Looking for that last-minute Christmas gift? Whether that person be a sports fan, a history buff or just likes a good book to curl up with over the winter months, there are plenty of possibilities in these recent publications.
LeBron James: The Making of an MVP
by Terry Pluto
$15.95
$14.95
Gray and Co. Publishers
www.grayco.com
This book on local basketball star LeBron James is due out this month. "LeBron James" takes a close-up look at James -- the player and the man -- and tells how he has achieved so much so quickly.
Sports columnist Terry Pluto and NBA beat writer Brian Windhorst have covered the LeBron phenomenon closely from the start. Drawing from a decade of reporting and scores of personal interviews, their new book covers each stage of LeBron's development -- how his childhood shaped his personality and sparked his drive to succeed; how budding stardom in high school challenged him to grow up fast; how his first steps in the NBA weren't always easy; how he quickly grew into a forceful team leader in the NBA and on Team USA; and how he now works relentlessly to improve his game.
Includes 90 large color photographs.
Ohio Road Trips, second edition
by Neil Zurcher
$14.95
Gray and Co. Publishers
www.grayco.com
Readers of "Ohio Road Trips" by Neil Zurcher will discover the best and most unusual places to visit in the state -- places Zurcher encountered in his 25 years as a TV travel reporter. He was the original host of "One Tank Trips," which aired on Channel 8 in Cleveland. Originally published by Gray & Company, online at www.grayco.com, in 2006, this is the book's second edition.
The book is divided into five sections: Central Ohio, Northeast Ohio. Northwest Ohio, Southwest Ohio and Southeast Ohio. It lists museums, such as the William McKinley Presidential Library and Museum in Canton, the Ohio Military History Museum in Massillon and the Cleveland Accordian Museum in Rocky River.
Zurcher writes about many different fun places to explore, and eat. Neil was showing us the best eating destinations long before the Travel Channel introduced "Man v. Food." If you're looking for ice cream, Zurcher suggests Taggart's old-fashioned ice cream shop in Canton. For hot dogs, he takes the reader to Tony Packo's in Toledo, The Hot Dog Shoppe in Warren and Eddie's Grill in Geneva-on-the-lake. For trail bologna, he drives us to the factory, Troyer's in Walnut Creek.
And for fried bologna sandwiches, it's G&R Tavern in Waldo. Zurcher's descriptions add a lot to the book. It's not just a listing of places to go, each entry is a mini-travelogue. In describing the G&R, Zurcher observes, "...chances are you might find a nun sitting on a bar stool next to a truck driver, both enjoying fried bologna sandwiches."
Each entry includes the destination's address and phone number. It's recommended to call ahead before setting out. Some attractions may be seasonal, and some may have closed since the book was first published.
-- Steve Wiandt, reporter
Gimme Rewrite, Sweetheart ...
by John H. Tidyman
$24.95
Gray & Company, Publishers
www.grayco.com
It was "The best job in the world," and competition was stiff back when Cleveland had two newspapers: The Plain Dealer and the Cleveland Press.
John H. Tidyman's "Gimme Rewrite, Sweetheart ..." describes a time when photographers would surreptitiously "borrow" evidence to get a courtroom exclusive, when reporters would infiltrate the Ku Klux Klan and interview Mafia bosses in Little Italy, and when a certain writer in the tumultuous 1960s would wonder if a story about "Johnny Pot" would be quirky enough to be accepted as fact -- and get away with it.
Reporters, editors, photographers, columnists and society writers all pitch in to help Tidyman paint a picture of what the news business was like back when smoke-filled offices roared with the clatter of manual typewriters and news clippings were glued in place by brushes dipped in paste pots.
It was a time when the men on staff would push the desks aside for a late-night game of touch football and harried reporters on deadline would race out the door with a photographer to the scene of a fire, or riot, or hostage situation.
In some ways, it was just like today.
Tidyman, an author of eight books including "Cleveland Cops," and "The Cleveland Golfer's Bible," writes from experience as a former reporter for the Cleveland Press, which folded in the 1980s, leaving the city with only one major daily publication.
