History

"A superb work of natural history."

Booklist, starred review

"Steinmeyer's combination of enthusiasm and erudition is a joy."

Neil Gaiman, author of American Gods

"Not only a definitive account of the Donner tragedy, but also a book so gripping it can scarcely be put down."

Douglas Preston, New York Times

"Display[s] an enormous understanding of American history as well as a fine wit."

Publishers Weekly

"A grand and entertaining tour of New York’s underbelly in the 1950s."

James F. Wilson, author of Bulldaggers, Pansies, and Chocolate Babies

In 1611, William Shakespeare wrote The Tempest, which features the survivors of a shipwreck cast upon a remote island. The idea came from the real-life shipwreck of the Sea Venture, which was caught in a hurricane and grounded on the coast of Bermuda during a voyage to resupply Jamestown.

 “A witty and informative account of America’s much-loved national beverage. Dane Huckelbridge is the sage of sour-mash.”
John Baxter, author of The Perfect Meal

 In Wallis's compelling story of early adventurers, wisdom seekers, outlaws, and risk takers are lessons for everyone, whether they reside in Oklahoma or not. 

"Michael Wallis is the master frontier story teller."
Jim Lehrer, former PBS NewsHour anchor

"This book will greatly appeal to both political activists and readers interested in the history of social movements." 

Book News 

 The Wild West 365 is a day-by-day adventure that tells the stories of pioneers and cow boys, gold rushes and saloon shoot-outs in America’s Frontier.

Nolan's acclaimed debut is recognized today as a breakthrough work which completely revolutionized historical understanding ofNew Mexico's Lincoln County War.

"In the style of Will Rogers, Wallis gives a moving tribute to Oklahoma—its colorful history and inhabitants.”
Library Journal 

 "A streetcorner poet patriot, Pete Pavia, in a voice of the Rat Pack reborn, tells a story from America's past that illuminates the present."

Andrew Huebner, author of We Pierce

"This book will delight those looking to uncover their local roots as well as adventurers yearning for that American rite of passage—a cross-country road trip.”
Publishers Weekly 

"Doherty's well-told yarn reveals the impulses both noble and base underlying any colonial enterprise."

Kirkus Reviews 

"Runte’s railroad world is pumped full of life, and his style of writing breathes authenticity and empathy into each page.”
The Pacific Northwest Inlander 

 "Well researched… a powerful insight."
Herbert Barger, Jefferson family historian 

"Unlike any other book on Emmett Till, Simeon's Story gets to the heart of the tragedy and, more importantly, dispels the lies, myths, and distortions that have obscured the truth."
Keith Beauchamp, director of The Untold Story of Emmett Louis Till 

"Nolan provides a very readable and careful analysis of the conflict, adding significantly to the documentation available and to our knowledge of events."
Library Journal 

 "Over the decades, countless books have been written about the infamous outlaw, and this is surely one of the best.”
Publishers Weekly (Starred Review) 

Noted sports analyst Brock Yates remarkably chronicles the dramatic true story of the Chicago gangster behind the Indy 500.

"A slice of underground American and African-American history you're unlikely to read in any history book... recounts the club's adventures with humor, attitude, and most important, soul." 

Motorbooks 

"Inspiring combination of magical, theatrical and social history, performance and illusion theory and know-how, ingenious methodology and affection."

Anthony Owen, MagicWeek

"If you want to keep your illusions, go to Las Vegas. But for magic lovers who revel in learning the magician's art, this book—part research study, part salute—is a find."

Publishers Weekly

"A riveting portrait of an underrepresented archetype: the female con artist."

Elizabeth Greenwood, author of Playing Dead

"[Sanders] performs a mesmerizing feat of documentary artistry... a book of epic verse seamless and supple in its cadence, vivid in its language, sharp in its critique, and deeply moving in its elegiac feelings.”

Booklist (starred review)

"Offers a feast of juicy anecdotes and sharp analysis that should satisfy devotees and attract newcomers to the fold."

Eddie Dean, Wall Street Journal

"A fascinating look at chaotic times and a fitting tribute to a life cut brutally short.” 

Chronogram

“An excellent look at a band whose creative evolution was tragically cut short.” 

Booklist 

"The first complete, authoritative account of the career of Charles Manson. A terrifying book."

New York Times Book Review 

A rich, rousing gusher of a biography that captures the life and times of an American hero and the birth of the modern oil empire he created. 

“Evokes the fire of Redding.... Ribowsky tells the story with nonstop energy, while always probing for the larger social and musical pictures.” 

