Kansas City, 1929: Myrtle and Jack Bennett sit down with another couple for an evening of bridge. As the game intensifies, Myrtle complains that Jack is a “bum bridge player.” For such insubordination, he slaps her hard in front of their stunned guests and announces he is leaving. Moments later, sobbing, with a Colt .32 pistol in hand, Myrtle fires four shots, killing her husband. The Roaring 1920s inspired nationwide fads–flagpole sitting, marathon dancing, swimming-pool endurance floating. But of all the mad games that cheered Americans between the wars, the least likely was contract bridge. As the Barnum of the bridge craze, Ely Culbertson, a tuxedoed boulevardier with a Russian accent, used mystique, brilliance, and a certain madness to transform bridge from a social pastime into a cultural movement that made him rich and famous. In writings, in lectures, and on the radio, he used the Bennett killing to dramatize bridge as the battle of the sexes. Indeed, Myrtle Bennett’s murder trial became a sensation because it brought a beautiful housewife–and hints of her husband’s infidelity–from the bridge table into the national spotlight. James A. Reed, Myrtle’s high-powered lawyer and onetime Democratic presidential candidate, delivered soaring, tear-filled courtroom orations. As Reed waxed on about the sanctity of womanhood, he was secretly conducting an extramarital romance with a feminist trailblazer who lived next door. To the public, bridge symbolized tossing aside the ideals of the Puritans–who referred derisively to playing cards as “the Devil’s tickets”–and embracing the modern age. Ina time when such fearless women as Amelia Earhart, Dorothy Parker, and Marlene Dietrich were exalted for their boldness, Culbertson positioned his game as a challenge to all housebound women. At the bridge table, he insisted, a woman could be her husband’s equal, and more. In the gathering darkness of the Depression, Culbertson leveraged his own ballyhoo and naughty innuendo for all it was worth, maneuvering himself and his brilliant wife, Jo, his favorite bridge partner, into a media spectacle dubbed the Bridge Battle of the Century. Through these larger-than-life characters and the timeless partnership game they played, The Devil’s Tickets captures a uniquely colorful age and a tension in marriage that is eternal.

For thousands of years, the human race has been fascinated and haunted by the idea of the Apocalypse. But it is only now, as we approach the end of the second millennium, that we are beginning to understand the scientific possibilities and real risks that support this primeval fear. This book persuasively explains and analyzes numerous scientifically supported dangers to our world to illustrate that the risk of human extinction is very real.

“A clear, comprehensive look at a murky business.” —The Wall Street Journal Your favorite band has just announced their nationwide tour. Should you pay to join their fan club and get in on the pre-sale? No, you decide to wait. But the on-sale date arrives, and the site is jammed. You can’t get on—and the concert is sold out in six minutes. What happened? What now? Music journalists Dean Budnick and Josh Baron chronicle the behind-the-scenes history of the modern concert industry. Filled with entertaining rock-and-roll anecdotes about The Rolling Stones, The Grateful Dead, Pearl Jam, and more—and charting the emergence of players like Ticketmaster, StubHub, Live Nation, and Outbox—Ticket Masters will transfix every concertgoer who wonders just where the price of admission really goes. This edition has an updated epilogue that covers recent industry developments.

In this spellbinding sequel to the New York Times bestselling The Last Magician, Esta and Harte set off on a cross-country chase through time to steal back the elemental stones they need to save the future of magic. Hunt the Stones. Beware the Thief. Avenge the Past. Esta’s parents were murdered. Her life was stolen. And everything she knew about magic was a lie. She thought the Book of Mysteries held the key to freeing the Mageus from the Order’s grasp, but the danger within its pages was greater than she ever imagined. Now the Book’s furious power lives inside Harte. If he can’t control it, it will rip the world apart to get its revenge, and it will use Esta to do it. To bind the power, Esta and Harte must track down four elemental stones scattered across the continent. But the world outside the city is nothing like they expected. There are Mageus beyond the Brink not willing to live in the shadows—and the Order isn’t alone in its mission to crush them. In St. Louis, the extravagant World’s Fair hides the first stone, but an old enemy is out for revenge and a new enemy is emerging. And back in New York, Viola and Jianyu must defeat a traitor in a city on the verge of chaos. As past and future collide, time is running out to rewrite history—even for a time-traveling thief.