He enlists the likes of Plain Dealer editorial page editor Brent Larkin, former reporter and city editor Mike Roberts, columnist Dick Feagler, and former reporters Russ Musarra, Don Bean and Jim Naughton, among others.
The narrative covers all the pertinent aspects of news gathering and reporting -- as it used to take place in the mid-20th Century.
For those not familiar with the business, it's a great insight into how news gathering was once accomplished. It also gives a history of the great rivalry that existed when two great groups of people both fought to put out the best paper in town.
And through the vivid recollections of Tidyman's cast of informants, it's an enthralling look back into the way we used to be.
-- Eric Marotta,
News Leader editor
The Christmas TV Companion
by Joanna Wilson
$22
1701 Press
http://1701press.com
Fans of Christmas specials that are rare, unusual or just plain weird will enjoy "The Christmas TV Companion" by Joanna Wilson of Cuyahoga Falls. Billed as a guide to cult classics, strange specials and outrageous oddities, TCTVC is broken down into chapters that focus on the macabre, science fiction, variety, animation and dark.
Inside are descriptions of programs that go from dark: the 1949 made-for-TV special "Charles Dickens' The Christmas Carol" narrated by Vincent Price -- to darker: the 1989 episode of "Tales From the Crypt" titled "And All Through the House" featuring an ax-wielding asylum escapee dressed as Santa Claus.
The author also describes lighter and more poignant programs, such as the 1972 TV special "The House Without a Christmas Tree" starring Jason Robards, "The Stableboy's Christmas" (1979), and the 1984 Young People's Special "Charlie's Christmas Secret" featuring a young Seth Green. The book is full of black and white photos, including a publicity shot of Harvey Korman and Bea Arthur from "The Star Wars Holiday Special," which has never been rerun since its first broadcast in 1978.
For those who have multiple recordings of TV specials at their disposal, Wilson has put together "Make Your Own Marathons," each with its own theme. One MYOM is centered around Elvis Presley including a Christmas episode of "That '70s Show" where Fez sings "Blue Christmas," a Christmas episode of "Everybody Loves Raymond" with Ray singing "In the Ghetto," and the 1977 "Johnny Cash Christmas Special" where Cash, Carl Perkins, Roy Orbison and Jerry Lee Lewis pay tribute to the recently deceased Presley.
Wilson will be making an in-store appearance for a book signing at Skullz Salon, 125 S. Water St. in Kent on Dec. 23 from 5 to 8 p.m. For details, call 330-676-9663. She will sign copies of her book for last-minute gift shoppers.
Wilson also will sign copies of her book at Square Records, 824 W. Market St. in Akron on Dec. 19 between 2 and 5 p.m. Call 330-375-9244 for details.
"The Christmas TV Companion" is published by 1701 Press and is available at 1701 Press.com, Amazon.com and select stores. Check out the author's blog at http://ChristmasTvCompanion.blogspot.com.
-- Steve Wiandt, reporter
In the Public Eye
by Joanne Kilgour Dowdy
$40
Commess University
commessuniversity.com
Cuyahoga Falls resident Joanne Kilgour Dowdy recently published a photo autobiography, "In the Public Eye." Photos tell her story from childhood through adulthood.
The book offers a glimpse into the life of Kilgour Dowdy, an actress, dancer and teacher. The picures and information span from her days in grade school dance recitals to her adult life. The book includes articles about Kilgour Dowdy from other publications, as well as professionals and peers. There also are insights from the author herself about the various dance companies and productions she was involved in.
Kilgour Dowdy was born in Trinidad. Even in her tender years she showed the promise and ambition, and was on stage and television by age 10. After graduating from Holy Name Convent POS, she joined the Banyan Television Workshop. At 23, she left the country to train at the Boston Conservatory of Dance and Music, Dr. Derek Walcott, Nobel Prize winner, having sponsored this opportunity. In 1983 Joanne was accepted to the Julliard School's Theatre Department in New York and a scholarship. She completed her Ph.D. work at the University of North Carolina -- Chapel Hill and currently teaches in the Literacy Studies Program of the Teaching, Learning and Curriculum Studies Department at Kent State University.
-- April Helms,
Special Products editor