In 1989 a woman fishing in Texas on a quiet stretch of the Colorado River snagged a body. Her “catch” was the corpse of Johnny Jenkins, shot in the head. His death was as dramatic as the rare book dealer’s life, which read, as the Austin American-Statesman declared, “like a bestseller.” In 1975 Jenkins had staged the largest rare book coup of the twentieth century—the purchase, for more than two million dollars, of the legendary Eberstadt inventory of rare Americana, a feat noted in the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal. His undercover work for the FBI, recovering rare books stolen by mafia figures, had also earned him headlines coast to coast, as had his exploits as “Austin Squatty,” playing high stakes poker in Las Vegas. But beneath such public triumphs lay darker secrets. At the time of his death, Jenkins was about to be indicted by the ATF for the arson of his rare books, warehouse, and offices. Another investigation implicated Jenkins in forgeries of historical documents, including the Texas Declaration of Independence. Rumors of million-dollar gambling debts at mob-connected casinos circulated, along with the rumblings of irate mafia figures he’d fingered and eccentric Texas collectors he’d cheated. Had he been murdered? Or was his death a suicide, staged to look like a murder? How Jenkins, a onetime president of the Antiquarian Booksellers Association of America, came to such an unseemly end is one of the mysteries Michael Vinson pursues in this spirited account of a tragic American life. Entrepreneur, con man, connoisseur, forger, and self-made hero, Jenkins was a Texan who knew how to bluff but not when to fold.
An unlikely bookseller in New York City became the leading dealer in rare Western Americana for most of the twentieth century. After working in western-U.S. and South American gold mines at the turn of the twentieth century, Edward Eberstadt (1883–1958) returned to his home in New York City in 1907. Through luck and happenstance, he purchased an old book for fifty cents that turned out to be a rare sixteenth-century Mexican imprint. From this bit of serendipity, Eberstadt quickly became one of the leading western Americana rare book dealers. In this book Michael Vinson tells the story of how Edward Eberstadt & Sons developed its legendary book collection, which formed the backbone of many of today’s top western Americana archives. Although the firm’s business records have not survived, Edward and his sons, Charles and Lindley, were all prodigious letter writers, and nearly every collector kept his or her correspondence. Drawing upon these letters and on his own extensive experience in the rare book trade, Vinson gives the reader a vivid sense of how the commerce in rare books and manuscripts unfolded during the era of the Eberstadts, particularly in the relationships between dealers and customers. He explores the backstory that scholars of art history and museology have pursued in recent decades: the assembling of cultural treasures, their organization for use, and the establishment of institutions to support that use. His work describes the important role this key bookselling firm played in the western Americana trade from the early 1900s to Eberstadt & Sons’ dissolution in 1975. From Yale University and the American Antiquarian Society to the Newberry Library and the Huntington Library, the firm of Edward Eberstadt & Sons has left its mark in western Americana repositories across the nation. Told here for the first time, the Eberstadt story reveals how one family’s business and legacy have shaped the study of the American West.
The sculptor Ed Hamilton presents information on his portrait bust of African-American civil rights activist Medgar Wiley Evers (1925-1963). Evers was murdered on June 12, 1963. He worked for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and campaigned to win equal rights for African Americans in the south. The bust was cast in bronze at Bright Foundry in Louisville, Kentucky. General Mills, Inc. commissioned the bust.
