- (2020) _Chasing Wildfire: A Personal Journey Through Fire Ecology and a Changing Wildland-Urban Interface_
- (2021) _Searching for the Soul: A Spiritual and Scientific Search for Meaning_
- (2018) _Wild Horse Country: The History, Myth, and Ecology of Mustangs and Their Predators in the American West_
- (2013) _Come Hell or High Water: Surviving the Floods That Swept the Heartland_
- (2011) _Storms of Our Time: A Photographic History of the Weather Events That Changed America_
- (2011) _Storms of Our Time: A Photographic History of the Weather Events That Shaped America_
- (2010) _Through a Fiery Prism: The American Experience in the First World War_
- (2010) _Through a Fiery Prism: American at War in Europe, 1917-1918_
-(2009) _The Great American Train Wreck: Railroads and the Transformation of the Nation, 1828-2009_
- (2009) _America's Rail Odyssey: A Rail Map Book Across the Heart of America_
-(2008) _America's Rail Odyssey: A Pictorial History of the Railways that Built a Nation_
-(2007) _The True Story of the Three Little Pigs: A Cautionary Tale for Presidents and Policymakers_
- (2007) _True Stories of the Three Little Pigs: A Cautionary Tale for Presidents and Policymakers_
- (2007) _Great American History Stories for Young Readers: From Christopher Columbus to the Present Day_ (Illustrator)
- (2007) _Great American History Stories for Young Readers: From Columbus to the Present Day_
- (2007) _Great American History Stories for Young Readers: From First Explorations to the Birth of a Nation_
- (2006) _The Lost History of Missouri_
- (2005) _The Lost Secret: On the Mysterious Disappearance of Amelia Earhart_
- (2005) _Lost Treasures of the Civil War: The Stories and Legends Behind Recovered Southern Relics, Confederate Memorabilia, and Sunken Ships_
- (2004) _Unsolved Mysteries: True Crime in the Midwest: Over Sixty Strange and Unexplained Cases_
- (2004) _Unsolved Mysteries: True Crime in the Midwest: Over Sixty Strange and Unexplained Cases [Volume 1]_
- (2004) _Unsolved Mysteries: True Crime in the Midwest: Over Sixty Strange and Unexplained Cases [Volume 2]_
- (2003) _Great Disasters of the Great Plains: From the Pioneers to the Present_
- (2002) _Storm Warning: Eerie Tornadoes and Wildest Weather_
- (2001) _The Big Blow Down: The History and Legacy of the Storm of 1925_
- (1999) _The 20th Century Wild West: A Guide to Frontier Outlaws, Badmen, Lawmen, and Shoot-Outs_
- (1998) _The Railroad Guide to the Heartland_
- (1998) _The Railroad Guide to the Heartland: A Companion to the Guide to Heartland's History and Culture_
- (1997) _St Louis Noir: Twelve Short Stories about Murder and Mayhem in St Louis_
- (1997) _True Tales from the Missouri Press Association: News and Notes 1969-1997_
- (1996) _St. Louis Noir_
- (1996) _From Our Missouri Roots: A Pictorial History of Missourians in the Military, 1804-1995_
- (1995) _Great Disasters of the Twentieth Century: From the San Francisco Earthquake to the Oklahoma City Bombing_
- (1995) _Great Disasters of the Twentieth Century_
- (1994) _The Railroad Guide to the Heartland_
- (1994) _Lost Landscapes of Missouri_
- (1994) _The Railroad Guide to the Heartland: A Companion to the Guide to Heartland's History and Culture_
-(1994) _The Complete Traveler: A Guide to Heartland History, Culture, and Attractions_
- (1994) _The Heartland Guide to History, Culture, and Attractions_
- (1993) _The Civil War on Wheels: A Photographic Scrapbook 1861-1865_
- (1992) _The Missouri Reader_
- (1992) _The Missouri Reader: Stories, Poems, Legends, and Essays from the Show Me State_
-(1991) _True Tales of the St. Louis Police Department_
- (1990) _Women Healers of the Wild West_ (Editor)
- (1990) _The Wild West: A Guide to Historical Sites, Museums, and Landmarks in the West_
- (1989) _The Missouri Guide to Historic Sites [The University of Missouri Press'_
- (1989) _The Missouri Guide to Historic Sites: A State-by-State Compendium_
- (1989) _The Missouri Tour Guide: A Guide to Missouri's Historic Sites and Tourist Attractions_
-(1989) _Missouri Place Names: Origins and Meanings_
-(1988) _The Ozark Book of Lists_
- (1987) _Guide to Heartland History and Culture_
-(1986) _The Trail of the Ozark Howler: A History and Guide_
- (1985) _A Traveler's Guide to the Ozarks_
-(1984) _The Official Ozark Guidebook: A Guide to the Heartland of America_
- (1983) _The Ozarks: A Regional History and Guide to the Heartland of America_
- (1983) _Ozarks: A Guide to the Heartland of America_
-(1983) _Exploring Missouri: A Guide to the Show-Me State_
- (1983) _The Missouri Guide: A Guide to the Show-Me State_
- (1983) _Exploring the Ozarks: A Visitor's Guide to Missouri's Playground_
- (1983) _Guide to the Ozarks: A Guide to the Heartland of America_
- (1982) _The Traveler's Guide to Missouri: A Guide to the Show-Me State_
- (1982) _The Traveler's Guide to the Ozarks: A Guide to the Heartland of America_
- (1980) _The Ozarks: A Regional History and Guide for Travelers_
Book Chapters
- (2013) "The Ozarks" in _The Encyclopedia of the Midwest_, edited by Andrew R.L. Cayton and Susan E. Gray. Indiana University Press.