Books published by Rowman & Littlefield

Since the day several hundred years ago that a Scottish shepherd first struck a rock with a shillelagh, perhaps no single athletic pursuit has brought man more joy and frustration, more fulfillment and utter despair, than the game of golf. It has been said by many that it is a microcosm of life itself-a beautiful game which tests the mind, body, and spirit. And as a testament to that, there is no shortage of inspired writing on the topic, as golf has long caught the interest and imagination of some of the world's finest and most celebrated writers.In Great American Golf Stories, editor Jeff Silverman collects some of the best classic writings, both fact and realistic fiction, that reflect the rich history, tradition, agony, and ecstasy of one of our most enduring and endearing pastimes.

The newspaper advertisement for volunteers to accompany Ernest Shackleton on his planned traverse of Antarctica in 1914 was frank in its offering."Men wanted for hazardous journey. Low wages, bitter cold, long hours of complete darkness. Safe return doubtful. Honour and recognition in event of success."Still, hundreds applied. There were few chances left to be the first to reach the last challenge on Earth.As the 20th Century came of age, explorers had uncovered most of the world's mysteries, sailing to the far corners of the globe, ascending many of its most forbidding peaks, crossing its greatest deserts and penetrating its thickest jungles.Frozen, alien, inhospitable, dangerous, and close to impossible to reach, there were only two tiny dots on the globe that human beings had not yet set foot on-the North and South Poles.The Greatest Polar Exploration Stories Ever Told is a visceral, exciting and stunning collection of twelve stories recounting the bravery, resoluteness, and strength of the men who willingly traversed frozen hells to be the first to reach the North or South Pole. It is a collection that will both inspire and inform-and answer questions about the limits of human endurance.Many men would die during their challenging, frozen journeys, and their deaths were not pleasant. Yet they continued to try again.Here are stories, wrought by the challenging landscape and weather, that made these explorers household names and heroes: Peary, Scott, Amundsen, Shackleton, Franklin, Cherry-Garrard, Scott, Kane, Cook-and others lost to history whose bravery was nonetheless as admirable.Each of these men knew success would bring glory for their countries and financial security and fame and eminent places in history for themselves. Each knew also the odds of success were slim and the chance of dying great.Nations held their collective breaths for news of each expedition and those years later were termed the Heroic Age of Exploration-there were simply no other endeavors that captured the world's attention the various races to the poles. The Greatest Polar Exploration Stories Ever Told recaptures the spirit, drama, and tragedy of a time in history that will never come again.

Sin City Gangsters: The Rise and Decline of the Mob in Las Vegas is a fast-paced account of how the mob created and controlled Las Vegas. It contains accounts of how the most powerful mobsters in the country built, bought, and controlled not only gambling casinos in Vegas, but also many important politicians, who did the mob's bidding. Some of the more notorious mobsters were Bugsy Siegel, Meyer Lansky, Moe Dalitz, Sam Giancana, Tony Accardo, and Nick Civella, as well as the men they chose to carry out their plans, such as Tony Spilotro, Lefty Rosenthal, and Donald Angelini. Sin City Gangsters devotes a chapter to Jimmy Hoffa, and how the Teamsters Pension Fund financed the mob's casinos. The book also offers fascinating accounts of the roles of Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley in Vegas. Another chapter is devoted to Howard Hughes, who arrived in the dead of night in a sealed, germ-free railroad car and did not leave his suite at the Desert Inn for years. During that time he bought one casino after another as if playing Monopoly. Following his exit and that of the mob, Vegas became the domain of Jay Sarno, Kirk Kerkorian, Steve Wynn, and Sheldon Adelson. They were visionaries who transformed Vegas into the entertainment capital of the world by building billion-dollars-plus resorts and hiring the most popular contemporary entertainers. Sin City Gangsters is the only book that charts Vegas from the first modest mob-owned casinos to the present billion-dollar-resorts; its cast of characters is an assembly of exceedingly ambitious risk takers who let nothing stand in their way of turning their dreams into stunning realities.

For over four centuries, California has been an ever-changing landscape of innovation and revolution, triumph and tragedy. In Fascinating True Tales from Old California, author Colleen Adair Fliedner mines the history of the Golden State to collect more than fifty tales of famous Californians and their escapades from 1542 through 1940. For many, like James Lick, Leland Stanford, and John Downey, California was a place to strike it rich. Others sought freedom and a new beginning, including Chinese immigrants and African Americans, like philanthropist and freed slave, Biddy Mason. And still some characters just wanted to live their lives outside of society's rules, like swindler James Reavis or the cross-dressing stagecoach driver, Charley Parkhurst. Readers will be entertained and enlightened as they take a trip through California's colorful past.

