Run into the history of the Bull City! There is much history in the Bull City, and some of it can be found within these pages. How Bull Durham smoking tobacco put Durham, North Carolina, on the map. How a plastic cow and an oversized flag cut the city council down to size. How it felt to travel back in time at the Duke Homestead. How sportsman Al Mann and "Mom" Ruby Planck left indelible marks on their hometown. Journalist and local historian Jim Wise shows you that while Durham's stories are its own, readers may find the people, places and truths in them resonate with hometowns everywhere.
From Durham, North Carolina's start in the tobacco and textile industries, the stories of the history and evolution of the Bull City are fascinating and sometimes unexpected. From the Cigarette City to the City of Medicine, Durham has progressed from a country crossroad, famed for rum and rowdiness, to a prosperous metropolis, renowned for medical research and advanced technology. Recognized as a thriving point in North Carolina's Research Triangle, the city began along industrial and commercial networks as early as the seventeenth century, paving the way for famous beginnings in the distinctive tobacco and textile industries. From its roots in the agrarian Carolina backcountry to its foundation as a railroad stop, growth into a tobacco-based industrial area, and transformation into a coming-of-age city, the Bull City story is wrought with tales of coincidence, good fortune, and unexpected outcomes. Durham exists through quirk and happenstance, derived from a slave's drowsiness, a textile tycoon's authority, and the union of a widower and the county's loveliest girl. The developing city embodies the spirit of these unique beginnings. Starting long before North Carolina was established and extending to the present, Durham: A Bull City Story recounts the engaging, comprehensive history of an environmentally and culturally rich area of the state. A myriad of first-hand accounts allow the reader to mingle with Durham's residents throughout significant historical times.
Storyteller and author Adam Bushnell brings together stories from the rugged coastlines, limestone cliffs, remote moorland, pastoral dales and settled coalfields of County Durham. In this treasure trove of tales you will meet the evil fairies of Weardale, the shape-changing witch from Easington, the Bishop Auckland boar, the Dun Cow from Durham City and many other characters – all as fantastical and powerful as the landscape they inhabit. Retold in an engaging style, and richly illustrated with unique line drawings, these humorous, clever and enchanting folk tales are sure to be enjoyed and shared time and again.
Set sail on a thrilling journey to discover some of the most exciting tales of adventure afloat. There's every sort of vessel from majestic square rigger to humble homemade yacht. Journey around gale-whipped headlands and survive mountainous seas – or turn the page to discover the delights of cruising among the islands of a tropical paradise. The exploits of sailing's greatest names are recounted, along with an eclectic mix of tales that never made the headlines, yet make compelling reading. Discover a treasure trove of sailing stories from across centuries, and from the four corners of the globe. This is wonderful reading for anyone with a love of sailing and the sea.
LA TIMES BESTSELLER • From the award-winning screenwriter and director of cult classic Bull Durham, the extremely entertaining behind-the-scenes story of the making of the film, and an insightful primer on the art and business of moviemaking. "This book tells you how to make a movie—the whole nine innings of it—out of nothing but sheer will.” —Tony Gilroy, writer/director of Michael Clayton and The Bourne Legacy "The only church that truly feeds the soul, day in, day out, is the church of baseball."—Annie in Bull Durham Bull Durham, the breakthrough 1988 film about a minor league baseball team, is widely revered as the best sports movie of all time. But back in 1987, Ron Shelton was a first-time director and no one was willing to finance a movie about baseball—especially a story set in the minors. The jury was still out on Kevin Costner’s leading-man potential, while Susan Sarandon was already a has-been. There were doubts. But something miraculous happened, and The Church of Baseball attempts to capture why. From organizing a baseball camp for the actors and rewriting key scenes while on set, to dealing with a short production schedule and overcoming the challenge of filming the sport, Shelton brings to life the making of this beloved American movie. Shelton explains the rarely revealed ins and outs of moviemaking, from a film’s inception and financing, screenwriting, casting, the nuts and bolts of directing, the postproduction process, and even through its release. But this is also a book about baseball and its singular romance in the world of sports. Shelton spent six years in the minor leagues before making this film, and his experiences resonate throughout this book. Full of wry humor and insight, The Church of Baseball tells the remarkable story behind an iconic film.
Still Moving is the memoir of a risk-taking, free-spirited woman whose curiosity and daring accompanied her through decades of successes and failures in her personal, family, business, and travel adventures at home and around the world. As a New York Playboy Bunny, an off-the-grid Hippie in the wilds of New Mexico, an internationally recognized contemporary art dealer for 33 years, and a solo world traveler over a lifetime, Linda Durham shares raw and humorous episodes of her courageous life in a storytelling manner that is both brave and disarming.
This epic retelling of the legendary Carthaginian military leader’s assault on the Roman empire begins in Ancient Spain, where Hannibal Barca sets out with tens of thousands of soldiers and 30 elephants. After conquering the Roman city of Saguntum, Hannibal wages his campaign through the outposts of the empire, shrewdly befriending peoples disillusioned by Rome and, with dazzling tactics, outwitting the opponents who believe the land route he has chosen is impossible. Yet Hannibal’s armies must take brutal losses as they pass through the Pyrenees mountains, forge the Rhone river, and make a winter crossing of the Alps before descending to the great tests at Cannae and Rome itself. David Anthony Durham draws a brilliant and complex Hannibal out of the scant historical record–sharp, sure-footed, as nimble among rivals as on the battlefield, yet one who misses his family and longs to see his son grow to manhood. Whether portraying the deliberations of a general or the calculations of a common soldier, vast multilayered scenes of battle or moments of introspection when loss seems imminent, Durham brings history alive.
County Durham has a long history and a fascinating folklore. These are some tales of drama and enchantment drawn from that rich treasury. Who was the lovestruck, tragic girl who penned the original song Bonny Bobby Shafto? What made the poor and rejected John Duck turn back to Durham, where he made a fortune and became a celebrated mayor of the city? Why was the rector of Sedgefield's body pickled and kept in the living room for a fortnight after he died?
Everyone has wanted their favorite book to be real, if only for a moment. Everyone has wished to meet their favorite characters, if only for a day. But be careful in that wish, for even a history laid in ink can be repaid in flesh and blood, and reality is far deadlier than fiction . . . especially on Addington Isle. Winterset Hollow follows a group of friends to the place that inspired their favorite book-a timeless tale about a tribe of animals preparing for their yearly end-of-summer festival. But after a series of shocking discoveries, they find that much of what the world believes to be fiction is actually fact, and that the truth behind their beloved story is darker and more dangerous than they ever imagined. It's Barley Day . . . and you're invited to the hunt. Winterset Hollow is as thrilling as it is terrifying and as smart as it is surprising. A uniquely original story filled with properly unexpected twists and turns, Winterset Hollow delivers complex, indelible characters and pulse- pounding action as it storms toward an unforgettable climax that will leave you reeling. How do you celebrate Barley Day? You run, friend. You run. Jonathan Edward Durham was born near Philadelphia in one of many rust-belt communities where he read voraciously throughout his youth. After attending the College of William & Mary, where he received a degree in neuroscience, Jonathan waded into the professional world before deciding he was better suited for more artistic pursuits. He now lives in California where he writes to bring a unique voice to the space between the timeless wonder of his favorite childhood stories and the pop sensibilities of his adolescent literary indulgences.
