Nineteen essays by Briley focus on major league baseball as it reflected the changing American culture from about 1945 to about 1980. He examines the era through the lens of race, gender and class--categories which have increasingly become essential analytical tools for scholars. The accounts of Roman Mejias and Cesar Cedeno offer some disturbing insights regarding the acceptance of Latinos in baseball and American society. In one essay, Briley refers to baseball as the heart of the nation's democratic spirit, noting that the son of a rural farmer could play alongside a governor's son and both would receive only the praise that their playing merited. However, in writing about the Milwaukee Braves'move to Atlanta, the lamentations of fans--that baseball had succumbed to the age of affluence--are compared to the changing patterns of demographics and economic power in American society. Even with the increased participation of women on the field with teams like the Silver Bullets, the final essay comments on organized baseball's perception of them as primarily spectators. Instructors considering this book for use in a course may request an examination copy here.
As earthquakes shake Los Angeles, John Easy looks for a missing adman John Easy never likes to get out of bed, especially when the woman beside him is as beautiful as Jill Jeffers, but no man can argue with an earthquake. The quake subsides after a few moments, but another one is coming. Something fierce is about to rock Los Angeles, and California’s hippest private detective is going to be right in the middle of it. Gay Holland, Easy’s newest client, is rich, lonely, and missing her brother Gary. The owner of a boutique radio advertising firm, Gary is recently divorced and has a married girlfriend. His apartment has been trashed, and whoever did it was violent, professional, and in search of something to do with Gary’s collection of archaeology texts. Finding Gary will mean digging deep under Los Angeles—assuming the next quake doesn’t shake the city apart first.
National Book Critics Circle Award Finalist From the acclaimed, award-winning author of Alexander Hamilton: here is the essential, endlessly engrossing biography of John D. Rockefeller, Sr.—the Jekyll-and-Hyde of American capitalism. In the course of his nearly 98 years, Rockefeller was known as both a rapacious robber baron, whose Standard Oil Company rode roughshod over an industry, and a philanthropist who donated money lavishly to universities and medical centers. He was the terror of his competitors, the bogeyman of reformers, the delight of caricaturists—and an utter enigma. Drawing on unprecedented access to Rockefeller’s private papers, Chernow reconstructs his subjects’ troubled origins (his father was a swindler and a bigamist) and his single-minded pursuit of wealth. But he also uncovers the profound religiosity that drove him “to give all I could”; his devotion to his father; and the wry sense of humor that made him the country’s most colorful codger. Titan is a magnificent biography—balanced, revelatory, elegantly written.
Lance Gordon’s running out of room and time. Back in the Sierras he killed the man who murdered his father. Unfortunately that man turned out to be a Deputy Marshal, and now Lance has a price on his head. Lance wants only to live in peace, but he’ll have to go through hell to get there. Running from the law and the cavalry, Lance heads for the one place no sheriff or soldier will go—into the territory ruled by The Baron of Coyote River. The Baron is the king of the cattle rustlers—as feared and hated as he is powerful. No one dares take him on ... until now. Lance is sick of running, and taking on the Baron is his last chance for a second chance. Before the battle is over, Coyote River will run red with blood, as Lance has vowed to redeem himself ... or die trying. Also includes the Western adventure, “Reign of the Gila Monster,” in which a stranger rides into the roughest, toughest town in the West—and sets out to show the town who’s boss. “Pure entertainment from the first page to the last with that L. Ron Hubbard touch giving this tale an enduring reader engagement from beginning to end.” —The Midwest Book Review * An International Book Awards Finalist
Wrangle with some of the finest renegades, outlaws and dangerous desperados in the wild, wild west. Saddle up for excitement with these riveting tales of the Old West that appeared in the pages of the most popular pulp fiction magazines of the 1930s and 1940s. This Collection includes: International Book Awards Winners: Devil’s Manhunt and Death Waits at Sundown; International Book Awards Finalists: Baron of the Coyote River and Cattle King for a Day as well as Six-Gun Caballero, The Toughest Ranger, The Magic Quirt, Under the Diehard Brand, Shadows from Boot Hill and Branded Outlaw.
