Title search results
Showing 1 - 20 of 3150 items
Levon: From Down in the Delta to the Birth of The Band and Beyond
By Sandra B. Tooze. 2020
A dazzling, epic biography of Levon Helm––the beloved, legendary drummer and singer of the Band. He sang the anthems of…
a generation: "The Weight," "Up on Cripple Creek," and "Life Is a Carnival." Levon Helm's story––told here through sweeping research and interviews with close friends and fellow musicians––is the rollicking story of American popular music itself. In the Arkansas Delta, a young Levon witnessed "blues, country, and gospel hit in a head-on collision," as he put it. The result was rock 'n' roll. As a teenager, he joined the raucous Ronnie Hawkins and the Hawks, then helped merge a hard-driving electric sound with Bob Dylan's folk roots, and revolutionized American rock with the Band. Helm not only provided perfect "in the pocket" rhythm and unforgettable vocals, he was the Band's soul. Levon traces a rebellious life on the road, from being booed with Bob Dylan to the creative cauldron of Big Pink, the Woodstock Festival, world tours, The Last Waltz, and beyond with the man Dylan called "one of the last true great spirits of my or any other generation." Author Sandra B. Tooze digs deep into what Helm saw as a devastating betrayal by his closest friend, Band guitarist Robbie Robertson––and Levon's career collapse, his near bankruptcy, and the loss of his voice due to throat cancer in 1997. Yet Helm found success in an acting career that included roles in Coal Miner's Daughter and The Right Stuff. Regaining his singing voice, he made his last decade a triumph, opening his barn to the Midnight Rambles and earning three Grammys. Cancer finally claimed his life in 2012. Levon is a penetrating, skillfully told tale of a music legend from Southern cotton fields to global limelight.Billy Connolly's Route 66: The Big Yin on the Ultimate American Road Trip
By Billy Connolly. 2011
Britain's best-loved comedian hits the most famous highway in the world on an unforgettable journey.Billy Connolly, music-lover, biker, and scourge…
of the beige and bland the world over, has dreamed about taking a trip on the legendary Route 66 since he heard Chuck Berry belting out one of the greatest rock 'n' roll records of all time. And now he's finally had the chance to do it, travelling every mile on his custom-made trike in search of the real America that can still be found beyond the nation's freeways.Taking in both the essential icons and the hidden gems of the 'Mother Road', Billy also meets up with plenty of the memorable characters who call it home. With his instinct for a good story, and the infectious enthusiasm that has made him our most engaging national treasures, Billy Connolly is the ultimate guide to the ultimate road trip.Across the Plains, with Other Memories and Essays
By Robert Louis Stevenson.
The celebrated Scottish writer Robert Louis Stevenson arranged for his friend the art historian Sidney Colvin to select and organise…
the essays in this volume, many of which had originally appeared in 1888, though some date back to the early 1880s. It was published in 1892, two years before Stevenson's untimely death. Colvin obtained many of the pieces from their original publishers, including magazines such as Fraser's, Longman's, The Magazine of Art and Scribner's. What is particularly noteworthy about this collection is that although Stevenson had settled in the South Seas well before it appeared, all the items included were written prior to his journey there. Colvin mentions that the concluding pieces in particular were written during a period of considerable gloom and sickness for Stevenson, who himself claimed to 'recover peace of body and mind' after moving to the Pacific in 1890.A Land Gone Lonesome: An Inland Voyage Along the Yukon River
By Dan O'Neill. 2006
In his square-sterned canoe, Alaskan author Dan O’Neill set off from Dawson, Yukon Territory, onetime site of the Klondike gold…
rush, to trace the majestic Yukon River. His journey downriver to Circle City, Alaska, is an expedition into the history of the river and its land, and a record of the inimitable and little known inhabitants of the region. With the distinct perspective of an insider, A Land Gone Lonesome gives us an intelligent, rhapsodic-and ultimately, probably the last-portrait of the Yukon and its authentic inhabitants.The Story of the San Francisco Earthquake (Cornerstones of Freedom)
By R. Conrad Stein. 1983
The Story of the Montgomery Bus Boycott (Cornerstones of Freedom)
By R. Conrad Stein. 1986
The Story of the Empire State Building (Cornerstones of Freedom)
By Patrick Clinton. 1987
Times Square (Cornerstones of Freedom)
By Wende Fazio. 1999
Describes the history of the New York City neighborhood famous for bright lights and Broadway shows, from its beginnings as…
Longacre Square in the early 1800s through its growth, decline, and present-day revitalization.Kevin Guest House (Images of Modern America)
