The first complete biography of an important Negro League baseball player from Austin, Texas.Willie Wells was arguably the best shortstop of his generation. As Monte Irvin, a teammate and fellow Hall of Fame player, writes in his foreword, "Wells really could do it all. He was one of the slickest fielding shortstops ever to come along. He had speed on the bases. He hit with power and consistency. He was among the most durable players I've ever known." Yet few peopl...

The struggle to integrate the Baltimore Orioles mirrored the fight for civil rights in Baltimore. The Orioles debuted in 1954, the same year the Supreme Court struck down public school segregation. As Baltimore experienced demonstrations, white flight and a 1968 riot, team integration came slowly. Black players--mostly outfielders--made cameo appearances as black fans stayed away in droves. The breakthrough came in 1966, with the arrival of a more enlightened owner, and African American su...

Captain Isaac "Ike" Emerson, riding high on the international success of his patent, Bromo-Seltzer, lived a storied life of opulence. This first biography of the "Bromo-Seltzer King" traces his path from North Carolina farm boy to Baltimore-based multimillionaire with a penchant for lavish entertaining.Emerson is presented as an entrepreneur, patriot, civic leader, sportsman, and philanthropist. He was a phenom in his era, and this book, drawing from archival records, newspapers of...

Among early 20th century baseball players, John Preston "Pete" Hill (1882-1951) was considered the equal of Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb and Tris Speaker--only skin color kept him out of the majors. A capable manager, Hill captained the Negro League's Chicago-based American Giants, led two expansion teams and retired from the sport as manager of the Baltimore Black Sox. Drawing on contemporary newspaper accounts, this first ever biography of Hill recounts the career of a neglected Hall of Famer in t...

Never one to mince words, Effa Manley once wrote a letter to sportswriter Art Carter, saying that she hoped they could meet soon because “I would like to tell you a lot of things you should know about baseball.” From 1936 to 1948, Manley ran the Negro league Newark Eagles that her husband, Abe, owned for roughly a decade. Because of her business acumen, commitment to her players, and larger-than-life personality, she would leave an indelible mark not only on baseball but also on A...

This Civil War history provides an in-depth look at the impact and experiences of African American men fighting in the Union Army.After President Lincoln issued the final Emancipation Proclamation of January 1, 1863, many enslaved people in the Confederate south made the perilous journey north—then put their lives at risk again by joining the Union army. These U.S. Colored Troops, as the War Department designated most black units, performed a variety of duties, foug...

There's a myth attached to 'A Hard Day's Night': the Byrds adopted the 12-string guitar and transformed 'Mr Tambourine Man', Dylan went electric as a result, and a pattern of intense competition climaxed with the release in quick succession of Blonde on Blonde, Pet Sounds and Sgt Pepper. A closer look tells us something different. Dylan's electric 'Subterranean Homesick Blues' preceded the Byrds' version of 'Mr Tambourine Man', which owed just as much to the Beach Boys - whose epochal Pet ...

Marcel Dalton is the Dalton Brothers’ Swiss uncle. He is not only honest, but a banker to boot. Having purchased a small bank in the US, he decides to hire his nephews to force them to make a honest living. Although he’s assisted by Lucky Luke, they have their work cut out for them. Especially since – as if the ingrained instincts of the four dumbest bandits in the West weren’t enough – there’s also the small matter of the competition: a very unscrupulous banker …

Matthew, Mark, Luke, and Bobby Eldon ParkerA chance run-in with an old friend turned out to be the inspiration for author Eldon Parker to compile this collection of personal stories by male escorts.Eldon’s questions became a full-blown interrogation. He had to know more, and since he was waiting for his client anyway, his friend Luke gave him the info. Because he is a writer by profession, he asked Luke if he would be interested in sharing his stories with him so th...

The Gospel writers Matthew, Mark and John were eyewitnesses to the life of Jesus. Luke was not, and in fact does not appear in the Bible until his travels with Paul around 50 AD. And while the other three Gospels are extremely similar, nearly half of Luke's text is original, and cannot be found elsewhere, including some sixty stories and parables. The nativity scene we worship on Christmas Eve is from Luke. The only reference of Jesus's childhood, being left at the temple, can only be foun...

This is a story of a life; actually, its the story of multiple lives. To truly understand each tale, you have to go back to the beginning. And that beginning takes you to Iron Mountain, Michigan, where I was born on December 20th, 1924, the second son of Clyde and Permele Luke. The Bob in the letters is my older brother, Dr. Robert C. Luke. Two years older than me and twice as cocky, Bob and I had a love-hate relationship. Writing to him as I did was my way of telling him about the things ...

An insider’s look into the decades of research behind Zecharia Sitchin’s books as well as an in-depth overview of his theories and discoveries• Includes carefully selected chapters from the Earth Chronicles series as well as never-before-published letters, articles, and lectures• Each piece includes an introduction, offering context and insight into Sitchin’s passionate work and revealing the man behind the theories• Explains the genesis of The 12th Planet,...