Books published by publisher McFarland andamp

World War II could not have been won without the U.S. Merchant Marine. Crewed by civilian seamen in peacetime and carrying much of the nation's ocean-borne commerce, the Merchant Marine became the "fourth arm of defense" in wartime, providing vital support for beachheads in all theaters of operation. Twenty World War II Merchant Marine veterans are featured in this oral history. Most had at least one ship torpedoed, bombed, shelled or mined out from under them--some of them two. Some became prisoners of the Japanese for the duration of the war, working on the infamous River Kwai Bridge. Many spent time on lifeboats or flimsy rafts under harsh conditions; one--Donald Zubrod--endured 42 days in a lifeboat with several others before their eventual rescue, close to death. American merchant mariners suffered a casualty rate that was a close second to the Marine Corps during the war.

From his first comic-book appearance in 1939 through his many incarnations on the big screen, the archetypal superhero known as The Batman has never been far from the American consciousness. The character shaped the way we read comics and graphic novels, view motion pictures, and analyze the motifs of the Hero, the Anti-Hero and the Villain. He has also captured the scholarly imagination, telling us much about our society and ourselves. These essays examine how Batman is both the canvas on which our cultural identity is painted, and the Eternal Other that informs our own journeys of understanding. Questions relating to a wide range of disciplines—philosophy, literature, psychology, pop culture, and more—are thoroughly and entertainingly explored, in a manner that will appeal both to scholars and to fans of the Caped Crusader alike.

In June 1876 the 7th U.S. Cavalry was savagely defeated at the Little Bighorn in the Montana wilderness during an attempt to seize Sioux and Cheyenne hunting grounds. Three years later redcoats mirrored this utter disaster with an equally high-handed grab for Zulu lands in South Africa. Lieutenant Colonel George A. Custer and Lieutenant Colonel Anthony W. Durnford had much in common, from modes of dress to the way they died. This book interweaves the stories of the two soldiers and their final battles, revealing how, to an astonishing degree, similar personalities, aims, tactics, weapons, stupidity and a gross underestimation of the powers of the native people led to calamitous defeat.

In addition to port security, ship inspection and safety, law enforcement, and search and rescue, the U.S. Coast Guard assumes an important role in national defense at home and abroad. To that end, the Coast Guard has carried out separate and coordinated missions with other armed forces from the Great Lakes to the Atlantic, Pacific, Gulf of Mexico, Mediterranean, Persian Gulf, and North Polar region. This chronicle of the Coast Guard’s contributions to national defense examines participation in World War I, World War II, Korea, the Cold War, Vietnam, and the War on Terror. Among the topics explored are defense threats, drug trafficking, and border security, as well as Coast Guard personnel, training, leadership, and assets.

From his 1887 literary debut to his many film and television adaptations, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes has lost none of his appeal. Besides Holmes himself, no character in Conan Doyle's stories proves as interesting as the astute detective's constant companion, Dr. Watson, who somehow seems both superfluous and essential. While Conan Doyle does not depict Holmes and Watson as equals, he avoids presenting Watson as incompetent, as he was made to appear on screen for decades. A variety of reimagined Holmeses and Watsons in recent years have depicted their relationship as more nuanced and complementary. Focusing on the Guy Ritchie films, the BBC's Sherlock and CBS's Elementary, this collection of new essays explores the ideas and implications behind these adaptations.

On April 30, 1975, the Hanoi government of North Vietnam took control over the South. South Vietnamese, particularly "intellectuals" and those thought to have been associated with the previous regime, underwent terrible punishment, persecution and "re-education." Seeking their freedom, thousands of South Vietnamese took to the sea in rickety boats, often with few supplies, and faced the dangers of nature, pirates, and starvation. While the sea and its danger claimed many lives, those who made it to the refugee camps still faced struggle and hardships in their quest for freedom. Here are collected the narratives of nineteen men and women who survived the ordeal of escape by sea. Today, they live in the United States as students, professors, entrepreneurs, scientists, and craftspeople who have chosen to tell the stories of their struggles and their triumph. Each narrative is accompanied by biographical information. Instructors considering this book for use in a course may request an examination copy here.

G.B. Grayson and Henry Whitter were two of the most influential artists in the early days of country music. Songs they popularized--"Tom Dooley," "Little Maggie," "Handsome Molly," and "Nine Pound Hammer"--are still staples of traditional music. Although the duo sold tens of thousands of records during the 1920s, the details of their lives remain largely unknown. Featuring never before published photographs and interviews with friends and relatives, this book chronicles for the first time the romantic intrigues and tragic deaths that marked their lives and explores the Southern Appalachian culture that shaped their music.

The struggle to integrate the Baltimore Orioles mirrored the fight for civil rights in Baltimore. The Orioles debuted in 1954, the same year the Supreme Court struck down public school segregation. As Baltimore experienced demonstrations, white flight and a 1968 riot, team integration came slowly. Black players--mostly outfielders--made cameo appearances as black fans stayed away in droves. The breakthrough came in 1966, with the arrival of a more enlightened owner, and African American superstar Frank Robinson. As more black players filled the roster, the Orioles dominated the American League from 1969 through much of the 1970s and into the early 1980s. Attempts to integrate the team's executive suite were less successful. While black players generally did not participate in civil rights actions, several under Robinson's leadership pushed for front office jobs for former black players. Drawing on primary sources and interviews with former executives, players and sportswriters, this book tells the story of the integration of the Orioles. The author describes how tensions between community leaders and team officials aborted negotiations to both increase black attendance and put an African American in the club's executive ranks.