Every man walks with a shadow . . . but what happens when he acquires a second one? Just ask Brazos—a dead ringer for Jack Palance who’s a cold-blooded killer for hire with blood on his hands and a posse on his tail. Desperate for cash, Brazos accepts $200 to gun down a local man named Brant. He’ll earn every penny . . . but in the end there’ll be the devil to pay. Because to put a bullet in Brant means putting one in his partner as well—an eerie stranger schooled in the black art of witchcraft. This is one killing that brings with it a deadly curse—and a second shadow. As Brazos is about to discover, the Wild West doesn’t get any wilder than when a man is damned to live—and die—in the Shadows from Boot Hill. A note from L. Ron Hubbard, written many years ago, that could as well be addressed to you, today’s reader: “Dear Range Boss: Four million of my words have been published in fifty different magazines. . . . Just now I’m larruping fantasy fiction more than anything else, though I’ve been writing Westerns for some time, too. Hope your readers like Shadows from Boot Hill. The Old West was superstitious in the extreme and . . . reeks with more fantasy than The Arabian Nights.” Also includes the Western adventures The Gunner from Gehenna, in which a plot to steal a miner’s gold reveals how a good man can go bad . . . and a bad man can do good, and Gunman!, the story of an aging gunfighter turned lawman who shows his town what a real man is made of. “A minor masterpiece.” —author Will Murray
Eighteen-year-old Lee Thompson has a chip on his shoulder and a mission in his heart to save his dad, an aging sheriff who's lost control of his town. Old Diehard's lost control of his town, and it seems every outcast and outlaw west of the Mississippi is on the prowl in Wolf River, Montana. Now Lee's come all the way from Texas to stand up for his father, a man who hasn't seen him since he was a boy and who doesn't know him from Adam. Lee's plan is a dangerous one-mix in with the desperadoes and risk death at their hand Under the Diehard Brand. But sometimes, the only way to restore the rule of law is to break it. Also includes the Western adventures, "Hoss Tamer," in which a circus horse trainer turned bronco buster has to figure a way to tame a gang of outlaws; and "The Ghost Town Gun-Ghost," the story of an old prospector who seems to have lost his wits; but is he crazy ... or crazy like a fox? "Rife with action and adventure and laced with melodramatic undertones." --Library Journal
Enjoy this tale from the wild, wild west. Cowboy Petey McGuire has been kicked around so much that he's turned forlorn, self-despairing and gun-shy. Yet starvation has a way of changing a man and so, armed only with his attitude and a hungry belly, Petey finds his way to the headquarters of the Arizona Rangers looking for a job. Petey also finds a new ornery personality; he claims to be the toughest man around from Kansas City to N'Orleans, a man so tough he'd give a rattler nightmares. But when the chief Ranger, Captain Shannon, calls Petey's bluff and sends him after the most dangerous desperado in the state, Petey must discover what it really means to be Ranger-tough. ALSO INCLUDES THE WESTERN STORIES "THE RANCH THAT NO ONE WOULD BUY" AND "SILENT PARDS" "With the flair of a Louis L'Amour or Zane Grey.." —True West
This collection of new interviews--conducted by the author--recounts some of the pivotal moments in the careers of professional baseball players and in American history. Negro League players Leon Day, Buck O'Neil, Monte Irvin, Wilmer Fields and Joe Black speak about their experiences on the other side of the color line. Hank Aaron relates how the challenge of breaking Babe Ruth's home run record was not only on the diamond. Bob Feller, Cecil Travis, Tommy Henrich and Jerry Coleman describe the effects of World War II on their careers. Bobby Thomson and Ralph Branca address the "Shot Heard Round the World" in the Giants vs. Dodgers playoff of 1951.
A bedraggled and starving rider shows up at a woman's horse ranch in Prescott, Arizona. He does not know his name and has no memory of his previous life. The man is subsequently identified as aEURoeCord MundyaEUR of Las Cruces, New Mexico, by a pair of local ranch hands of questionable character who claim to know someone who can provide knowledge of his true identity. As aEURoeCordaEUR searches for this individual, he becomes involved in chasing down a criminal who has murdered a local rancher, stolen a horse, and kidnapped the daughter of another rancher. Will he finally meet up with the man who can provide his correct name and knowledge of his past history? Is he the real Cord Mundy?
Long, long, long ago When pirates sailed the seas There was a rascal His name was Patch Thats CAPN Patch, if you please! Now ol Capn Patch was a typical pirate He would drink and steal and swear But now its time to be nice and find a home Where folks are kind and fair! My Mum was right, the Capn said A pirates life is bad! Its not nice to be a crook And steal what others have! If only I could find a place A country I could stay. But what kind of king would let a pirate in? THAT would be the day! Just then Patch heard a wiggle Coming from the chest! He opened the box And there they were! Oh boy! Now HERES a mess! In the chest were stowaways! In fact, they were two kids! Howdy, Capn! Were Flip and Flop! Thanks for flipping our lid! We have no Moms We have no Dads. We thought wed take a trip! We hitched a ride and came to town And then we found your ship! Were out to sea! We cant go back! Patch shaded his eyes and looked But if Im caught with you two squids My goose is REALLY cooked! Then Patch had an idea! I know what we will do! Im very sure that this will work Ive thought it through and through! We all need a home, we do Lets stick together, us three! You squids both need a Mum and Dad And I just want to be free! So if we find a kindly king Who will let a pirate in I bet that he will be a king Who can help you find some kin!
