The Secret History of Balls

The Secret History of Balls PDF

Author: Josh Chetwynd

Publisher: Penguin

Published: 2011-05-03

Total Pages: 217

ISBN-13: 1101514876

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You may fancy yourself a sports fan, but chances are you don't know: A fish eyeball was used as the center of some nineteenth-century baseballs The race to make better billiard balls led to the invention of plastics The Nerf ball was originally created to be part of a board game featuring cavemen Balls are the unsung heroes of sports. They are smacked, flung, dribbled, crushed, thrown, and kicked. They're usually only the subject of scrutiny when something goes wrong: a tear, the application of an illegal foreign substance, or a dent from overuse. Nevertheless, if you're watching nearly any major sporting event from around the world, you're likely following the ball wondering where it will go next... The Secret History of Balls mines the stories and lore of sports and recreation to offer insight into 60 balls-whether they're hollow, solid, full of air, or stuffed with twine or made of leather, metal, rubber, plastic, or polyurethane-that give us joy on playing fields and in every arena from backyards to stadiums around the globe.

The Secret History of Balls

The Secret History of Balls PDF

Author: Josh Chetwynd

Publisher: National Geographic Books

Published: 2011-05-03

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 0399536744

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You may fancy yourself a sports fan, but chances are you don't know: A fish eyeball was used as the center of some nineteenth-century baseballs The race to make better billiard balls led to the invention of plastics The Nerf ball was originally created to be part of a board game featuring cavemen Balls are the unsung heroes of sports. They are smacked, flung, dribbled, crushed, thrown, and kicked. They're usually only the subject of scrutiny when something goes wrong: a tear, the application of an illegal foreign substance, or a dent from overuse. Nevertheless, if you're watching nearly any major sporting event from around the world, you're likely following the ball wondering where it will go next... The Secret History of Balls mines the stories and lore of sports and recreation to offer insight into 60 balls-whether they're hollow, solid, full of air, or stuffed with twine or made of leather, metal, rubber, plastic, or polyurethane-that give us joy on playing fields and in every arena from backyards to stadiums around the globe.

Rubber Balls and Liquor

Rubber Balls and Liquor PDF

Author: Gilbert Gottfried

Publisher: St. Martin's Press

Published: 2011-04-26

Total Pages: 288

ISBN-13: 9781429978569

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Nobody ever reads this part of the book. Somebody at the publishing house explained to me that it's actually called the book flap. That sounded dirty, so I giggled for three hours. But it says in my contract that I have to write something over here in this tiny space, even though I don't think anyone will notice. Some people might open up to the middle of the book and start flipping through pages, but nobody will read this part. In fact, I'll bet anything that you're not reading this part now. And if it turns out that you are . . . well, the guy in the bookstore is probably staring at you, saying, "Stop reading that book!" I guess there's a reason bookstores are going out of business, left and right. Cheap fucks like you think it's okay to stand in the aisles and read to your heart's content. So for the sake of bookstores everywhere, buy this fucking book. I myself don't care. I only care about the poor working man. Oh, and the sanctity of the written word. I care about that, too. And in my case, those written words, of course, include fuck, dick, and pussy.

Sixty-six Frames

Sixty-six Frames PDF

Author: Gordon Ball

Publisher:

Published: 1999

Total Pages: 302

ISBN-13:

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'66 Frames chronicles encounters with Timothy Leary, Allen Ginsberg and many others as - in the words of Lawrence Ferlinghetti - "the young Southern innocent sets forth in all his whiteness to find himself among visionary New York poets and other flaming creatures." Gordon Ball offers a swirl of sixties life - working as assistant to film pioneer Jonas Mekas in his Third Avenue loft; visits with Andy Warhol at his Factory; antiwar marches - in a journey through the decade that took visual imagery outside the box, beyond the frame.

The Season: A Social History of the Debutante

The Season: A Social History of the Debutante PDF

Author: Kristen Richardson

Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company

Published: 2019-11-19

Total Pages: 304

ISBN-13: 0393608743

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A Smithsonian Best History Book of 2019 “Sparkling.” —Genevieve Valentine, NPR Kristen Richardson traces the social seasons of debutantes on both sides of the Atlantic, sharing their stories in their own words, through diaries, letters, and interviews conducted at contemporary balls. Richardson takes the reader from Georgian England to colonial Philadelphia, from the Antebellum South and Wharton’s New York to the reimagined rituals of African American communities. Originally conceived as a way to wed daughters to suitable men, debutante rituals have adapted and evolved as marriage and women’s lives have changed. An inquiry into the ritual’s enduring cultural significance, The Season also reveals the complex emotional world of the girls at its center, whose every move was scrutinized and judged, and on whose backs family fortunes rested.

