Information about ‘Grenier Air Base: A Beacon on the Home Front,’ a book by Leah Dearborn published in 2024 by the Aviation Museum of N.H.
Order your copy online! $35
To order a copy online directly from the museum, click below:
‘Grenier: A Beacon on the Home Front’ by Leah Dearborn
Please confirm your correct shipping address to receive a copy by mail.
Upcoming speaking engagements
Author Leah Dearborn is speaking about writing ‘Grenier Air Base: A Beacon On The Home Front’ and signing copies at events around New England. Below is a list of appearances to date.
If you’d like Leah to speak about ‘Grenier Air Base: A Beacon on the Home Front’ to your group or organization, call (603) 669-4877 or email her at ldearborn@nhahs.org.
Wednesday, July 9, 2025: Author Leah Dearborn speaks in Millbury, Mass.
Leah Dearborn, author of ‘Grenier Air Base: A Beacon on the Home Front’ spoke on Wednesday, July 9 at 6 p.m. Millbury (Mass.) Public Library, 128 Elm St., Millbury, Mass.
The appearance the latest in a whirlwind schedule of book-signings and speaking engagements for Dearborn, who serves as associate director of the Aviation Museum.
On Thursday, June 6, 2025, Leah visited the Auburn (Mass.) Public Library, where she spoke in the Merriam Room.
Another recent appearance was on Friday, May 23, when Leah visited the Langley-Adams Library/Nichols Village, 1 Nichols Way, Groveland, Mass. In an afternoon appearance, Leah discussed the writing process she used to put together the book. She also read portions of the text, answered questions, told stories that didn’t make the final printed edition, and signed copies.
What’s an appearance by Leah like? Check out this nifty multi-camera video of her talk at the Goffstown Public Library on Saturday, May 10.
Friday, April 18, 2025: Author appearance at The Bookery, Manchester, N.H.
Author Leah Dearborn visited The Bookery, 844 Elm St., Manchester, N.H. on Friday, April 18 to read from her book ‘Grenier Air Base: A Beacon on the Home Front.’
In a late afternoon visit, Leah examined the writing process that led to the book. She also read portions of the text, answered questions, told stories that didn’t make the final printed edition, and signed copies.
Leah’s next appearances are on Wednesday, April 23 at 6 p.m. at Nesmith Library, 8 Fellows Road in Windham, N.H., and then on Thursday, April 24 at the Auburn (Mass.) Public Library, 369 Southbridge St., in Auburn, Mass.
Below are photos of Leah’s appearance at the Bookery:
Saturday, March 8, 2025: Author appearance at Balin Books, Nashua
The book tour of Leah Dearborn, author of ‘Grenier Air Base: A Beacon on the Home Front,’ continued with a visit to Balin Books, 375 Amherst St., Nashua, N.H.
In an afternoon appearance, Leah read from portions of the book, answered questions, told some stories that didn’t make the final printed edition, and signed copies.
Next up: Leah will appear at The Bookery, 844 Elm St., Manchester, N.H. on Friday, April 18 from 5 to 7 p.m. Advance reservations are requested: visit https://www.bookerymht.com/our-events
Below: photos of Leah’s appearance at Balin Books by Steve Heffelfinger:
January 2025: ‘Grenier Air Base’ now in local bookstores, plus author Leah Dearborn is scheduling appearances
Our ‘Grenier Air Base’ book is starting to appear on local shelves!
Here’s a roster of local booksellers with copies available—with more to come.
Millyard Museum/Manchester Historic Association
200 Bedford St.
Manchester, N.H.
https://manchesterhistoric.org/
Water Street Bookstore
125 Water Street
Exeter, N.H.
https://waterstreetbooks.com/
Innisfree Bookshop
Mill Falls Marketplace, Building 10,
312 Daniel Webster Highway
Meredith, N.H.
https://www.innisfreebookshop.com/
Balin Books
375 Amherst St., Somerset Plaza
Nashua, N.H.
https://balinbooks.com/event/2025-03-08/grenier-air-base-and-author-leah-dearborn
The Country Bookseller
23-A N Main St, Wolfeboro, N.H.
https://www.thecountrybookseller.com/
Want to purchase the book from a bookstore not mentioned here? Just ask! Booksellers can order it directly on request for a customer without having to go through a consignment program with us.
It also helps if readers leave a review on either Amazon.com or Goodreads.com. Reviews help a book gain visibility in search algorithms.
Nov. 13, 2024: Volunteers get out 500-piece mailer to promote ‘Grenier Air Base’ book to local bookstores, libraries, and historical societies.
You’ve got mail! That is, if you’re a bookstore, public library, or historical society in northern New England. Those are the recipients of a mailing that went out this week to promote ‘Grenier Air Base: A Beacon on the Home Front,’ a new local history book published this fall by the Aviation Museum and written by Associate Director Leah Dearborn.
