story of Private William H. Howe, a German-American from Perkiomenville, Pa., who was denied his rights--he was court-martialed twice by the same panel of officers, and convicted of crimes he didn't commit.
Old Names and New Places, Philadelphia: The Westminster Press, 1978. Because of the interest of an elementary school librarian, Dr. Bob wrote a how-to research street and place names in Old Names and New Places.
#2: A Look at the Vice Presidency, New York: Julian Messner, 1979. While at the University of Pennsylvania, he was told that one question on his master's comprehensive exam would be a listing of the presidents. With his sense of humor, he decided that the vice presidents would be a better academic subject. As a result, he wrote #2.
Mermaids, Monasteries, Cherokees and Custer: The Stories Behind the Street Names of Philadelphia, Chicago: Bonus Books, 1985. A newspaper columnist in Philadelphia was approached by the publisher to write a book about Philadelphia streets. She declined, saying that "Alotta was the expert." Mermaids became a much enlarged version of Street Names.
Civil War Justice: Union Army Executions, 1861-1866, Shippensburg, Pa.: White Mane, 1987. Based on his doctoral dissertation, Dr. Bob penned a dark tale of the injustices to the rank and file during the American Civil War. The book is used as a reference in most of the Civil War books that have been published since.
Another Part of the Field: The American Revolution in Philadelphia, 1777, Shippensburg, Pa.: White Mane, 1988. Drawing on his newspaper and magazine articles dealing with the events that transpired after the signing of the Declaration of Independence, Alotta created a moving account of forgotten events in American History.
Signposts and Settlers: The History of the Place Names in the Middle Atlantic States, Chicago: Bonus Books, 1989. Realizing there was no book that addressed the cultural communication found in the naming of places, Dr. Bob began the task of chronicling how and why places were named. This book includes New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia.
Signposts & Settlers: The History of the Places Names West of the Rockies, Chicago: Bonus Books, 1993. The treatment he gave the Middle Atlantic States was duplicated in this second volume of his series, covering Alaska, Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada and Hawaii.
The Last Voyage of the Henry Bacon. Together with Donald Foxvog, Alotta has currently finished a non-fiction account of a Liberty Ship that gave up its life--and that of many of its crew to save the lives of Norwegian refugees during the waning days of World War II.
In addition, he's written the comprehensive history of Old Fort Mifflin, Philadelphia, in a series of pamphlets. And, he's also published a collection of poetry, Just Some Girl.
All of his books are available through Amazon on the Internet.
