You’ve landed at the e-home of Maureen Ogle –  historian, author, ranter.

Basics

In late 2025, I published The Price of Plenty: A History of Meat in America. In 2019, I issued a revised version of my (now antiquated) beer book: Ambitious Brew: A History of American Beer is a tale of two centuries of American beer history.

In 2013, I published In Meat We Trust: 150 years of Americans raising, processing, selling, cooking, and eating meat. (Side note: the book was a total bust. The book published was in effect a first draft. I got the rights back. The Price of Plenty is a much better rendition, including plenty of new material.)

I’ve also written histories of Key West, Florida, and American household plumbing.

Currently working on: A new history of beer and alcohol that centers on a family-owned brewery in New Ulm, Minnesota.

Technical Stuff

I earned a Masters and Ph.D. in American history from the (long since budget-chopped) History of Technology and Science Program at the Department of History at Iowa State University. Focus: “technology.” Specifically urban America. 

My "tenure book" was All the Modern Conveniences: American Household Plumbing, 1840-1890. Let the puns fly. (Come up with one I've not yet heard, and a signed copy of some book or other is yours, pal.)

In 1999, I escaped from academia because I wanted a life.

The Blog, aka The Observation Post

I used to blog. A lot. And I mean a lot.

But then I got older and trying to write books and blog regularly and live a satisfying life in the 3-D world . . . well, it got to be a bit much.

As for the blog, it’s a trainwreck. Blogs are supposed to focused! and targeted! and specific! and consistent! And the entries are supposed to be brief.

Mine fails in every category. It wanders from beer to history to meat; from the pleasures of writing to the future of “print,” with regular stops to ponder life’s daily weirdness. Fact is, I regard blogging as an extraordinary tool for creativity. [For more, see The Sticky Post.] I’ve written multiple blog series; for those, see the Books/Projects page.

For a sense of the blog's scope, check the categories in the sidebar at the Observation Post. 

 Answers to Frequently Asked Questions

1. Yes, I love speaking to audiences. (For money, of course.) (I’d do it for free if I could. Should I someday win The Lottery, I will.) Shoot me an email. Shoot me an email even if you don’t want me to speak to your group or organization. I’m easy.

2. Yes, I’m a real historian. Well, okay — I have a Ph.D. in history. In some eyes, that makes me a “real” historian.

3. My most recent book is The Price of Plenty: A History of Meat in America.

4. Yes, it takes me a long time to write a book. I’m a one-woman operation: I do my own research and writing, both of which are labor- and time-intensive. Plus, I’m a stickler for accuracy. I don’t make up the facts in my books.

5. If you buy one of my books, great! Borrow it from a library? Please do! Makes no difference how/where you lay hands on a book; what matters is that you care enough to read.

6. Yes, this site (built c. 2007??) is minimalist, intentionally so. I know the current fashion is for lots of images and gee-gaws, and that’s great for those who want them. BUT: This is a work space; an extension of my home office. As such, I want an uncluttered “desk.” So: lots of white space, few images. User friendly, as we said back in the day. You should be able to find whatever you're looking for. And lots that you didn’t know you wanted. Because you DO want to read my 13-part blog series, right?

Thanks for stopping by — and for making books and reading part of your life.