It’s a cinematic image as familiar as John Wayne’s face: a wagon train circling as a defensive maneuver against Indian attacks. This book examines actual and fictional wagon-train battles and compares them for realism. It also describes how fledgling Hollywood portrayed the concept of westward migration but, as the evolving industry became more accurate in historical detail, how filmmakers then lost sight of the big picture.

Intrepid nineteenth-century enquiry agents American Matthew Grand and Englishman James Batchelor bring their investigation skills to Washington, DC. July, 1868. On receiving a commission from Matthew’s cousin Luther to look into the suspicious death of Lafayette Baker, Head of the US National Detective Police, private investigators Matthew Grand and his business partner James Batchelor leave London for Washington, DC. They find a country still scarred by the bitter legacy of the Civil War and even in death Lafayette Baker remains one of the most hated men north or south of the Potomac. The newly-created Ku Klux Klan wanted him dead. So did the Washington brothel-keepers, bar-owners, and gamblers whom Baker had closed down. What does beautiful former spy Miss Belle Boyd know that she’s not telling them? And could the President himself be involved? Matthew Grand finds he has come home to a mixed reception, while Batchelor struggles as an Englishman abroad. Will either of them survive long enough to uncover the truth? “Trow’s absorbing historical will please Civil War buffs as well as readers who relish the mysteries of Will Thomas and Charles Finch” ―Library Journal “A plot packed with skulduggery . . . sometimes dangerous, sometimes comic, sometimes bizarre adventures.” ―Booklist

Across rivers of blood and plains of tears, he led a wagon train toward a country fighting to be born. . . Miners dug for fortunes. Soldiers died on open plains. And a few brave men drove the wooden freight wagons into the wild land. Now, master Western novelist Ralph Compton tells the real story of the tough-as-leather men who first blazed the way into the untamed frontier. Texas! For the pioneers who streamed out of Missouri it was a land of dreams and freedom. Veteran wagon boss Chance McQuade, a man deadly with a pistol and Sharps, had signed on to take a hundred families there. But the man who hired McQuade was joining the wagon train, and turning it into a brawling, rolling city of sin and violence. Now, on the hard drive West, McQuade faces Kiowa, lightening storms, and killers behind his back-all to reach a promised land that's erupting into war.

Calling all mamarazzis! Every camera-toting mom will want this guide! Moms, if you can't seem to take enough great photos of the children in your life, this is the book for you. Now you can learn how to photograph children with the style, clarity, color, and beauty you see in professional photographs. This fun guide combines humor with solid know-how to show you how to compose shots, handle cameras from basic compacts to advanced dSLRs, take portraits or candids, create prints that impress, and even work with kids! Packed with beautiful examples and written in a down-to-earth style from one mom to another, this book will help mamarazzis everywhere take better photos. Moms are one of the fastest-growing segments of the camera-toting demographic, and the blogosphere has a term for them, mamarazzis Mixes information, inspiration, and fun for women who want to take better photographs of the children in their lives Explains how to set up a camera and use the controls on basic compacts up to advanced dSLR cameras Covers shot composition, determining settings, exposing images correctly, the essentials of printing images, how to process for clear and bright color, and more Includes stunning examples of portraits and candids of children Become a better mamarazzi with this fun and informative guide!

Danger and desire await on the Oregon trail for two members of a wagon train in this epic historical romance by the author of Warrior’s Honor. HE LIVED WITH SAVAGE ABANDON . . . A half-Indian wanted for murder among his own native Shoshoni, Rider is hard and bitter from the injustice that has sealed his fate. Now, his only goal is survival. But when he sees lovely, vulnerable Emma Trent, a woman heartlessly denied passage on a wagon train bound for the Oregon trail, he offers to lead the train—but only if she is permitted to come along. And though he plans only to sate his lust with her, Rider soon finds that the spirited beauty has challenged him to love. . . .UNTIL SHE CAPTURED HIS PASSIONATE HEART Emma invested all her life savings in the wagon train, only to be cruelly cast out by a greedy bunch of greenhorns. The powerful half-Indian came to her rescue, demanding an impossible price: she will share his bed. Desperate to make it to Oregon, she surrenders to his touch, while secretly vowing to seek revenge. Yet as the train moves through the treacherous territory, as hate softens in the sensual embrace of a skilled lover, and tender intimacy replaces false pride, Emma discovers a love she cannot deny. “Georgina Gentry brings the West to life and gives her fans hours of true reading pleasure” —RT Book Reviews

Jail or prostitution' Fiona Quinn chooses neither. On a wagon train bound for Oregon , the newly-contracted mail-order bride braves rattlesnakes, Indians, and depraved buffalo hunters who kidnap her. But nothing tests her mettle like Cordell Bannon, the wagon master poised to steal her heart. Cordell Bannon signed a contract to safely deliver thirty mail-order brides to their husbands. Yet one bride stirs his emotions, threatening his oath of celibacy and making him choose between his job and his passion. Can he stand by as she marries another, or will he claim her as his bride'

You won’t believe what you can make with knitted circles! One circle can become a stylish hat or an adorable shrug. Two, and you have a unique handbag or cover-up. Knit more circles, and you can make show-stopping scarves, capes, sweaters, afghans—even a stunning lace dress. Only Nicky Epstein, always on the cutting edge of knitwear design, could dream up these innovative garments and accessories that all start with a simple shape. In her bestselling book Knitting Block by Block, Nicky elevated the humble block to outstanding fashion, but that was just the beginning. Now she takes on a new challenge and shows you how to make a statement with circles. Mix and match to your heart’s content with 100 circles and 20 inspiring projects that feature everything from cables to rich colorwork, delicate lace, and over-the-top embellishments in Nicky’s signature style. You’ll find step-by-step techniques on how to knit circles, both in the round and flat, plus expert guidance on customizing the projects, with unique cut-and-paste circle templates to design your own styles. With this groundbreaking book, you’ll never look at circles the same way. Once again, Nicky Epstein has outdone herself, opening up a world of creative possibilities with a gorgeous knitting reference that will have you knitting in the best of circles over and over.