Empire Maker

Empire Maker PDF Author: Kenneth N. Owens
Publisher: University of Washington Press
ISBN: 0295805838
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 360

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Book Description
A native of northern Russia, Alexander Baranov was a middle-aged merchant trader with no prior experience in the fur trade when, in 1790, he arrived in North America to assume command over Russia’s highly profitable sea otter business. With the title of chief manager, he strengthened his leadership role after the formation of the Russian American Company in 1799. An adventuresome, dynamic, and charismatic leader, he proved to be something of a commercial genius in Alaska, making huge profits for company partners and shareholders in Irkutsk and St. Petersburg while receiving scandalously little support from the homeland. Baranov receives long overdue attention in Kenneth Owens’s Empire Maker, the first scholarly biography of Russian America’s virtual imperial viceroy. His eventful life included shipwrecks, battles with Native forces, clashes with rival traders and Russian Orthodox missionaries, and an enduring marriage to a Kodiak Alutiiq woman with whom he had two children. In the process, the book reveals maritime Alaska and northern California during the Baranov era as fascinating cultural borderlands, where Russian, English, Spanish, and New England Yankee traders and indigenous peoples formed complex commercial, political, and domestic relationships that continue to influence these regions today.

Empire Maker

Empire Maker PDF Author: Kenneth N. Owens
Publisher: University of Washington Press
ISBN: 0295805838
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 360

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Book Description
A native of northern Russia, Alexander Baranov was a middle-aged merchant trader with no prior experience in the fur trade when, in 1790, he arrived in North America to assume command over Russia’s highly profitable sea otter business. With the title of chief manager, he strengthened his leadership role after the formation of the Russian American Company in 1799. An adventuresome, dynamic, and charismatic leader, he proved to be something of a commercial genius in Alaska, making huge profits for company partners and shareholders in Irkutsk and St. Petersburg while receiving scandalously little support from the homeland. Baranov receives long overdue attention in Kenneth Owens’s Empire Maker, the first scholarly biography of Russian America’s virtual imperial viceroy. His eventful life included shipwrecks, battles with Native forces, clashes with rival traders and Russian Orthodox missionaries, and an enduring marriage to a Kodiak Alutiiq woman with whom he had two children. In the process, the book reveals maritime Alaska and northern California during the Baranov era as fascinating cultural borderlands, where Russian, English, Spanish, and New England Yankee traders and indigenous peoples formed complex commercial, political, and domestic relationships that continue to influence these regions today.

The Empire Makers

The Empire Makers PDF Author: Hume Nisbet
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : English fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 332

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Book Description


Cecil Rhodes, Man and Empire-maker

Cecil Rhodes, Man and Empire-maker PDF Author: Princess Catherine Radziwill
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : South Africa
Languages : en
Pages : 270

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Book Description


Bloodlines

Bloodlines PDF Author: Jason Starr
Publisher: Vintage
ISBN: 0307482324
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 348

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Book Description
From provocative peeks into the lives of jockeys, trainers, owners, and breeders, to the down and dirty doings of bookies and gamblers, here is a literary tribute to a favorite national pastime. Editors Maggie Estep (Diary of an Emotional Idiot; Flamethrower) and Jason Starr (Twisted City; Lights Out) have brought together original fiction and nonfiction from some of our most beloved writers. Lee Child heads off the collection with a thrilling story about a hit man hired to knock off a horse mid-race. Laura Lippman contributes a vivid tale about a young man who makes money selling parking places at the Preakness and the intriguing woman he meets. Here is Bill Barich on the misfortunes of an Irish gambler, Joe R. Lansdale on one man’s ambition to win a mule race in east Texas, Laura Hillenbrand on the Kentucky Derby, and James Surowiecki on the wisdom of horse-racing crowds. Jonathan Ames adds his unique theory of horse love, Meghan O’Rourke shares her touching recollections of going to Saratoga as a child, and Jane Smiley tells of her experiences raising thoroughbreds. This standout collection on horse-racing featuring twenty authors, from national bestsellers to Pulitzer Prize winners, is as page-turning as it is diverse.Also includes pieces by Ken Bruen, Steven Crist, Maggie Estep, William Nack, Scott Phillips, John Schaefer, Jerry Stahl, Jason Starr, Charlie Stella, Wallace Stroby, and Daniel Woodrell.