And you can’t get a project like this done without volunteers to pull together all the elements of nearly 500 pieces of mail: the folding, the stuffing, the stamping, the sealing. Making short work of all this were volunteers Donna Gemma, David Colglazier, Mary Panarese, Mary Jardullo, John Glass, and Knans Hayes, who serves as one of our board members and brought cookies (yay!) and fruit slices (well, okay…) for all to enjoy.
Leah’s new book is on sale at the Aviation Museum store online on this very webpage. (See above.) For now, we just want to thank our volunteers for helping spread the word about Leah’s book.
Nov. 7, 2024: Author Leah Dearborn signs copies of new ‘Grenier Air Base’ book at event on Thursday, Nov. 7
A good-sized crowd joined Leah Dearborn, author of ‘Grenier Air Base: A Beacon On The Home Front,’ for a book-signing and live reading on Thursday, Nov. 7 at 7 p.m. at the Aviation Museum of N.H., 27 Navigator Road, Londonderry, N.H.
The event, at which Dearborn answered questions and signed copies of her recently published book, was free for members of the non-profit Aviation Museum; non-members $10 per person.
The book-signing was part of the Aviation Museum of N.H.’s ongoing ‘Exploring Aviation’ program series, sponsored in part by Grappone Auto.
‘Grenier Air Base: A Beacon on the Home Front’ is a book project by the Aviation Museum of N.H. that seeks to collect and preserve stories of Grenier and the Granite State during World War II before they are forgotten.
Grenier Air Base, located on the site of today’s Manchester-Boston Regional Airport from 1941 to 1966, was a jumping off point for thousands of service members and aircraft headed into combat.
The new book focuses on the stories of the people of Grenier, including many who transited through the facility while serving their country.
Two years in the making, and the product of extensive research and interviews, ‘Grenier Air Base: A Beacon on the Home Front’ was officially unveiled last month. The project was supported through donations by Aviation Museum members, a generous grant from the Cogswell Benevolent Trust, and funds from Thomas W. Haas Charitable Trust.
The book-signing on Thursday, Nov. 7 featured a presentation that dove into the details of the research process of the book, a live reading of select passages, and comments on the Aviation Museum’s continued mission to collect stories and artifacts related to Grenier. A book-signing followed.
Below are photos from the event:
Book now available for online ordering: see link below!
Order your copy now for $35
Now available! A new book about the story of Grenier Air Base, a military facility in Manchester, N.H. that had a major impact close to home, but also played a role in global events.
From World War II through the Vietnam era, Grenier Air Base was a bustling military hub, hosting tens of thousands of troops and support staff who were part of the nation’s air defense system.
Time has not been kind to Grenier. Today, almost all traces of the base are gone from what is now Manchester-Boston Regional Airport. Nothing remains to remind us of the people, both military and civilian, whose service helped define life in mid-20th century America and around the world.
Join author Leah Dearborn, associate director of the Aviation Museum of N.H., as she traces the history of Grenier Air Base through the stories of those whose lives intersected with it.
From World War II fighter pilots transiting through Grenier on their way to combat in Europe, to special squadrons in the 1950s that launched top secret high-altitude balloons, Leah has assembled a range of first-hand tales as told by people who were part of the Grenier experience.
This new book is now available at $35 per copy at the museum store, and will be available at local bookstores and other online retailers such as Amazon on Nov. 5, 2024. For more information, email ldearborn@nhahs.org or call (603) 669-4877.
Wholesale pricing available for stores
Retailers! Carry ‘Grenier Air Base: A Beacon on the Home Front’ in your store. Wholesale pricing available. For more information, email ldearborn@nhahs.org or call (603) 669-4877.
About the Author
Leah Dearborn is the associate director of the Aviation Museum of N.H. She holds a B.A. in Journalism from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and in 2019 earned a Master’s Degree in International Relations from the McCormack Graduate School of Policy and Global Studies at the University of Massachusetts, Boston. She worked as a staff writer at the Lynn Daily Item and has contributed to the Boston Globe, SOCO Magazine, The Town Common, The Chelsea Record, and other publications.
Grenier Air Base: A Beacon on the Home Font
Paperback $35.00 ISBN 9798350974263 / 168 Pages
‘Grenier Air Base: A Beacon on the Home Front’ is available for purchase directly through the Aviation Museum of N.H. and publisher BookBaby at any time for a retail price of $35. As of Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024, the book will also be available through Barnes & Noble, Amazon, and local booksellers. Please contact the Aviation Museum of N.H. for details on wholesale pricing.
All proceeds from book sales go to support the Aviation Museum, a non-profit 501(c)3 tax-exempt organization based in the 1937 art deco passenger terminal at Manchester-Boston Regional Airport, which is dedicated to preserving the Granite State’s rich aviation past, and also inspiring today’s students to become the aviation and aerospace pioneers of tomorrow.
And now, enjoy a few scenes of Grenier Air Base when it was in operation.
