Hitting the Jackpot reveals the true story of how the Mashantucket Pequots of Connecticut became the richest Indian tribe in history. The culmination of a three-year investigation, Fromson uncovers a labyrinthine tale of legal maneuverings, back-room political dealings, and ethnic reinvention. Fromson details the step-by-step process by which today's Pequots gained tribal recognition, hired top lawyers to claim thousands of acres of land, exploited...

Recounts the religious, political, and social history of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, and its influence on our lives today.

This sweeping history of popular religion in eighteenth-century New England examines the experiences of ordinary people living through extraordinary times. Drawing on an unprecedented quantity of letters, diaries, and testimonies, Douglas Winiarski recovers the pervasive and vigorous lay piety of the early eighteenth century. George Whitefield's preaching tour of 1740 called into question the fundamental assumptions of this thriving religious culture....

"He was amazing. 'A little man with a Napoleonic penchant for the colossal and magnificent, Billy Rose is the country's No. 1 purveyor of mass entertainment,' Life magazine announced in 1936. The Times reported that with 1,400 people on his payroll, Rose ran a larger organization than any other producer in America. 'He's clever, clever, clever,' said Rose's first wife, the legendary Fanny Brice. 'He's a smart little goose.' Not Bad for Delancey Street:...

Raymer was the chief diver of the Pearl Harbor salvage operations. He later moved on to salvage operations off Guadalcanal and other Pacific battle sites.

The legend of John Noforce- whose puzzling death may have been the result of a Native American Romeo and Juliet saga- 1676's bloody Nipsachuck massacre and the scandalous downfall of the poor farm and asylum are a few of the tales that linger among historic Smithfield's fields and forests. Once home to 'Apple King' Thomas K. Winsor and Arthur C. Gould, frustrated inventor of Rhode Island's first and only aircraft rest stop, this storied town has known...

"This breathtaking overview of World War II documents the savage global fighting that began with Germany's 1939 invasion of Poland and ended dramatically over he skies of Japan in 1945. Actual footage from the European, North African and Pacific theatres of war dramatically shows how the Allies defeated the evil axis of power. Then discover the details of the Desert War in North Africa. See how untested American troops defeated Rommel's seasoned Africa...

Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Toni Morrison brings the genius of a master writer to this personal inquiry into the significance of African-Americans in the American literary imagination. Her goal, she states at the outset, is to "put forth an argument for extending the study of American literature ... draw a map, so to speak, of a critical geography and use that map to open as much space for discovery, intellectual adventure, and close exploration...