Summary

Early Art and Artists in West Virginia is illustrated copiously with 136 plates accompanying the essays on portraiture and landscape painting, which form the first half of the book. A similar number of smaller illustrations in full color bring life to a biographical directory in the second part of the book, which contains nearly one thousand known painters who worked in West Virginia. Many West Virginians will find their family names in this directory, and some will doubtless locate the information here that they have long sought in order to learn more about a painting in their family's possession. The book is supported by an extensive bibliography on the state's artistic heritage and a full index to both the directory and the essays.

2001 American Graphic Design Awards Winner
A Wonderful West Virginia Magazine Book of the Month

Contents

• Foreword
• Part I
• Prologue
• Early Portraiture in West Virginia
• Landscape Artists, Illustrators, and More
• Looking Forward
• Epilogue
• Notes on the Text
• Part II
• Biographical Directory
• Bibliography
• Acknowledgements
• Index

Author

John A. Cuthbert, Curator of the West Virginia and Regional History Collection and Director of the West Virginia Historical Art Collection at the West Virginia University Libraries, has drawn upon years of personal study of the development of fine painting in West Virginia to write this history of the state's artistic heritage from its beginnings in the nineteenth century to the mid-twentieth century. He suggests that we have focused so intently on our rich traditions derived from the culture of mountain folk that we have overlooked the fact that most of our state's population has always been concentrated in the river valleys and in the Eastern Panhandle where communication and transportation were readily available. In such circumstances, West Virginians were no less sophisticated than their neighbors in bordering states and portrait and landscape painters found ready patrons for their works here.

Reviews

"Early Art and Artists in West Virginia provides an impressive body of research, well-written and well-documented. I see this as an excellent example of a growing number of studies in which individual states are recording their artistic heritages, and none is perhaps more varied or interesting than West Virginia's."
Jessie Poesch, author The Art of the Old South

"With modesty, Cuthbert... describes his study as 'only a beginning.' Most will agree that this is far more than that; for the foreseeable future, it will be the undisputed reference on the subject."
Joan Stahl, The Smithsonian American Art Museum

"An incredible collection."
Bill Archer, The Bluefield Daily Telegraph

"No one who spends time with Cuthbert's book will ever doubt that West Virginia has a long and active artistic tradition."
John Douglas, The Morgan Messenger

Summary

The Inside Pitch and More: Baseball’s Business and the Public Trust, written by former American League President Gene Budig, investigates the human and corporate sides of our nation’s pastime. Throughout the course of this book, the author systematically engages the myriad concerns of Major League Baseball, past, present, and future.

In The Inside Pitch and More, baseball’s economic prosperity is examined, as well as issues that hinder and threaten that perpetuity. Lately, baseball has been increasingly menaced by the popularity of other athletic venues - basketball, football, etc. Budig goes through the proposed methods of revitalizing the game of baseball. He emphasizes the need for a reevaluation of the relationship between the sport and its fan base so that the baseball will resume its role as America’s favorite pastime.

Based on his six years as president of the American League, Budig has composed a fascinating book, which is written to be enjoyed by the casual baseball fan as well as the serious student of this sport or sports management in general. The book is unique in that it is the first work to really dissect the sport of baseball by a retired high-ranking official with a wealth of information on the subject.

Contents

-1. Acknowledgements
0. Introduction
1. A Matter of Time
2. Of Importance to Many
3. It is a Financial Issue
4. Winners Everywhere
5. A Quick Lesson in History
6. Things Were Changing
7. Seeds of Change Were Sown
8. A Game on the Ropes
9. Mounting Evidence
10. Sports, a Large Enterprise
11. A Welcome Outcome
12. Sharing the Wealth
13. Growing the Game in the 2000s
14. One Path to Econommic Growth
15. A Game Set Apart
16. Where It All Started
17. Twice a Winner
18. The People Who Run the Game
19. A Time of Change
20. Not Your Average Job
21. The Economic Case of the 2000s
22. The Designated Hitter's Time Has Come
23. The Reformatted All-Star Game
24. The Rose Dilemma
25. A Thought on Sammy Sosa
26. The Challenge Facin College Athletics
27. Sports and Modern Journalism
28. The Importance of Competitiveness
29. Added Thoughts
30. Readings
31. About the Author

Author

Gene Budig was the president of Major League Baseball's American League from 1994 to 1999.

Reviews

"Anyone who enjoys or cares about the game of baseball will find The Inside Pitch very enjoyable."
Ted D. Ayres

"The Inside Pitch... and More is not inside; it's right over the plate for a terrific strike."
Al Neuharth, founder of USA Today

"[The Inside Pitch] explores many complex issues facing the game with unusual clarity."
Bud Selig, Commissioner of Major League Baseball

"[The Inside Pitch] is fair and balanced, and its contents should be of interest to anyone following the course of baseball."
Bob DuPuy, President of Major League Baseball