Kevin D. McCann Author Blog

McNairy County Historical Society Meeting

kdmccann27@comcast.net (Kevin McCann) — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 13:01:00 +0000

There was a great turnout last night for my presentation to the McNairy County Historical Society at the Jack McConnico Memorial Library in Selmer, TN. Despite the rainy weather, there was a packed meeting room when I arrived and more chairs were being brought in from the library. I was very honored that people came out to listen to me talk about Fielding Hurst and the Sixth Tennessee (U.S.) Cavalry. Afterward, I answered questions from members and guests, signed copies of my book Hurst's Wurst, and had the opportunity to talk with many people interested in Hurst, the Civil War, and their family histories that were tied to members of the Sixth Tennessee.

My wife Cindy and I sold 19 copies of the book--thank you very much to everyone who purchased one (or two)! If you missed the meeting but would still like a signed copy, please visit the link above or send an email request to:

A member of the Sons of Confederate Veterans in Corinth, MS who came to the meeting invited me to address one of their future meetings. I should have details in a few weeks.

Thank you, Judy Hammons and Nancy Kennedy with the Historical Society, for inviting me to speak. I enjoy coming back to Selmer and McNairy County whenever I have the chance.

Hurst's Wurst Presentation and Book Signing

kdmccann27@comcast.net (Kevin McCann) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 17:56:00 +0000

I will be speaking to the McNairy County Historical Society on Tuesday, Oct. 27 at 7 p.m. at the Jack McConnico Memorial Library in Selmer, TN. I will discuss why I chose to research and write about Fielding Hurst and the Sixth Tennessee (U.S.) Cavalry, share a little about the man, his regiment, and other Unionists in southwest Tennessee during the Civil War, and answer questions.

I'll bring copies of my book Hurst's Wurst: Colonel Fielding Hurst and the Sixth Tennessee Cavalry U.S.A. The cost is $20.00 each and I would be pleased to sign it.

(It's never too early to think about a Christmas gift for your favorite Civil War enthusiast!)

If you have any questions, please email me at:

Presentation and Book Signing Oct. 27th

kdmccann27@comcast.net (Kevin McCann) — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 02:57:00 +0000

I will be the guest speaker at the next meeting of the McNairy County Historical Society Tuesday, October 27 at the Jack McConnico Memorial Library in Selmer, TN. The subject will be Colonel Fielding Hurst, the Sixth Tennessee Cavalry U.S., and Southern Unionists in southwest Tennessee during the Civil War. Afterward, I will sign copies of my book Hurst's Wurst: Colonel Fielding Hurst and the Sixth Tennessee Cavalry U.S.A.

Another Book Progress Report

kdmccann27@comcast.net (Kevin McCann) — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 04:41:00 +0000

Wow, it's been almost two months since I last posted to my blog! Not that I heard a clamor from anyone who reads it for my whereabouts, but I thought I would check back in nonetheless.

I've still working on edits and rewriting a few chapters for my book Adam Huntsman: The Peg-Legged Politician over the summer in anticipation of its release this fall. I've also commissioned a talented young artist who is working on three unique artistic additions to the book that I'm very excited about. More news on this book project in the weeks to come.

I will be giving a talk in late October on the subject of my last book Hurst's Wurst: Colonel Fielding Hurst and the Sixth Tennessee Cavalry U.S.A. Details are still being worked out, but I should be able to make an announcement later this week. It's been a while since I returned to anything related to Hurst and I'm looking forward to revisiting his story and that of the Sixth Tennessee (Union) Cavalry.

I haven't been posting to my blog the past few months, but I have been tweeting on Twitter and built a decent 500+ tweets over the summer. There's a few updates on my projects, but mostly I share links to newspaper articles and blog posts I come across having to do with U.S. history, Tennessee history, and U.S. Presidents. I hope you'll follow me there!

On This Day in History: Fielding Hurst Escapes His Captors

kdmccann27@comcast.net (Kevin McCann) — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 14:09:00 +0000

On this day in history, Colonel Fielding Hurst of the Sixth Tennessee (U.S.) Cavalry was captured by Confederate soldiers near Somerville, Tennessee in 1863, but he escaped when his men came back for him.

