George R. Smith borrowed money to buy 337 acres of treeless prairie in 1856, never dreaming the central Missouri town he founded would become the "Queen of the Prairie." He did not foresee his "Sedville," now Sedalia, attracting thousands of tourists through the annual Scott Joplin International Ragtime Festival and the Missouri State Fair. Smith did envision another type of visitor--steam engines that streamed through town daily. Smith's passion for the railroad launched Sedalia, and two major railroad shops sustained the city for more than a century. They provided the base for the now flourishing seat of Pettis County. Since Sedalia's official beginning in 1860, countless people have furthered Smith's vision by leaving their distinctive mark on the community. This book celebrates their contributions and shares their stories through more than 225 photographs, many previously unpublished.

Lamar advertises itself as the city "where legends begin," and the city of four thousand lives up to that slogan. It was the place where frontier lawman Wyatt Earp first wore a star and where President Harry S Truman was born. When Truman successfully brought World War II to an end, the submarine fleets in the Atlantic and Pacific were commanded by Lamar High School graduates. Lamar's legends, however, are not limited to those who found fame after they left the city. Lamar was home to the longest-serving mayor in Missouri history, a legendary newspaperman, a football team that captured seven straight state championships and an infamous killer whose life was ended by a lynch mob. Author Randy Turner details these stories and much more.

Sedalia's rich architectural history began when visionaries erected wood-frame buildings prior to the Civil War. Stately brick structures later lined its downtown streets, signifying Sedalia's status as Queen of the Prairie. Throughout Sedalia's history, new generations have brought fresh ideas to enliven the city's commerce and culture. This book is a tribute to Sedalia's visionaries, past and present, and their legacy.

More than ninety artists contribute their unique memories and perspectives on the music festival and its impact on rock music and society in this volume that takes readers behind the scenes of live music's most high profile and historic rock concerts.

Traces the history and development of Oklahoma and discusses the state and its people today.

63 tuneful, rediscovered piano rags by 51 composers (or teams). Does not duplicates selections in Classic Piano Rags.

Early Jazz is an overview of the beginnings of jazz from its nineteenth-century roots through 1929, when elements of the Swing Era began to emerge. It is the first book on early jazz history in over fifty years and fills a compelling need for an update that reflects recent research. With a broad definition of jazz that encompasses the artistic and the commercial, the book's inclusive tone allows for a wide spectrum of musicians, including not only pioneering African American and white musicians but also those who are commonly skipped or skimmed over in jazz history textbooks—lesser-known sidemen, prominent instrumentalists, entertainers or novelty performers, women, vocalists, and American jazz musicians who introduced jazz on their travels around the world. Nineteen songs are analyzed in depth, but no musical knowledge is required to understand or to read Early Jazz. The book is written as an introduction for fans, students, musicians, historians, scholars, and anyone who is interested in this fascinating era of jazz history.

First published in 1972, Ian Whitcomb's After the Ball is an exuberant account of the origins and explosion of popular music, informed by the author's store of experience in the field as a pop sensation of The Sixties. 'Brash, learned, funny and perspicacious.... The author of this free-wheeling, diverting history was a student at Trinity College, Dublin, when he created a rock hit 'You Turn Me On,' and experienced a brief, bewildering season as a touring rock celebrity. This book... is his effort to explain that experience to himself, and, well-educated man that he is, he goes all the way back to the first pop bestseller (in sheet music, of course), 'After The Ball,' and all the way forward to the 1960s.' New Yorker 'One of the best books on popular music to come along in the last few years.... Whitcomb's own involvement with music constantly surfaces to make the book both revealing and highly enjoyable.' Seattle Times

In 1957, Jean Graton created the legendary race car driver Michel Vaillant, who was featured in a series of short stories published in Tintin magazine. These stories marked the beginning of a long-running adventure saga that continues to this day. This collection includes seven early stories that brought Vaillant onto the scene and made him what he is today. A fascinating look into the origins of a classic, with a vibrant retro style.