Book 1: Explore the sharp wit and satirical brilliance of “The Devil's Dictionary by Ambrose Bierce.” Ambrose Bierce, known for his biting humor and keen observations, provides a collection of cynical and humorous definitions that serve as a satirical commentary on various aspects of society. Bierce's Devil's Dictionary is a literary gem that challenges conventional thinking with its wit and clever wordplay. Book 2: Dive into the psychological complexities and societal critiques of “The Possessed (The Devils) by Fyodor Dostoyevsky.” Fyodor Dostoyevsky's novel delves into the lives of characters grappling with political and ideological turmoil. This profound work explores the destructive forces of radicalism and the impact of societal upheaval on individuals, making it a compelling exploration of human nature and society. Book 3: Unravel the mysteries surrounding demonology and folklore with “Demonology and Devil-lore by Moncure Daniel Conway.” Moncure Daniel Conway delves into the historical, cultural, and religious aspects of demonology. This comprehensive work explores the various manifestations of the devil across different cultures and periods, offering readers an insightful journey into the realms of superstition, belief, and folklore.

Situated in northern New Jersey, the Meadowlands region is one of stark contrasts as more than thirty square miles of protected wetlands sit close to MetLife Stadium and across the Hudson from Midtown Manhattan. From the time the Dutch arrived in the 1600s, the area has had a storied and mysterious history as fortunes were made and lost. Beloved performers like Frank Sinatra and Bruce Springsteen graced Meadowlands stages, and some of the most legendary athletes played its stadiums. Nearly destroyed by centuries of abuse, Meadowlands waterways are now reclaimed, causing property values to soar and creating new communities that provide a good quality of life for residents. Local authors Robert Ceberio and Ron Kase present the fascinating story of this Garden State region.

A radical blueprint for reinventing American higher education. America’s research universities consistently dominate global rankings but may be entrenched in a model that no longer accomplishes their purposes. With their multiple roles of discovery, teaching, and public service, these institutions represent the gold standard in American higher education, but their evolution since the nineteenth century has been only incremental. The need for a new and complementary model that offers broader accessibility to an academic platform underpinned by knowledge production is critical to our well-being and economic competitiveness. Michael M. Crow, president of Arizona State University and an outspoken advocate for reinventing the public research university, conceived the New American University model when he moved from Columbia University to Arizona State in 2002. Following a comprehensive reconceptualization spanning more than a decade, ASU has emerged as an international academic and research powerhouse that serves as the foundational prototype for the new model. Crow has led the transformation of ASU into an egalitarian institution committed to academic excellence, inclusiveness to a broad demographic, and maximum societal impact. In Designing the New American University, Crow and coauthor William B. Dabars—a historian whose research focus is the American research university—examine the emergence of this set of institutions and the imperative for the new model, the tenets of which may be adapted by colleges and universities, both public and private. Through institutional innovation, say Crow and Dabars, universities are apt to realize unique and differentiated identities, which maximize their potential to generate the ideas, products, and processes that impact quality of life, standard of living, and national economic competitiveness. Designing the New American University will ignite a national discussion about the future evolution of the American research university.

The 2005 lockout effectively killed the Sundin-era Maple Leafs. The team that exited this lockout was old and not very good. After a few years of pretending the old formula of 'Sundin + spare parts' still worked, Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment told fans they would get their rebuild; a rebuild that would change the culture of the Maple Leafs and return the franchise to glory. To this end they hired Brian Burke, NHL celebrity GM. But Burke didn't bring change. He brought more disappointment. He continued the Leafs' playoff drought till it was the longest in franchise history and, when the Leafs finally made the playoffs, they did it on luck. Burke's "rebuild on the fly" tore down a mediocre team with poor goal-tending and replaced it with a mediocre team with good goal-tending. And even once fired he left his mark as his protege Dave Nonis continues to run the team into the ground. Leafs fans wishing for contention after years of missing the playoffs will have to wait years or perhaps decades more to see a Maple Leaf squad in true contention. This book is about why Burke was hired, what he did and why that didn't work. The Brian Burke-era of the Maple Leafs should stand as a lesson to big market franchises in all major North American pro sports that speed is not a solution when when trying to make an old, bad team good again.

A terrible accident. A killer among friends. A woman risking everything for answers. Every year for a decade, five college friends spent a weekend together at the atmospheric Chateau du Cygne Noir. Then, tragedy struck. Ten years later, Laurel Muir returns to the castle for the first time since the accident, hoping to reconnect with her friends and lay the past to rest. When a murderer attacks, it rips open old wounds and forces the women to admit there's a killer in their midst. The remaining friends make a pact to unearth the truth, but suspicion, doubt, and old secrets threaten to tear them apart. Unsure who to trust, Laurel puts herself in harm's way, risking it all for friendship and long-delayed justice. Praise: "A compelling and richly textured tale of obsession, murder and friendship. Psychological suspense at its finest."—Deborah Crombie, New York Times bestselling author of Garden of Lamentations "This stand-alone novel...is well plotted, its mystery compelling, and its outcome unexpected."—Booklist "DiSilverio's signature easy-to-follow plotting draws readers in."—Kirkus Reviews