The first-hand account of life as a surfman by one of the most skilled boat handlers in the Coast Guard at one of the USCG¿s most dangerous stations, Cape Disappointment in the state of Washington.

The Last Wild Road is a raucous, gripping, sometimes terrifying, often hilarious, and deeply meditative journey through the heart of the outdoors in the modern world. Collected from more than 20 years of hunting and fishing cover stories, columns, and adventure tales written by T. Edward Nickens for Field & Stream, this book is a road trip that takes in a huge sweep of the North American landscape¿blackwater rivers in the wilds of eastern North Carolina, deserts and prairies of the American West, remote tundra of northern Canada, and the wildest rivers of Alaska. Along every rutted road and rough trail, with a rod, gun, and pen, Nickens meets unforgettable characters¿old French-speaking Cajuns at Louisiana squirrel camps, a one-armed fly-tyer in the ancient Appalachians, Pennsylvania brothers who lost their father in a hunting accident decades ago and return to the scene for a powerful, poignant encounter with history. He explores remote wilderness waters to chase trout and ducks, but finds rich meaning, too, in the familiar and close-to-home: fishing with his children, plumbing the forests of local farms, and butchering deer in his basement as a thanksgiving for the gifts of the outdoors.When it comes to hunting and fishing, writing often falls into the categories of where-to-go, the how-do-it, and the-what-to-bring. This book embarks on the question of ¿why.¿ Why does the pursuit of game and fish, and the travel to the wild places where they thrive, bring meaning and clarity to living in the modern world? Why do we laugh more, and live more deeply, far from the sidewalk? If yoüve ever felt that way, yoüll find yourself in The Last Wild Road.

The Greatest Escape: A True American Civil War Adventure tells the story of the largest prison breakout in U.S. history. It took place during the Civil War, when more than 1200 Yankee officers were jammed into Libby, a special prison considered escape-proof, in the Confederate capitol of Richmond, Virginia. A small group of men, obsessed with escape, mapped out an elaborate plan and one cold and clear night, 109 men dug their way to freedom. Freezing, starving, clad in rags, they had to still travel 40 miles to Yankee lines and safety. They were pursued by all the white people in the area, but every Black person they encountered was their friend. In every instance, slaves risked their lives to help these Yankees, and their journey was aided by a female-led Union spy network.Since all the escapees were officers, they all could read and write well. Over 50 of them would publish riveting accounts of their adventures. This is the first book to weave together these contemporary accounts into a true-to-life narrative. Much like a Ken Burns documentary, this book uses the actual words the prisoners recorded more than 150 years ago, as found in their many diaries and journals.

This book is a study of the New Testament interpretations of Jesus' death as a sacrifice. Scott Shauf shows that such interpretations are not limited to the idea of atonement but serve in multiple ways to relate Jesus' death to early Christian identity and practice.

Like other megacities, Los Angeles is a crossroads of migrating communities who are motivated or sustained by a faith that is also challenged in the encounter with others. Using sociological, missiological, and theological methods, the contributors examine the migrant landscape of Southern California-its injustices, innovations, and global impact.

This book brings together scholars from various disciplines to think alongside Black Mirror with resources from the Christian tradition, discerning what the show and theology can teach us about how to live faithfully in a technocratic age.

Mark J. Cartledge argues that the church is called to be truthful with love in the public spheres of society. It does this by being empowered by the Holy Spirit to engage critically and graciously for the sake of the common good.

Drawing upon an incredible range of cutting-edge science, real-life examples, and personal experience, Simon Roberts explores the complexity of even the simplest of tasks that humans perform every day and explains how, with a greater awareness of the processes at work, we can tap into our full potential and excel in any area of our lives.

This innovative text offers a clear and concise introduction to Latin America since independence. Thomas C. Wright traces continuity and change in five colonial legacies, showing how crucial they have been in shaping contemporary political systems, economies, societies, and religious institutions in a richly diverse region.

A Failed System is designed to bring the current system of education out of the dark ages by way of a new structure that puts students on an even playing field. The solutions offered entail a new system and philosophy of education along with a curriculum that takes students beyond the classroom onto their pathway to success.

Ethics Bowl espouses a new way to engage in discussions about complex ethical issues.

Ethics Bowl espouses a new way to engage in discussions about complex ethical issues.

There are ancient treasures hidden across the American Southwest. Tucked away in remote canyons are hundreds of ruins, cultural treasures that provide a wealth of information about the past-and most people never visit them. This fully updated and revised edition of Hiking Ruins Seldom Seen is your ticket to these enchanted sites. Bruce Grubbs leads hikers of all abilities on day hikes and overnight trips to some of the most spectacular areas of the Southwest.