Below is an excerpt from my book Hurst's Wurst: Colonel Fielding Hurst and Sixth Tennessee Cavalry U.S.A. (pages 31-32):

Hurst found himself in enemy hands when two members of Colonel Richard V. Richardson’s group captured him four miles southwest of Somerville, Tennessee on July 25. While on scout with a squad of the 1st West Tennessee, he stopped for a moment to talk with a widow named Lewis and her daughter at their front gate as he waited for some of his men to rejoin him. Two Confederate soldiers named Hugh Nelson and C.A.S. Shaw, returning home to Somerville for fresh horses and clothing, came upon Hurst on the road. They approached him from behind with guns drawn as Mrs. Lewis asked, “Col[onel] ain’t you afraid the Rebels will catch you[?]” No sooner had he replied that he wasn’t when the two soldiers took his pistols from his saddle holsters and led him away on horseback toward their encampment.Hurst knew his men would try and find him and he rode slowly between his captors to give them more time to catch up. When they objected to his pace, he told them they could shoot him if they did not like it.

Meanwhile Captain Harry Hodges of Company B and a group of eight soldiers from the regiment had pursued them for seven miles. When they were found, Lieutenant Risden D. Deford and an African-American servant belonging to Captain Robert M. Thompson of Company A ran ahead and began firing at them. In the confusion, Hurst “drew rein and turned his quick grey mare” into the woods as one of his captors shot at him with one of his own pistols. Hodges gave him a revolver and the 1st West Tennessee chased the Confederate soldiers to within a few hundred feet of Richardson’s encampment. Outnumbered, Hurst and his men turned back a short distance to the top of a hill where they were joined by the rest of the squad. They “cheered lustily, making so much noise that the Rebels thought the whole regiment was coming to avenge their Colonel’s wrongs.” Richardson’s command was tempted but grudgingly decided to give up their trophy without a fight.

Progress Report on Book Projects

kdmccann27@comcast.net (Kevin McCann) — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 04:42:00 +0000

It's been two months since I've written a post, so I thought I would give everyone an update on projects of interest to readers of my blog.

The closest project to completion is the revised second edition of my 1996 book The Peg-Legged Politician: The Life of Adam Huntsman. Editing and layout work is progressing nicely with a publication date of August 23 on the horizon. It will be the 160th anniversary of Huntsman's death at his home near Jackson, Tennessee in 1849. A new Huntsman website is also in the works that will be launched in the coming weeks.

Thank you so much to everyone who has written to me about a project close to my heart, a proposed biography of third baseman Ken Boyer of the St. Louis Cardinals, New York Mets, Chicago White Sox, and Los Angeles Dodgers. This one is in the research phase right now as I learn more about his fifteen-year major league career. To keep up with this project, please visit my website or my site dedicated to Mr. Boyer.

Presidential Biographies

kdmccann27@comcast.net (Kevin McCann) — Sat, 23 May 2009 04:12:00 +0000

It's been my goal for the past few years to read at least one biography of the American Presidents of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries (George Washington to Theodore Roosevelt). So far I've read ones for Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, John Quincy Adams, Andrew Jackson, James K. Polk, and Theodore Roosevelt. (I have books on Zackary Taylor and Abraham Lincoln on my to-read list.) I'm especially anxious to find the essential biographies--the must-reads on a particular President.

If I have any readers out there, I would love to know your thoughts on the essential Presidential biographies I should read. The Presidents I'm especially interested in are James Madison, Martin Van Buren, John Tyler, and Franklin Pierce. I look forward to your suggestions!

Tippecanoe and Tyler Too

kdmccann27@comcast.net (Kevin McCann) — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 23:31:00 +0000

As part of my writing on the life and political career of Adam Huntsman, I'm researching the Presidential election of 1840 that saw Andrew Jackson's Democratic party suffer its first Presidential defeat to the Whig party. William Henry Harrison of Ohio and running mate John Tyler of Virginia rode the crest of an unprecedented wave of campaign enthusiasm into the President's House. Five years ago, a band called They Might Be Giants actually created their own version of a campaign song from that election. It's kind of catchy after listening to it a few times! (The lyrics "Van is a used up man" refers to the incumbent President Martin Van Buren.)

