Brian Libby – författare

Prep schools are quite misunderstood by the general public, which usually sees these private boarding schools for the college-bound as musty bastions of wealth and privilege secure behind vast bank accounts and supportive alumni. They are tranquil islands of scholarly calm amidst the turbulence of the public schools.

Well, it aint necessarily so.

St. Lawrence Academy, an Episcopal boarding school somewhere in the Midwest, has a few problems. The Headmaster is a dyslexic incompetent, the athletic program is afflicted with megalomania, the endowment is emaciated, the chaplain is a black magician, the consultants planning the schools future are insane . . . and the food is really bad, too.

And Gladly Teach is funny, sarcastic, poignant, outrageous, light-hearted, serious, and more realistic than you would wish to believe. It is also short and has a happy ending. It is highly recommended for reading on long plane rides, at the beach, and at dull faculty meetings (as long as you sit way in back so the Headmaster cant see you.) The author, a veteran (and completely burned-out) history teacher, hopes the book sells so well that he can retire early.

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Tales from the Oregon Ducks Sideline takes the reader on a fun-filled trip through Oregon’s gridiron history. Author Brian Libby brings Duck fans out to the 50 yard line and into the locker room as he tells colorful tales about the Oregon football program, from its start in 1894 to today, culminating in the hard-fought BCS Championship game against Auburn in January 2011.

"A good walking tour is not about individual stops but about the experience of moving along a city's streets, taking in a variety of neighborhoods, buildings, shops, parks, public art, and bridges: a chance to be the grand marshal in your own parade," writes Brian Libby in the introduction of In Search of Portland. Starting from his 1997 home, the Empire Apartments at Southwest Eleventh Avenue and Jefferson Street, Libby shares one hundred fascinating points of interest through personal reflection, interviews, and anecdotal history.The six excursions exploring Portland's downtown, Old Town, and Pearl District not only focus on the city's important landmarks and hidden gems but showcase an evolving city's resilience and heart. Alongside his own experiences, Libby reveals how luminaries like Humphrey Bogart, Mark Rothko, Gus Van Sant, Vera Katz, and Bill Walton appreciated the City of Roses. From Pioneer Courthouse Square to the Crystal Ballroom, each location in the book celebrates the spirit of place in addition to its architecture.More than a book about buildings, In Search of Portland reveals the stories behind the built landscape, the people, and the history that have created modern Portland.