Author: Robert T. Sorrells
Publisher: Xlibris Corporation
ISBN: 1483647757
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 298
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Book Description
This is not a biography of John Harvey Sorrells. I expect there'll never be one of those, and that's probably just as well. Sometimes I think a writer's work is his own best autobiography, certainly, and as much biography as he needs. But I'm doing this because of two things: one simple, the other far from it. My late oldest brother, John, sent me a couple of boxes back in 1993 chock-a-block with manuscript and newspaper printed "stuff" written by our father. I looked through it quickly and was intrigued right away, but didn't have the time to do anything with it. Over a period of about a year I managed to root around considerably more--along with my son, daughter, and wife--and eventually I knew I'd have to mess with it in a much more formal and intentional way. But that was the simple part: reading all the material; lifting this bit from here and combining it with that shard from there to create a whole that didn't injure the narra-tive; deciding to stick with the newspaperman's spellings of words like thru, and cigaret, along with standard newspaper punctuation; deciding how to include not just the "best" stuff, but the typical as well. All that simply comes with the turf of editing someone else's material. The much harder part, though, was the realization that I was in some ways on a fool's errand. My father died about five weeks before his fifty-second birthday. At the time, we were living in New York City. That is, my parents were. I was the youngest of four children; fifteen; and, with my older brother, Bill, a high school student in Virginia. In spite of its rampant self-absorption, crudities, cynicisms, vulgarities, and erupting juices of sexuality, fifteen is a tender age. Maybe vulnerable is more accurate. In any event, it's an age when a boy--even a boy/man--really needs his father. It's a fragile time, because the boy coming into manhood is coming into a period when he's just about ready to start knowing his father as another man, as a person, as a human being, as a wonderfully imperfect critter he can love in a way that transcends the boy/Dad relationship. It's always going to be father/son, but when the two are adults, that relationship changes, deepens, transforms. At least, that's what I've seen and heard from those who got to go through it, and as I've experienced it from the father side with my own son. But I was suddenly and unexpectedly cut off from that chance. One night my father was alive, sitting at a card table in the living room reading, as I recall my mother telling it--likely a mystery novel--in the apartment in New York, when he got bushwhacked by a massive heart attack. My mother, who was in their bedroom in the rear of the apartment, said she heard some-thing fall. Hurrying out to see what had happened, she found him on the floor. She knelt by him and said he kept looking up at her asking, "What's wrong? What's wrong?" as though something had happened to her. Within five minutes he was dead. What these days might be called a lack of "closure" absolutely overwhelmed me, and one way or another I have been looking for my father ever since. One way or another his wrenching disappearance has informed virtually everything I myself have ever written. So when I saw the mass of stuff in those boxes my brother sent me, I was againcon-sciously for the first time in years--on the gossamer trail of my father, hoping to find out some-thing, trying to learn something, circling like a dog before she flops, anxious to discover some-hing that would do . . . what? Easy: It would let me know my father just as though he hadn't died when I was a boy; just as though he hadn't been a-moldering in a Graceland Cemetery grave in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, for more than forty-five years. . . . While all that was going on, another part of me was looking at the stuff, fascinated by the man's insights, intrigued with how his mind worked, embarrassed by his p
Author: Ann Leslie
Publisher: Pan Macmillan
ISBN: 0230738842
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 484
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Book Description
'Gloriously funny . . . unfailingly entertaining' – Mail on Sunday 'What worlds she's seen, what a life she's had – at long last, the memoirs of the fearless, witty, indomitable Ann Leslie' – Deborah Moggach She has been shot at by Bosnian snipers, been pursued by Robert Mugabe’s notorious secret police, filed from the North Korean border, propositioned by both Salvador Dali and David Niven and been driven maniacally through London by Steve McQueen. But Ann Leslie’s life is every bit as remarkable as her career. A daughter of the Raj, she was born in India and the strongest influence on her early life was an illiterate Pashtun bearer, who saved her life during Partition. Her mother, a great beauty, was indifferent to her eldest daughter and she was sent to the first of a series of boarding-schools aged just four, eventually winning a scholarship to Oxford. After graduating she began her career at the Manchester office of the Daily Express, where the news editor took an instant dislike to her - she was a southerner, educated and – worst of all – female. Despite his best efforts she was soon given her own column. Then, after a stint covering show business she was appointed Foreign Correspondent of the Daily Mail, an association that endures today, almost forty years later, and one which finally allowed her real talent to shine through. Killing My Own Snakes is a witty, incident-filled account of an extraordinary life, a fascinating self-portrait of one the most influential journalists of our time.