By Gerald L. Halligan, Denis Garvey. 2016
While unknown to many living in western New York, the Kevin Guest House has served thousands of critically ill individuals…
and their families for over 40 years. Quietly nestled within the expanding Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus of Buffalo, New York, the demand for the facility continues to increase. The opening chapter is a testimony to the Speyser-Beer family, who originally owned the property. The second and third chapters memorialize the founders of the Kevin Guest House, the Garvey family of Sharon, Pennsylvania. The remaining chapters provide a virtual tour of the grounds and building expansions of 2016.The Story of Ellis Island (Cornerstones of Freedom)
By R. Conrad Stein. 1979
Oddball Michigan: A Guide to 450 Really Strange Places
By Jerome Pohlen. 2014
There's more to Michigan than beautiful forests, shuttered factories, and miles and miles of stunning shoreline. Armed with this offbeat…
travel guide, you'll soon discover the strange underbelly of the Great Lakes State. Michigan has monuments to fluoridation, snurfing, the designer of the Jefferson nickel, and the once-famous Mr. Chicken, as well as festivals honoring tulips, Christmas pickles, and a 38-acre fungus. It's where you'll find the World's Largest Lugnut, the Nun Doll Museum, Joe's Gizzard City, the Teenie-Weenie Pickle Barrel Cottage, Howdy Doody, and Thomas Edison's last breath. The state also has its share of weird history--it's where Harry Houdini perished on Halloween night in 1926, where skater Tanya Harding's posse whacked Nancy Kerrigan, and where the Kellogg brothers invented popular breakfast cereals and less-popular yogurt enemas. Along with humorous histories and witty observations, Oddball Michigan provides addresses, websites, hours, fees, and driving directions for each of its 450 entries.Hollywood on Lake Michigan: 100+ Years of Chicago and the Movies
By Michael Corcoran, Arnie Bernstein. 2013
Ranging from the dawn of the silent era to today's blockbusters and independent films, this revamped second edition chronicles the…
significant contributions by Chicago and Chicagoans to more than a century of American filmmaking. Among the Windy City's unique honors in this history are the development of film technology by early major players Essanay Film Manufacturing Company and the Selig Polyscope Company; the first African American-owned and operated film studios; the birthplace of gore flicks; the origination and growth of movie palaces; and the importance of the Second City, Goodman, and Steppenwolf theaters as training grounds for the industry's best comedic and dramatic talent. Readers will relish behind-the-scenes stories of local favorites like The Blues Brothers and Ferris Bueller's Day Off, as well as recent box office smashes like Batman Begins and The Dark Knight. Fully revised and updated, this premier guide to the Windy City's history in the film industry features new profiles of film locations, more photographs, and exclusive interviews detailing all aspects of the moviemaking process, making it the perfect guide for film lovers and Chicago history buffs alike.Oddball Wisconsin: A Guide to 400 Really Strange Places (Oddball series)
By Jerome Pohlen. 2013
Updated and even stranger, this new edition boasts more than 400 unique destinations for tourists looking for attractions off the…
beaten path. Bizarre locations and landmarks include Chainsaw Gordy's Garden of Saws, Smokey Bear's head, the World's Largest Soup Kettle, the Toilet Bowl Parade, and the world's only upside-down White House. This book offers fascinating and little-known historical tidbits and answers burning questions such as Where was Liberace born? What is a hodag, and where do you catch one? Who invented the hamburger? and Will a Polka Hall of Fame ever be built? This is the real guide to Wisconsin, birthplace of the snowmobile, the typewriter, and the ice cream sundae. The address, phone number, hours, cost, directions, and website of each oddity accompany its description.Michael Jordan
By Robert Lipsyte. 1994
Michael Jordan was a late bloomer.Cut from the Varsity basketball team in high school when he first tried out, Michael…
nonetheless became the best basketball player that ever lived-Rare Air Jordan.The true story of how Michael Jordan achieved this amazing level of success as a basketball player-and as the high king of commercial endorsements-underscores one of the new roles of athletes in our society today.Here's a fascinating look at both the evolution of basketball and Michael Jordan's stunning climb to the peak of his sport, and his season in minor league baseball.Quilted Landscapes: Conversations with Young Immigrants
By Yale Strom. 1996
Oddball Illinois: A Guide to 450 Really Strange Places
By Jerome Pohlen. 2012
