Thomas Barthel

After the Civil War, the New York City's East River was a massive unsolved and dangerous navigation problem. A major waterway into and out of the Harbor--where customs revenue equaled 42 percent of the U. S. Government's income--the river's many hindrances, centered around Hell Gate, included whirlpools, rocks and reefs. These, combined with swirling currents and powerful tides, led to deaths, cargo losses and destruction of vessels. Charged with clearing the river, General John Newton of the Army Corps of Engineers went to work with the most rudimentary tools for diving, mining, lighting, pumping and drilling. His crews worked for 20 years, using a steam-drilling scow of his own design and a new and perilous explosive--nitroglycerine. In 1885, Newton destroyed the nine-acre Flood Rock with 282,730 pounds of high explosives. The demolition was watched by tens of thousands. This book chronicles the clearing of the East River and the ingenuity of the Army engineer whose work was praised by the National Academy of Sciences.

From his first year in the majors, George Herman "Babe" Ruth knew he could profit from celebrity. Babe Ruth Cigars in 1915 marked his first attempt to cash in. Traded to the Yankees in 1920, he soon signed with Christy Walsh, baseball's first publicity agent. Walsh realized that stories of great deeds in sports were a commodity, and in 1921 sold Ruth's ghostwritten byline to a newspaper syndicate for $15,000 ($187,000 today). Ruth hit home runs while Walsh's writers made him a hero, crafting his public image as a lovable scalawag. Were the stories true? It didn't matter--they sold. Many survive but have never been scrutinized until now. Drawing on primary sources, this book examines the stories, separating exaggerated facts from clear falsehoods. This book traces Ruth's ascendance as the first great media-created superstar and celebrity product endorser.

While Abner Doubleday is remembered primarily, and mistakenly, for having "invented" baseball (he did not), it was his selfless exercise of duty to his nation that should be honored. Following his youth in Auburn, New York, and his days as a cadet at West Point to the Union general's involvement in the American Civil War and his public service afterwards, he is revealed in this biography as a man who took unpopular stands but was guided by a firm vision of justice. One chapter fully explores the baseball myth.

"Baseball postseason barnstorming is a phenomenon specific to baseball and American sports. Exhibition games added even more liveliness to this hubbub of activity. In baseball the term "barnstorming" was used to mean that movement north (or east) from spring training, stopping for games at a number of small towns and lesser cities"--Provided by publisher.

Pepper Martin, the "Wild Horse of the Osage," is most famous for having dominated the October 1931 World Series--stealing bases, sliding on his chest, making diving catches, and driving in runs. He also captivated many Americans in the Depression Era with his homegrown honesty and love of pranks. To many, he epitomized the very spirit of baseball. This biography follows Martin's rise from Oklahoma farmboy, buying his first glove with money from a paper route, to being one of America's most successful and beloved professionals. It closes with an account of his coaching career in Florida and his death in 1965, a member of the Oklahoma Hall of Fame and a loving grandfather. The work includes accounts of important games and intimate glimpses of his romance with his wife and the arrivals of his daughters. Information is drawn from research on the careers of key players and managers from the Cardinals, back issues of periodicals, and interviews with Don Gutterridge, Martin's teammate.

This illustrated biography resurrects the professional life of Joe "Ducky" Medwick, a Hall of Fame outfielder who demanded the best of himself as much as he insisted respect from team owners, fellow players, the press, and his fans. In 1936 Medwick set the record for most doubles in a season, and in 1937 he became the last National League player to win the Triple Crown. Though his career ended in 1948, both The Sporting News and the Society for Baseball Research named Medwick one of the top 100 players of all time. In this first-ever biography of one of baseball's most cantankerous players, author Thomas Barthel recounts the fascinating details of Medwick's successful career. All the highs and lows are replayed including an in-depth examination of game 7 of the 1934 World Series when the Gas House Gang member was barraged for 17 minutes by fruit and trash. This biography also features interviews of several St. Louis and Brooklyn players and administrators of the 1930s and 1940s and includes conversations with Hall of Fame outfielder Enos Slaughter and Hall of Fame writer Bob Broeg. This long overdue biography is not only an insightful read about one of the top players of all time but a fascinating look at pre-World War II baseball.

Das deutsche Arbeitnehmerurheberrecht als Querschnittsmaterie zwischen Arbeitsrecht und Urheberrecht ist hinsichtlich der im Arbeitsverhaltnis erstellten Werke von zwei kontraren Grundsatzen gepragt. Dem arbeitsrechtlichen Grundsatz von der Berechtigung des Arbeitgebers am Arbeitsergebnis steht der das deutsche Urheberrecht beherrschende Grundsatz des Schoepferprinzips gegenuber. Dies fuhrt in der Praxis zu erheblichen Rechtsunsicherheiten bei Werken im Sinne des 43 UrhG. Die Untersuchung richtet sich an den in der Praxis mit dem Arbeitnehmerurheberrecht befassten Leser und fuhrt ihn in die Materie ein. Es werden Vertragsmuster und tarifvertragliche Regelungen zum Arbeitnehmerurheberrecht dargestellt und untersucht. Erganzend werden die derzeitigen Reformvorschlage zum Arbeitnehmerurheberrecht hinsichtlich ihrer Auswirkungen auf 43 UrhG und 69b UrhG analysiert. Abschliessend wird ein eigener praxisorientierter Reformvorschlag unterbreitet.