Author: David A. Steen
Publisher: Texas A&M University Press
ISBN: 1623497973
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 186
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Book Description
Winner, 2020 National Outdoor Book Award, Nature and the Environment Snakes inspire extreme reactions. Love or hate these limbless reptiles, almost everyone is fascinated by them. Although snakes are widespread and frequently encountered, they may be more misunderstood than any other group of animals. From giant rattlesnakes to mating dances, there are dozens of myths and misconceptions about snakes. In Secrets of Snakes: The Science beyond the Myths, wildlife biologist David Steen tackles the most frequently asked questions and clears up prevailing myths. In a conversational style with a bit of humor, Steen presents the relevant biology and natural history of snakes, making the latest scientific research accessible to a general audience. When addressing myths about snakes, he explains how researchers use the scientific method to explain which parts of the myth are biologically plausible and which are not. Steen also takes a close look at conventional wisdom and common advice about snakes. For example, people are told they can distinguish coralsnakes from non-venomous mimics by remembering the rhyme, “red on black, friend of Jack, red on yellow, kill a fellow,” but this tip is only relevant to coralsnakes and two mimics living in the southeastern United States, and it does not always work with other species or in other countries. Enhanced by more than 100 stunning color photographs and three original drawings, Secrets of Snakes: The Science beyond the Myths encourages readers to learn about the snakes around them and introduces them to how scientists use the scientific method and critical thinking to learn about the natural world. Number Sixty-one: W. L. Moody Jr. Natural History Series
Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : American periodicals
Languages : en
Pages : 594
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Book Description
Author: Jill Charlotte Stanford
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN: 1493004654
Category : Cooking
Languages : en
Pages : 179
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Book Description
Take a dash of western myth, a healthy sprinkle of vintage photographs, and a dollop of tall tales and instructional sidebars, simmer with a delicious selection of western recipes, and, voila—The Cowgirl’s Cookbook. From June’s Ranch Beans to Joan’s Chile Rellenos, Connie’s Cackleberries on Toast to Rita’s Tomato Mac ‘n Cheese, these hearty fixin’s will feed a city girl’s fantasy as well as a country boy’s belly. A sure favorite with locals and tourists alike, these recipes ain’t just for trail drives no more!
Author: Wolf MacKenna
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 1101204303
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 224
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Book Description
Donny Belasco should have died for what he did to those girls. But King Garner was only the sheriff—not the judge and jury. When Donny went to prison, King put down his badge and picked up a bottle. That was ten years ago... Now Donny’s just escaped, and he’s up to his old tricks. The U.S. Marshalls are worried that he may go after old King to get his revenge. The truth is old King is going after him—to finish the job once and for all.
Author: William W. Johnstone
Publisher: Pinnacle Books
ISBN: 0786044675
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 278
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Book Description
USA Today bestselling author: Smoke Jensen aims to bring justice to a town taken over by the lawless—with a little help from his .45 . . . A short ride to hell Outlaw Joe Wales has a score to settle in Pueblo: find Jacob Murdock and the band of vaqueros who attacked his wife and drown them in their own stinking blood. But when Wales's hunting party is ambushed, the only gunfighter he can count on for cover is Smoke Jensen, the trigger-ready legend of the High Lonesome. Jensen's more than willing to strap on a brace of .45s to help out his friend—especially if it involves nailing some dirty renegades to the wall. Things are tougher than Jensen imagined. Murdock and his men aren't just hiding out in Pueblo—they've taken it over. Outnumbered in a town of desperados, Smoke is numero uno on Murdock's most-wanted list. But even with a price on his head, Smoke can still dole out his own unforgiving brand of justice. And when the sun goes down, he's going to take them on one by one, and blow each and every hide back to hell.
Author: Arthur Murray Chisholm
Publisher: DigiCat
ISBN:
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 1017
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Book Description
DigiCat Publishing presents to you a collection of the greatest western novels by Arthur Murray Chisholm: "The Boss of Wind River" - After his father's demise, Joe Kent returns home to take charge of the family's lumber company. Being inexperienced and facing a strong adversary in the form of a wily railroad owner, Kent will have to overturn his misfortunes into opportunities. Will he succeed? "The Land of Strong Men" - Casey and Clyde meet during a train robbery. Will their love succeed in the midst of all the chaos around them? "Desert Conquest or, Precious Waters" "Six Rounds" "Fur Pirates" "The Come-On" "Easy Money" "Below the Jam" "A Thousand a Plate" Arthur Murray Chisholm (1871-1960), also known as Bob Chisholm later in life, was a Canadian author of Western fiction. He also served as government agent, coroner, police magistrate, and Justice of the Peace in British Columbia.
Author: Arthur Murray Chisholm
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Ranch life
Languages : en
Pages : 462
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Book Description
Author: Western Novel
Publisher: e-artnow
ISBN:
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 310
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Book Description
The Land of Strong Men is a western novel by Arthur Murray Chisholm. Chisholm, also known as Bob Chisholm later in life, was an author of Western fiction. He also served as government agent, coroner, police magistrate, and Justice of the Peace in British Columbia._x000D_ Excerpt:_x000D_ "It was light, but not yet day. The shadows of the night seemed to linger, to retreat with reluctance; and as they were beaten back by the sun, still far below the eastern curve of the earth and further blockaded by giant mountain ranges also to the eastward, the clinging, gray morning mists of early Fall came to replace them. In the pallid light, a-swim with vapor, objects loomed gigantic and grotesque. The house which stood among the mists was of squared timbers, mortised and fitted..."
