Featured in Rolling Stone! The behind-the-scenes battle for the Rock Hall.For 25 years, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has defined Cleveland's image as the "Rock and Roll Capital of the World." But while the Rock Hall has become an iconic landmark for the city of Cleveland and for fans of rock and roll around the world, it was just one missed phone call away from never being built in Cleveland. If the prominent singer and actress Leslie Gore hadn't contacted radio personality Norm N. Nite in August 1983, the Hall of Fame would not be in Cleveland-period. Earlier that summer, Gore had learned that the newly formed Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation was looking for a city to house their planned museum honoring the history of rock. Gore knew that a year earlier, Nite had pitched an idea for a similar museum, so she reached out to let him know that other figures in the music industry were working to turn his dream into a reality. Nite immediately joined the project's Rules and Nominating Committee and spearheaded the campaign to bring the museum to Cleveland. At the time, the search committee was considering several other cities, including Memphis, Detroit, and New York, but Nite argued that the city's deep historical connection to rock music through Alan Freed and the Moondog Coronation Ball made Cleveland the perfect location. He began lobbying local and state politicians, fundraising with music moguls and civic leaders, and promoting the museum to the broader Cleveland public. As fans got involved, especially with their overwhelming response to a USA Today phone poll, Nite's campaign to bring the Hall to Cleveland was ultimately successful. This book, told from Nite's insider perspective, draws on both first-person accounts and exclusive interviews with influential business leaders, government officials, and giants of the music industry. A detailed record of the Rock Hall's inception and creation, The House That Rock Built becomes a true tribute to the people who made it happen-through Herculean efforts-and to the music it celebrates.

Pure salt water courses through Nick Ardley's veins: he was brought up on a Thames spritsail barge and 'sailed' the high seas on ocean going ships. For many years he's weaved his way through the Thames estuary's tidal creeks and rivers, mostly aboard his clinker sloop, exploring, noting and investigating, with his mate beside him.The estuary of the Thames is a world of constant flux. It is an artery of modern commerce and archaeology of past industry peppers its rivers and creeks. Flooded islands have become the domain of myriads of birds, nesting on hummocks of saltings and feeding on mud flats. Rotting wharves festooned with bladder wrack alive with life, the time worn ribs of barges the perch for cormorants. Around all of that, man has created new uses for disused lime, cement and brick docks. Boatyards, marinas and waterside housing have emerged like a water born phoenix from industrial ashes.Wending in and out of this, Nick Ardley weaves his magic, commenting.Beneath Whimbrel's swinging lamp he muses about old souls, the relationship of humble spritsail barge and shoal draft yachts, but all along he is alive with enthusiasm for the environment in this little corner of England...

A compendium of fascinating information about Cornwall past and present, this book contains a plethora of entertaining facts about the county's famous and occasionally infamous men and women, its towns and countryside, history, natural history, literary, artistic and sporting achievements, agriculture, transport, industry and royal visits. A reference book and a quirky guide, this can be dipped in to time and time again to reveal something new about the people, the heritage, the secrets and the enduring fascination of the county. A remarkably engaging little book, this is essential reading for visitors and locals alike. Did You Know? In British law no officer or agent of the Crown, which includes both Westminster and the Anglican Church, can legally set foot upon Cornish soil without the express and joint permissions of the Duke of Cornwall and Cornwall's Stannary Parliament. Dolly Pentreath (c. 1680-1777), is popularly regarded as the last true speaker of the Cornish language and her last words were reputedly 'Me ne vidn cewsel Sawznek!' ('I don't want to speak English!'). Penzance boasts the county's only officially designated promenade, which extends for just over a mile from the town harbour to Newlyn. Founded in 1860 Warrens Bakery, a family-owned chain based in St Just in Penwith, supplies pasties to Fortnum & Mason. Cornwall's flag is that of St Piran and shows a white cross which represents molten tin oozing out of a black rock which Piran used when building his fireplace.

According to legend, Dundrum dates back to the seventh century, when St Nahi founded his monastery here, and for centuries it remained a rural village on the edge of Dublin. However, large-scale housing developments in the last fifty years and retail advances in the last decade have led to extensive changes in the character and makeup of the area. Local historian and author Hugh Oram explores its history by contrasting forty-five archive images with modern photographs taken by Vincent Clarke. Accompanied by detailed and informative captions, each page provides a vibrant and important record of the changing face of Dundrum.

