The story of baseball in America begins not with the fabled Abner Doubleday but with a generation of mid-nineteenth-century Americans who moved from the countryside to the cities and brought a cherished but delightfully informal game with them. But Didn't We Have Fun? will make you rethink everything you thought you knew about baseball's origins. Peter Morris, author of the prizewinning A Game of Inches, takes a fresh look at the early amateur years of the game. Mr. Morris retrieves a lost eraand a lost way of life. Offering a challenging new perspective on baseball's earliest years, and conveying the sense of delight that once pervaded the game and its players, Mr. Morris supplants old myths with a story just as marvelous-but one that reallyhappened. With 25 rare photographs and drawings.

Possibly the best book ever written about an American magazine editor, this biography offers a 3-D view of the assassinations, the student riots, the counterculture, the politicians, the pop icons and the war that made the 60s America's unforgettable decade. Under the aegis of former Marine Harold Hayes, Esquire helped turn journalists, editors and photographers like Tom Wolfe, Gay Talese, Raymond Carver, Michael Herr, John Berendt and Diane Arbus into celebrities in their own right. Polsgrove's brilliant book, often resembling an Esquire cover story, offers a warts and all portrait of Hayes. Afterword by Ben Bagdikian.

Baseball is much more than the national pastime. It has become an emblem of America itself. From its initial popularity in the mid-nineteenth century, the game has reflected national values and beliefs and promoted what it means to be an American. Stories abound that illustrate baseball's significance in eradicating racial barriers, bringing neighborhoods together, building civic pride, and creating on the field of play an instructive civics lesson for immigrants on the national character. In A People's History of Baseball, Mitchell Nathanson probes the less well-known but no less meaningful other side of baseball: episodes not involving equality, patriotism, heroism, and virtuous capitalism, but power--how it is obtained, and how it perpetuates itself. Through the growth and development of baseball Nathanson shows that, if only we choose to look for it, we can see the petty power struggles as well as the large and consequential ones that have likewise defined our nation. By offering a fresh perspective on the firmly embedded tales of baseball as America, a new and unexpected story emerges of both the game and what it represents. Exploring the founding of the National League, Nathanson focuses on the newer Americans who sought club ownership to promote their own social status in the increasingly closed caste of nineteenth-century America. His perspective on the rise and public rebuke of the Players Association shows that these baseball events reflect both the collective spirit of working and middle-class America in the mid-twentieth century as well as the countervailing forces that sought to beat back this emerging movement that threatened the status quo. And his take on baseball’s racial integration that began with Branch Rickey’s “Great Experiment” reveals the debilitating effects of the harsh double standard that resulted, requiring a black player to have unimpeachable character merely to take the field in a Major League game, a standard no white player was required to meet. Told with passion and occasional outrage, A People's History of Baseball challenges the perspective of the well-known, deeply entrenched, hyper-patriotic stories of baseball and offers an incisive alternative history of America's much-loved national pastime.

When James McElroy saw the ad for a lodger with 'Bibi Sanders' in a smart Edinburgh street, he pictured a glamorous young landlady with whom he would form a meaningful and deep relationship. But Bibi's in her seventies. She's led a full life, including marriage to the domineering and difficult Callum, now deceased, and raised six children.She's not sure what to make of James and suspects - rightly - a troubling secret in his past. When Bibi sets out to re-visit the past for the final time via a tour of Britain in her rather unexpected Volvo sports car, James decides to go with her. It's a journey full of surprises and revelations which will change them both - and, in Isla Dewar's inimitable way, entertain and enlighten every reader.

Collects Ultimate Spider-Man (2000) #40-45 and #47-53. Sam Bullit is running for mayor of New York City on an anti-Spider-Man campaign, and J. Jonah Jameson is backing him 100 percent. But who's pulling Bullit's strings? None other than the Kingpin of Crime! Then: Spider-Man meets the sexy and elusive burglar called the Black Cat, who claws herself into the young web-slinger's life and purrs her way into Peter Parker's. But when the Cat gets her paws on a stolen tablet the Kingpin desperately wants, the crime lord hires the deadly Elektra to retrieve it! Plus: A new villain explodes on the scene - literally! But how can Spider-Man fight the mysterious Geldoff if he can't even find a costume? And will Peter and Mary Jane finally just say what they feel?! Guest-starring the Ultimate X-Men!

Reproduction of the original: Oscar the Detective by Harlan Page Halsey

An all-new villain explodes on the scene, literally! But how can Spider-Man fight a new mysterious foe named Geldhoff if he can't even find a costume? And will Peter and Mary Jane finally just say what they feel?! Guest-starring the Ultimate X-Men. Collects Ultimate Spider-Man (2000) #40-45.

Ranging from the mysterious to pulp action to the Lovecraftian, this vivid collection of short fiction explores a world of radio heroes, masterful villains, and creatures from places unknown.

" "Six Little Bunkers at Aunt Jo's" by Laura Lee Hope is a delightful children's book that follows the adventures of the lively and lovable Bunker family. The story begins when the six Bunker siblings, named Russ, Rose, Violet, Laddie, Margy, and Mun Bun, visit their Aunt Jo's house for a summer vacation. Excitement fills the air as they explore the new surroundings and encounter various surprises along the way. As the Bunkers settle into their temporary home, they embark on a series of entertaining escapades. From treasure hunts and picnics to making new friends and solving mysteries, the children's days are filled with fun and adventure. Throughout their time at Aunt Jo's, the Bunkers learn valuable life lessons about friendship, cooperation, and the importance of family bonds. Each sibling contributes their unique personality and talents to the experiences, creating a heartwarming and memorable journey for both the characters and the readers. "Six Little Bunkers at Aunt Jo's" is a charming story that captures the spirit of childhood and the joys of family. Laura Lee Hope's engaging storytelling and relatable characters make this book an enjoyable read for young readers, inspiring their imagination and fostering a love for storytelling."

The Apostle by Lisa M. Mikkelsen Deep in the brush he watched Jennifer wave, impatient and frustrated. Satisfaction returned now once the other was gone, leaving his prey alone, unprotected. Adrenaline surged hot though his veins knowing the hunt would soon begin. A town is ripped apart after the gruesome discovery of a young woman’s body. Jennifer Wesson was an avid runner in her prime, taken down by a cold-blooded killer. After careful inspection, it is surmised that the killer is not human but instead animal. But contradictory evidence suggests something else—something of which urban myths are made… Suspicion is immediately drawn to Dexter, an awkward kid who just so happened to have a crush on her. After all, he was the last one seen with her. But after Dexter is cleared, only more questions surface. Four more victims later and still no answers. Could this be the work of a sadistic killer? Or something of which nightmares are made? And, more importantly, will they find the killer before this unknown beast kills again?