The Chequered Past

In the forty-year period between 1951 and 1991, Canadian sports car competition underwent a massive change, transforming itself from an amateur recreational pastime to a commercialized profession and from an individual sport to a spectacle for mass consumption. The Chequered Past is the story of the struggle over power and purpose within the Canadian auto sport that led to this transformation. The first comprehensive history of sports car racing and rallying in Canada, The Chequered Past traces the efforts of the national governing body - the Canadian Auto Sport Clubs (CASC) - to bring its sports car competition up to a 'world class' level, and to manage the consequences of those efforts in the second half of the twentieth century. David Charters traces the social origins of the sport and the major trends that shaped it: professionalism, technological change, rising costs, and the influence of commercial sponsors. Charters argues that while early enthusiasts set the sport on a course toward professionalism that would eventually produce world-class Canadian events and racers, that course would also ultimately change the purpose of the sport: from personal recreation to mass entertainment. As technological innovations drove up the costs of competing at the top ranks, racers were forced to rely on sponsors, who commercialized and ultimately gained control of the sport. The end result, Charters argues, was the marginalization of the amateur competitor and of the CASC itself. Based on extensive research into the CASC's records and dozens of interviews with former competitors and officials, The Chequered Past opens a window into the rich but virtually unknown history of the auto sport, and claims for it a place in Canadian sports history.

Spanning thousands of years, a wide-ranging history of Pakistan from the Bronze Age to partition and beyond. This book takes us on a sweeping journey through the ebbs and flows of Pakistan’s history, from the ancient Indus Valley Civilization to contemporary times. Chequered Past, Uncertain Future uncovers influences from Turkey, Persia, Arabia, and Britain that have shaped Pakistan, as well as showcases the region’s diverse and rich tapestry of peoples, and its pluralistic, multicultural society. The book also describes the post-1947 shift—following the partition of India and the establishment of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan—as the country became more religiously conservative and autocratic, intensifying sectarian and ethnic divisions. For most of their history, the people of Pakistan have found themselves under the control of military dictators who suppress civil liberties and freedom of speech and action—a trend that persists today.

"Fascinated with the rich tradition and youthful creativity of London in the 1960s and longing to leave suburban America, a wide-eyed twenty-year-old Californian named Peter Schlesinger arrived in 1968 with his partner, David Hockney, to study painting at the Slade School of Art. He stayed on for ten years and moved in some of the city's most intriguing social and artistic circles. Manolo Blahnik, Paloma Picasso, Ossie Clark, Cecil Beaton, Bianca Jagger, Christopher Isherwood, and Bryan Ferry - all became friends of the bright and talented Schlesinger, along with other prominent figures in the worlds of art, ballet, music, photography, film, and society." "Schlesinger was one of Hockney's favorite models and he appears in many of his most important paintings of this period, but he was a gifted artist in his own right, with a tireless interest in documenting the amazing world of London bohemia in which he found himself. His privileged position during these extraordinary years resulted in literally thousands of intimate photographs of friends and acquaintances in everyday situations, taken both at home in London and on numerous trips to continental Europe. Featuring 180 of the most artful and revealing images, Checkered Past guides us with a wry eye through the artists' studios, fashion shows, grand country houses, and gay discos that made London such a magnet during the late 1960s and early 1970s."--BOOK JACKET.

From the first international motor race in 1895, to today's high-tech supercars, author and illustrator Simon Read takes the reader on a journey through the evolution of Grand Prix Racing. The major breakthroughs, events and personalities are discussed alongside more than 500 illustrations, ranging from ink sketches and watercolours to technical explanations of key principles. ‘Legends’ is packed with sketches, diagrams and paintings, both newly created for this book and archive material from a lifetime spent drawing and painting racing cars. This is a book for the enthusiast, those who stand in awe at the show, the machinery, the drivers, the wizards who put it all together and the great glamorous, colourful spectacle that is Grand Prix racing.

The book presents the history of our great nation from the earliest times to the 7th century ad when the last of the Hindu emperors, Harshavardhana, ruled over a major part of India. The author has presented the chequered history in a brief manner, and with meticulous regard to authenticity of facts. He has deftly touched upon differing views on controversial matters, pinpointing the most likely scenario in an objective manner. The book meets the long-felt need of a nationalist, yet independent, appraisal of our past in a concise manner. It avoids the preconceived notions of foreign historians and their blind followers, at the same time without attempting undue glorification of the past. The book is certainly a laudable attempt to bring our glorious heritage alive!

'History is written by the winners' is the received wisdom. This book explains why historical interpretation has to incorporate perspectives from those other than 'winners', and demonstrates archaeology's crucial role in this wide-ranging approach. The book draws more on Africa, Afro-America, Australasia and Oceania than on Europe, the source of the traditionally dominant perspective in archaeology. The four organizing themes of The Politics of the Past are the forms and consequences of the Eurocentric heritage, the conflicting perspectives of rulers and ruled, the significance of administrative and institutional rivalries, and the cleavages that divide professional from popular views of archaeology. Archaeologists, anthropologists, historians and other scholars will find The Politics of the Past illuminating and provocative. It will enrich historical and archaeological inquiry and interpretation, and ramify their relevance for public policy.

Winning came naturally for Al Unser, Jr. He had a gift for finding the fast line on the track and he possessed a boisterous and lovable personality. Fans and the press adored him. Behind this affable persona, an appetite for drugs and alcohol was destroying his private life. Unser's battle to climb out of that cave is one of the great stories in motorsports. A Checkered Past is an unblinking story of triumph, tragedy, and the road to recovery.