Sheriff Kyle of Deadeye, Nevada, is headed east to the nation’s capital. Like Dennis Weaver in the television series McCloud, Kyle’s about to discover that the law can be even wilder in the big city than in the Wild West. It’s a fact that hits home when he’s the one accused . . . of murder. Kyle’s come to the city to give a report to his senator on the misdeeds of Nevada’s filthy rich copper kings. But before he has a chance, he’s knocked unconscious, later coming to alongside his senator—now dead, with Kyle’s knife imbedded in the corpse. Welcome to Washington D.C., where corruption, intrigue and murder are all in a day’s work. Kyle’s got no alibi, no memory, and apparently doesn’t have a prayer ... unless he can find a way to outwit, outfox and outmaneuver the masters of deception and double-crosses in this police procedural thriller. Much like Kyle, L. Ron Hubbard was born and bred on the western frontier and made his way east to explore and experience life in Washington, D.C. But unlike the sheriff, Hubbard enjoyed his time in the capital, where he went to college at Georgetown. He came to know the ins and outs of the city as well as he knew the arroyos and canyons of the west, giving him the kind of insights he needed to write stories like Killers Law. “...some of the most carefully and beautifully crafted trade paperbacks of our time.” —Mystery Scene
U.S. Navy Lieutenant Steve Craig is in one hell of a mess. Being accused of murder is bad enough, but the local police are convinced he’s killed his own father. Alfred Hitchcock couldn’t have conceived a more diabolical plot for Cary Grant ... and now, for Steve Craig, the plot is about to get down and dirty. Steve’s safe from the cops as long as he stays aboard his Navy ship—but the word safe isn’t in his vocabulary. He slips off the vessel and vanishes into the seamy underside of the city, determined to find out who took his father’s life ... even if it means risking his own. He follows a trail of smoke and mirrors and sudden violence to the Brass Keys to Murder. With them, Steve will seek to unlock the terrible truth behind his father’s death ... and an astonishing secret that will change his life—and that of the woman he loves forever. Ron knew well the life at sea and the world surrounding it. Not only was he the son of a naval officer, he traveled back and forth across the Pacific, plied the China coast in a working schooner and commanded an expedition aboard a four-masted ship to the Caribbean. He walked the waterfronts of countless ports, sharing stories with the colorful—and often shady—characters inhabiting them. Originally published in April 1935 under the pen name Michael Keith, Brass Keys to Murder is a direct result of those adventures.
Fenway Park. The name evokes a team and a sport that have become more synonymous with a city's identity than any stadium or arena in the country. Since opening in the same week of 1912 that the Titanic sank, the park's instantly recognizable confines have seen some of the most dramatic happenings in baseball history, including Carlton Fisk's "Is it fair?" home run in the 1975 World Series and Ted Williams's perfectly scripted long ball in his final at-bat. For 100 years, the Fenway faithful have been tested. They have known triumph and heartbreak, miracles and curses -- well, one curse in particular -- to such a degree that an entire nation of fans heaved a collective sigh of relief when Dave Roberts stole a base by a fingertip in 2004, triggering the most amazing comeback in the game's annals. To sit and watch a game at Fenway is to recognize that the pitcher is standing on the same mound where Walter Johnson, Christy Mathewson, and Babe Ruth pitched, that a hitter is in the same batter's box where Ty Cobb and Hank Aaron and Shoeless Joe Jackson dug in to take their swings. This is a ballpark that has embraced its odd construction quirks, including the bizarre triangle out in center field and the Green Monster that looms above the left fielder, and today -- for better and for worse -- it remains largely unchanged from the day it opened. In its long history, Fenway has hosted football, hockey, soccer, boxing, and so much more. It has provided a backdrop to hundreds of historic events having nothing to do with sports, including concerts, religious gatherings, and political rallies. It was the site of Franklin Delano Roosevelt's final campaign address, as well as visits by music luminaries from Stevie Wonder to Bruce Springsteen to the Rolling Stones. Through it all, the Boston Globe has been the consistent, respected chronicler of every important moment in park history. In fact, the newspaper played a remarkable role in Fenway's creation and evolution: the Taylor family -- founders and longtime owners of the Globe -- owned the ballclub in 1912, helped finance the new stadium, and renamed the team the "Red Sox". It is the Globe's insider perspective, combined with more than a century of exemplary journalism, that makes this book the definitive narrative history of both park and team, and a centennial collectors' item unlike any other. Its pages offer a level of detail that is unmatched, with exceptional writing and hundreds of rarely seen photographs and illustrations. This is Fenway Park, the complete story, unfiltered and expertly told.
