MPT partners with Chelsea Publishing on book celebrating Maryland

OWINGS MILLS, MD – Maryland Public Television (MPT) today announced a partnership with Hagerstown-based Chelsea Publishing, LLC to create and publish a 256-page, full-color hardcover book celebrating the state of Maryland. The book, tentatively titled Magnificent Maryland, will be published in late 2025 to coincide with the United States Semiquincentennial celebration in 2026.

Chelsea Publishing’s team, led by visual documentarian Carol Highsmith and her husband, writer/editor Ted Landphair, will crisscross Maryland’s 23 counties and Baltimore City over several months to capture photos of scenic views, historic sites, landmarks, communities of all sizes, rural scenes, memorable events, and people at work, home, and play.

“The nation’s 250th birthday is approaching faster than we think,” noted Highsmith. “Maryland – ‘America in Miniature’ – played a major role in our nation’s formation in 1776. We look forward to exploring as many of the 12,407 square miles of Maryland as possible to showcase the state’s history, the diversity of its people, lively and photogenic events and hidden treasures, and even our animals and their environments.”

MPT is supporting the book’s development by providing Chelsea Publishing pre-production funding, and services including project consultation and local public broadcasting distribution of the book via on-air fundraising and community outreach and engagement activities.

“MPT’s talented staff has produced hundreds of programs about a broad range of our state’s history, culture, natural beauty, and its people from the Eastern Shore to the mountains of western Maryland,” said Linda Taggart, MPT’s vice president, Development. “We see this book as a perfect complement to the Maryland storytelling MPT has presented to viewers over our statewide public TV network’s more than 50-year history.”

To learn more about the book, contact Highsmith at 301-579-4787, 301-452-8267 (cell) or carolhighsmith@me.com. Information about Highsmith’s career and photography is available by visiting carol-highsmith.pixels.com/ and CarolHighsmithAmerica.com.

About Maryland Public Television

Maryland Public Television (MPT) is a statewide, public-supported TV network and Public Broadcasting Service member offering entertaining, educational, and inspiring content delivered by traditional broadcasting and streaming on TVs, computers, and mobile devices. A state agency, it operates under the auspices of the Maryland Public Broadcasting Commission. MPT creates and distributes local, regional, and national content and is a frequent winner of regional Emmy® awards. MPT’s commitment to educators, parents, caregivers, and learners of all ages is delivered through instructional events and Thinkport.org. MPT’s year-round community engagement activities connect viewers with resources on a wide range of topics. For more information visit mpt.org.

About Chelsea Publishing, LLC

Chelsea Publishing, LLC began in 1988 by publishing a book about the renovation of Washington, D.C.'s, historic Union Station. The company has also published the definitive volume about the unveiling of the Korean War Veterans Memorial on the National Mall, and coffee-table books about several American states that Carol Highsmith has documented for her collection of more than 80,000 images at the U.S. Library of Congress. Over 44 years, she has traveled two million miles on the roads of America. Maryland will be the final state in her historic study. In addition to producing this keepsake book in cooperation with MPT, the company will produce and donate – copyright and royalty-free – up to 10,000 Highsmith images to the state of Maryland and the U.S. Library of Congress.