New York Times Book Review 

“Folsom does an admirable job capturing Hopper’s manic and spirited personality in prose.” 

Publishers Weekly

“[A] well-researched and entertaining take on Dracula’s origin story.” 

Publishers Weekly

"For readers who revel in old movies, stories about gangsters in double-breasted suits, and mid-century Los Angeles. Recommended." 

Library Journal 

"Delivering more than an outstanding biography of Public Enemy No. 1 during the 1930s, Wallis offers exceptional social and regional history as well."

Publishers Weekly

"Based on scores of interviews (including with Nelson himself), it's a lively, substantive account, closer to the treatment given a world-historical figure than a laid-back guitar picker... A fine book worthy of Willie."

Houston Chronicle 

"Gazes unflinchingly at its subject... Filled with poignant memories and amazing detail." 

Nashville Tennessean

"Barnes reconstructs and explains the Captain's creative processes… deftly balancing insightful critical analysis with biography."

Library Journal

"Detailed and passionate... [Sisk] uncovered so many fascinating facts that most writers would simply pass by or not even try to get because it takes work."  

Robert Hilburn, pop music critic for the Los Angeles Times

"An admirable attempt at capturing the excitement and power of Cash’s life and work, and the fact that [the book] maintains an objective and reliable tone should make it more and more indispensable as the years pass."

Douglas Heselgrave, The Music Box

Huey P. Newton remains one of the most misunderstood political figures of the twentieth century. This book intends to change that.

 "Steinmeyer is a gifted biographer, an elegant and unobtrusive author who shows us an entirely fascinating, shy, and witty man, a 20th-century original. This book is not to be missed." 

Library Journal 

Baldwin's Harlem is an intimate portrait of the life and genius of one of our most brilliant literary minds: James Baldwin.

"If Hank Bordowitz’s Bad Moon Rising isn't the saddest story in rock'n'roll... it certainly comes within kissing distance."  

USA Today 

“This long-awaited account of a hard rocking life cut short has real cult sleeper potential.” 

The Bookseller

 “Spitz concentrates on the complex evolution of Bowie’s music to deliver an evenhanded, critically thorough, while still reverential, life of the Thin White Duke.” 

Publishers Weekly 

"Fans of the magic arts will appreciate Steinmeyer's intimate and colorful portraits of craft."

Publishers Weekly

 “There is no greater expert on the history of stage magicians than Jim Steinmeyer. His deep knowledge of the subject, combined with a remarkable mastery of magical know-how, makes this book a smart, fantastic read. I can't recommend it enough!”

Neil Patrick Harris, actor from How I Met Your Mother

Published in time to mark the 40th anniversary of the Black Panther party, this book is an invaluable document of a little-known aspect of American history.

Epic, hilarious, and moving, The Other Hollywood contributes to the porn industry the one thing missing in all previous accounts: a vivid, tragicomic, irresistible humanity. 

"An extremely engaging, well researched and fascinating treatise bursting with intriguing ideas about war and gaming." 

BadLit 

 "Like McCarthy's Border Trilogy or Frazier's Cold Mountain, this is American literature at its best, full of art and beauty and the exploration of all that is good and bad in the human spirit." 

Kirkus (starred review)

"Unfolds with a rush in a time and place rarely visited by the average Western writer... Denmon takes the reader down a suspenseful trail to a near forgotten period in this rousing story of war, love and revenge." 

True West Magazine 

"Tales of Beatnik Glory is a history lesson, activist primer, and an innovative hybrid of both prose and poetry and fiction and memoir."

Brenda Coultas, Rain Taxi

"The spirit of old John Wayne movies is alive and well in this rough-and-tumble western." 

 Kirkus

"The author's quirky and manic style always engages... the reader."

Library Journal

"Like Momaday’sThe Way To Rainy Mountain, this book should be added to reading lists for students of American history."

Tony Hillerman, author of mystery novels about the Navajo Tribal Police

 "A collectible work of art." 

Nylon 

"I read this book for the first time when I was twelve years old. It made me want to be in showbiz, have a lot of sex, and be Jewish. I've rethought that last one."

Penn Jillette, half of team Teller and Penn

“Think of Spitz’s Poseur as the Life of rock memoirs, with less Stones and more typewriters. Spitz is a rare find: the self-aware bad boy, the articulate addict, the earnest punk, the wastoid with an excellent memory.” 

PopMatters

“If you've ever dreamed of being an outlaw, you might think each chapter of Riding on the Edge is a badass bedtime story for adults. But if anecdotes of beer drinking and womanizing don't appeal to your inner rebel, then the thought-provoking reflections of author John Hall might interest you.”