Earthlings: Beware! Do you know who your enemies are? Your neighbor? Your boss? Your butcher? Your wife? Only the Voltarians know for sure. They’ve successfully infiltrated our little world—and it may never be the same. They walk among us. They work among us. And they’re making themselves right at home, prepping the planet for a power play unlike any you’ve ever seen before. In this web of espionage, intrigue and betrayal, even Voltarian Royal Combat Engineer Jettero Heller doesn’t know who he can trust. He’s hard at work creating a gasoline substitute to fuel his ’68 Caddy in a Long Island automobile race—a development that could have dramatic consequences for the entire human race. As such, he poses a grave threat to the powers that be. Now, his treacherous fellow Voltarian, Soltan Gris, has formed a secret alliance with a cabal that includes a dirty DC politician, a ruthless billionaire industrialist and a mysterious media madman. Their mission: terminate Jettero Heller. Beset by double-crossing body doubles and backstabbing identity shifters, Heller discovers that the most dangerous battle of all is about to begin . . . against THE ENEMY WITHIN. “A must buy.” —American Library Association
Jan Palmer wakes from a deep sleep, into a living nightmare that seems to be a parallel universe of evil Jinn, deadly secrets and beautiful but dangerous dancing girls. While trying to figure out the meaning of his dreams, he finds humankind’s fate resting in his hands. If you have ever suffered from sleepless nights or insomnia, this is a tale that might just open your eyes. Slaves of Sleep is an L. Ron Hubbard tale of parallel universes—one of the first in modern fantasy writing. Cursed with "eternal wakefulness" by an evil Jinn, never-ending nightmares and imprisoned for a crime he didn't commit, Jan Palmer is living hell in two worlds—or is this just lucid dreaming? On Earth, he is a prisoner of his own insecurities, and in the land of the Jinn, he is "Tiger," the swashbuckling rogue—but in both, he faces death at every turn. Unless he can discover the meaning of his dreams, before it's too late. “I stayed up all night finishing it. The yarn scintillated.” —Ray Bradbury
A charming rogue cut from the same cloth as Robert Mitchum, American engineer Dan Courtney is learning fast that it takes more than a little charm to lay the groundwork for a railroad. Particularly when the plan is to build it across some of the roughest and most dangerous territory on earth. Courtney’s been hired to survey the land that would link up the Uganda Railway to the Anglo-Egyptian railroad. Running through desert, jungle and mountains, this is one line—and story—with more twists and turns than the New York City subway system. Diamond smugglers. A fearsome native tribe. A beautiful young American woman . . . and a man determined to kill her. Put them all together and you’ve got a world where All Frontiers Are Jealous. It’s up to Courtney to tame those frontiers—take on the tribe, save the woman, and save the future of the railroad . . . before his blood ends up on the tracks. L. Ron Hubbard based this story on the real-life history of the countless harrowing attempts in the late 19th and early 20th century to link up the two railroads. An experienced civil engineer and surveyor himself, Hubbard had worked in rough and dangerous terrain as part of the West Indies Mineralogical Expedition. All Frontiers Are Jealous may be a work of fiction, but as far as Hubbard was concerned, in his own life, the adventure couldn’t have been more real. “Terrific from beginning to end.” —Midwest Book Review
Tom Christian is on the trail of revenge and a fortune in gold. As square-jawed and rugged as Clark Gable in his prime, Tom is headed deep into the jungles of the Solomon Islands to find Punjo Charlie—the ruthless criminal who killed his partner. But these jungles are thick with danger . . . as greed, temptation and sudden violence threaten to draw Tom into the heart of darkness. There’s a pile of gold. . . . There’s a beautiful blonde. . . . And there’s a bloodthirsty tribe of headhunters who have fallen under the spell of Punjo Charlie. The trap has been set. The question is: will Tom fall into it? Will he lose his way and lose his head . . . or will he get his revenge, get the gold and get the girl? The answer lies buried in the rain forest . . . and in Tom’s heart. And as he’s about to discover, there’s only one way out of the jungle: all-out war. In 1927, L. Ron Hubbard sailed across the Pacific to Guam to meet his naval officer father. It was the beginning of an adventure that would take him from the Western Hills of China to the South Pacific islands. Along the way he met Cantonese pirates, Chamorro natives, British spies, and headhunters of the South Pacific. He was one of the few Westerners to come away from an encounter with a headhunter tribe not only unscathed, but bearing gifts as well. Those experiences and knowledge proved invaluable in the writing of such stories as The Headhunters.