The West Virginia University Mountaineer is not just a mascot: it is a symbol of West Virginia history and identity embraced throughout the state. In this deeply informed but accessible study, folklorist Rosemary Hathaway explores the figure's early history as a backwoods trickster, its deployment in emerging mass media, and finally its long and sometimes conflicted career - beginning officially in 1937 - as the symbol of West Virginia University. Alternately a rabble-rouser and a romantic embodiment of the state's history, the Mountaineer has been subject to ongoing reinterpretation while consistently conveying the value of independence. Hathaway's account draws on multiple sources, including archival research, personal history, and interviews with former students who have portrayed the mascot, to explore the complex forces and tensions animating the Mountaineer figure. Often serving as a focus for white, masculinist, and Appalachian identities in particular, the Mountaineer that emerges from this study is something distinct from the hillbilly. Frontiersman and rebel both, the Mountaineer figure traditionally and energetically resists attempts (even those by the University) to tame or contain it.

Wales' history is packed with peculiar customs and curious characters. Here you will discover alien landscapes, ancient druids and a Victorian ghost hunter. Find out why revellers would carry a decorated horse's skull on a pole door to door at Christmastime, how an eccentric inventor hoped to defeat Hitler with his futuristic ray gun, and why a cursed wall is protected by a global corporation for fear it might destroy a town. From the folklore surrounding the red dragon on the flag, to the evolution of the song 'Sosban Fach', this compendium of weird and wonderful facts will surprise and delight even the most knowledgeable resident or visitor.

Ronnie Earle was a Texas legend. During his three decades as the district attorney responsible for Austin and surrounding Travis County, he prosecuted corrupt corporate executives and state officials, including the notorious US congressman Tom DeLay. But Earle maintained that the biggest case of his career was the one involving Frank Hughey Smith, the ex-convict millionaire, alleged criminal mastermind, and Dixie Mafia figure. With the help of corrupt local authorities, Smith spent the 1970s building a criminal empire in auto salvage and bail bonds. But there was one problem: a rival in the salvage business threatened his dominance. Smith hired arsonists to destroy the rival; when they botched the job, he sent three gunmen, but the robbery they planned was a bloody fiasco. Investigators were convinced that Smith was guilty, but many were skeptical that the newly elected and inexperienced Earle could get a conviction. Amid the courtroom drama and underworld plots the book describes, Willie Nelson makes a cameo. So do the private eyes, hired guns, and madams who kept Austin not only weird but also riddled with vice. An extraordinary true story, Last Gangster in Austin paints an unusual picture of the Texas capital as a place that was wild, wonderful, and as crooked as the dirt road to paradise.

Mention Staffordshire to most people and they immediately think of a county dominated by heavy industry. While it certainly has a rich industrial heritage - with the Potteries in the north and the iron ore, limestone and coal of the Black Country in the south - there are many more treasures to discover. This north Midlands county has a wealth of natural beauty; sweeping hills and valleys shape its magnificent landscape, which includes moorland, heathland and the Staffordshire Peak District. In this book, professional photographer Noel Bennett captures Staffordshire's diverse and dramatic landscapes. From the cities of Lichfield, Stoke-on-Trent and Stafford to the scenic villages, and the industrial heritage to the breathtaking countryside, Staffordshire in Photographs is an exceptional portrait of the county by a photographer who knows it well. Readers will discover the endless variety of scenery, the hidden delights and the well-loved places that make Staffordshire special.

Volume Eight begins with a family holiday, probably the only time in which the whole family, including grandchildren, spent a long time together (May-June 1846). The destination was the Isle of Wight where they had an enjoyable sojourn of five weeks, although Margaret's poor health precluded her doing much walking. Much of the volume covers property matters and the Hunt Trust. The summer of 1847 did not include a holiday, but as a substitute, Francis and Margaret spent nine days with the Hunt family in Stoke Doyle, Northamptonshire, and of course much Trust business was discussed. The following year saw their holiday, with a four-week break in North Wales. From 1848 onwards Margaret's health went into a severe decline. Missing diaries result in us knowing little of what happened between November 1848 and December 1849, but from that point onwards Margaret became bed-bound and by the end of this volume she was lying at death's door. Volume Eight is interesting for depth of detail. The Irish Potato Famine is covered, although not in as much detail as one may have imagined.There is also the say news of the death of Frederick Howell, in South Africa, killed in a conflict with Hottentots. Frederick was the eldest son of Thomas Howell, Francis Witt's closest friend.

Doncaster thrived during the Georgian period, and continued to grow as a railway town in the nineteenth century. As a consequence, it can boast a rich architectural history, the influence of which can still be seen and appreciated in the fabric of the Doncaster of the modern day. Geoffrey Howse's comparisons between archive images of the Doncaster of decades past and modern photographs of the same scenes today beautifully illustrates the changing face of this historic city, as well as the changes in society, transport and fashions.