A Running Fight in Purdy, Tennessee (1859)

kdmccann27@comcast.net (Kevin McCann) — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 03:12:00 +0000

I'm taking advantage of a 30-day trial subscription to genealogybank.com and came across this newspaper article dated November 20, 1859 about a pre-Civil War fight between Fielding Hurst and M. Ledbetter on the streets of Purdy, Tennessee that involved pistols, horse shoes, and sticks! (Hurst is the subject of my book Hurst's Wurst: Colonel Fielding Hurst and the Sixth Tennessee Cavalry U.S.A.)

"A difficulty occurred between two of our citizens on last Wednesday night. M. Ledbetter snapped a pistol at F. Hurst, Esq., at the distance of about six feet, and Hurst afterwards fired twice at Ledbetter at the distance of about twenty paces, and one of the balls entered a chair in close proximity to Ledbetter.

Brickbats, horse shoes, sticks and bottles were thrown in wild confusion during a sort of running fight, which continued for several minutes. Much excitement prevalled, and some of our citizens done splendid dodging and running; in the latter list was found leading the way, one of the editors of this paper--we mean the one who lives in town. There was an old grudge between the parties, but we forbear comment."

Plugging Away...

kdmccann27@comcast.net (Kevin McCann) — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 02:29:00 +0000

To those who check my blog from time to time, I apologize for the lack of posts. I've been hard at work on my latest book project on the life and political career of Adam Huntsman. So I've been writing, but it's work you won't see for a few more months. The ETA for this book is June or July 2009. For those of you interested in Tennessee history, antebellum politics, and David Crockett, I think you'll find it to be an interesting account of one minor but colorful politician during the Age of Jackson.

"Take Home A Package of Tennessee Pride!"

kdmccann27@comcast.net (Kevin McCann) — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 05:23:00 +0000

This has nothing to do with writing, but I suppose it has a little something to do with Tennessee history. Sort of.

I found this old commercial for Tennessee Pride Sausage I wanted to share. When I was a kid, breakfast on Saturday mornings consisted of biscuits and gravy, scrambled eggs, and Tennessee Pride Sausage. (If I was at Grandma's, sometimes there was chocolate gravy!) It's the only brand my mother ever used and I've carried on the tradition in my own household. Once I brought home another brand for a change of pace, but my wife and children didn't care for it. They only wanted Tennessee Pride. I'm sure it's a tradition in other Southern households too.

Adam Huntsman as a Cultural Icon

kdmccann27@comcast.net (Kevin McCann) — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 05:29:00 +0000

Everyone has seen the Obama icon image that was used throughout the late unpleasantness (i.e. the 2008 Presidential election). Now there's a website that enables anyone to create their own icon. Using this technology, I thought I would pay homage to the focus of all my writing energies of late.

Adam Huntsman Descendants Make Presentation to East Tennessee Historical Society

kdmccann27@comcast.net (Kevin McCann) — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 15:17:00 +0000

A 175-year-old sketch of Adam Huntsman has been donated by his descendants as a gift to the East Tennessee Historical Society.

Patricia Grames Pollock, great-great granddaughter of the one-term congressman from Tennessee, presented it on behalf of her family to Michele MacDonald, Curator of Collections for the society, on February 25. It had been passed down to her father, Charles M. Grames, by his mother Edith (Huntsman) Grames, who was Huntsman's granddaughter.

Adam Huntsman (1786-1849) was a Virginia native who came to Knox County, Tennessee in 1809, where he settled for about three years. It was here that he studied law under John Williams, one of Knoxville's most prominent attorneys in the early nineteenth century and later a United States Senator. The legal skills he learned from Williams he carried with him westward to Overton County and later Madison County, Tennessee, where he became a highly regarded criminal lawyer.

But it was politics that was Huntsman's passion: he was a leader of the Democratic Party in West Tennessee in the 1830s and 1840s and corresponded with notable politicians of his day such as Andrew Jackson, James K. Polk, James Buchanan, and John C. Calhoun. He served four terms in the Tennessee state senate and defeated David Crockett for the Twelfth Congressional seat in 1835, a loss that led to Crockett's journey to Texas and his death at the Alamo.

The sketch is believed to have been done circa 1835 or 1836 while Huntsman served in Congress. Family tradition states that it was the work of an African-American woman who drew it with her foot!