In RAWHIDE KID, "Howard Stern Show" writer Ron Zimmerman and legendary Western comics artist John Severin take aim at the lovable red-headed Western scamp we know as "The Rawhide Kid". What happens when the Rawhide Kid rides into one of those beleaguered Western towns on the edge of nowhere, looking better than any cowboy has a right to? What happens when a gang of desperadoes ride into the same town with the intent of lootin' and pillagin'? What ensues proves that no one handles a hot rod like the Rawhide Kid.
Take a touch of Charles Lindbergh, mix in a dash of Evel Knievel, throw in one man-killing cat—and you’ve got a recipe for a rip-roaring adventure featuring the high-flying, hard-living Smoke Burnham. There’s not a dare Smoke won’t take, and there’s not a wager he won’t make. Now he’s betting his life that he can fly his plane, Super Comet—with his pet cheetah Patty coming along for the ride—across the mountains and jungles of South America to a prize-winning payday. All he has to do is out-race the competition, out-maneuver a saboteur, and make out with his girl—who’s determined to bring him down to earth. One thing you can count on—in the air, in a fight, or in his girlfriend’s arms—he’s a man who likes to turn up the heat. Because where there’s Smoke, there’s fire. In 1931, as a student at George Washington University, Hubbard founded the college Glider Club and within a few months a respected columnist said “he is recognized as one of the outstanding glider pilots in the country.” Later he wrote as the aviation correspondent for the prestigious flying magazine Sportsman Pilot. His combined writing and flying expertise comprised the perfect recipe to give stories like Man-Killers of the Air their authentic flavor. “Great adventure to keep you on the edge of your seat.” —Gather.com
Barely adequate philosophy professor Legare Hume has a mind-body problem. No matter how far he goes, no matter how hard he thinks, he can't escape the world he lives in. On the run from his wife Tally, Legare joins brilliant but exceptionally awkward colleague Saul Grossman to attend the American Philosophical Association's Charleston, South Carolina conference, where worlds and walks of life collide in a strange and satirical amalgamation that can only be described as reality. Legare's mission is simple enough: put up with the conference, read a paper he never thought anyone would want to hear, receive the tenure he isn't sure he wants, and return, or not, to the wife who nearly killed him before he left. But his plans are hijacked by a botched hotel reservation and the all-too-convenient presence of the Southern family Legare has worked very hard all his adult life to avoid. Hume's Fork is a brilliantly satirical and philosophical novel, every bit as funny as it is intelligenta true original. Legare's conflictHume's fork, if you will becomes the reader's, for all worlds are one, and nothing can truly be separate from everything else.
The definitive and revealing biography of Chicago Cubs legend Ernie Banks, one of America's most iconic, beloved, and misunderstood baseball players, by acclaimed journalist Ron Rapoport. Ernie Banks, the first-ballot Hall of Famer and All-Century Team shortstop, played in fourteen All-Star Games, won two MVPs, and twice led the Major Leagues in home runs and runs batted in. He outslugged Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, and Mickey Mantle when they were in their prime, but while they made repeated World Series appearances in the 1950s and 60s, Banks spent his entire career with the woebegone Chicago Cubs, who didn't win a pennant in his adult lifetime. Today, Banks is remembered best for his signature phrase, "Let's play two," which has entered the American lexicon and exemplifies the enthusiasm that endeared him to fans everywhere. But Banks's public display of good cheer was a mask that hid a deeply conflicted, melancholy, and often quite lonely man. Despite the poverty and racism he endured as a young man, he was among the star players of baseball's early days of integration who were reluctant to speak out about Civil Rights. Being known as one of the greatest players never to reach the World Series also took its toll. At one point, Banks even saw a psychiatrist to see if that would help. It didn't. Yet Banks smiled through it all, enduring the scorn of Cubs manager Leo Durocher as an aging superstar and never uttering a single complaint. Let's Play Two is based on numerous conversations with Banks and on interviews with more than a hundred of his family members, teammates, friends, and associates as well as oral histories, court records, and thousands of other documents and sources. Together, they explain how Banks was so different from the caricature he created for the public. The book tells of Banks's early life in segregated Dallas, his years in the Negro Leagues, and his difficult life after retirement; and features compelling portraits of Buck O'Neil, Philip K. Wrigley, the Bleacher Bums, the doomed pennant race of 1969, and much more from a long-lost baseball era.