Family and Local Historians frequently encounter the challenge posed by the writing, and sometimes the translation, of the records which might most enable them to make further progress with their research. Many pamphlets, booklets and even books have been produced over the past century to help with old handwriting and abbreviations, but this new work, written by an author who has for years run courses on the subject, is the most practical and comprehensive yet for family and local historians. Based on some fifty facsimile reproductions of documents of graduated difficulty, culled from many useful sources, it provides transcripts, and translations where appropriate, together with advice on methods of transcribing. The alphabet, with commentary, of the numerous types of letter to be found in the examples (many being in the secretary and court hands which so often cause problems), and illustrations of forms of abbreviation will greatly help to unravel the difficulties of reading. Many documents before 1733 were written in Latin and the author includes an outline of the differences between classical and medieval usage and a vocabulary to cover the section in Latin. There are examples, from the 1400s to the 1700s, of a wide range of hands found in the most usual categories of record used by family historians, such as parish registers, wills and court rolls, and in many others which disclose helpful information on families and localities. Those who use this book will not need to be persuaded of the great enjoyment to be derived from pursuing research into family or local history and the pleasures of piecing together evidence to throw new light on old times. They may also find great enjoyment in the deciphering of documents, the means to that end. For the solitary searcher or a member of a class or local society, this will be the standard work upon which to rely for many decades to come.

A charming guide to the story of the English village, celebrating this beloved heart of the countryside. The village remains a quintessential and much-loved treasure that is often representative of England. This rural idyll has inspired generations of great poets, novelists and artists including the likes of Constable, Hardy and Wordsworth. The English Village champions all that is unique and loved about a typical village - the pub, the green, the school, the church, the pond, the local shop and more - as well as exploring how the village has changed over the centuries, and how it has adjusted to modern-day life. A fascinating compendium of interesting details, facts, customs and lore, this is an unabashed toast to the English village, as well as a record of a disappearing world.

Lawman or outlaw? Black-hatted "villains" and white-hatted "good guys" of the Old West walk the streets of our imagination. Hollywood draws a convenient line in the Western dirt, differentiating between the two. But in reality, at times it was difficult, if not impossible to distinguish who was who. Shadowy faces roamed the West. When Outlaws Wore Badges explores the world of lawman and outlaw wrapped into one person. At times the badge speaks, other times-the gun. Living in the Old West was not easy. Often, law and justice were left behind in the east, when men migrated to the open lands of the West. Some men took advantage of fluid regulations while others found themselves helping to invent and enforce law and order. A few men did both.

What does it mean to deeply love a home place that haunts us still? From Mark Twain to Grant Wood to Garrison Keillor, regionalists from the Gilded Age to the Digital Age have explored the American Gothic and the homegrown fatalism that flourish in many of the nation's most far-flung and forgotten places. The Haunt of Home introduces us to a cast of real-life Midwestern characters grappling with the Gothic in their own lives, from promising young professionals debating the perennial "Should I stay or should I go" dilemma, to recent emigres and entrepreneurs seeking personal reinvention, to faithful boosters determined to keep their communities alive despite the odds. In The Haunt of Home Zachary Michael Jack considers the many ways a region's abiding spirit shapes the ethos of a land and its people, offering portraits of others who, like himself, are determined to live out the unique promise and predicament of the Gothic.

This work contains the stories of the many closes and wynds of the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, from the castle to the palace. It is written with all the knowledge and experience the Witchery Tours have gathered in 15 years of answering queries, and is full of quirky, fun and interesting stories.

Torre Abbey is an archaeological site of national importance. Founded in 1196, it became the wealthiest English monastery of the order of Premonstratensian canons. The extent of its survival makes Torre Abbey the best preserved medieval abbey in Devon and Cornwall. After King Henry VIII closed the monastery in 1539, two of its former ranges were adapted for use as a private house. From 1662, this house became the home of the Roman Catholic Cary family, who lived there for nearly 300 years. The story of Torre Abbey mirrors in a remarkable way the story of English Catholics during the years of the penal laws. The local council acquired Torre Abbey in 1930, and adapted it for use as an art gallery and Mayor's Parlour. Today, the abbey provides an ideal setting for Torbay's collection of paintings and antiques, most of which have been donated by local people. It has recently been restored and modernised. This book is the first complete history of Torre Abbey. It is based on the latest historical and architectural research, and is richly illustrated throughout.

A survivor's tale, this book presents a social history and personal anecdote of those born and raised on the island of Rum before World War I. The largest of four small islands located off the west coast of Scotland, Rum is home to several volcanic peaks and the impressive Kinloch Castle but very few inhabitants. This text rediscovers a way of life gone not long ago yet already almost forgotten.