Horseplayers

Horseplayers PDF Author: Ted McClelland
Publisher: Chicago Review Press
ISBN: 155652675X
Category : Games & Activities
Languages : en
Pages : 283

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Book Description
This fun and witty exposé of horse racing in America goes behind the scenes at the track, providing a serious gambler's-eye view of the action. Ted McClelland spent a year at tracks and off-track betting facilities in Chicago and across the country, profiling the people who make a career of gambling on horses. This account follows his personal journey of what it means to be a horseplayer as he gambles with his book advance using various betting and handicapping strategies along the way. A colourful cast of characters is introduced, including the intensely disciplined Scott McMannis, "The Professor," a one-time college instructor who now teaches a course in handicapping, and Mary Schoenfeldt, a former nun and gifted handicapper who donates all of her winnings to charity. This moving account of wins, losses, and personal turmoil provides a realistic look at gamblers, gambling, and life at the track.

The Last Sword Maker

The Last Sword Maker PDF Author: Brian Nelson
Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
ISBN: 153850765X
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 400

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Book Description
In the high mountains of Tibet, rumors are spreading. People whisper of an outbreak, of thousands of dead, of bodies pushed into mass graves. It is some strange new disease ... a disease, they say, that can kill in minutes. The Chinese government says the rumors aren't true, but no one is allowed in or out of Tibet. At the Pentagon, Admiral James Curtiss is called to an emergency meeting. Satellite images prove that a massive genocide is underway, and an American spy has made a startling discovery. This is no disease. It's a weapons test. Chinese scientists have developed a way to kill based on a person's genetic traits. But that is only the tip of the iceberg. The success of their new weapon proves that the Chinese are nearing "Replication"-a revolutionary breakthrough that will tip the global balance of power and change the way wars are waged. Now the US must scramble to catch up before it is too late. Admiral Curtiss gathers the nation's top scientists, including a promising young graduate student named Eric Hill who just might hold the missing piece to the replication puzzle. Soon Hill and his colleague Jane Hunter are caught up in a deadly game of sabotage as the two nations strive to be the first to reach the coveted goal. But in their headlong race, they create something unexpected ... something the world has never seen and something more powerful than they had ever imagined. The Last Sword Maker is an exciting globe-trotting thriller with unforgettable characters that depicts a haunting vision of the future of warfare. "A gripping, frighteningly plausible techno-thriller...Nelson's intriguing scientific predictions and distinctive near-future setting make this sure to please speculative fiction readers as well as thriller fans."-Publishers Weekly "An all-too-plausible examination of how emerging technologies could be weaponized to horrible ends. I don't recommend reading this one right before bedtime-unless you are prepared to stay up very, very late to finish it."-Lisa Brackmann, New York Times bestselling author "A head-spinning sci-fi-infused military thriller, with China and the United States putting everything they have into developing the perfect weapon, no matter the cost. "-Francisco Toro, columnist, Washington Post "The danger is unique, and the treachery vast, in this rapid-paced adventure that delivers in equal doses of amazing, yet possible. An intriguing tale that will leave you thinking. "-Steve Berry, New York Times bestselling author "A compelling thriller...Nelson's riveting narrative captures the drama of great power competition...This is a terrific debut."-Patrick Duddy, Duke University, former US Ambassador to Venezuela "An amazing read. The Last Sword Maker has everything"-Moises Naim, New York Times bestselling author "A terrifying vision of future warfare in the vein of Tom Clancy's and Michael Crichton's novels...A powerhouse near-future thriller with explosive action and exciting science."-Foreword Reviews

Men Who Have Made the Empire

Men Who Have Made the Empire PDF Author: George Chetwynd Griffith
Publisher: DigiCat
ISBN:
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 205

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Book Description
The empire mentioned in the title is none other than the British Empire, which during the time the book was written, was at a period referred to as Britain's "imperial century" by some historians, having around 10 million sq mi (26 million km2) of territory and roughly 400 million people living within the boundaries of what was then called the British Empire. The author here shines the spotlight on the men who made it possible - from the times of Edward I of England to those of Cecil Rhodes.