Earthlings: Beware! Do you know who your enemies are? Your neighbor? Your boss? Your butcher? Your wife? Only the Voltarians know for sure. They’ve successfully infiltrated our little world—and it may never be the same. They walk among us. They work among us. And they’re making themselves right at home, prepping the planet for a power play unlike any you’ve ever seen before. In this web of espionage, intrigue and betrayal, even Voltarian Royal Combat Engineer Jettero Heller doesn’t know who he can trust. He’s hard at work creating a gasoline substitute to fuel his ’68 Caddy in a Long Island automobile race—a development that could have dramatic consequences for the entire human race. As such, he poses a grave threat to the powers that be. Now, his treacherous fellow Voltarian, Soltan Gris, has formed a secret alliance with a cabal that includes a dirty DC politician, a ruthless billionaire industrialist and a mysterious media madman. Their mission: terminate Jettero Heller. Beset by double-crossing body doubles and backstabbing identity shifters, Heller discovers that the most dangerous battle of all is about to begin . . . against THE ENEMY WITHIN. “A must buy.” —AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION
When Lee Weston's father writes him that an old enemy, Harvey Dodge, is back in town, Lee rides out in a hurry from Wyoming to Pecos, New Mexico only to find his father murdered and the family ranch burned to the ground. Certain that Dodge is to blame, Lee sets off to settle the score but gets into a fiery Colt showdown in the town of Pecos. Sev...
Written based on the events of his great grandparents life in the dawn of the 20th century, Marbleheads a classic story with a classic hero one mans selfless journey through rural America, with a supportive caste in tow and a bottle of the divine in hand. As a natural born storyteller with an eye for the smooth weave of a good plot, Ron Stocks prose pulls us through page after page, casting glimpses of the extents to which hope can carry us. Driven solely by purpose, everyman hero Gay Billings carries us from a well-worn, dirt-caked farm life, to the bustling industry of the big city. With a graceful hand, Ron Stock delivers troves of memorable characters, and chocks them full of spirit. Some struggle with values, and others pivot on a dime, but each one carries a unique essence, all their own. With the knack for unpredictability and a taste for good humor, Ron Stocks delivered his most layered title, to date. If youre in the mood for that down-home feel with a touch of the sublime, Marblehead is sure to please. -M. Paris
Do you love a good whodunit? Detectives and mobsters, newshawks and murderers–all ingredients for disaster in this murder mystery collection. Whether it was sending a detective after zombie killers on the prowl or chasing down headhunters at a grisly carnival, Ron knew how to thrill readers and keep them guessing until the end. The 4-book collection includes 10 short stories along with illustrations from the original publications and glossaries of historical terms. The titles and short stories in this collection are: False Cargo (includes: “Grounded”), Hurricane, Mouthpiece (includes: “Flame City,” “Calling Squad Cars!” and “The Grease Spot”) and The Slickers (includes: “Killer Ape” and “Murder Afloat”). “One of the great pulp writers, with colorful prose, lively action writing, exotic locales, fresh variations on standard characters and situations, and well-constructed plots.” —Ellery Queen
Take the law into your own hands, and you risk losing your grip on everything else—including your life. Lee Weston—a young Paul Newman with a Colt revolver at his hip—is as good-looking as he is quick tempered, and he’s got a lot to be angry about. His father murdered, his family ranch torched, he goes gunning for Harvey Dodge—the man who he’s convinced is the killer—and it’s Lee who ends up on the wrong side of the law. Shot in a gunfight, on the run and running out of time, he holes up in a mountain hideout and waits for death to come find him. But he wakes up in the arms of a beautiful woman who has beat death to his door and nursed him back to life. She’s the first and only woman he has ever fallen for, and her name is Ellen Dodge—Harvey’s daughter. Can a great loss lead to a great love? Can the search for revenge lead to redemption? The answers lie in the wild heart of the Wild West—in Branded Outlaw. L. Ron Hubbard was so prolific, and his stories so much in demand, he occasionally had to publish under a pseudonym to ensure that his name wouldn’t appear twice in a single issue of a magazine. Thus did Branded Outlaw originally appear as being written by a writer named Barry Randolph. But as is clear from the action and authenticity of the story, it was Hubbard behind the curtain pulling the levers. This is one of sixteen westerns Hubbard wrote in 1938—all influenced by a foray into New Mexico to round out his research. His unsurpassed knowledge of the West originated in his years growing up—and riding on—the range. “Packs a ton of action and some priceless shootout scenes.” —EZReader.com
“Hammerin’” Hank Greenberg was coming off a stellar season where he’d hit 40 home runs and 184 RBIs, becoming only the thirteenth player to ever hit 40 or more homers (and one of only four players to have 40 or more home runs and 175 or more RBIs in a season). Even with his success at the plate, neither Greenberg nor the rest of the world could have expected what was about to happen in 1938. From his first day in the big leagues, the New York-born Greenberg had dealt with persecution for being Jewish. From teammate Jo-Jo White asking where his horns were to the verbal abuse from bigoted fans and the media, the 6-foot-3 slugger always did his best to shut the noise out and concentrate on baseball. But in 1938, that would be more difficult then he could have ever imagined. While Greenberg was battling at the plate, his people overseas were dealing with a completely different battle. Adolf Hitler, who had been chancellor of Germany since 1933, had taken direct control of the country’s military in February of ’38. He then began his methodic takeover of all neighboring countries, spreading Nazism and the early stages of World War II and the Holocaust. Hank Greenberg in 1938 chronicles the events of 1938, both on the baseball diamond and the streets of Europe. As Greenberg’s bat had him on course for Babe Ruth’s home run record, Hitler’s “Final Solution” was beginning to take shape. Jews across the US, worried about the issues overseas, looked to Greenberg as a symbol of hope. Though normally hesitant to speak about the anti-Semitism he dealt with, the slugger still knew the role he was playing for so many of his people, saying “I came to feel that if I, as a Jew, hit a home run, I was hitting one against Hitler.”
