Dick Porter

Based upon work and materials compiled for the acclaimed and now much sought after 2007 Cramps biography A Short History of Rock'n'Roll Psychosis, Journey To The Centre Of The Cramps goes far beyond being a revised and updated edition: Completely overhauled, rewritten and vastly expanded, it now represents the definitive work on the group. In addition to unseen interview material from Ivy, Lux and other former band members, Journey To The Centre Of The Cramps also sees the Cramps' story through to its conclusion, recounting Lux's unexpected death in 2009, the subsequent dissolution of the group and their enduring legacy. The Cramps' history, influences and the cast of characters in and around the group are likewise explored in far greater depth. Features unseen first-hand interview material from Lux Interior and Poison Ivy. A wealth of new interview material with former band members and other key players in the band's history and never before seen/rare photographs and ephemera to help illustrate the book.

Propelled into the World Series in 1995 for the first time since 1954, the Cleveland Indians proved to the world they are no run-of-the-mill team. This comprehensive volume covers all of the team lore and legend, the controversies, the triumphs, and the heartaches. It includes 200 player profiles, season-by-season descriptions of unforgettable moments and memories, 700+ illustrations, extensive statistics, the World Series championships, and an immense treasure of little-known facts. The second edition of The Cleveland Indians Encyclopedia has been completely updated from its original release in 1996.

With a legacy that spans two fiercely loyal baseball towns a half-nation apart, the Baltimore Orioles--originally the St. Louis Browns--rank among baseball's most storied teams. One of the fifteen celebrated team histories commissioned by G. P. Putnam's Sons in the 1940s and 1950s, The Baltimore Orioles: The History of a Colorful Team in Baltimore and St. Louis chronicles the club's early history and is reissued on the fiftieth anniversary of their first season in Baltimore. Hall of Fame sportswriter Frederick G. Lieb begins with the history of baseball in Baltimore from its pre-Civil War beginnings and its major-league debut as the Lord Baltimores in 1872 to the championship seasons of the National League Orioles in 1894, '95, and '96 when the roster included Willie Keeler, Joe Kelley, Kid Gleason, Roger Bresnahan, Joe McGinnity, and John McGraw. After the turn of the century, Baltimore was briefly home to the Orioles of the American League in 1901-02, then, after losing its franchise to New York, had to settle for the AAA International League Orioles until 1954. Under the leadership of Jack Dunn, the minor-league Orioles, while developing the talents of Babe Ruth, Lefty Grove, and other future major-league stars, won seven straight International League pennants from 1919 to 1926. Here, too, is the colorful history of the precursors to the current Orioles, the lovable and luckless St. Louis Browns, augmented for this edition with a new foreword from St. Louis sportswriter Bob Broeg on the escapades of the Brownies. Though they lost more than a thousand games and captured only a single pennant in fifty-three seasons, the Browns remain a legendary part of national lore. Taking their lead in different eras from larger-than-life figures such as Branch Rickey, Rogers Hornsby, Urban Shocker, and the Barnum of Baseball, Bill Veeck, the Browns "boasted a one-armed outfielder, a hired hypnotist, the mighty midget [Eddie Gaedel] and--even the best ballplayer in the land--George Sisler," as Broeg recalls in his foreword. In 1944, the Browns also played in the only all-St. Louis World Series, losing to the Cardinals. Originally published in 1955 and featuring twenty-two photographs, The Baltimore Orioles history concludes with the new American League team's first season in Baltimore, finishing seventh in the league but garnering the lasting adoration of their new hometown.

Lux Interior (Erick Purkhiser) and Poison Ivy Rorschach (Kristy Wallace) formed The Cramps in the late 1970s. They quickly gained acclaim, notoriety, and hitmaker status for campy, sexy studio LPs like Songs the Lord Taught Us and Gravest Hits, as well as for their legendary, over-the-top concerts that brought to mind circus freak shows. This illustrated book with exclusive interviews presents a detailed examination of The Cramps' strange and terrible journey from sleazy, theatrical inventors of a mutant fusion of punk, garage rock, psychobilly, and rock 'n' roll to genuine cult icons with devoted fan bases around the globe.