Mrs. Pollock is pleased the East Tennessee Historical Society agreed to add it to their collection. “This fine old sketch deserves a permanent home where people can see it,” she said.

James K. Polk

kdmccann27@comcast.net (Kevin McCann) — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 04:20:00 +0000

If I had to pick my favorite American President on this Presidents' Day, it would have to be James K. Polk, our 11th Chief Executive.

My fascination with Polk goes back to my childhood of memorizing the Presidents. He was a Tennessean (although a native of North Carolina) and a protege of our first Tennessee president, Andrew Jackson. He was the youngest man ever elected up to 1845 (49 years old when he was sworn in) and the first to sport long hair (a mullet, I suppose). He extended our country's boundaries westward to the Pacific Ocean through negotiation with Great Britain and war with Mexico. He was probably the most dedicated and hardest working president, certainly in the first 60 years of the 19th Century.

(Polk also had ties to the subject of my latest book project, Tennessee lawyer and politician Adam Huntsman.)

I learned later that he had not been admired or adored as other men who held the office; in fact, he was somewhat devious and calculating. But he set his agenda, decided to accomplish it in one term, and he did it. Of course this work ethic prematurely aged him and likely contributed to his death at the age of 53, just three months after he left office.

In the last few decades, Polk has finally received his due in the pantheon of Presidential greatness. His most recent biographer believes him to be one of the greatest, certainly the greatest of the one-term chief executives.

Polk is also the subject of an upcoming documentary by Brian Rose, who explores his own fascination with the president. Here's a few clips he has posted on YouTube:

Happy Presidents Day

kdmccann27@comcast.net (Kevin McCann) — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 23:56:00 +0000

This Presidents Day reminds me of my fascination as a child with American history and the men who served as our nation's leaders.

When I was about 12 years old, I took it upon myself one summer to memorize the Presidents in order, from Washington to Reagan (at that time). My grandmother had a set of World Book Encyclopedias in the attic from the time my father and his brothers were kids. She also had a set of World Book Yearbooks that chronicled the events of every year since 1962. The 1962 edition had a section devoted to the Presidents, with facts, biographies, and pictures. I poured through that book, memorizing the Presidents. I even traced their pictures on sheets of notebook paper.

My grandmother and I would sit on her front porch in her swing as I recited the Presidents to her--in order, Washington to Reagan--as she looked in the book and checked my accuracy. And as best I remember, I was right more times than I wasn't. And I can still recite them today, with a few selective omissions.

Almost 30 years later, that same book--along with the entire Encyclopedia set-- now sits on my office bookshelf. Its spine is split from top to bottom, the back cover barely clinging to it. But I can open it and flip through its pages and remember that summer with Grandma.

Happy Birthday, Adam Huntsman!

kdmccann27@comcast.net (Kevin McCann) — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 14:04:00 +0000

Adam Huntsman, the subject of my latest book project, would be 223 years old today.

I grew up in Jackson, Tennessee, where he lived the last 26 years of his life. He will always be best known as the man who beat David Crockett for Congress in 1835, which led Crockett to Texas and his heroic death at the Alamo. But there's a lot more that should be known about this colorful and eccentric frontier lawyer and politician.

His most distinguishing feature was a wooden peg leg. He used the artificial appendage to his advantage during his legal and political career. When he delivered a speech, he would pound it on the floor to emphasize a point he was making. It was also a visiable reminder of the sacrifice he made for his country, much to the chagrin of his political opponents. How he lost the limb has been the subject of speculation for many years: Crockett claimed it was lost "in an [I]ndian fight during the last war," implying that it happened during the Creek War or the War of 1812. I have my own theory that I will share in my upcoming book.

Huntsman was born in Charlotte County, Virginia on 11 February 1786. I've tried in my research to identify his parents, but the best I've come up with is circumstantial evidence that points to Adam Huntsman (senior) and Jeane Francis of Charlotte County. (I can't even prove--aside from the fact that she had married a Huntsman--that they were even married.) It's certainly one of the more frustrating aspects of the project.

