Extraordinary people lead extraordinary lives and, from the beginning, even before he had any control over his life, John Meigs' life was extraordinary: kidnapped by his father, never to see his mother again. Once on his own, he tried his hand as a reporter in Los Angeles in 1936, and then in Honolulu, where he got drawn into the art world, becoming one of the original designers of the Hawaiian aloha shirts. Those pursuits were interrupted with the onset of World War II and John's enlistme...

The "Neverland Valley-Welcome" sign depicts a little boy, bending over to talk to a troll. Peter Pan was playing at the packed eighty-seat, 7,000 square-foot theatre. Popcorn and drinks were dished up gratis to the mobs at the concession stand. On-screen, Captain Hook had ten wide-eyed children in white nightshirts bound and gagged, about to be fed to the crocodile. Nearby, amid the rides, a band was taking a break. Beat It thumped loudly from hidden speakers. A circus-li...

This memoir chronicles the life of an artist who began his professional career as a Harvard trained lawyer before discovering the artist within.Novak, now 86, looks back on a life of unpredictable twists and turns that have led to a sense of fulfillment, happiness and celebration. The key ingredients: a positive attitude, a sense of commitment to a purpose, being open, a passion for one's work, believing in oneself, and coming from love in dealing with others. He also acknowledges ...

As one of the West Coast's most unique and beautiful resort cities, Laguna Beach has thrived as an enduring enclave of art culture, a destination of hidden beaches, and a coastline rich in natural wonders, which its officials and residents strive to maintain. Settlers arrived in the 1870s, and by the summer of 1918 Laguna's first art gallery opened, featuring works by a growing collective of local artists. Hundreds of visitors came on opening day and, in the next month, 2,000 more visited ...

Situated along the eastern border of Los Angeles County and at the foot of the majestic San Gabriel Mountains is the community of Claremont. The city, founded in 1887 and incorporated in 1907, quickly became one of Southern California�s most unique communities. Known as the �City of Trees and PhDs,� Claremont has become famous for its lush oak-and-sycamore-lined boulevards, beautifully crafted architecture, and as the home of the highly praised liberal arts schools of the Claremont College...

The Panhandle�s first railroad, the Southern Kansas Railway of Texas, was constructed in 1886. Reaching Amarillo in 1889, the railway pulled cars filled with immigrant families and their belongings. The settlers were farmers from the east and south who came west to find water and cheap land. George Tyng, an adventurous fortune seeker, began leasing ranch land in 1887. A rail station was constructed, and Tyng eventually settled on the name �Pampa,� a South American word that means �plains.�...

Portraits of one hundred recipients of the United States' highest honor in the folk and traditional arts, caputred in their element.Discover one hundred of the greatest folk artists practicing in the United States in Folk Masters: A Portrait of America. Over the past twenty-five years, photographer Tom Pich has traveled the country to the homes and studios of recipients of the National Endowment for the Arts' National Heritage Fellowship, the highest honor ...

Much of the history of New York's scenic Mohawk Valley has been recounted time and again. But so many other stories have remained buried, almost lost from memory. The man called the baseball oracle correctly predicted the outcome of twenty-one major-league games. Mrs. Bennett, a friend of Governor Thomas Dewey, owned the Tower restaurant and lived in the unique Cranesville building. An Amsterdam sailor cheated death onboard a stricken submarine. Not only people but once-loved places are al...

Virginia Ames was born in the Deep South at the dawn of the twentieth century. In her hundredth year, Ames takes us back to the 1970 cross-country sojourn wherein she and daughter Mary poignantly and critically looked at a century of sociability and social change—including race relations, revolutionary politics, the auto, space exploration, and flight. Braided into the sinuous strands of an epic journey in an old Dodge Wayfarer are stories of a lifetime of issues that continue to touch our...

Wallingford depicts the interesting history of this Connecticut community.Wallingford lies nestled among the hills along the valley of the Quinnipiac River in Connecticut. Its first settlers were 38 planters and their families, who arrived in 1670. The land proved to be productive for farming and orchards. Many years after its founding, Wallingford flourished as a center for the making of silver holloware and flatware. With names such as Wallace, Simpson, Rogers, Elton, Hall, Miller, Inter...

From Swamp to Paradise, this book recounts the history of the City of Palm Coast using vintage images and illustrations. What is paradise? Before 1969, land that would eventually become the City of Palm Coast was considered by some as nothing more than a "big pine-covered swamp." But when the corporate eyes of ITT/Levitt and Sons looked upon the virtually uninhabited land, they saw 22,000 acres of golf courses, marinas, oceanfront motels, scenic drives, and house lots awaiting the arrival ...

From West Palm Beach's beginnings as service town to Palm Beach, Standard Oil tycoon Henry Morrison Flagler's resort village, the city has evolved into a trendy art, cultural, and shopping mecca. Palm Beach County's largest city serves as county seat and center of business, government, and commerce. Taming America's last frontier saw the industriousness of pioneers and settlers such as Marion Gruber, the Potter brothers, George Lainhart, and Max Greenberg guide the "Cottage City" of yester...