In this updated edition, it's plain to see that the state of Illinois has only gotten weirder. Where there was…
once just a single Popeye statue in downstate Chester, today the town has monuments to Olive Oyl, Swee' Pea, Bluto, the Sea Hag, and more. The creepy Piasa Bird petroglyph on the bluff in Alton now has a roadside pullout with picnic tables, and the two-story outhouse in Gays has a new contemplative garden. With almost twice as many destinations as its predecessor, this edition boasts detailed information on each site--address, phone number, website, hours, entry fees, and driving directions--as well as maps, photos, and a wealth of regional history in the descriptions. Some new sites include Henry's Rabbit Ranch, the World's First Jungle Gym, Ahlgrim Acres (a miniature golf course at a funeral home), the Leather Archives and Museum, General Santa Ana's two wooden legs, the World's Largest Sock Monkey, the Friendship Shoe Fence, a truck stop with a marionette show, and a coin-operated fire-breathing dragon. There is more between Chicago and St. Louis than cornfields and plenty of fascinating places in the Windy City that aren't on Michigan Avenue, and here is a chance to see these underappreciated sites throughout the state.Off Track Planet's Travel Guide to 'Merica! for the Young, Sexy, and Broke
By Off Track Planet. 2016
The experts at Off Track Planet bring you a roadtripping guide to 'Merica. This guide includes all the information…
you'll need to take on the great nation of 'Merica, a country filled with rich culture, museums, shopping, sightseeing, partying, art and music, festivals, nightlife, and more. This edgy reference book will include information on fashion, climate, health and safety, budgeting, and where to stay, as well as show you how to navigate every mode of transportation from buses to Uber; explore the finest art museums to the most tagged urban beauty; discover bodegas, delis, corner stores, and tasting menus around the country; visit weird landmarks; take cheap must-do tours; and crash anywhere from a hostel to a couch. Complete with pre-departure suggestions, OTP Tips and Fun Facts, as well as illustrated maps and 200+ full-color photos, this comprehensive travel guide is equally as entertaining as it is informative.Oddball Indiana: A Guide to 350 Really Strange Places
By Jerome Pohlen. 2017
There is more to Indiana than the Indy 500, interstate highways (seven cross its borders), and basketball! The Hoosier State…
is teeming with fascinating people, one-of-a-kind places, and things with unique and bizarre histories. Skip the scenic dunes and cozy bed-and-breakfasts— let Oddball Indiana, now fully updated and expanded, take you where you really want to go. See: The World's Largest Ball of Paint, Peggy the Flying Red Horse, Square Donuts, James Dean's Grave, Historic Outhouse Collection, Museum of Psychophonics, Brain Sandwiches, Hillbilly Rick's Campground, A Christmas Story Town, Mr. Bendo, And Many, Many More Sites. This book belongs in your glove box—you never know when you'll be in range of an oddball adventure!If you've ever wanted to step into your favorite movie, Vacation on Location, Midwest is the perfect guidebook. Author Joey…
Green gives readers detailed, chronological, scene-by-scene breakdowns with addresses and maps to visit sites in the Midwest where the most popular films of all time were shot. With this book as your guide, you can turn these excursions into full-scale vacations or quirky side trips to enhance your appreciation of your favorite movies—or even recreate a scene, starring you.Films include:The Blues Brothers, Home Alone, The Breakfast Club, Hoosiers, A Christmas Story, A League of Their Own, Fargo, Paper Moon, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Purple Rain, Field of Dreams,The Shawshank Redemption, The Fugitive, The Untouchables, Groundhog Day, and 29 more!Off Track Planet's San Francisco Travel Guide for the Young, Sexy, and Broke
By Anna Starostinetskaya, By the Editors of OTP Freddie Pikovsky. 2015
No amount of fog can hold San Francisco down San Francisco's colorful activity echoes around its steep hills and sweeps…
through its valleys. From inspired bread-making at Tartine, to the freshly sprayed street murals of the Mission's Clarion Alley, the always loud and sparkly clubs of the Castro, and SOMA's emerging microbreweries, San Francisco is always packed with flavor and filled with energy. Whether it's pushing the boundaries of public nudity, making strides for gender equality, or baking up food fads, San Francisco is at the forefront of innovation, cradled in the multicultural history of the American west. In this guide you will: -Eat so many burritos in the Mission you'll need an extra seat on the flight home -Hang like a beatnik in North Beach -Drink the most delicious fussy cocktails in SOMA -Leather-bind your tender bits at the Folsom Street Fair -Break some (sourdough) bread at Fisherman's Wharf -and more!