Robert Mitchum was--and still is--one of Hollywood's defining stars of Western film. For more than 30 years, the actor played the weary and cynical cowboy, and his rough-and-tough presence on-screen was no different than his one off-screen. With a personality fit for western-noir, Robert Mitchum dominated the genre during the mid-20th century, and returned as the anti-hero again during the 1990s before his death. This book lays down the life of Mitchum and the films that established him as one of Hollywood's strongest and smartest horsemen. Going through early classics like Pursued (1947) and Blood on the Moon (1948) to more recent cult favorites like Tombstone (1993) and Dead Man (1995), Freese shows how Mitchum's nuanced portrayals of the iconic anti-hero of the West earned him his spot in the Cowboy Hall of Fame.

The thirty-year period that marked the advent of the supersonic jet in military aviation was a particularly dangerous one for fighter pilots. As they learned to navigate speeds up to Mach 2, discovering the performance limits and weaknesses of the aircraft, their courage and stamina were tested to the limit. This engaging memoir relates the life story of a famed pilot who flew supersonic jets for the United States Air Force during the Cold War through Vietnam and beyond. As a test pilot, a member of the USAF Thunderbirds, a fighter pilot with more than 200 combat missions in the Vietnam War, and a Fighter Weapons School (“Top Gun”) graduate and instructor, he was at the center of the most significant periods in military aviation.

The 1990s produced some of the greatest artists and hits in dance music history and were among the genre's most successful years in terms of energy, sales and global popularity. In this retrospective, 29 singers, songwriters, producers, DJs and industry professionals who enjoyed international stardom on the club circuit and on the airwaves of pop radio candidly discuss their careers. Interviewed artists include Richard and Fred Fairbrass of Right Said Fred ("I'm Too Sexy"), Nicki French ("Total Eclipse of the Heart"), Haddaway ("What Is Love"), Lane McCray of La Bouche ("Be My Lover"), DJ Tony Moran (remix of Michael Jackson's "HIStory"), Robin S ("Show Me Love"), Frank Peterson, formerly of Enigma ("Sadeness, Part I"), CeCe Peniston ("Finally"), Dr. Alban ("It's My Life"), Thea Austin, formerly of Snap! ("Rhythm Is A Dancer"), Kristine W ("One More Try"), Rozalla ("Everybody's Free"), Sybil ("The Love I Lost"), Stonebridge (remix of Shaggy's "Boombastic"), Angie Brown, formerly of Bizarre Inc ("I'm Gonna Get You"), Martha Wash, former vocalist with C+C Music Factory ("Gonna Make You Sweat") and more. Plus commentary by former Billboard dance music editor Larry Flick, The Berman Brothers (Real McCoy's "Another Night") and acclaimed DJ Susan Morabito. The full list of artists featured in this book:Thea Austin, formerly of Snap!--"Rhythm Is a Dancer" (1992) Angie Brown, formerly of Bizarre Inc--"I'm Gonna Get You"(1992) Sannie Carlson, also known as Whigfield--"Saturday Night"(1994) Marty Cintron, formerly of No Mercy--"Where Do You Go"(1996)Nance Coolen, formerly of Twenty 4 Seven--"Slave to the Music"(1993) Fred and Richard Fairbrass of Right Said Fred--"I'm Too Sexy"(1991) Nicki French--"Total Eclipse of the Heart" (1995) Nestor Haddaway, also known as Haddaway--"What Is Love"(1992) 77 Sten Hallström, also known as StoneBridge, DJ, Producer, Remixer--"Show Me Love" (Robin S, 1992) Nosie Katzman, Composer, Lyricist--"Mr. Vain" (Culture Beat,1993) Sybil Lynch, also known as Sybil--"The Love I Lost" (West Endfeaturing Sybil, 1993) Robin Jackson Maynard, also known as Robin S--"Show MeLove" (1993) Lane McCray of La Bouche--"Be My Lover" (1995) Rozalla Miller, also known as Rozalla--"Everybody's Free (ToFeel Good)" (1992) Tony Moran, DJ, Producer, Remixer--"HIStory" (MichaelJackson, 1997) Ultra Naté--"Free" (1997) Alban Nawapa, also known as Dr. Alban--"It's My Life" (1992) 164 CeCe Peniston--"Finally" (1991) Frank Peterson, formerly of Enigma, Producer--"Sadeness Part I" (Enigma, 1990) Alfredo "Larry" Pignagnoli, producer, label owner--"SaturdayNight" (Whigfield, 1994) Paul Spencer, also known as Dario G--"Sunchyme" (1997) Rafael "Dose" Vargas, formerly of 2 in a Room--"Wiggle It"(1990) Special Commentary by the Berman Brothers (Real McCoy's "Another Night"), former Billboard dance music editor Larry Flick and DJ Susan Morabito

This book explores the life of one of Mississippi’s greatest civil rights activists, Fannie Lou Hamer. Known for her daring, her brinkmanship and her impassioned speech-making, Hamer rose to prominence in the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party, an intrepid group which tried to unseat the predominantly white Democrats of Mississippi during the 1964 Democratic National Convention. She is particularly remembered for her speech before the Credentials Committee, seeking to end all-white representation of her home state. Hamer fought her entire life to expand freedom and basic rights to African Americans in the United States.