He left Virginia for Knox County, Tennessee, settling there about 1809. He studied law under John Williams and obtained his license, but he never hung his shingle there. It may have had something to do with his paternity of an illegitimate daughter in 1811. He moved to Overton County and practiced law in that area of Middle Tennessee until 1823. During this time, he served three terms in the Tennessee state senate representing Overton, White, and Jackson counties.

By 1823, Huntsman was married to Sarah Wesley Quarles and had moved to Madison County, where he settled four miles east of Jackson in the Cotton Grove community. He practiced law and was engaged in various civic and business activities. In 1827, he was elected as West Tennessee's first senator to the General Assembly and served one term. He later represented Madison County at the state constitutional convention in 1834.

Huntsman was a staunch supporter of President Andrew Jackson and the fledgling Democratic Party in Tennessee. He enjoyed the game of politics and played an active role in various campaigns in West Tennessee throughout the 1830s and 1840s. In 1835, he opposed incumbent congressman David Crockett's re-election bid in a lively campaign pitting masters of the stump speech and tall tale telling. (Huntsman was regarded as the better speaker of the two.) Huntsman won the election by 2,000 votes and served one term in the 24th Congress (1835-37). He stepped aside rather than seek re-election: his opponent would have been John Wesley Crockett, a fellow attorney and eldest son of his former opponent.

Huntsman corresponded for 13 years with fellow Tennessean James K. Polk, an exchange of letters that continued into Polk's presidency (1845-49). He was nine years older than Polk and acted as an advisor to him while he served as Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, governor of Tennessee, and president of the United States. Huntsman first met Polk while serving as a state senator and Polk was its clerk. When Polk received the Democratic nomination for president in 1844, Huntsman congratulated him in his own humorous way:

"I suppose miracles will not cease in the land. To have supposed it possible that such a Possum looking fellow as you were twenty five years ago, would ever have [been] nominated for President of the United States would have been deemed Quixotism[.] But so it is, and we must make the best we can out of you."

Huntsman noted that three former presidents--George Washington, James Madison, and Andrew Jackson--had no children. If Polk were to win (he too had no children), Huntsman noted "the World will believe that the qualifications of an American President lies all in his head, and none in his Breeches."

Adam Huntsman died at his home on present-day Cotton Grove Road near Jackson, Tennessee on the evening of Thursday, 23 August 1849. He was 63 years old.

My book project on the life and political career of Adam Huntsman will be published later this year. If you would like to be notified when it is available, please send me an email here.

Restoring Forgotten Family Cemeteries

kdmccann27@comcast.net (Kevin McCann) — Sat, 24 Jan 2009 15:43:00 +0000

Bill King, David Smith, and Tim Batross of Madison County, Tennessee are doing what more local history buffs should do: cleaning and restoring long-forgotten family cemeteries. There are a lot of them in Tennessee and other parts of the country. I know of many cemeteries while doing genealogy or local history research that fall into this category. The tombstones are cracked and broken, the engravings wearing away from time and neglect.

Not too long ago, Old Salem Cemetery outside Jackson, Tennessee--where Adam Huntsman and his three wives are buried--was one of them, overgrown and neglected.

I encourage other local historians--myself included--to take the initiative and save these cemeteries for future generations.

Willie Blount - Tennessee Historical Marker

kdmccann27@comcast.net (Kevin McCann) — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 00:11:00 +0000

Ever since I was a kid, I've loved spotting state historical markers along the highways as I travel. I'll start sharing them here from time to time.

This one is located on Highway 41-A in Montgomery County, recognizing the fact that the fourth governor of Tennessee, Willie Blount, lived in this area. (Willie is pronounced Wylie.) Blount was a Democratic-Republican who served from 1809 to 1815 and was the half-brother of William Blount, governor of the Territory South of the River Ohio (present-day Tennessee) and one of the first U.S. Senators from the new state.

Checking In On Adam Huntsman

kdmccann27@comcast.net (Kevin McCann) — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 04:06:00 +0000

Today after work, I stopped by Old Salem Cemetery in Jackson, Tennessee to check in on an old friend. I'm sure it sounds weird--maybe even a bit morbid--but I make a point now and then to visit one of the oldest cemeteries in Madison County and walk to the graves of Adam Huntsman and his three wives.

