The Boston Handbook

On Cape Publications
John Powers, illustrated by Peter Wallace
Buy Book

This guide to "chowdah," "blizzids," "the Sawx," rotaries, dropped Rs, and many other parochial oddities features Boston Globe colleagues John Powers (Jawn Powiz) and Peter Wallace (Peetah Wollis) as they break down the provincial peculiarities of Boston's topography, meteorology, history, cuisine, architecture, notable personalities, rituals and taboos that make this place not "Noo Yawk." With Powers providing the "langwidge" and Wallace the "pickchiz," the handbook explains how to get scrod, who Rosie Ruiz was, where Raymond's used to be, when to celebrate Bunker Hill Day, why there's no East End, what the difference is between the Buddha and the buddha, and how to get there from here ("you cahn't"). This guidebook is indispensable—and "wikkid" funny.