Sturbridge— On Saturday, July 23, Griffin Books and Beans located at 440 Main Street, (Rte. 20) in Sturbridge will host book signings for two authors: Larry Lowenthal and Michael H. Piatt from 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. "History buffs will enjoy meeting and talking with both authors," said bookstore owner Barbara Griffin.

Lowenthal is the author of Titanic Railroad: The Story of Southern New England’s Last Great Railroad War. A historian with the National Park Service for many years, Lowenthal became intrigued with the legendary Old Grand Trunk Railroad when he moved to Brimfield, MA in 1981. "With some of the line’s most conspicuous structures located a mile or two from my home, it was hard to resist being drawn into this fascinating story," said Lowenthal on the book jacket copy. Investigation into the efforts to build a "seemingly small branch line from Palmer to Providence represented a climatic episode in New England railroad history."

Author Michael H. Piatt’s book, Bodie: The Mines Are Looking Well, traces the rise and fall of six mines. From the arrival of prospector W.S. Bodey in 1859 to the "quiet departure of the dying town’s last residents in the 1950s" Piatt weaves a tale of "life in a remote, rough-and-tumble community" that includes "lively accounts of fortunes made and lost, frontier justice, union struggles, engineering marvels, stock market shenanigans, and the continuous battle of men and machines against the forces of nature."