A chronicle of the development of canes and the staggering variety of materials employed in their construction illustrated with over 1200 color photos. The dazzling array of hidden gadgetry and weaponry is revealed, along with useful information for collectors. Illustrated auctioneer's catalogs with prices help determine canes' values in the marketplace.

A New York Times bestseller and Oprah's Book Club Pick-the unique and deeply moving saga of four generations of African-American women whose journey from slavery to freedom begins on a Creole plantation in Louisiana. Beginning with her great-great-great-great grandmother, a slave owned by a Creole family, Lalita Tademy chronicles four generations of strong, determined black women as they battle injustice to unite their family and forge success on their own terms. They are women whose lives begin in slavery, who weather the Civil War, and who grapple with contradictions of emancipation, Jim Crow, and the pre-Civil Rights South. As she peels back layers of racial and cultural attitudes, Tademy paints a remarkable picture of rural Louisiana and the resilient spirit of one unforgettable family. There is Elisabeth, who bears both a proud legacy and the yoke of bondage... her youngest daughter, Suzette, who is the first to discover the promise-and heartbreak-of freedom... Suzette's strong-willed daughter Philomene, who uses a determination born of tragedy to reunite her family and gain unheard-of economic independence... and Emily, Philomene's spirited daughter, who fights to secure her children's just due and preserve their dignity and future. Meticulously researched and beautifully written, Cane River presents a slice of American history never before seen in such piercing and personal detail.

Return to danger It's the summer of 1880, and Thomas Edison's incandescent bulb is poised to put the gaslight industry out of business. Knowing a good business opportunity, former New York shopkeeper Steve Dancy sets out to obtain a license for Edison's electric lamp. Edison agrees, under one condition: Dancy and his friends must stop the saboteurs who are disrupting his electrification of Wall Street. After two years of misadventures out West, the assignment appears to be right up his alley. But new troubles await him in New York City. Dancy has brought a woman with him, and his high-society family disapproves. More worrisome, he has also unknowingly dragged along a feud that began out West. The feud could cost him Edison's backing ... and possibly his life. About the Author James D. Best is the author of The Shopkeeper, Leadville, Murder at Thumb Butte, The Shut Mouth Society, Tempest at Dawn, The Digital Organization, and Principled Action. He lives in Omaha, Nebraska, with his wife, Diane. Praise for Steve Dancy titles "You'll find yourself lost in the book." Maritza Barone, Woman's Day "Once again, Best has penned a fine read." C. K. Crigger, Roundup Magazine "This is a fast-paced tale with an interesting hero...you'll certainly find enough twists and turns to provide an entertaining and exciting story." Western Writers of America, August, 2008 "The James Best books...are about the best new western series to come along since Larry McMurtry." Larry Winget, True West Magazine, March, 2012 "This is a compelling narrative and as good as the best of classic westerns. James D. Best is a name to remember." Saline River Chronicle "The Shopkeeper is quick and fun to read, perfect for a vacation escape." Diane Scearce, Nashville Examiner

I placed a whisky and soda before the Rev. J. D. Eltham, also sliding the tobacco jar nearer to his hand. The refined and sensitive face of the clergy-man offered no indication of the truculent character of the man. His scanty fair hair, already gray over the temples, was silken and soft-looking; in appearance he was indeed a typical English churchman; but in China he had been known as “the fighting missionary,” and had fully deserved the title. In fact, this peaceful-looking gentleman had directly brought about the Boxer Risings

London, 1913—the era of Sherlock Holmes, Dracula, and the Invisible Man. A time of shadows, secret societies, and dens filled with opium addicts. Into this world comes the most fantastic emissary of evil society has ever known... Dr. Fu-Manchu. The insidious doctor returns to Great Britain with his league of assassins, the dreaded Si-Fan. He seeks to subvert the realm at the highest levels, but Fu-Manchu has his own secrets—which he will protect by any means.