Writers sometimes become attached to their subjects; for me, it's the peg-legged politician most famous for defeating David Crockett for Congress in 1835, a loss that sent the fabled frontiersman to Texas and Disney glory. He led an interesting life as a frontier lawyer and public servant with an eccentric personality and a wit for political satire. He was a bachelor for the first thirty-five years of his life, yet spent the last twenty-eight years with three different wives!

For many years, their graves were neglected and forgotten. Teenagers used the cemetery as a place to party, littering the ground with beer bottles and trash, and using tombstones for target practice and broken ones for traction to get their vehicles out of the mud.

Thankfully, Old Salem Cemetery is once again treated with dignity and respect. For the past fourteen years, it has been maintained by Malcolm Wilcox and the John B. Ingram Camp 219 chapter of the Sons of Confederate Veterans. Focusing on its role in a minor battle between Union forces and the Confederate cavalry of General Nathan Bedford Forrest on December 19, 1862, they have turned it into a modest tourist attraction for Civil War buffs. The grass is now mowed and the grounds cleaned of any debris. There is a metal barricade that keeps anyone from driving close to the cemetery.

A tip of the hat to Mr. Wilcox and the men of Camp 219: thank you for taking care of this part of local history. I'm sure Mr. Huntsman would be pleased.

Finding Time to Write

kdmccann27@comcast.net (Kevin McCann) — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 15:59:00 +0000

The biggest challenge for me to write is not so much finding the right words as finding the time to do it. Or, more specifically, the quiet time.

I'm married and have two children, 10 and 8 years old. There's always something going on in the house: cleaning, cooking, laundry, honey-do lists, kids arguing and fighting, large crashing noises above my head that shake my drop-ceiling. The kids gravitate anywhere I am, especially my office when I'm writing. (I write this after both kids come inside to see what I'm doing.)

Don't get me wrong: I love my children; they mean the world to me. I love spending time with them, asking them how their days at school went, sitting in my recliner watching a movie with them, my son on one side and my daughter on the other. But bless their hearts, they sure can interrupt a train (or more) of thoughts!

I'm not a full-time writer. As much as I'd love to do it, I can't make my living at it. So I have to steal writing time when I can, often after the kids have gone to bed. Of course by that time, I'm so mentally drained and worn out that I'm incapable of writing very much. I end up answering emails, catching up on a book I'm reading, or simply going to bed. And so the cycle goes, night after night. Needless to say, my thoughts and ideas aren't getting down on paper as much as I'd like.

I'd love to hear from other writers for their thoughts on finding quality time to write.

Long Time, No See

kdmccann27@comcast.net (Kevin McCann) — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 03:35:00 +0000

It's been quite a while since I last posted to this blog. I've been writing the last three months, but the topics have been political in nature.

Now that the late unpleasantness is over, I hope to return to a few book projects I have in the works. Two projects in particular--a history of the Kitty League (minor league baseball) and a new biography of Adam Huntsman--have my attention. The latter will build on a previous biography I published in 1996 entitled The Peg-Legged Politician. I've learned a lot more in the past twelve years about the life of this eccentric but fascinating character. I hope to share it with readers who are interested in David Crockett, frontier politics in the Age of Jackson, and Tennessee history in general next year.

My book project on Ken Boyer is still in the research phase. Other writing assignments include a project with SABR (Society for American Baseball Research) for a book on the 1964 St. Louis Cardinals. I will write short biography on outfielder Mike Shannon.

David Lipman, Ken Boyer Biographer, Passes Away

kdmccann27@comcast.net (Kevin McCann) — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 03:16:00 +0000

Distinguished journalist and former managing editor of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch David Lipman died today at the age of 77. A resident of Chesterfield, a suburb of St. Louis, he was a sportswriter for the Post-Dispatch in the 1960's and author of several sports biographies, including ones on Joe Namath, Branch Rickey, Satchel Paige, and Bob Gibson. Notice of his death was published in his former newspaper.

Mr. Lipman's 1967 book on the life and career of Ken Boyer has been a wonderful source of information for my own book on the former St. Louis Cardinals third baseman and manager. Of the two books written specifically about Boyer (the other being Ken Boyer: Guardian of the Hot Corner), Mr. Lipman's work is better researched and written not only for younger readers but adults as well. I only wish I had the opportunity to talk with him about his book and thank him for his work.