The Black Ball

The Black Ball PDF

Author: Simon Lovell

Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform

Published: 2018-08-27

Total Pages: 120

ISBN-13: 9781725961289

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Imagine if you could reach new levels of happiness and joy; releasing years of shame, guilt and stress from your life. Are you ready for a spiritual awakening and to start fully living life? You may be holding onto a Black Ball. After childhood bullying, debt, alcohol, gambling and drugs, business mentor Simon Lovell went on a huge journey into self-help and personal transformation, but still found himself lost after invested hundreds of thousands of dollars. He was living a double life. Finally, in 2018 he experienced a profound spiritual awakening that was captured live on Facebook, releasing 30 years of shame from a secret that he was holding deep inside. This was his 'Black Ball'. It was raw, emotional and impactful to everyone watching. Suicide is both a major mental health and national public health issue around the globe with rates rising sharply. A person dies every 40 seconds by suicide and up to 25 times as many again make an attempt to take their life. The Black Ball is Simon's journey, as well as a series of courageous stories from people around the world who have released their shame and guilt and are living happier lives through the groundbreaking Black Ball process. Simon also reveals a powerful four step process to letting go and living your best life possible. Simon writes, "It was finally when I was willing to let go of the masks I was wearing and stop playing the character of Simon Lovell that everything changed. Now I understand personal transformation at a much deeper level because I've found 'home', the real Simon Lovell. Now it's my mission to help others release their Black Ball and for them to be 100% okay with the story of their life. Are you ready to reach huge levels of happiness? This book is for anyone who is currently feeling helpless, lost and wants to boost their self-esteem with a motivational message as well as simple action steps to change. It's also for those who are currently on their personal transformation and self-help journey and want to boost their spiritual growth.

The Secret History of Mac Gaming

The Secret History of Mac Gaming PDF

Author: Richard Moss

Publisher: Unbound Publishing

Published: 2018-03-22

Total Pages: 566

ISBN-13: 1783524871

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The Macintosh challenged games to be more than child’s play and quick reflexes. It made human–computer interaction friendly, inviting, and intuitive. Mac gaming led to much that is now taken for granted by PC gamers and spawned some of the biggest franchises in video game history. It allowed anyone to create games and playful software with ease, and gave indie developers a home for their products. It welcomed strange ideas and encouraged experimentation. It fostered passionate and creative communities who inspired and challenged developers to do better and to follow the Mac mantra ‘think different’. Drawing on archive material and interviews with key figures from the era – and featuring new material from Craig Fryar, Apple’s first Mac games evangelist and the co-creator of hit game Spectre – The Secret History of Mac Gaming is the story of those communities and the game developers who survived and thrived in an ecosystem that was serially ignored by the outside world. It’s a book about people who followed their hearts first and market trends second, showing how clever, quirky, and downright wonderful video games could be.

Baseball in the Garden of Eden

Baseball in the Garden of Eden PDF

Author: John Thorn

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Published: 2012-03-20

Total Pages: 386

ISBN-13: 0743294041

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Think you know how the game of baseball began? Think again. Forget Abner Doubleday and Cooperstown. Did baseball even have a father--or did it just evolve from other bat-and-ball games? John Thorn, baseball's preeminent historian, examines the creation story of the game and finds it all to be a gigantic lie. From its earliest days baseball was a vehicle for gambling, a proxy form of class warfare. Thorn traces the rise of the New York version of the game over other variations popular in Massachusetts and Philadelphia. He shows how the sport's increasing popularity in the early decades of the nineteenth century mirrored the migration of young men from farms and small towns to cities, especially New York. Full of heroes, scoundrels, and dupes, this book tells the story of nineteenth-century America, a land of opportunity and limitation, of glory and greed--all present in the wondrous alloy that is our nation and its pastime.--From publisher description.

The Secret History of Christmas Baking

The Secret History of Christmas Baking PDF

Author: Linda Raedisch

Publisher: Llewellyn Worldwide

Published: 2023-09-08

Total Pages: 213

ISBN-13: 073877250X

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Explore the Surprising and Sometimes Dark Origins of Beloved Holiday Bakes Spice up your season by rolling, molding, and kneading your way through some of the world's most iconic Christmas recipes. Interspersed with tales of sailors, saints, tomb raiders, and artisans, The Secret History of Christmas Baking proves that even the humblest holiday treat has a global backstory. Did you know that the ancient Egyptians had their own version of gingerbread or that marzipan was once considered a pharmaceutical? Linda Raedisch dispels some long-standing culinary myths and delves into the darker chapters of the West's centuries-long romance?with sugar and spices. In addition to more than forty recipes for modern bakers, you'll find illustrated instructions for dressing up your cakes and cookie plates with paper stars, angels, and witches. From Linzer tartlets to Christstollen, you can turn your kitchen into an Old World Christmas market stall.