ISBN-13: 9781594487606 Availability: Usually Ships in 1-5 days Published: Riverhead Hardcover, 07/01/2010
A Full Cup of Tea-- Sir Thomas Lipton's Extraordinary Life and His Quest for The America's Cup(by Michael D'Antonio -- Riverhead Books, July 2010)If you were clattering down the cobblestones of Clydeside, Scotland in the 1850's, you might have bumped into a scrawny teenager wheeling a barrow from docks laden with basic foods from local farms. Tommy Lipton was a grocer's son, eking out a living close to the margins of destitution. His father was a master of the word "no"... while his mother was an open door to possibility. And in the decades ahead, Thomas Lipton built a fabulous food enterprise based on innovation, perseverance and passion.From his humble beginnings, Lipton never forgot where he came from -- and treated the poor like royalty. Unfortunately, in a stuffy/snobby old world across the pond, the powdered wig set treated him like a vermin. Never more was this as apparent as his constant and shameless "black balling" from the Royal Yacht Squadron -- even though Lipton assembled five spirited challenges to the greatest yacht trophy in the world, The America's Cup. Lipton redefined sportsmanship, and for this, he was revered by millions of Americans. He was part P.T. Barnum. Part Bill Gates. Part Will Rogers. But alas, because he grew out of a humble "tea bag" (which he invented, by the bye), stuff shirts like Teddy Roosevelt went out of their way to avoid him. (And we all thought Teddy was a tolerant fellow...)Lipton's yachts were marvels. All Shamrocks -- the last of which is still sailing off Newport today! The only problem for Lipton was a wizard in Bristol, Nathanael Herreshoff, who had a habit of designing speed-demons on water. Each time he tried, Lipton lost. For decades, he lost. And as each challenge was mounted, even Americans crossed over to root for him... so much so that after his final loss, money poured in from everywhere to have Tiffany create a surrogate cup he could steam back home with. Sir Tea was bigger than life. An icon of good. Never married -- with no children. Yet he left the world as his family, and an indelible image that continues to live on. And thanks to Michael D'Antonio, we will know him more than through a teeny tea bag.Beyond skipping through waves, this book is packed with tasty little morsels. Who knew that R.H. Macy's red star logo was copied from a tattoo Macy received while working on a whaling ship? Then there's a tale of an adventurous Scotsman named Robert Fortune (amazingly...) who bucked the Chinese penchant for beheading anyone who swiped tea seeds and planted them firmly in British Empire plantations in Ceylon and India. Bad boy! So, all you history buffs, pull on your boots and take a ride through the transformation of "retail", the development of sound over wires, the blaring of "ooh-gah" horns startling horses and flimsy flying machines flopping in fields. A Full Cup is great summer reading.Bob Wells
ISBN-13: 9780316004091 Availability: Usually Ships in 1-5 days Published: Little, Brown and Company, 04/01/2010
The War Lovers (by Evan Thomas -- Little Brown & Co. April 2010)Events leading up to the 1890's bred boredom for privileged "young turks" frequenting smoking rooms in upper-class clubs. Hellish memories of the American Civil War -- already decades old -- faded and were replaced by glorious images, dust flying, bugles blaring and flags fluttering in stiff breezes. Those were the days. Excitement. Patriotic purpose. Heroism and hubris.Tangled up in this yearning for glory and desire to "get into a scrap" were the likes of Teddy Roosevelt, Henry Cabot Lodge and William Randolph Hearst. They oozed "Ivy League" and Harvard -- were personified by a "mugwumps" and a group called "goo-goos" -- many of whom bemoaned a growing "culture of non-virility". Lodge and Roosevelt were peas bursting in a pod, while Hearst independently spent most of his life as a "Teddy Want-a-be". As precursors to more recent "neo-cons", these three fell into a loosely formed collection of characters exposing "Americanism" -- even "American Expansionism" and "jingoism".When the U.S.S. Maine exploded in Havana Harbor in 1898, the media-man Hearst unleashed a barrage of flimsily fabricated news stories that ripped through the American psyche. "We've been attacked!" Someone (in this case, Spain) must pay! In no time, flames of anger spread across the country inciting young men to volunteer for "excitement" in droves. If you see some similarity to how our leaders felt after 9/11/2001, you're not the only one. But back to 1898, President McKinley was called a jelly fish... with no more backbone than a chocolate eclair. Remember, there were idle little rich boys then just itching for a fight.The author, Evan Thomas, takes us back to the turn of the 20th Century to paint a lively picture of the times -- dropping us onto San Juan Hill while The Rough Riders charged into enemy fire. Our boy Teddy was no dummy, he made sure a reporter was close to his side... while Lodge and Hearst were burnishing images of valor and heroic conduct. Together with another recent book, The Imperial Cruise, readers today will gain a fascinating portrait of the life and times of Teddy Roosevelt that is possibly a bit less flattering than the images made popular recently in books by David McCullough and others. Face it, Truth be told, Teddy is legendary, from a number of different perspectives.Bob Wells
ISBN-13: 9781400043637 Availability: Usually Ships in 1-5 days Published: Knopf, 03/01/2010
George, Nicholas and Wilhelm, by Miranda Carter -- Alfred A. Knopf, March 2010)For centuries European royalty has ensured friendly relations with its neighbors by arranging marriages between sons and daughters. Princes and countesses were sprinkled back and forth across borders to gain favors, bolster treasuries and simply solidify allegiances. Queen Victoria was particularly effective on this front... so much so that, careening into the 20th Century, three grand children stood as the Tsar of Russia, Kaiser of Germany and King of England.What a group. If any of you feel like your family is overly laced with dysfunctional relatives, you ain't seen nothin'. Thanks to Miranda Carter, author of The Three Emperors, readers get to sneak in and out of courts and castles vicariously witnessing mountains of monarchical madness. Each of these three spoiled little royals earns title to gold medals for being royally incapable of ruling nations and embracing the rapidly changing world around him. Sadly, George, Willy and Nicky delivered verbal hugs to each other while crossing their fingers firmly behind their backs. Each was consumed by pinning new ribbons on their uniforms and running around whacking Africans and Asians over the head, adding them to their territorial control.Peoples' rights were trampled. Pettiness ruled. Trust was nowhere. National pride trumped honorable dialogue across borders. The Kaiser the Tsar and the King each became detached in his own way and over time lost control of their empires. The world drifted blindly toward a world war. All it took was a mindless assassination and trigger-happy hawks on all sides overran peaceful intentions. All three leaders wanted peace, but were unable to turn the tide of peoples itching for expressions of national pride.Even if you're not a history buff, you'll find this book an absolutely fascinating account of how European royalty lived in the latter half of the 1800's and first part of the 1900's. You'll see how a powerful family of multi-national rulers coexisted and communicated with each other. Foibles. Weaknesses. Incredible blunders and blind spots. You might feel like you're reading a mystery novel -- except the words and deeds here are real. And there impact cascaded down on all of us.I'll make a bet with you. You'll have trouble putting this book down.Bob Wells
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