The Big Horse

The Big Horse PDF Author: Joe McGinniss
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1439129665
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 227

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Book Description
"The big horse," in racing vernacular, is the animal that brings fame and fortune to a stable. He's the heavyweight champion, the All-American quarterback, the four-legged Michael Jordan of the barn. Seabiscuit was once Tom Smith's "big horse." A generation ago, Secretariat was Lucien Lauren's. In 2003, Funny Cide was Barclay Tagg's. In sixty years as a trainer, P. G. Johnson had never had one -- until Volponi. P. G. Johnson was a blue-collar wizard, a hardscrabble tough guy who had come east from Chicago, determined to make his mark on New York. And he did. He became leading trainer at all three New York tracks -- Saratoga, Belmont, and Aqueduct -- as well as at Florida's Tropical Park. And he did it without ever winning a Triple Crown or Breeders' Cup event, or having "the big horse." "I never knew how to kiss rich people's asses, and I got too old to learn. If no owner was going to give me a big horse, I figured I'd have to find one myself," he said. He did that, in his seventies, buying a mare for $8,000, breeding her to a $20,000 stallion, and in 1998 producing Volponi, the horse that would change his life. In October 2002, weakened by surgery and radiation treatment for cancer, P. G. watched Volponi -- the longest shot in the field at 43 to 1 -- bring home more than $2 million by winning the Breeders' Cup Classic, the richest race in America. The following summer at Saratoga, McGinniss -- journalist, investigative reporter, and horse racing obsessive -- began showing up, more Tuesdays with Morrie than Guys and Dolls, at P. G.'s barn in the predawn hours to listen to the inside racing stories and lore P. G. had gathered. McGinniss came to appreciate that Johnson was not only a stellar horseman but an American original whose wit and wisdom carried far beyond the confines of the racetrack. As for Volponi, the big horse had given P. G. the perfect Disney ending with the Breeders' Cup victory, and, indeed, Disney soon bought film rights to P. G.'s life story. "He'll be even better next year," P. G. had said, but by the time McGinniss got to Saratoga, Volponi had not won a race in nine months. His faith undiminished, P. G. continued to race Volponi against the best, at Saratoga and beyond, until in the end it came down to the 2003 Breeders' Cup Classic in Santa Anita, a race only one horse in history had ever won twice. As fires burned in the Southern California hills, Volponi -- with Funny Cide's jockey, Jose Santos, in the saddle -- ran the last race of his life. This book is about what happened that day, about what came after, and about much of what had come before. It's the most exciting, rewarding, and heartwarming story about the world of horse racing that you'll ever read, by one of America's finest writers, at the top of his form.

A Real Life Exacta

A Real Life Exacta PDF Author: John S. Sutton Jr.
Publisher: Xlibris Corporation
ISBN: 1669869083
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 194

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Book Description
In "A Real Life Exacta: Bourbon & 83 Kentucky Derbies," the author pulls back the curtain on the history of horse racing, chronicling a lifelong passion that began more than eight decades ago. This illuminating Kentucky Derby book is steeped in rich tradition, offering readers a vibrant narrative that intimately showcases Kentucky Derby history. It's an exceptional dive into American horse racing, narrated by a man who has been a part of the Derby's fabric for an astounding 83 consecutive years. The book's narrative stretches back to the author's childhood when his familial love for horse racing was ignited. With the turn of each page, the reader is closer to the very heart of the Derby experience, revealing tales that only true Kentucky Derby fans would appreciate. Anecdotes, triumphs, challenges, and a host of horse racing stories are colorfully narrated, along with a plethora of candid photos and family legacies that lend added depth and texture. This autobiography is as much a chronicle of the author's life as it is a reflection of his enduring love for the Derby. It weaves in and out of significant life events and gives the reader a vivid picture of a unique lifestyle shaped around the most exhilarating two minutes in sports. Readers are granted a ringside seat to a journey that transformed a young boy into a fervent supporter who, since his first Derby, has been captivated by the sport's allure. Considered among the most inspirational autobiographies, the book underscores the author's determination to master every nuance of horse racing and leave a tangible legacy for his family. His resilience in the face of life's good and bad moments is narrated with honesty and steadfast resolve. "A Real Life Exacta: Bourbon & 83 Kentucky Derbies" is a must-read for those who relish true stories and are drawn to biographies that offer more than just a glimpse into a fascinating life. Similar to "Beating the Odds," it is a testament to a man's unwavering dedication to his passion and an extraordinary chronicle of a quintessential American pastime.

Beating the Odds

Beating the Odds PDF Author: John S. Sutton Jr
Publisher: Xlibris Corporation
ISBN: 1543498639
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 218

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Book Description
Beating The Odds: 82 Years At The Kentucky Derby is an Autobiography of a man who has attended 82 consecutive Kentucky Derbies and the ensuing unique lifestyle that accompanied this feat. Featured intermittently with an unusual childhood and later life experiences that very few people have had the privilege of being exposed to (good or bad). In addition, there are pictures and legacies of the immediately family that supported this endeavor.