Kent has been the gateway to Britain since prehistoric man first set foot on our soil. Its people have repelled invaders including Julius Caesar, the Vikings and William the Conqueror, while welcoming migrants from countries such as France, Austria and the Netherlands. In turn, men from Kent played a part in invading and conquering such faraway places as Canada and the USA, leaving their stamp on the world at large. This volume is a tribute to those who have shaped our society and the world around us: from the long barrow at Trottescliffe and the medieval abbey of St Augustine to the Channel Tunnel and Bluewater Shopping Centre, it is plain to see that the landscape around us is itself a monument to those who went before.

Scotland has charmed visitors for centuries, and this collection of intricate illustrations is a celebration of its unique appeal. Featuring a range of picturesque vistas, from freshwater lochs and wooded glens to majestic mountains, granite cities and medieval castles, each stunning scene is full of intriguing detail sure to fire the imagination and make you reach for your colouring pencils. There are absolutely no rules - you can choose any combination of colours you like to bring these wonderful images to life. Suitable for children. If you love Scotland, then you will love colouring it in!

A nostalgic journey back in time to visit a city that changes at a dizzying pace and is unrecognizable from a generation ago--includes photos of some of the original casinos when they were surrounded by acres of barren desert "Lost Las Vegas" traces the cherished places in the city that time and economics have swept aside before the National Register of Historic Places could save them from the wrecker's ball or, in the case of Las Vegas, before the Neon Boneyard could claim them. Organized chronologically, the book details the many hotels and casinos that failed to move with the times and got swept away for something bigger, better, and brighter. Legendary names in the field of entertainment have come and gone--the Sands hotel featured many of the Rat Pack in residence, but the casino is long gone. Howard Hughes and the mob are featured heavily in Vegas history but neither could sustain their success for very long. Today, the showgirl is under threat from the big setpiece shows such as Cirque du Soleil. Losses include Arizona Club, El Portal Theater, Clark County Courthouse, Hotel Nevada, First State Bank, Las Vegas Rail Depot, El Dorado Club, Old Ice House, Atomic Tourism, Helldorado on Fremont Street, The Green Shack, El Rancho Vegas, Hotel Last Frontier, Desert Inn, Sands, Sahara, The Thunderbird, The Mint, Royal Nevada, Stardust, Showboat, Hotel Biltmore, Dunes, Hacienda, Moulin Rouge, Tally Ho, Paddlewheel/Debby Reynold's, Silver Slipper, Tam O'Shanter, Bonanza, Boardwalk Casino, Old Las Vegas Convention Center, Landmark Hotel, Aladdin, La Concha, Westward Ho , and Castaways.

Contrasting a selection of 45 archive images alongside full-colour modern photographs, this stunning book traces some of the changes and developments that have taken place in Gateshead during the last century. Accompanied by detailed and informative captions, these intriguing photographs reveal changing modes of fashion and transportation, shops and businesses, houses and public buildings, and, of course, some of the local people who once lived and worked in the city. Gateshead Then & Now will delight local historians and reawaken nostalgic memories for all who know and love the town.

Do you know? Which MP was the first woman to take her seat in parliament? Who was the man they could not hang? Which member of the Beatles lost his temper at a famous Devon landmark? A compendium of fascinating information about Devon past and present, this book contains a plethora of entertaining facts about the county's famous and occasionally infamous men and women, its towns and countryside, history, natural history, literary, artistic and sporting achievements, agriculture, transport, industry, and royal visits. A reference book and a quirky guide, this can be dipped in to time and time again to reveal something new about the people, the heritage, the secrets and the enduring fascination of the county. A remarkably engaging little book, this is essential reading for visitors and locals alike.

Submerged stories from the inland seas The newest addition to Globe Pequot's Shipwrecks series covers the sensational wrecks and maritime disasters from each of the five Great Lakes. It is estimated that over 30,000 sailors have lost their lives in Great Lakes wrecks. For many, these icy, inland seas have become their final resting place, but their last moments live on as a part of maritime history. The tales, all true and well-documented, feature some of the most notable tragedies on each of the lakes. Included in many of these tales are legends of ghost ship sighting, ghostly shipwreck victims still struggling to get to shore, and other chilling lore. Sailors are a superstitious group, and the stories are sprinkled with omens and maritime protocols that guide decisions made on the water.

Haunted Durham contains a startling collection of true-life tales from in and around the city. From Durham Castle to Jimmy Allen's public house, discover poltergeists, hooded apparitions, headless horses, phantoms, seances and exposed hoaxes. The author draws on historical and contemporary sources, and even shares his personal experiences of overnight surveillance within the confines of Durham. Containing many tales which have never before been published - including the crooked spectre of North Bailey and the ghost who bruised a barmaid's backside - this book will delight everyone interested in the paranormal.

Salisbury Cathedral - German edition