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From the homegrown "boodle" of the 19th century to current "misunderstandistan" in the Middle East, America's foremost expert on slang reveals military lingo at its most colorful, innovative, brutal, and ironic. Author Paul Dickson introduces some of the "new words and phrases born of conflict, bore... More

Americans weren't supposed to drink during Prohibition--but that's exactly when "cocktail culture" came roaring to life. The Bloody Mary, sleek cocktail shakers, craft mixology, and hundreds of other essentials of modern drinking owe their origins to the Dry Years. In Contraband Cocktails, Paul D... More

The unconquerable frustration of golf, in which every player competes largely against himself and almost always loses, brings out a rich vein of unquenchable wit and fatalistic humor. Enhanced by historical and modern photographs, this hole-in-one gift book collects quotations that complete the phra... More

This new, vastly expanded and enriched version of The Official Rules presents precisely 5,427 laws, principles, rules, proverbs, and aphorisms collected by Paul Dickson and the esteemed Fellows of the Murphy Center for the Codification of Human and Organizational Law. This often amusing, sometimes p... More

Baseball is set apart from other sports by many things, but few are more distinctive than the intricate systems of coded language that govern action on the field and give baseball its unique appeal. During a nine‑inning game, more than one thousand silent instructions are given—from catcher to pitch... More

On October 4, 1957, the day Leave It to Beaver premiered on American television, the Soviet Union launched the space age. Sputnik, all of 184 pounds with only a radio transmitter inside its highly polished shell, became the first artificial satellite in space; while it immediately shocked the world,... More

"A compendious, entertaining look at our nation's leaders through words and turns of phrase." — Kirkus ReviewsFrom George Washington's "New Yorker" and Thomas Jefferson's "pedicure" to Theodore Roosevelt's "lunatic fringe," Richard Nixon's "silent majority," and Donald Trump's "covfefe," this entert... More

In this book, first published in 1975, the author critically examines the organisation of work, the systems of control, and the patterns of authority in British establishments. By bringing together detailed descriptions of alternative forms of work organisation and management from Norway, Sweden, De... More

From beanballs to basebrawls, the most important rules governing the game of baseball have never been officially written down--until now. They have no sanction from the Commissioner, appear nowhere in any official publication, and are generally not posted on any clubhouse wall. They represent ... More

2009 Outstanding Academic Title, ChoiceThe launch of Sputnik 1 in 1957 ushered in an exciting era of scientific and technological advancement. As television news anchors, radio hosts, and journalists reported the happenings of the American and the Soviet space programs to millions of captivated citi... More

“A must-read book that explores a vital pre-war effort [with] deep research and gripping writing.” —Washington TimesIn The rise of the G.I. Army, 1940–1941, Paul Dickson tells the dramatic story of how the American Army was mobilized from scattered outposts two years before Pearl Harbor into the dis... More

A list of speeches for any occasion. ... More

Baseball has always had its share of colorful characters, and over the years they have expressed themselves in eminently quotable ways. In this treasury of more than 5,000 quotations, noted baseball writer and observer Paul Dickson has captured the flavor of the game, in the words of its most import... More

The definitive work on the language of baseball--one of the "Five Best Baseball Books" (Wall Street Journal). Hailed as "a staggering piece of scholarship" (Wall Street Journal) and "an indispensable guide to the language of baseball" (San Diego Union-Tribune), The Dickson Baseball Dictionary has be... More

These oral histories by major participants in the Apollo program relive the events that culminated in the 1969 moon landing. Recollections of 14 participants include comments by NASA administrators James Webb and Thomas O. Paine; Wernher von Braun, architect of the Saturn V rocket; and astronauts Ha... More

Amusing and thought-provoking, this A-to-Z compendium outlines common oral and written gaffes. Ambrose Bierce, a celebrated literary wit, assembled his informative compilation in 1909 from many years of observations and notes. He advocates precision in language, offering alternatives to grammatical ... More

Enshrinement in the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York, is the ultimate honor for any major leaguer. This rousing, you-are-there history tells the story of seventeen legendary players who came up just short of Cooperstown: Virgil Trucks, Gene Woodling, Carl Erskine, Frank Thomas... More

Stroll back in time for a lighthearted view of early advertising at its best -- and worst -- from 1890 to 1910. This historical scrapbook showcases more than 600 advertisements by well-known companies such as Cadillac, Pillsbury, Remington, and The Ladies Home Journal. It also includes ads for such ... More

Before heading west in 1957, the Brooklyn Dodgers were among baseball's most beloved and colorful teams. It's been over fifty years since they moved to Los Angeles, but they remain ingrained in the fabric of our national pastime. In this oral history of "dem bums," bestselling author Peter Golenbock... More

This timely and critical volume questions the effectiveness of Britain's 'hearts and minds' approach, challenging conventional counterinsurgency thinking by drawing on the expertise of regional and thematic specialists.... More

This book is exceptional in defending the ‘dirty politics’ of the Northern Ireland peace process. Political actors in Britain, Ireland and the United States performed the peace process and used ‘political skills’, often including deception and hypocrisy, in order to wind down the conflict and achiev... More

America's first successful attempt at unmanned lunar exploration, Project Ranger culminated in close-up television images of the moon's surface. Sponsored by NASA and executed by the Jet Propulsion Lab, the project ran from 1959 to 1965 and produced management techniques, flight operating procedures... More

Landlubbers use a remarkable number of terms and expressions that originated at sea. This readable dictionary of maritime vernacular explains the meanings behind "catspaw," "kick the bucket," "palaver," "three sheets in the wind," and other curious lingo. It's a great gift for any sailor or lover of... More

Thoroughly researched and beautifully written, this inspiring tale chronicles the life of the second black player to reach the Major Leagues. In 1947 Larry Doby joined the Cleveland Indians, integrating the American League eleven weeks after Jackie Robinson's first appearance with the Brooklyn Dodge... More

As the astronauts' home base and the site of Mission Control, the Johnson Space Center has witnessed some of the most triumphant moments in American history. Spanning initiatives from the 1960s to 1993, this illustrated volume traces the center's history, starting with its origins at the beginning o... More