Courage, daring, heroism and romance, turn it into a vivid fast-paced narrative that will satiate lovers of action adventure literature, giving them a true to life picture of famous Mexican revolutionary Pancho Villa.

Gucumatz, divine Heart of Heaven, Father and Mother of all There Is, conceived the pristine forest as den for animals large and small, but He never pledged it as dwelling for men because, for humans, the jungle is hell itself. Nevertheless, instigated by greediness, men invade its enclosure and unfailingly stumble into a collective madness that binds them to its roots, preventing their escape before their time is due. Inhabiting the jungle men turn into beasts that despise kindness and relinquish all virtues as they submit to wickedness. How can integrity be preserved living in hell? For the jungle is Xibalbá, the dwelling of demons. What do men look for in Xibalbá that, to live there, they are willing to lose not only their lives, but also their souls? Absolution, perhaps, because regardless of their origin, removing the mask of greediness they wear over their feelings, they reveal to be fugitives of their own consciences that arrive in Xibalbá to atone remorse, or expiate guilt, and for that they come from different and distant localities.

In Reds, The St. Patricks Battalion, the author weaves the story of a family that migrates from Ireland to colonize Texas, at the time when American settlers fought to secede from the Mexican Federation to become a nation that ultimately joins the Unites States, event that kindles the war against Mexico. Cantu offers us in a superb novel, the saga that involves a battalion of soldiers mostly Irishmen who fought with the Mexican troops against the American invaders, shedding light on historical myths such as the legend of The lamo, and on the reasons why Mexico, in losing the war, lost half its territory to the United States.

2019 National Jewish Book Award Finalist for Biography. Ben Hecht had seen his share of death-row psychopaths, crooked ward bosses, and Capone gun thugs by the time he had come of age as a crime reporter in gangland Chicago. His grim experience with what he called “the soul of man” gave him a kind of uncanny foresight a decade later, when a loose cannon named Adolf Hitler began to rise to power in central Europe. In 1932, Hecht solidified his legend as "the Shakespeare of Hollywood" with his thriller Scarface, the Howard Hughes epic considered the gangster movie to end all gangster movies. But Hecht rebelled against his Jewish bosses at the movie studios when they refused to make films about the Nazi menace. Leveraging his talents and celebrity connections to orchestrate a spectacular one-man publicity campaign, he mobilized pressure on the Roosevelt administration for an Allied plan to rescue Europe’s Jews. Then after the war, Hecht became notorious, embracing the labels “gangster” and “terrorist” in partnering with the mobster Mickey Cohen to smuggle weapons to Palestine in the fight for a Jewish state. The Notorious Ben Hecht: Iconoclastic Writer and Militant Zionist is a biography of a great twentieth-century writer that treats his activism during the 1940s as the central drama of his life. It details the story of how Hecht earned admiration as a humanitarian and vilification as an extremist at this pivotal moment in history, about the origins of his beliefs in his varied experiences in American media, and about the consequences. Who else but Hecht could have drawn the admiration of Ezra Pound, clowned around with Harpo Marx, written Notorious and Spellbound with Alfred Hitchcock, launched Marlon Brando’s career, ghosted Marilyn Monroe’s memoirs, hosted Jack Kerouac and Salvador Dalí on his television talk show, and plotted revolt with Menachem Begin? Any lover of modern history who follows this journey through the worlds of gangsters, reporters, Jazz Age artists, Hollywood stars, movie moguls, political radicals, and guerrilla fighters will never look at the twentieth century in the same way again.

Created by local writers and photographers, Compass American Guides are the ultimate insider's guides, providing in-depth coverage of the history, culture and character of America's most spectacular destinations. Compass Texas covers everything there is to see and do -- plus gorgeous full-color photographs; a wealth of archival images; topical essays and literary extracts; detailed color maps; and capsule reviews of hotels and restaurants. These insider guides are perfect for new and longtime residents as well as vacationers who want a deep understanding of Texas.

Highball is an old signal from the train conductor to engineer that the train was clear to start from its stop and proceed at speed. Two green balls, one above the other, were the visual signal. Railroads were running long before motion pictures. Soon after silent movies were invented, directors liked trains in their films as railroading became an important business for America, passengers, and freight trains. From the beginning, Hollywood loved trains. In the book are over 450 films with the title, the year distributed, director, cast, producer/distributer, and an overview, which set forth the key train link. Hollywood produced all sort/type of films: comedy, mystery, drama, Western, war, adventure, crime, construction, musical, and epic with combinations of genre. Every film in the book has a railroad link or connection of some sort, which makes this a stand-alone edition. Movies included begin in the Silent Era, 1920s, and continue to the present day. The Hollywood Golden Age through World War II produced great films and continued using different techniques and emphasis. Dangerous cargoes, revivals, scenarios, and technology reflect the extraordinary genius of moviemakers today. With jet aircraft, passenger train travel declined to the extent that passenger trains became too expensive for America’s railroads to operate. In 1971, Congress created Amtrak, a quasi-public corporation, the National Railroad Passenger Corporation. Freight continued with the railroads, which today consist of five major train, class I companies: CSX, NS (Norfolk Southern), BNSF (Burlington and Santa Fe), UP (Union Pacific), and KCS (Kansas City Southern). Canadian Pacific (CP) operates both passenger and freight trains. Movies produced overseas are included with the United Kingdom being a large contributor to the book. The reference book is a must for all railroaders and movie lovers to recall their favorites and to see movies that they missed. All aboard!

Showcasing 64 of the best state parks in the region, the authors direct readers to some of the finest hiking, skiing, climbing, boating, and desert exploration opportunities available. Each description highlights the park's location, facilities, and history as well as activities for everyone from young adventurers to families to retired travelers. 66 maps. 75 photos.

Table of Contents: Abraham Lincoln, Adventures of Marco Polo, Affaire Nina B., All Quiet on the Western Front, Anastasia, Anna Boleyn, Assassination of Jesse James, Belle Starr, The Big Knife, Bonnie Prince Charlie, Boys Town, Brigham Young, Butch and Sundance: The Early Days, Captain Fly-By-Night, Carry On Dick, Charge of the Light Brigade, Children of Eve, Cleopatra, The Court Martial of Billy Mitchell, The Cruel Sea, Day of the Locust, Destination Unknown, Disraeli, Divine Lady, The Devil's Brigade, The Devil's Needle, Don't Lose Your Head, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, End of the Trail, The Enforcer, Excalibur, Fangs of Destiny, Great Gatsby, Great Dictator, Great Moment, Hawk of the Hills, Helen of Troy, Humanity and Paper Balloons, If I Were King, The Informer, In Old Arizona, In Old Chicago Is Paris Burning?, James Dean Story, The Jayhawkers, Joyeux Noel, King of Kings, The Lady of the Lake, The Law and Outlaw, Lives of a Bengal Lancer, The Lawless Breed, Man with the Green Carnation, Marco Polo, etc. etc.

Eighty prize-winning films of the 1930s are discussed in detail, with complete cast and technical credits, background notes, etc. Movies covered include "Gone With The Wind," "The Wizard of Oz," "Garden of Allah," "The Hurricane," "San Francisco," "In Old Chicago," "Lost Horizon," "It Happened One Night," "Sweethearts," "The Broadway Melody," "The Adventures of Robin Hood," "Tabu," "Wings," "Stagecoach," "Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde" (both Fredric March and Spencer Tracy versions), "Cimarron," "Cleopatra," "Grand Hotel."