David M. Jordan - Böcker

Although the presidential election of 1944 placed FDR in the White House for an unprecedented fourth term, historical memory of the election itself has been overshadowed by the war, Roosevelt's health and his death the following April, Truman's ascendancy, and the decision to drop the atomic bomb. Today most people assume that FDR's reelection was assured. Yet, as David M. Jordan's engrossing account reveals, neither the outcome of the campaign nor even the choice of candidates was assured. Just a week before Election Day, pollster George Gallup thought a small shift in votes in a few key states would award the election to Thomas E. Dewey. Though the Democrats urged voters not to "change horses in midstream," the Republicans countered that the war would be won "quicker with Dewey and Bricker." With its insider tales and accounts of party politics, and campaigning for votes in the shadow of war and an uncertain future, FDR, Dewey, and the Election of 1944 makes for a fascinating chapter in American political history.

" . . . detailed, well-written and thoroughly documented." —The Journal of Military History" . . . comprehensive, well-written, and thoroughly researched . . . " —Booklist" . . . the definitive work on the life of Winfield Scott Hancock . . . " —Blue and Gray"At last we have a complete life of [Hancock], and it, too, is superb." —The Philadelphia Inquirer"Jordan's careful attention to detail and excellent use of sources highlight a lively writing style to make a highly readable book." —America's Civil War"Jordan's study of Hancock is an important contribution to both military and political history." —Journal of Southern History

"Happiness Is Not My Companion"The Life of General G. K. WarrenDavid M. JordanThe valorous but troubled career of the Civil War general, best known for his quick action to defend Little Round Top and avert a Union defeat at Gettysburg.Gouverneur K. Warren, a brilliant student at West Point and a topographical engineer, earned early acclaim for his explorations of the Nebraska Territory and the Black Hills in the 1850s. With the start of the Civil War, Warren moved from teacher at West Point to lieutenant colonel of a New York regiment and was soon a rising star in the Army of the Potomac. His fast action at Little Round Top, bringing Federal troops to an undefended position before the Confederates could seize it, helped to save the Battle of Gettysburg. For his service at Bristoe Station and Mine Run, he was awarded command of the Fifth Corps for the 1864 Virginia campaign. Warren's peculiarities of temperament and personality put a cloud over his service at the Wilderness and Spotsylvania and cost him the confidence of his superiors, Grant and Meade. He was summarily relieved of his command by Philip Sheridan after winning the Battle of Five Forks, just eight days before Appomattox. Warren continued as an engineer of distinction in the Army after the war, but he was determined to clear his name before a board of inquiry, which conducted an exhaustive investigation into the battle, Warren's conduct, and Sheridan's arbitrary action. However, the findings of the court vindicating Warren were not made public until shortly after his death.For this major biography of Gouverneur Warren, David M. Jordan utilizes Warren's own voluminous collection of letters, papers, orders, and other items saved by his family, as well as the letters and writings of such contemporaries as his aide and brother-in-law Washington Roebling, Andrew Humphreys, Winfield Hancock, George Gordon Meade, and Ulysses S. Grant. Jordan presents a vivid account of the life and times of a complex military figure.David M. Jordan, a native of Philadelphia, a graduate of Princeton University, and a practicing attorney, has previously published biographies of New York political boss Roscoe Conkling, Union general Winfield Scott Hancock, and pitcher Hal Newhouser, as well as a history of the Philadelphia Athletics.May 2001400 pages, 13 b&w photos, 11 maps, 6 1/8 x 9 1/4, index, append.cloth 0-253-33904-9$35.00 t / £26.50ContentsCold Spring and West PointTopographical EngineerInto the West with HarneyThe Black HillsThe Explorer Becomes a SoldierOn the Virginia PeninsulaSecond Manassas to FredericksburgWith HookerTo Little Round TopThe Aftermath of GettysburgSecond Corps InterludeFallout 1863–1864Into the Dark WoodsBloody SpotsylvaniaAround Lee's RightStandoff at PetersburgThe Mine and the RailroadWest to Peebles' FarmTo the End of 1864Beginning of the EndTo the White Oak RoadAll Fools' DayA Soldier's Good NameAn Engineer, AgainNewportThe Court BeginsThe Court ResumesThe Lawyers Have Their SayThe Frustration of WaitingWhere Malevolence Cannot Reach

In 1900, American League president Ban Johnson convinced Connie Mack to manage the newly created Philadelphia Athletics, which had been strategically placed in the same market as the National League Phillies, making the City of Brotherly Love a two-team town. The Athletics thus began their 54-year history by attempting to split the city's fan base, perhaps the first indication of the team's tendency toward polarity and vicissitude. As Ed Fitzgerald put it, "Like the little girl with the curl on her forehead, when the Athletics were good, they were very very good. But when they were bad, horrid was hardly the word." The A's won nine pennants and five World Series, yet finished last 16 times; they raided the Phillies roster in 1901, and later stripped themselves in baseball's first great fire sale; they boasted the illustrious "$100,000 Infield," yet Mack had to sell star players one after another to pull the A's through the Depression.This book, written by a long-time fan of the defunct team, relates the Athletics to the city of Philadelphia and tells the stories of the organization's signature seasons, from the championship years to the days when the A's were synonymous with baseball's cellar. The book also details the exploits of such Hall of Famers as Chief Bender, Eddie Collins, Lefty Grove, Jimmie Foxx, and Al Simmons, and considers the unique achievements and personality of Connie Mack, baseball's "Tall Tactician."

Though the players make the highlight reels, for fans of Major League Baseball the actual ballparks are often the seat of affection and team loyalty. Players come and go, get traded, retire, but the parks remain for decades. This work recounts the histories of the classic parks, those that were built between 1909 and 1923, and the last games that were played in them when their teams finally moved on.

With more losses and last-place finishes than any other club in Major League Baseball, the Philadelphia Phillies have earned a reputation as one of the most unsuccessful teams ever to take the field. Even so, the Phillies have boasted many unforgettable players and achieved a number of notable triumphs. This history of the Phillies begins with the club's inception in 1883 and goes through the 2012 season, highlighting the team's finer moments and players but also covering less memorable times. Among the people and events it recounts are the great outfield of the 1890s, Chuck Klein's slugging feats, the 1980 World Series, the surprise 1993 pennant win, and the very successful years in Citizens Bank Park, including the world champions of 2008. An exploration of the Phillies' special relationship with Philadelphia and numerous historic photographs complete this comprehensive celebration of the oldest continuous one-name, one-city franchise in professional sports history.

This is a straightforward history of the Athletics franchise, from its Connie Mack years in Philadelphia with teams featuring Eddie Collins, Chief Bender, Jimmy Foxx, Mickey Cochrane and Lefty Grove, through its 13 years in Kansas City, under Arnold Johnson and Charles O. Finley, and on to its great years in Oakland--with the three World Series wins featuring Catfish Hunter, Reggie Jackson, Sal Bando and Vida Blue, and the conflicts with Finley--as well as the less successful seasons that followed, then the Series sweep in 1989, and ending up with the unusual operation of the club by Billy Beane.