Ken Boyer Website

kdmccann27@comcast.net (Kevin McCann) — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 06:17:00 +0000

In conjunction with the Ken Boyer book project, I have a website dedicated to the St. Louis Cardinals' third baseman and manager. The site, www.kenboyer.net, has a biographical sketch, lists of facts, achievements, minor and major league statistics, and news about the book.

Ken Boyer Book

kdmccann27@comcast.net (Kevin McCann) — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 22:09:00 +0000

It's a book I've wanted to write for a long time, a biography of St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Ken Boyer.

He was my father's favorite Cardinal in the 50's and 60's. He exemplified class and leadership during a 15-year baseball career with the Cardinals, New York Mets, Chicago White Sox, and Los Angeles Dodgers. He was arguably the best all-around third baseman in the game during his 11 seasons in St. Louis. He blasted a grand slam home run to win Game 4 of the 1964 World Series for the Cardinals and helped drive a nail in the coffin of the Yankee Dynasty. He died much too young from lung cancer at the age of 51.

There's not been a biography written about Ken Boyer in over 40 years. The last, written by David Lipman and published in 1967, was intended for younger readers more than adults. None has been written that recounts his life past that memorable '64 World Series, which saw him finish his career away from St. Louis but return as a coach and minor league manager before achieving his dream of managing the Cardinals. His tenure was short and he was replaced by Whitey Herzog in 1980; he died two years later before his former team won the 1982 World Series.

I've already begun researching his life and playing career. It's my hope that the book will be published in the next two years. There are many interesting aspects to Ken's life beyond just baseball: his family, the respect his teammates held for him; how important the game was in the lives of children from his generation; how he battled the illness that eventually took his life.

I'll begin posting the results of my research and the process of writing the book here on my blog. I'm also very interested in hearing from those who knew Ken or watched him play. Personal stories of meeting him or asking for an autograph would be wonderful too.

I already have a website dedicated to Ken Boyer at www.kenboyer.net. I'm working on a new site design that I hope to unveil soon to complement this book project.

Elitist Attitudes Against Self-Publishers

kdmccann27@comcast.net (Kevin McCann) — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 18:00:00 +0000

Recently, I came across a post from a blog simply called Penn Group that, as an independent publisher, really got my blood boiling. (For another take on this same post, check this post on the Populist Publisher.)

The April 2 post, entitled "Self-Publishing Disasters, Part 2" begins with this statement: "Self-publishing companies are the dumpster-divers of the book world." From there, it asks why authors feel the need to publish their work if no traditional publisher would have anything to do with it. The author of this post "investigated" her curiosity and found three noteworthy cases: books with bad titles, bad cover art, and bad subject matter that justified her position. It's obvious she doesn't care for such works, and based on the examples she presents, I would agree with her.

There are a lot of terrible books thrown together using print on demand (POD) technology and subsidy publishing companies that accept anything someone wants to pay them to print. These "works" give self-publishing a bad name and lend credence to views like those expressed in the Penn Group blog. As a result, self-published authors who care about their craft and the books they produce have begun calling themselves "independent publishers" rather than "self-publishers."

But there are bad books produced by traditional, big-name publishers as well. In recent years, I've purchased books from reputable publishers that contain lots of misspelled words and poor grammar. Should they be considered worthy of the dumpster (or at least the bargain bin)?

There are elitist attitudes against self-publishers that permeate the writing world. The Penn Group blog seems to be another proponent of it. If a writer's work doesn't pass the scrutiny of the big publishers--regardless of the reasons--it's not worth being publishing at all. That's the mindset of many aspiring and traditionally published authors as well.

Fortunately, there have been many others who broke the traditional mold, produced their own books, and profited from them. They learned the craft of book production to create books that match or come close to the quality of those by the big-name companies. Self-publishers fill niches the traditional publishers won't touch because of their limited appeal. Local, regional, and family histories immediately come to mind. Without them, a lot of history would be lost and not shared.

Just because a book happens to be self-published doesn't mean it's "dumpster-diver" quality. Each should be judged on its own merits and not by an elitist attitude.

UPDATE: The Penn Group blog will now have a "Self-Published Book of the Week" feature every Tuesday "by popular request." But don't think it will be positive. Here's their first selection.