Books published by Blue Bike Books

For everything cowboy and Wild West, look no further. The Cowboy Way is a tribute to the classic image of old-time lore and its influence on popular culture. You thought that you knew cowboys, but did you know: - The cowboy can trace his roots back to the Spanish vaquero traditions of Mexico - Cowboys are credited for offering such folkloric wisdom as: "Always saddle your own horse" and "Never trust a man who agrees with you - he's probably wrong" - Annie Oakley was likely America's first superstar; she was a sharpshooter who became famous for her role in Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show

Valentine's Day is celebrated in many countries around the world, but how was it first celebrated? What are some of the traditions and celebrations around Valentine's Day? Discover traditions, old and new, and events surrounding this special day in Everything Valentine: - Originally, Valentine's Day was a Christian saints day named for Saint Valentine who was imprisoned for performing wedding for soldiers who were forbidden to marry - In the 18th century, the day became associated with romance when lovers expressed their feelings for each other by sending flowers, offering candy, and sending greeting cards, known as "valentines" - On Valentine's Day 2000, Pfizer, the producer of Viagra, funded an impotence awareness day in Britain - In 2011, Iran banned Valentine cards, gifts, teddy bears and other Valentine tokens as part of an Islamic republic backlash against the spread of Western culture - On Valentine's Day 2010, 39,897 people in Mexico City broke the record for the world's largest group kiss - In Japan, only women give gifts to men on Valentine's Day to their partners and also to male co-workers - Alabama state law prohibits the purchase of sex toys on Valentine's Day - Valentine's Day is banned in Saudi Arabia - In eastern England, it was formerly believed that Valentine's Day was a good time for the preparation of eels for the purposes of magic - In San Francisco, Quirkyalone Day is celebrated on February 14 as an anti-Valentine's Day - Singer Janis Ian received 461 Valentine's Day cards in 1977 after confessing in her song At Seventeen that she had never received one.

The American Civil War pitted brother against brother and tore the country in two, but out of the ashes rose the foundations of our modern-day nation. bolotin brings you the Civil War stories you never learned about in school.

Chocolate. Seductive, decadent and sinfully delicious. The pages of this book are dripping with an assortment of facts, trivia and history about the world's favorite indulgence: * Dark chocolate contains four times the antioxidants of green tea and six times what is found in blueberries; raw cacao has even more * Chocolate also contains theobromine, a gentle, non-addictive stimulant; it provides energy and increases alertness and concentration without the jitters * The Germans lead the world in chocolate consumption per capita, enjoying 24.5 pounds per person each year, compared to Canada at 8.58 and the U.S. at 12.27 * The cacao tree, a sacred plant to the Mayans, was believed to have been delivered to humans by the gods; they used the beans as currency * Because the Mars family dislikes peanut butter, Mars Inc. does not use it in any of its products * The U.S. has about 60 chocolate-related food holidays, including National Chocolate Brownie Day on December 18 and National Rocky Road Ice Cream Day on June 2 * Bugs are a typical ingredient in chocolate with an average of 80 bug fragments per 100 grams * Every Russian and American space voyage has included chocolate bars * AND...Indulge in mouth-watering recipes, useful tips and intriguing morsels.