Fact or myth? Harold Bell Lasseter and his claim of finding a vast gold-bearing reef in Central Australia has continually been surrounded in mystery. Yet his ill-fated death in the Australian outback, where the land is unforgiving to the careless and the foolhardy, is relatively undisputed. Despite Lasseter taking secrets to a lonely desert grave in 1931, the story of the elusive gold reef has become a holy grail for explorers from near and far. One such explorer is Vietnam veteran Bill Decarli, who has spent the best part of forty years unravelling one of Australia’s greatest mysteries. On his maiden voyage to the outback in 1991, instead of heading towards Western Australia like other diehard explorers, Bill reversed his map and headed east towards Queensland. It was there that he struck upon the infamous gold reef, one that Lasseter had never laid eyes on, yet some how had been made aware of its existence. Based on significant new insights, and with a further nine trips to the reef, the key to putting all the pieces together, for Bill, was a man who barely left any trace of his own existence — until now. A story of adventurous hearts, honesty and resolve, in this new twist, Bill unearths how Lasseter’s claim was another man’s story, the exact location of the reef and how the reef stands to have a bright future.
Fact or myth? Harold Bell Lasseter and his claim of finding a vast gold-bearing reef in Central Australia has continually been surrounded in mystery. Yet his ill-fated death in the Australian outback, where the land is unforgiving to the careless and the foolhardy, is relatively undisputed. Despite Lasseter taking secrets to a lonely desert grave in 1931, the story of the elusive gold reef has become a holy grail for explorers from near and far. One such explorer is Vietnam veteran Bill Decarli, who has spent the best part of forty years unravelling one of Australia’s greatest mysteries. On his maiden voyage to the outback in 1991, instead of heading towards Western Australia like other diehard explorers, Bill reversed his map and headed east towards Queensland. It was there that he struck upon the infamous gold reef, one that Lasseter had never laid eyes on, yet some how had been made aware of its existence. Based on significant new insights, and with a further nine trips to the reef, the key to putting all the pieces together, for Bill, was a man who barely left any trace of his own existence — until now. A story of adventurous hearts, honesty and resolve, in this new twist, Bill unearths how Lasseter’s claim was another man’s story, the exact location of the reef and how the reef stands to have a bright future.
This “gripping” New York Times bestseller from the host of CNN podcast Behind the Desk tells the true story—and backstage drama—of late-night comedy (Los Angeles Times). When beloved host Johnny Carson announced his retirement after thirty years on The Tonight Show, millions of Americans mourned. But inside the television industry, the news ignited a battle between two amazing talents—Jay Leno and David Letterman—who both yearned to occupy the departing legend’s chair. For NBC, it would be a decision with millions of dollars at stake. Soon these two comedians with strikingly different styles, who had once shared a friendship as they worked the clubs together, would be engaged in a fierce competition for the prize. Based on in-depth reporting and interviews with those involved, and updated with a new introduction by the author—a producer of CNN series The Story of Late Night—The Late Shift is a “vivid, behind-the-scenes, blow-by-blow account” of the fight that ensued, as stars, agents, and executives maneuvered for control of the most profitable program in TV history (Chicago Tribune). “Remarkably gripping . . . Takes us deep into the bizarre high-stakes world of broadcasting . . . A powerful story, and ultimately a sad one, filled with casualties as well as winners.” —The New York Times Book Review “Solid reporting, based on extensive interviews with the principals, lifts The Late Shift into a class of its own. . . . The insights into the people involved are what make [the book] a page-turner.” —Orange Country Register
Bill Carter, executive producer of CNN’s docuseries The Story of Late Night and host of the Behind the Desk: Story of Late Night podcast, details the chaotic transition of The Tonight Show from host Jay Leno to Conan O’Brien—and back again. In 2010, NBC’s CEO Jeff Zucker, had it all worked out when he moved Jay Leno from behind the desk at The Tonight Show, and handed the reins over to Conan O'Brien. But his decision was a spectacular failure. Ratings plummeted, affiliates were enraged—and when Zucker tried to put everything back the way it was, that plan backfired as well. No one is more uniquely suited to document the story of a late-night travesty than veteran media reporter and bestselling author, Bill Carter. In candid detail, he charts the vortex that sucked in not just Leno and O'Brien—but also Letterman, Stewart, Fallon, Kimmel, and Ferguson—as frantic agents and network executives tried to manage a tectonic shift in television’s most beloved institution.
During that wonderful golden age of local children's television, many talented people pooled their skills to enthrall and edify the impressionable, appreciative viewers. Yet with no disrespect intended toward any of the others, one person stood out in his ability to spin gold out of straw: Bill Jackson. Bill's legion of fans still cherish his amazing adventures with the memorable puppet characters that sprung from his fertile imagination on programs such as Cartoon Town, The BJ and Dirty Dragon Show, and Gigglesnort Hotel. These programs remain as fresh and entertaining today as they did when they were first broadcast, and belie their meager budgets and restrictive production schedules, thanks to Bill's artistic integrity and his coterie of hard-working crew members. Now, Bill steps out from behind his familiar TV persona to reveal a poignant personal journey filled with struggles, heartaches, and triumphs. The Only Kid on the Carnival chronicles the indomitable spirit of a young man who became one of television's most creative and gifted talents, and does so in a boldly engaging manner that touches the heart and the soul. As always, Bill Jackson does not disappoint his audience. Ted Okuda, "The Golden Age of Chicago Children's Television
In February 1936, Los Angeles police officers drove hundreds of miles to California's state borders with one mission: turn back anyone deemed too poor to enter. Myths of the Golden State's abundance enticed thousands of Americans uprooted by the Depression, but those who created those myths saw only invading criminal "hordes" that they believed just one man could stop: James "Two-Gun" Davis, Los Angeles's authoritarian police chief. The Golden Fortress tells the story of Davis's audacious deployment of hand-picked armed police slamming California's door on America's Dust Bowl refugees and Depression-displaced migrants. It depicts the sometimes deadly consequences of law enforcement politicized and weaponized against the poor, even in remote places like Modoc County, where a sheriff's opposition to the blockade inflamed an already smoldering feud between an itinerant newsman and a publisher obsessed with her California heritage. Davis, blessed by his city's ruling business class and fueled by his own wild claims of communist conspiracies undermining America, deployed his "Foreign Legion" to California's state lines, threatening democracy even as the nation's cities and rural communities juggled the burdens of economic recovery, migrant aid, and public safety. The Golden Fortress underscores the decades-long fight over who can access the American Dream.
Traylor's work is regarded among the major achievements of "outsider" art. He is represented in the permanent collections of MOMA, the MET, the Whitney, the Museum of American Folk Art, and the National Museum of American Art.
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