Oil," writes Ruth Sheldon Knowles, "is the most hazardous, expensive, heartbreaking gambling game in the world." And, as this book dramatically proves, the men who have been the gamblers of the American oil business have been some of the most colorful and fantastic personalities in our history. The Greatest Gamblers is the story of our remarkable oilmen and the vast industry they have created-from its simple beginnings in 1859 at Titusville, Pennsylvania, to the big-business oil operations of today. Here are the wildcatters, the prospectors, the scientists, the hunch players (Mrs. Knowles points out that independent oilmen have discovered more than three-fourths of America's oil fields). Here you will meet "unlucky" Dad Joiner, whose fortunes changed only in his seventies when a worthless ten-acre tract of Texas wasteland proved the key to one of America's two biggest oil fields; and H. 1. Hunt, who parlayed an oil lease he won at a poker game into an oil business that made him one of the richest men in the United States. Harry Sinclair ... Tom Slick … Mike Benedum … Everette DeGolyer … Charles Canfield … Edward Doheny — the pages of this book are crowded with the stories of such men, their tough boom towns, their dogged persistence and wild successes, and the brutal competition they faced. But The Greatest Gambler is also the story of a prospectors' rush that has become an organized industry. An absorbing portion of the book tells how the industry has found new uses for petroleum and its by products, and how this sometimes involved as much heartbreak as prospecting. There were the ships that exploded when oilmen first tried to market petroleum as marine fuel, the locomotive roundhouse that blew up when they first tried to convert railroads to oil. Mrs. Knowles discusses knowledgeably the present predicament of the petroleum industry and what is necessary to find and develop America's remaining great oil and gas resources. The Greatest Gamblers is a lively and authoritative account of what is probably the most fascinating and adventurous business of all.
A poetry collection of some personal favorites discovered by the poet's daughter. These poems, along with many more, were written throughout the busy life of this now 86-year-old author. Over the years, she has worked diligently caring for the sick, singing in the choir, teaching Sunday School, and being a loving single mom, grandmother and great grandmother of two. To this day, despite failing eyesight, she continues to write whenever she can.
For over four decades, events in Palestine-Israel have provoked raging conflicts within British universities around issues of free speech, 'extremism', antisemitism and Islamophobia. But why is this conflict so significant for student activists living at such a geographical distance from the region itself? And what role do emotive, polarised communications around Palestine-Israel play in the life of British academic institutions committed to the ideal of free expression? This book draws on original ethnographic research with student activists on different sides of this conflict to initiate a conversation with students, academics and members of the public who are concerned with the transnational politics of Palestine-Israel and with the changing role of the public university. It shows how, in an increasingly globalised world that is shaped by entangled histories of European antisemitism and colonial violence, ethnography can open up ethical responses to questions of justice
The Verminators follows a group of New York police officers as they tackle crime in Manhattan, however the police are not who or what you would expect.......
Unavailable for decades, this pioneering biography of the King of Western Swing returns to print in a handsome new edition with photographs, index, and a new critical introduction. Few figures in country music's history have left as distinctive and lasting an impression as Bob Wills (1905-1975). An expert fiddler and a magnetic showman, Wills popularized a style of Southwestern dance music known as western swing, a rhythmic hybrid of Texas fiddle music, blues, and big band swing that set dance halls alight across the Southwest in the thirties and forties. Despite his passing, his legacy has been carried forward in the music of such modern stars as Merle Haggard and George Strait. In 1938, when Wills was thirty-three and nearing the height of his fame, journalist Ruth Sheldon chronicled the rags-to-riches rise of this talented musician, showing remarkable foresight in her choice of subject. Working with the complete cooperation of Wills, Sheldon produced a biography that fully captures the ebullient personality of Wills and reflects the bandleader's vision of himself. Noted country music historian Bill C. Malone has praised Hubbin' It as a "pioneering biography," a landmark in the recording of country music history. Now restored to print for the first time since its initial 1938 publication, Hubbin' It provides a fascinating window into the daily life of a working musician during the Depression. It is a rich source of historical detail on the life of one of America's great musical innovators. Distributed for the Country Music Foundation Press
When author Ruth Valor was just three years old, a male and female babysitter, friends of the family, sexually abused her. Shortly thereafter, a family member did as well. The aftermath of abuse led her down a road of pain and she experienced a far-reaching disconnectedness in relationships. In Journey of Hope, she shares her story, helping others who have been subjected to one of the five forms of abuse throughout their life. Valor tells how, through her relationship with Christ, she realized she had to work on herself and hope for a better future. She chose to walk through an extensive healing process by making a commitment for the rest of her life to focus on the little girl inside of her—and for the adult, too. By doing so, she became saved, and she made Jesus her Lord and savior. Journey of Hope offers insights into Valor’s life as an abused child and as an overcomer of abuse. She communicates that a relationship with God became an integral part of her healing and wellness.
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