Vince Vinson was a young man addicted to life. An avid sportsman and world traveller, he was suddenly thrust against adversity when a horrific car accident sent him to a trauma unit at a local hospital, coming face to face with death and the eventual loss of a leg through no fault of his own. Facing incredible pain and grief, hope and depression, Vince strides forward slowly, trying to come to terms with adversity, facing life anew. Together with his loving wife, Susie, Vince strugles with emotional problems, his relationship with Susie and friends, legal battles, lost dreams and finding himself again. Together, they go forward, intent on living life with honor and dignity no matter how much adversity face them. In the end, they find the strenght to take life as it is, giving us a glimpse into the eventual triumph of the human spirit
A completely compatible Mutants and Masterminds conversion of the GODSEND Agenda game world. - Over 185 pages of extensive history and character background set in the world of The GODSEND Agenda - A style sheet for life in the year 2010 - Over 80 ready-to-play NPCs - Over 30 pre-constructed artefacts and gadgets ranging from Excalibur to Angelos Power Armour - Six thoroughly explored factions and alien races: The Angelos, Atlanteans, Black October, Chimerans, Elohim, and U.S.E.R. - New Powers and feats - Clear and concise rules for creating gadgets and artefacts of legendary power. - Compatible with all Mutants and Masterminds? Superlink titles printed to date, making the game world infinitely expandable
On a bright, sunny day, a Transvaal passenger aircraft was on the last of its several trips across Zambia. The flight had, thus far, been largely uneventful when, suddenly, pure-white light appeared in front of the aircraft and moved to swallow it up. In mere seconds, the aircraft, its crew, and its passengers were surrounded by the light. Abruptly the aircraft rose vertically into the sky. An extensive air, land, and sea search of Zambia and the surrounding countries proved to be in vain. The aircraft and all the people in it had simply disappeared. Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, in Brazil, a country well-known for UFO sightings, a Brazilian passenger aircraft disappeared into the heavens. This time, however, the bodies of the missing were returned. Neatly arranged bodies were placed in multiple rows. When they were discovered, the horror became evident—all the internal organs had been removed. A young girl was left alive to give testament to the horrific acts of desecration. In response to the alien threat over the years, a top secret organization known as Space Command was established within the United States Navy. During the following years, Space Command armed itself with advanced weaponry and was staffed with the best of the best. Its new commander, Rear Admiral Michael Scott, had experience with the alien threat and was committed, as were the men and women of Space Command, to beat the threat back and defeat the aliens no matter the cost. No stone would be left unturned in their determination. It’s now time to buckle your seat belts as you, the reader, are about to embark on an international adventure fraught with danger, passion, and a willingness to save Earth.
Protect yourself and your company ... complete 'answer book' for all your questions about what behavior is OK and what's not ... law and court decisions .preventive policies and staff training ... investigating complaints ..."--Jacket.
Given his background, President Truman was an unlikely champion of civil rights. Where he grew up--the border state of Missouri--segregation was accepted and largely unquestioned. Both his maternal and paternal grandparents had owned slaves, and his beloved mother, victimized by Yankee forces, railed against Abraham Lincoln for the remainder of her ninety-four years. When Truman assumed the presidency on April 12, 1945, Michael R. Gardner points out, Washington, DC, in many ways resembled Cape Town, South Africa, under apartheid rule circa 1985. Truman's background notwithstanding, Gardner shows that it was Harry Truman--not Franklin D. Roosevelt, Dwight D. Eisenhower, or John F. Kennedy--who energized the modern civil rights movement, a movement that basically had stalled since Abraham Lincoln had freed the slaves. Gardner recounts Truman's public and private actions regarding black Americans. He analyzes speeches, private conversations with colleagues, the executive orders that shattered federal segregation policies, and the appointments of like-minded civil rights activists to important positions. Among those appointments was the first black federal judge in the continental United States. Gardner characterizes Truman's evolution from a man who grew up in a racist household into a president willing to put his political career at mortal risk by actively supporting the interests of black Americans.
The alien threat is real. They fly across our skies, under our oceans, and have disrupted our lives and our safety. At first, man looked upon the aliens with curiosity and a hope that they would be benevolent and improve life on Earth. While this optimistic view was embraced by many, just the opposite was the new reality. After capturing two passenger aircraft out of the sky, their real purpose was revealed. The horrific acts of desecration wrought on the passengers was their calling card. No longer aliens would be a curiosity, but their presence would be a threat to all mankind. In order to counter the alien presence and threat over the years, a top secret organization known as Space Command was born within the United States Navy. Upon its inception, Space Command armed itself with advanced weaponry and was staffed with the best of the best. Its new commander, Rear Admiral Michael Scott, had experience with the alien threat and was committed, as were the men and women of Space Command, to beat back and defeat the aliens no matter the cost. The aliens became more brazen in their attacks on mankind. From destroying a hotel in France, where an international conference on the alien threat was held, to intercepting and shooting down aircraft. It did not end there though. An alien attack was launched against a British and American combat fleet and then an attack on Space Command itself. Admiral Scott knew that a battle was coming. Space Command had to be an offensive force rather than being in a reactive position. The women and men of Space Command inwardly knew that an epic battle was shortly to be fought. It would be a battle fought not only on Earth but also in the cold emptiness of space.
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