Coach Mike Gottfried's professional life took him from college football coach to TV sports analyst. As you read stories of great moments in football, you'll feel like you're in the press box with Coach. Coach's desires to also score big in his personal life led him to found an organization to help fatherless boys. He encourages you to leave a legacy worthy of scoring those extra points in life.
Christmas is a time for giving, for receiving. . . and for murder. We've collected ten Christmas stories, old and new, that will spike your eggnog, trim your tree, and hopefully add a dash of spice to your Christmas cheer. Included are: "A Christmas Pit," by John Gregory Betancourt "A Reversible Santa Claus," by Meredith Nicholson "A Stake of Holly," by Lillian Stewart Carl "Believing in Santa," by Ron Goulart "Death Will Trim Your Tree," by Liz Zelvin "Ho Ho Homicide," by Sue Ann Jaffarian "Mr. Wray's Cash Box," by Wilkie Collins "Murder on Santa Claus Lane," by William G. Bogart 2 tales by Johnston McCulley: "Thubway Tham's Chrithtmath" and "Death Play Santa Claus." If you enjoy this ebook, don't forget to search your favorite ebook store for "Wildside Press Megapack" to see more of the 250+ volumes in this series, covering adventure, historical fiction, mysteries, westerns, ghost stories, science fiction -- and much, much more!
Discover intrigue. Brent Calloway is hired by an insurance firm to board a cargo vessel undercover and ensure it makes its way to San Diego in one piece. Once the voyage is underway, Calloway finds fraud, a pattern of organized scuttlings and the true fate of another vessel captained by an old friend. But when Calloway’s true identity is revealed, he must fight for his life—and the real danger begins. ALSO INCLUDES THE ADVENTURE STORY "GROUNDED" "…one of the great pulp writers, with colorful prose, lively action writing, exotic locales, fresh variations on standard characters and situations, and well-constructed plots."—Ellery Queen
The Merlin is the tale of Nathan Cross, raised in the hard case life of Londons canals and rivers in the late 18th Century who has risen to the rank of gunner in Nelsons Navy through a combination of ability with a dash of thieving and smuggling on the side. Accidentally viewed as something of a hero, he knows better and avoids getting into anybodies line of ? re if possible. From his early involvement in the Spithead mutiny he has become a member of the outlawed reform societies in England and has a sneaking sympathy with the politics of his enemy, the French. His life is cast into turmoil by the slightly demented Miss Sarah Norton, whose father, Inspector of Customs for the colonies, is none to keen on his wayward daughter associating with a common seaman, and Nathan is not to sure it is a good idea either, but our Sarah has plans for him and he doesnt stand a chance. We also meet the Squire a chubby little lieutenant with polite killer instincts, Bosn Sweet, fat, merry and ruthless, Danny Mendoza, bare knuckle prize ?ghter, and Simon Gragani, failed rabbi on the run from Jews, Christians and Atheist alike of half a continent. With sarcastic cockney humor, Nathan views the a?airs and people around him with a cynicism that includes his own activities in the rigid social structure at the turn of the 18th century and he tells of the false adulation of the hero and learns the terrible price of success.
Interplanetary journalist Jack Summer discovers that smugglers plan to secret their supply of the deadly drug Zombium aboard an immense movie studio starship, and, with the help of his boss's daughter and a robot photographer, he sets out to get the story.