RoadRUNNER magazine 

"By turns engrossing, funny and surprisingly moving... The emotional power here emanates from Carradine’s joy in finally being given the opportunity to work at the top of his abilities with quality collaborators in an atmosphere of mutual respect."

Kirkus Reviews

 “Not your ordinary book… A peek at another side of America.”
Tulsa World 

“A series of vignettes that are sometimes funny, occasionally frightening, and typically littered with the names of The Famous and The Dead… a work that recalls with vivid and loving detail the haphazard glory of those wild, wild bygone times.”

PopMatters magazine

 “Impossible to put down... filled with priceless, often laugh-out-loud anecdotes... German is one of us... We identify with his every small victory... and feel some kind of personal rejection over his setbacks... a cautionary tale, but a hugely entertaining one.”

Montreal Gazette 

"Revolutionary Suicide, the autobiography of Huey P. Newton, is a fitting testament to the Black Panther Party for Self Defence."

Brian Richardson, International Socialis

"Harris follows the perspectives of a broad array of characters as they weave together over the decades, revealing a panoramic view of what bluegrass is all about.”
Pete “Dr. Banjo” Wernick, Grammy nominee

"Passionate, personal, and articulated from the lens of a masterful historian with a sharp interest in the topic... A book that feels immersive without being stuffy, authoritative without being dismissive, and historical without being boring.” 

UPROXX 

“Steven Blush’s new book provides a much-needed service, creating a forum for telling the story of New York Rock by those who made it happen.” 

Richard Barone, lead singer and songwriter for The Bongos 

"Having dedicated his life to chronicling the lives of some of the greatest musicians in the world, [Blush] has now turned his attention to commemorating those for whom the stars never quite aligned, and in doing so deconstructs the very meaning of fame." 

i-D magazine

 “This book doesn’t miss a beat. It’s the most authentic study of the ongoing Spirit of our music in recent memory.”

Rev. Goat Carson, American Indian elder and Grammy Award winner 

"The meat of the collection—the artists' conceptions of their work—remains fresh. Great stuff for what the Rastas might call conscious music collections."

Booklist

"Often hilarious, occasionally, ‘God, I wish I hadn’t read that!’, sometimes profound, sometimes heartbreaking, sometimes infuriating... no one holds back on any subject... you come away from this book with a crystal-clear vision of this world."

The Huffington Post

"From the early years of my career, and through everything I'm working on today, SPIN has been supportive of my music. Congratulations on 25 years as an important and unique publication."
Joan Jett of Joan Jett and the Blackhearts

 “A sweeping oral history likely to remain the definitive tome on the topic.” 

SF Chronicle

 From Elvis’s swiveling hips to Mick Jagger’s pouting lips, it’s all here—the people and events that have kept rock and roll vibrant, vital, and constantly evolving.  

"Anderson’s book does a solid job of navigating the details of grunge’s brief lifespan... [and] correctly argues that the grunge explosion paved the way for the greater phenomenon of 1990s alternative music."

Paste magazine

"Manning does a great job of collecting a diverse range of writers and musicians... his sequencing has the intuitive logic of a well considered set list. Though the book is chronological, the parallel movements of different musical eras are allowed to bump up against each other in fascinating ways."

Publishers Weekly

"A valuable resource for young listeners and adults who want to know their music; get it before emo goes the corporate way of 'alternative' rock."

Booklist

This twentieth-anniversary tribute celebrates the passion and fury of alternative music, with original essays, quotes, and photographs by contributors who are as hopelessly obsessed as you are. 

"Streissguth goes widescreen with this look at the social and musical ferment that produced the Seventies outlaw-country movement... He skillfully portrays Sixties Nashville's studio politics and their gradual loosening up, alongside a city where post-Sixties social change took its time arriving."

Rolling Stone 

 A revealing and insightful look at an often overlooked American woman.

"In a fresh perspective on Ruth's position in the pantheon of sport and American heroes, we are spared `gee-whiz' adulation and presented with meticulous research that stands on its own." 

Denver Post 

"It may well be Yates's best writing—forceful, colorful, opinionated, often funny, a history book that brings history alive through multiple deaths. Which is quite a trick. Against Death and Time is a must-have in any car enthusiast's library."

John Phillips, Car and Driver

 "With Baseball's Starry Night, Paul Kocak captures an unforgettable moment in time in powerful, passionate prose that will bring fans to their feet all over again." 

Greg Tobin, former editor-in-chief of Book-of-the-Month Club, Inc.