One of the great pulp writers, with colorful prose, lively action writing, exotic locales and well-constructed plots." —Ellery Queen "A hero of the classic adventure mold...tough and rugged, and has a strong sense of honor." —The Strand “What I am writing is really psychological fantasies, on the order of L. Ron Hubbard’s" —Phillip K. Dick "Suspenseful murder mystery...highly recommended." —Midwest Book Review This Collection includes: International Book Awards Winner: Dead Men Kill, Publisher's Weekly Award Winner: Spy Killer, International Book Awards Finalist: Hurricane as well as False Cargo, Cargo of Coffins, Killer's Law, The Carnival of Death, Mouthpiece, Brass Keys to Murder and The Chee-Chalker and more—16 short stories in all. For a sense of the mystery ahead, here is a glimpse of 5 stories in the collection: DEAD MEN KILL: As a police detective, he wants to know who’s behind the murders that have been targeting the wealthy of his city. He runs into something out of an apocalyptic horror. Something which cannot be reasoned with, something which cannot be bought, something which has no remorse about ending it’s victim’s lives. And adds the victims to the ranks of the killers as zombies... SPY KILLER: Falsely accused and under the gun, Reid jumps ship and vanishes into Shanghai—only to get caught in a web of intrigue, betrayal and murder. In a world where nothing is what it seems and everything is for sale, he’s soon out of his depth, drawn into a spy game in which the winner takes all...and the loser takes a knife to the back. CARNIVAL OF DEATH: Detective Clark is deep undercover at Shreve's Mammoth Carnival, when he discovers first one and then another headless body. While others believe the gruesome murders are solved after four tribal headhunters working for the show suddenly disappear, Bob Clark suspects someone else is the real killer. When he finds himself seized by the very same headhunters, Clark sincerely hopes his hunch is right, since the point of a very sharp knife is aimed at his neck! FALSE CARGO: Going undercover and posing as ruthless killer Spike O’Brien, Investigator Calloway quickly discovers that on the ship nothing is what it seems, and no one can be trusted. With so much insurance money at stake, and the whole crew apparently in on the scam, this could end up being a voyage to the bottom of the sea... Especially when the real Spike O'Brien arrives. BRASS KEYS TO MURDER: Accused of murdering his father, Steve Craig must discover the truth before being caught by the police or the real murderers. He follows a trail of smoke and mirrors and sudden violence to the Brass Keys to Murder. With them, Steve will seek to unlock the terrible truth behind his father’s death...and an astonishing secret that will change his life—and that of the woman he loves—forever. When writing mysteries, Hubbard immersed himself in the salient subject matter—studying both forensic science and criminal investigation. He interviewed a wide spectrum of law enforcement officials, federal investigators and even served as a Special Officer with the Los Angeles Police Department creating an authentic foundation for his detective fiction. So while his readers might remain in the dark until the final revelation, enjoying every twist and turn along the way, writing a mystery was never a mystery to Hubbard himself.
Propounding his "small ball theory" of sports literature, George Plimpton proposed that "the smaller the ball, the more formidable the literature." Of course he had the relatively small baseball in mind, because its literature is formidable--vast and varied, instructive, often wildly entertaining, and occasionally brilliant. From this bewildering array of baseball books, Ron Kaplan has chosen 501 of the best, making it easier for fans to find just the books to suit them (or to know what they're missing). From biography, history, fiction, and instruction to books about ballparks, business, and rules, anyone who loves to read about baseball will find in this book a companionable guide, far more fun than a reference work has any right to be.
Following Pulitzer Prize finalist Ron Padgett's 2013's Collected Poems (winner of the Los Angeles Times Book Prize and the William Carlos Williams Prize) Alone and Not Alone offers new poems that see the world in a clear and generous light. From "The World of Us": Don't go around all day thinking about life— doing so will raise a barrier between you and its instants. You need those instants so you can be in them, and I need you to be in them with me for I think the world of us and the mysterious barricades that make it possible.
Solitude Lost is the story of Clay Bannister, a man who enjoys living by himself in the cabin he built high up in the mountains thirty miles from the nearest town. Though many people would find his existence to be a lonely and meager lifestyle, it suited Clay perfectly. This perfection was not to last. Clay suddenly found himself snowbound in his cabin on the mountain, with a woman he did not know, who seemed to have a questionable, if not shady past. He learned that getting rid of this woman would be a harrowing experience before spring began to bud. Clay found himself willingly drawn in to her shady past shortly after their arrival in town. You will find their very different backgrounds, views of life, and snappy interactions to be not only interesting, humorous at times, but also a realistic snapshot of life itself.
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